My garden is bursting at the seams with blooming plants; some are on the wane, some are in their prime, and others are just starting to emerge. Fifty-two different plants, to be exact.
Only a few woody shrubs flowering now: beauty bush, Apache plume, and and unknown variety of Potentilla. The Apache plume, Fallugia paradoxa, has simple (OK, boring) flowers, but just wait till you see the seed heads!
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| clearly a member of the rose family, Rosaceae |
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| full of fluffy funness! |
My small Syringa reticulata AKA Japanese tree lilac, is just barely starting to flower - a bit later than usual - but it will look like this in just a few days:
One plant that I always get questions about is this Allium christophii. The flower heads are typically softball sized on 12"-30" stems, but this one is spectacular!
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| Not a trick photo! My palm is on the flowers, my finger span is 7 inches. |
I like the look of the dried seed heads, they remind me of fireworks bursting in the sky, so I've let them seed throughout the garden. A great on line source for these bulbs, and many others is Brent and Becky's. Right now is the perfect time to order bulbs for fall planting!
Another plant that is starting to flower now is this pink Maltese cross, Lychnis chalcedonia
I love the dusty rose color, softer than the traditional - and more common - red form. It can go fairly dry if it's sited to receive afternoon shade.
Crambe cordifolia is another WOW plant this time of year. The large foliage - think rhubarb sized leaves - adds bold texture, and the five foot tall (yes!) inflorescence is spectacular.
The beautiful silver foliage of horned poppy, Glaucium flavum, is a treat all summer, but the orange blooms are certainly cheery in the garden now:
Be sure to join Carol at May Dreams Gardens to link up with all the other gardeners showing their favorites today!
Now, just one more before I go... bearded iris, Iris germanica, are - oddly enough - still going strong. All of my iris have been acquired as giveaways from friends, so I don't have a clue as to their "proper" names. This one is a favorite:
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| If you like this iris photo, just wait till you see my Photo Friday post...stay tuned! |
3 comments:
Do the leaves on the sea kale go dormant after flowering?
No, Susan, they don't. I trim the flower stalks back to the ground and the plant looks a little sparse (and pooped!), but then develops fresh leaves and looks pretty good for the rest of the season.
A. christophii is a fav of mine as well. Even when they are dried I enjoy them. Yours are huge, what secret formula are you feeding them.
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