Fourth of July Garden

More gardening.  The more I plant in our yard, the more time I spend getting lost in dirt and petals and water and roots during the summer.  And the more this blog turns into a gardening blog when the weather cooperates.  If you're more about the indoor projects, I understand.  And I apologize.  Those days will come again.  But until then...please humor me. 

We've had rain every day but one for the last two weeks.  And I won't say a word against it, because for the most part (the poor Hollyhocks are basically done for) the garden has adored it. 

The Egyptian Queen daylilies are now all the way out in force.  Gosh how I love these plants. 

The Coreopsis and Bee Balm are beautifully blooming, along with one of the two coneflower plants in the established part of the flower bed.  

 The new extended flower bed is doing very very well.  I still have a space open for a large shrub plant near the tree...right now I'm leaning toward an Oakleaf Hydrangea...perhaps a Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangea.  Everything may look quite small, and they are still establishing themselves, but I'm trying to save room for their full size over the next couple of years.  Still...there's quite a bit of room for adding more.  Next year I definitely want to add some Snapdragons and a few other plants. 

A close up of a bee on the Bee Balm.  Oh I'm always so thrilled to see the bees in my garden.

A close-up of the new Sedum still establishing itself, with droplets of water from the rain.

The Bonica rose bush seems to like where it has been planted thus far.  It thrills me to see its tiny blooms starting to emerge.

The new brightly colored coneflower I put in the new garden is starting to bloom, and the transplanted (taller) coneflower next to it has officially dug down its roots and decided to live and grow.  I believe this coneflower is one of the ones given to me by the best gardener in our neighborhood two years ago.  I thought all the seeds I had planted in the back bed had been duds, but now here this guy is!

Dianthus in the new garden.  My parents clued me into this plant when they bought one for my birthday a couple of years ago.  It's a lovely mounding perennial with at least two bloom cycles each year.  

The above Black-Eyed Susans have already grown bunches since my birthday a little over a week ago. 

A Coral Bell I transplanted from a front flower bed where it was definitely mis-planted in full sun.  The subtle pinking along the edges of the leaves is so lovely.

 The shade portion of the garden has had some advances thanks to my friend Jessica.  I've added several more Hosta plants, some Lily of the Valley, and a pink Astilbe plant I hope will take off and get a lot bigger.  Of course there's also the established bunch of ferns in the corner...which I hope will spread over to the new mulched space. 

Hard to imagine this was ever a Hospital Row Zinnia plant at Lowes.  The majority of my plants in the garden either came from generous neighbors and friends, or the Hospital Row of Lowes.  Thank goodness for discounted plants on their last legs that I can bring back to life!!

The basket on the back gate is also loving the rain.  

The Thornless Blackberry taunts us with its unripened berries through the fence.

The Hot Lips Pink Turtlehead plant really likes its shady corner behind the ferns.  This plant is a late bloomer, and I can't wait to see it.

The thornless Raspberry I planted last spring is starting to produce ripe berries.  Mmmmmm.

An enchanting view through the arbor.  I'm crossing my fingers that we get a lot of beans on the Scarlett Runner Bean vine this year.  Not to eat, but to dry the beans for next year's plant...I'm out of beans to plant.

 Tom really loves the Coneflower, so this shot's for him.

In the front, the Balloon Flower is doing nicely this year.  I planted it two years ago and usually there's only one bloom on it at a time.

I can't tell you how thankful I am to have bought this Hellebore on a whim two summers ago.  In spring the blooms are dusky purple, but they stick around throughout the summer in a modified dusky pink-greige-green color.  Subtle but lovely.  

The Obedient Plant I bought last summer is blooming.

One last shot of the color around the front door against the damp of a rainy day.