14 August 2007

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day--August

It's that time again already! It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, as started by the clever and delightful Carol of May Dreams Garden.


It's Half Past August, a Quarter to Fall--and here's what's going on at our place!


This and the first image is a perennial potentilla, Arc en Ciel--I also have one called Fireball but the flowers are much smaller. These come in shades of red-orange with yellow in the mix too, and they catch a lot of attention even though they're in among the coneflower herd.


I'm just catching on to alliums, although I've been growing a couple of them faithfully for several years now. The bizarre "Hair" is a favourite because of its odd spiky tendrils, but I like the small yellow fireworks of this one too.



I don't know if the monarchs just haven't found the yellow asclepias yet, or if it's not really to their liking, but so far it's remained unscatched. I can't find the orange one, but it's possible I weeded it out, thinking it was something naughty!


Although the light wasn't quite right and I should have used my tripod--I couldn't resist including this photo of a hummingbird facing off with a wasp! It's very bizarre to see the wasp turn and face the hummers, and then CHASE them--but they all share eventually.


You didn't think I'd get through a post of flowers without at least one coneflower, did you? Of course not. Here's Sundown, also known as Evan Saul--I can finally tell them apart because SunSET has a unique lavender cast to its older flowers in cool climates, according to Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery.


And of course this is my favourite plant this year, the well-named Green Envy--which elicits just that response in most who see it.


Oh, this is a blissful plant! It's an orienpet lily, a cross between oriental and a trumpet, but I can't remember what it's name is. It's fragrant, it's elegant, it might be Caravan (I'll see if I can find my notes from last year).



I figure that Bloom Day ought to include some of the creatures that our garden relies on for pollination--and which they rely on for food. Here's one of our happy, fat, bumblebees. Okay, yes, I'm anthropomorphizing. It's my blog and if I want to assign moods to bees, I will. Nanner nanner nanner blttttt!


We have a lot of bee balm, mostly in strong colours like red (Jacob Cline) raspberry (Raspberry Wine) and this (Bluestocking). I didn't realize that's what this was until the Bluestocking I bought this year flowered--and looked exactly like this large clump of Monarda. So now there will be two clumps.


As part of my wine-and-chocolate garden, here is Days of Wine; our daylilies are still going strong here on the mountain, and the everbloomers will keep going until frost.


This afternoon I took a walk around the back field looking at wildflowers and other things that interest me, and paused by the pond to watch dragonflies. I didn't feel I had time to sit and wait for a dragonfly to land near me...then when I went back up to the house, here he is, hanging on the autumn clematis!

I have deadlines on the go here, so I will stop for now; but I'm going to do a part 2 to my Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post--and that will be some of the native/naturalized plants that grow around our place. Happy Bloom Day, all!

15 comments:

  1. Simply lovely photos! The Arc en Ciel was breathtaking!

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  2. Jodi:

    That is a great hummer photo! The flowers are not bad either! I do love monarda and will have to get some blue stocking to go with my others. Yes, that was a Limelight PG and I do love them! I'm thinking of a lime green garden!

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  3. Part 2? Wow, you have so many wonderful flowers, and there's more? Can't wait!

    Thanks for participating in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

    Carol at May Dreams Gardens

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  4. Jodi,

    That pic of the hummer and wasp sharing it really cool. I like the dragonfly too. I've had a couple visit the garden this year but not stop long enough to allow me to take a picture of them.

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  5. Okay, I have to research that Arc en ciel right away and see if it will survive here. I think I may have to branch out in the echinacea department, all I have are the echinacea purpura and angustifolia, none of the new colors. I have resisted buying them because they seemed rather dear and I wasn't sure how they would perform. You've convinced me to take the plunge. Well, once we pay for the new waterline, anyway.

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  6. Wow... I never realized that the potentilla flowers looked so velvety. Beautiful. And that 'Bluestocking' monarda is a wonderful shade--I have seen that available in the garden centers, but never in flower so I have shied away. This may just change my mind.

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  7. I loved part one, and now also have bluestocking on my wishlist... your plants have so much personality, Jodi!

    See you for part 2,

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  8. Beautiful photos. You certainly captured some wonderful wildlife in the hummer & wasp and the dragonfly.

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  9. Hi Jodi,

    Great show of your August blooms. Love the beautiful hummingbird and wasp photo.

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  10. Great flower shots, and that dragonfly is one that I have never seen---it must be a Canadian dragonfly!

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  11. Wine and chocolate garden? Now there's a thought. You wouldn't get me out of this zone for anything.

    Great pics Jodi. Like everyone else, I loved the hummingbird photo and also you coneflowers.

    Awesome contribution.

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  12. your photos are amazing! they inspire me to paint and give me new ideas for color pallettes. beautiful! and your cat's names are hilarious--i love them! i can't wait to look at your blog every day.

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  13. i had no idea hummingbirds got harassed by even smaller fliers! that's hilarious. i have both in my yard but i've never seen that. thanks for braving the dogfighters for the photo, i've personally been chased by both!

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  14. Lots and lots of yumminess there, jodi! I love the dragonfly photo! I'm a big lover of dragonflies, and that hummer! Good job!

    We have potentilla, too, in similar shades, but not double like yours. Ours is 'Melton Fire' and I grew it by wintersowing two winters ago.

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  15. Glad you've all enjoyed our little menagerie. I'm getting ready to post a second part, but also getting ready to go away, so I'm a bit behind in blogging while I do the work what pays the bills....

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