Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bloom Day July 2012

As I started taking pictures this morning, plants were still wet with the previous nights rainfall, and as I publish this blog another storm is rolling through.  This is one crazy July, but I'm thoroughly enjoying all this unexpected  rain.

Despite the rain, not everything is looking it's best.  Some plants like these canna lilies are looking a little weather worn and I had to search for a few photo worthy blooms.


Luckily, I have these morning glories to set a good example for the other plants.  They keep blooming in dry or wet conditions, and what a glorious way to start the day!  

These butterflies don't seem to mind that the Gregg's mistflower is not looking it's best.


The Mexican orchid tree is always a favorite with butterflies and hummingbirds no matter what the weather.

Okra is one of those vegetables that is pretty enough for an ornamental bed.  The attractive flowers of the okra plant are very comparable to other plants in the mallow family like the pavonia pictured below.
Burgundy Okra
Pale Pavonia
Fall obedient plant blooming in July.  Yep, that's right, it's going to have to change it's name.

My mum's and other fall bloomers like this spider lily are blooming early this year.  I hope something is left to bloom in September.

This is my first year growing cleome, but I love this plant.  It hasn't stopped blooming since I planted it in the spring.

This little red climbing rose has really amazed me.  A friend gave me some cuttings last fall, and I grew them over the winter.  In the spring I planted them in pots and they have really taken off.  Today they are about 6 feet tall and covered in blooms.  Incredible.  What a great plant! 

I grew these burgundy castor beans from seeds during the winter and planted them around the garden when temperatures warmed up.  These plants grow so fast and they're so interesting.  I love having them in the garden. 


There are so many plants that I enjoy growing.  It's not summer without basil, and look how pretty it is.


I tried strawberry field gomphrena last year for the first time.  I've grown gomphrena's before and they're great plants.  This year I started these from seeds, which is a very rewarding and economical way to create plants for the garden.

Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph' is a non-stop bloomer.  There are lots of great salvia's out there, but I love the color and drought tolerance of this plant.


I hope you enjoyed Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.  Please check in with May Dreams for other great Bloom Day posts.


11 comments:

  1. Hi, I found you through Carol's GBBD, what a lovely selection of gorgeous photos :-) And I like your butterflies too! Here in London where I live we are also having a crazy July - in fact, we have had a crazy three months of rain! Everything is very late, and the weather is unusually cold, but we are hoping for a change for the Olympics!

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    1. Yes, hopefully all the crazy weather is working it's way out, and you will have lovely weather for the Olympics. Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. You do have some beautiful blooms on show. The Salvia is gorgeous and the Basil flowers look great. Those burgundy Castor Bean plants look so good. Those are new to me. I've lost my Cleome again this year. I do so love it, and it does indeed bloom for ages. Unfortunately two years running now I've had trouble with spider mites on this plant. They don't seem to affect anything around the Cleome, so obviously it's their favourite. I'll just have to keep buying a new one every year. I don't think I could do without at least one blooming in the garden.

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    1. I've been having a difficult time with spider mites this year. My cleome is a good distance away from the affected plants, but I will keep my eye one them. I didn't know that the mites liked them so much. Thanks a lot of that bit of knowledge.

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  3. Lovely salvia...I really need to get a move on with my 'side house project' but I may end up doing the 'hide the utility box' first...

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    1. Utility boxes are always such a challenge. I'll watch your blog and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

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  4. I love your Morning Glories. Are they the "Grandpa Ott's" variety? I've been seeing lots of Queen butterflies on my blue mistflower as well. I might have to plant a Mexican orchid tree, especially if it attracts the Giant Swallowtails. Your garden looks great. Maybe all the rain is causing the fall bloomers to bloom now?

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    1. The morning glory is 'Blue Dawn'. It comes back reliably every year, but it does freeze back in the winter. I has a tendency to spread, so I have it on an isolated trellis. The Mexican orchid is an excellent plant for butterflies of all kinds. I was worried about it's cold hardiness, but it survived the 17 degree winter. It froze completely back to the ground, but it grew back pretty quickly and was blooming again in no time.

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  5. Glorious blooms! I'm so jealous of your Morning Glory...I don't think I have enough sun to grow them at my house...but I can at least enjoy yours :-) Cleome is one of those great, old-fashioned plants that should be WAY more popular...they are wonderful.

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    1. Due to our unexpected rainfall, the morning glory is looking even more glorious. I think it may take over the backyard soon.

      I took a peek at your blog and your bloom day pics are beautiful. Your landscape looks very lush compared to our Texas gardens, but I noticed we grow some of the same plants. Very interesting.

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