The stars of this month’s bloom day are my containers. The petunias are exuberant, and the morning glories are, well, glorious:
Up on the corners of the back deck, you can see boxes of pink vinca. We’ve had some heavy rain showers over the past two days, so they’re a bit bedraggled now. They’ve done very well during this summer which has been mostly hot and dry; last year they struggled with all the rain. Besides being heat and drought tolerant, critters don’t seem to like them, always a benefit in my garden!
Near the garage door, a pot of angelonia is coming back nicely a couple weeks after I cut back the spent flower stalks. The purple is strongest now, but there are a pink and a white plant in there as well.
On the front porch, the hanging baskets of impatiens are at their peak:There’s a lot going on in the vegetable garden this month. The cucumbers, green beans, and sweet peppers have many blossoms:
The cherry tomatoes are still sporting many yellow blossoms, while the ripening plum tomatoes add some showy, flowery color of their own:
Around the edge of the garden, the ever-burgeoning spearmint is blooming; within the fence, the lemon thyme flowers as well:
This short row of zinnias “Fruit Smoothie” provide some nice color amidst all the green, though I do hope to see some purple, orange, and yellow too!I am very happy to see the black-eyed Susans I transplanted late in the spring are blooming at their end of the rock garden. I really like them next to these purplish-pink geraniums–something to keep in mind for next year!In another section of the rock garden, these rudbeckia and cleome create a charming vignette:I moved this pot of portulaca off our side porch into the rock garden to provide some color to this bland spot. Due to the gloom of the day, they were not open, but you can still see how bright and cheerful they are:Begonias and alyssum have spread well to fill in the space under a rhododendron:At the front of the house now, here is a corner bed of ageratum, dusty miller, geraniums, and begonias:The “Purple Palace” heuchera has sent up a few flower stalks, despite being overcrowded by the astilbe. It will have a room of its own next year!Finally, here is a bright spot in our lawn that shows up every year around this time, particularly if it’s damp:I am always delighted to see them; my husband not so much. Next time he mows, these babies will be history. On the rare occasion he’s allowed them to stay a while, they eventually formed a full circle, and I well imagine the fairies have enjoyed dancing in their ring!As always, thank you to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly bloom day. It is a great resource for finding fellow bloggers and gardening friends! Happy Bloom Day!
Rose said:
Wow, your containers look great, Kimberley! So many of my petunias gave up in the heat a few weeks ago…and probably got tired of waiting for me to water them:) I love the corner bed with the ageratum and geraniums–such a nice combination of colors, especially with the dusty miller as contrast. I haven’t planted any dusty miller in several years and I don’t know why; must remember this next year!
K. said:
Yes, the dusty Miller are happy in that bed. Often they will winter over for me, so I may not have to buy so many to plant next year!
Thanks for visiting. I always look forward to and enjoy your comments!
Nicole said:
Your petunias are lovely and the morning glories are indeed glorious. I have become a big fan of portulaca over the past couple years and now have several pots of them. Bought cleome seeds recently so hope to grow them for the first time soon.
K. said:
Thanks for visiting, Nicole. Your site is beautiful to look at! I really like the bright colors of the portulaca.
Anonymous said:
I’m in western NY, so I assume you’ve had pretty much the same drought-then-drown weather we’ve had. This post has reintroduced me to so many favorites I’ve grown in the past, then said goodbye to in my many moves (i.e. portulaca, angelonia and ageratum). Simply must add these to the garden next season. Love the alyssum and begonias under the rhodie! Also, for some reason I’ve never grown cleome or cosmos – and in your “About” section you talk about them being self-seeders. Perfect timing, as I’ve been looking for self-seeders to plant around the cottage we just inherited from my husband’s family up in the Thousand Islands!
K. said:
Good luck with the cleome and cosmos in the 1000 Islands. Such a pretty area in the summertime! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment!
gardeninacity.wordpress.com said:
The containers do indeed look great. Some of my containers are suffering from too little water, some from too much. Love your morning glories!
K. said:
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Sometimes I do forget to water the containers, especially when it rains (most are under cover, so they don’t necessarily get rain water), but one look at the wilting morning glories reminds me. Luckily, most things recover pretty quickly!
Alana(@RamblinGarden) said:
Been trying to enjoy your blog during my laptop and Internet woes. It’s hard with an iPhone A lot of the photoessays did not load. Can’t wait to see your site in its full glory
K. said:
Hi Alana! I’ve been following your technological travails. Hope they get worked out quickly! Glad you were able to visit despite your problems!
Wife, Mother, Gardener said:
I love you annuals! So much cheery color for the summer. We are just beginning to get our rain back in western PA. I look forward to a nice wet fall hopefully!
~Julie
K. said:
Thanks for visiting, Julie! I recently had the chance to visit your side of the state, spending a weekend in Pittsburgh. It’s really a nice city! Sadly, 3 out of the 4 people in our party wanted to visit the Carnegie Science Center more than they wanted to visit the Phipps Conservatory, and, since it was a family trip, I had to acquiesce! We did drive by it, though, and I drooled!
Scott Weber said:
So perfectly charming…I absolutely adore the Morning Glory!
K. said:
Thanks, Scott. It’s an honor to have you stop by and leave such a lovely comment!
Lidya Johnson said:
Great blog on garden. Pictures of flowers is great and colorful …