Carol's been hosting GBBD for ages over at May Dreams Garden, and now I'm a monthly participant after years of observing. Once again some of my favorite blooming flowers have come and gone between bloom days. You'll just have to take my word for it that the astilbe were stunning! But at least the day-lilies are tall and proud:
I really love the yellow ones:
The old standards are doing the heavy blooming work in the garden, like the Endless Summer hydrangea. It's a little bluer in real life:
All the hostas are blooming:
The volunteer sunflower will bloom shortly, but it's obscuring the blooming heuchera in this trio of containers:
And what would I do without impatiens in my shady dry garden:
The area between the veggie garden and the shed is giving us a new surprise flower every day. If I could remember what seed mixes I scattered here I would share with you, but they were all Botanical Interests seeds:
And this is one of my very favorite things right now -- a very early blooming dahlia (none of the others show any signs of flowering yet, but good growth):
Did you see the blooming butterfly bush in the background of the dahlia photo above? My arty shot:
And this is one that turned out almost exactly how I had envisioned it. Nasturtiums and Swiss Chard:
Did you notice the empty pot to the right above? Here are all the plants that I have to fill the containers that held the potatoes (long ago harvested and eaten). This weekend, I promise patient little plants:
And this is one that I'm actually not too excited about. The cilantro is flowering and we've only used it once -- ugh:
But I am very excited about the flowers on the cucumbers. Maybe I'll have a cucumber one of these days (2 zucchini already!):
What are you most excited about that's blooming in your garden right now?
Love your daylilies-just lovely! Like the dahlia photo as well-nice photography! Happy GBBD!
Posted by: Lee@A Guide To Northeastern Gardening | July 15, 2011 at 12:16 AM
Lovely blooms! I adore your white Dahlia and gorgeous Hydrangea. I just love that sneaky Sunflower popping up in front of your flowering Heucheras. It's almost as if it were saying 'Hey look at me!'
Posted by: Bernieh | July 15, 2011 at 12:23 AM
Yellow and blue just scream summer. It's a lovely combination.
Posted by: Missy | July 15, 2011 at 01:51 AM
I see a small cucumber forming....that will be nice. The color on the distant buddleia is such a nice shade of violet. I particularly like your seed scattered bed...looks like a flower meadow...lovely!
Posted by: The Sage Butterfly | July 15, 2011 at 02:33 AM
Tried to over winter my Dahlias, but they shriveled, I see we have some similar flowers blooming. Your 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea bush is lovely!
Thanks for the tour!
glimpsesofglory-karen.blogspot.com/
Posted by: glimpsesofglory/karen | July 15, 2011 at 07:18 AM
Oh those hydrangeas! Great bloomers, aren't they? Lovely visit...my first and won't be my last.
Rosie
Posted by: Rosie@mygardenhaven | July 15, 2011 at 07:38 AM
Stunning Daylilies and the Hydrangeas are superb! Happy GBBD :)
Posted by: Christine @ The Gardening Blog | July 15, 2011 at 08:18 AM
Lee -- Thank you. Considering I spent all of 5 minutes photographing the garden and about 15 writing the post, it turned out pretty well.
Bernieh -- It's screaming, "LOOK AT ME!" I knew what I was getting into when I let it sprout. I just wonder why there aren't more around the garden.
Missy -- I do have a lot of yellow and blue combos, but personally I like green and purple a little bit more.
Sage Butterfly -- I'm not sure that cucumber got pollinated. I should really go pollinate them myself if I really want a cucumber. I'm enjoying the little flower meadow myself. It certainly makes for a bright spot in the garden.
Karen -- I grow dahlias in pots so I can just pick up the whole thing and put it in the basement. My friend who gave me the dahlia that is blooming digs hers up each year and stores the tubers in bags in her basement. Way too much work for me, when I can just get some of hers in the spring!
Rosie -- I love my hydrangea so much. I wanted them to be my wedding flowers, but didn't have a bush or know anyone with one back then. It's about time to cut some and put them in vases in the house to encourage a second bloom. Come visit often!
Christine -- Thanks and happy GBBD to you too!
Posted by: Heather's Garden | July 15, 2011 at 12:17 PM
aloha,
what a beautiful garden tour, the early dahlia is my favorite, great show!
Posted by: noel | July 15, 2011 at 12:41 PM
I love love love that blue hydrangea!!!
Posted by: Judy | July 15, 2011 at 12:57 PM
I envy your endless summer. Mine is sulking over in the west garden with no flowers on it. I am going to have to remove and get something that will grow here. Thanks for sharing GBBD. V
Posted by: Valerie | July 15, 2011 at 03:32 PM
Oh, my, that hydrangea is gorgeous! I must get one!
Posted by: Dorothy/Gardening with Nature | July 15, 2011 at 04:04 PM
Is that a variegated nasturtium... lovely foliage! Larry
Posted by: larry | July 15, 2011 at 04:59 PM
Noel -- Thanks! I think the dahlia is my favorite too.
Judy -- I know, I can just sit and stare at it.
Valerie -- My hydrangea is not really in the right spot, too sunny, too sandy. But after 5 years now it is fully established and no longer wilts on a hot day. We also give it a bunch of used coffee grounds every spring instead of fertilizer.
Dorothy -- You must have a hydrangea!
Larry -- Good eyes! It is a variegated nasturtium and planted expressly for the lovely foliage.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | July 15, 2011 at 07:39 PM
One of my other blog friends, Greensparrow in Michigan, just posted about cilantro going to seed. He said that the green version of the seeds are absolutely delicious--like the best cilantro ever, plus a lemony freshness of some kind. I'm intrigued, but I didn't plant cilantro this year... so can you please try them and let me know what you think?!
Posted by: Blackswampgirl Kim | July 16, 2011 at 01:46 AM
I would love to try cilantro here - but it seems to be too hot to flourish.
Do I see batchelor buttons and cosmos in your wildflower bed? What are the lovely, dark red blooms?
Posted by: Mummer | July 16, 2011 at 06:54 AM
Kim -- I will try them and let you know, but I'm one of those people who tastes cilantro as soap. So I'll also have Lee try them!
Mom -- Definitely too hot in your neck of the woods. You probably do see those things in the little wildflower bed, but I don't know exactly what's down there. I also think those dark red flowers are beautiful, but again, no idea what they are.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | July 16, 2011 at 02:56 PM
Hi Heather, thanks for writing. All is well. Just busy as all get out, family in from out of town, etc. Took a bazillion photos and set up my blog entries to show up on scheduled days but I must have missed something but all the posts were in "edit" mode. Silly me! Fixing the problem now. I'll catch up on my reading soon enough.
Posted by: Wendy | July 18, 2011 at 11:44 AM
Wow! Those are lovely flowers. I love the yellow lily and the white dahlia.
Posted by: Lisa | July 18, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Those are very Colorful flowers.My favorite is the yellow lilies.
Posted by: Lisa | July 28, 2011 at 12:17 PM