Friday, August 15, 2014

Bloomday, August 2014

It's August, it's Bloomday, and the garden is tired. Heck so am I! This summer has been full of sunny warm (hot) days and things are looking a little frazzled around the edges. I am not complaining, waking up to sunshine day after day is a blessing I do not take for granted. So here's my alphabetical Bloomday, and in case you don't know, links to all the blogs participating in this floral celebration can be found here.

Alstroemeria isabellana blooms, with seed pods in the background.

All my Canna's are NOID, I'm lazy that way.

This one does deserve special recognition though. It's blooms are quite lovely and delicate. In prior years it disappeared under the Musa basjoo foliage, however since last year several of my banana stalks bloomed and died the canna is a star again.

Chasmanthium latifolium

Clematis tibetana var. vernayi

Crocosmia 'Orangeade'

I am still completely head over heals in love with this one, it's just so so so good!

Echeveria 'Black Prince', two of the three plants are blooming. The third melted.

Echium russicum, on it's second round of blooms,

Eryngium agavifolium

Eryngium venustum

Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' the leaves are still upright, but the flower fell over!

Euphorbia 'Excalibur', cut back at the beginning of July there are a few new shoots which are blooming.

Grevillea 'Neil Bell'...just too darn bright to photograph well.

Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo', after the mass die off (winter cold) of these in the front garden I did go ahead and plant just one new plant in the back garden. Well see if the added protection helps in the future.

Grevillea 'Poorinda Leane'

And the star of the Grevillea show, 'Peaches and Cream'...

Hedychium 'Tara' in it's pre-bloom state, which I love.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Red Heart'...covered in blooms this year.

Kniphofia 'Pineapple Popsicle'

Lobelia laxiflora var. angustifolia

Lotus berthelotii, more red than orange. Boo.

Lysimachia nummularia

The first, and probably last, time I'll look down on Macleaya cordata blooms. Usually they're about 6 ft tall but I just dug these runners and planted them this spring.

Magnolia laevifolia, getting crazy and putting out a second round of flowers!

Paris polyphylla Heronswood form

Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock', I'm not sure what's come over me this year but I've left these for months. Which I suppose means they're not really blooms anymore...

Salvia clevelandii, almost done.

Schefflera brevipedunculata

Schefflera delavayi

Have time for a quick story? I planted a Solanum pyracanthum in the front garden in 2006 it bloomed like crazy and even set fruit. Winter came and that was the end of that. So about a month ago I came home to a plant sitting on the kitchen counter. Andrew said the neighbor up the street (about a block and a half) gave it to him to pass on to me. It wasn't doing so good in her garden and she thought I would like it (orange spikes, ya know) and might have better luck with it. I thanked her the next time I saw her and she said "you know it was the oddest thing. I had one just show up one spring a few years ago, I didn't plant it, I kind of always assumed it was the birds dropping seeds. Then this spring this one shows up near where the old one grew." So do you suppose this plant is the grandchild of the one I grew 8 years ago and it came home?

And the August Bloomday finale, Thalia dealbata (hardy water canna) with a water lily in the back ground. Hope you're enjoying your August blooms!

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

38 comments:

  1. Very nice catalogue, I suppose with being august and all selection would be high. Wouldn't it be nice if that Solanum was indeed the grandchild of the one you planted eight years ago? And that Peaches and Cream looks a dream!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Peaches and Cream' is amazing! It's been in bloom non-stop since mid June and just keeps getting better.

      Delete
  2. I AM enjoying the August blooms in my garden, very much! You always have the most unusual flowers to show for Bloom Day. I think you may be right about the provenance of your new Solanum. I hardly ever photograph my Rodgersia flowers either, but I grow it for the leaves anyway. I hope I get some flowers on my new Tara Hedychium too. Happy GBBD!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bet you will get Tara flowers, that thing is extremely reliable!

      Delete
  3. A water lily! I love the Solanum story - maybe the progeny of your plant has indeed come home. Happy GBBD, Loree!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank god a fellow blogger told me to buy (and use, what a concept) fertilizer pills for that water lily. I've rarely been without a flower.

      Delete
  4. Based on your photos, you're garden certainly doesn't look tired to me! You should see mine. The third year of drought is taking a toll, esp. since I'm cutting way back on watering. My Echium russicum died before it could ever get established.

    Lovely to see so many grevilleas in bloom. Around here they flower in the winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah but I only photographed the good stuff! My grevilleas are confused.

      Delete
  5. Beautiful blooms and a great variety. You people in Oregon, you can grow anything!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think that was definitely your grand baby, coming home to you. I covet your hibiscus!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? You should get one Heather, it couldn't be easier to care for. I basically do nothing and it looks great.

      Delete
  7. Wow. I was stopped in my tracks at A. I love that Alstroemeria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too, I'm so glad I pushed that old lady to the ground so I could buy it!

      (kidding, only because there wasn't an old lady. I tell you if anyone had gotten between me and that plant it would not have been pretty)

      Delete
  8. Be still my heart! those grevillas are fabulous. I'm green with envy. so I agree with Gerhard, your garden doesn't look tired at all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's wonderful what a selective camera angle can do for a garden.

      Delete
    2. Yes indeed, one can mask a plethora of little unsightly bits with a good camera angle, LOL. One will notice I haven't taken one picture of my shade grotto or top of hill seating area this summer. I just never got to those areas this year. Thank heavens we passed on the Conservancy Open Days this summer

      Delete
  9. You have some skeery things in your alphabet and some stunners. You never know what might turn up and from whence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jean, I take skeery as a compliment!

      Delete
  10. You always have such cool flowers in your bloomday posts! How nice that your grandchild came home! I've admired your Alstroemeria isabellana since you first posted about it and when Alison and I saw them for sale at the Frolic last weekend, we each grabbed one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I saw from Alison's post that she got one, good to know you did too.

      Delete
  11. What a most unusual plant Solanum pyracanthum and a great story...I love seeing new plants I could never grow here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. My garden is getting its second wind, but Wordpress is refusing to let me publish my post. There! I got that off my chest, now I can praise your wonderful array of exotic blooms. Where is this exhaustion of which you speak? It sure doesn;t show in these photos.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stupid Wordpress, don't they know it's Bloomday and people need to see your blooms!!?

      Delete
  13. I see many unexpected and curious things in the danger garden. I especially liked the different eryngiums. Thank you for a does of education.
    Ray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eryngiums are the best! I should do a post all about them someday.

      Delete
  14. You've ID'd another plant for me ...Echium russicum, from your seeds, last year . It's taken a year for them to appear, I'd forgotten about them , better late than never !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad the seeds finally did something for you!

      Delete
  15. I like how everything looks "a little frazzled around the edges" there - beats "looking good" here! That Solanum pyracanthum is a must-have - glad the possible ancestor of yours made it back home to the dangerous side...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Since it's blooming again maybe a seed or two will find their way into my garden this time?

      Delete
  16. Boo -my Echium russicum is showing no sign of re-bloom. Should I water it more? Whenever I see the flowers of your Clematis tibetana var. vernayi, it makes me want to cut them up and put them in a cool summer drink!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't watered mine much at all. A few things in the front garden are getting water this year (newly planted ones) but not these.

      Delete
  17. For a foliage person, you have a lot of pretty flowers.

    I think I need that Grevillea 'Peaches n Cream'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you do too, just imagine how happy it would be!

      Delete
  18. Your garden is just so ... fascinating! And I do regret that I couldn't make it to the fling this year to see it and the other amazing gardens out there. I really must find a place for Crocosmia in my garden--the form and the color are fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish you could have been here too, it was great fun. Maybe Toronto next year?

      Delete
  19. Your dangerous plants have gorgeous blooms! Good chance it is a grandchild...how many people would have that plant in your neighborhood : )

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!