Around The Gazebo

Here are some photos of the beds surrounding the gazebo, a mix of annuals, ornamental grass, perennials and shrubs.

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The view from inside the gazebo, my favorite place to sit. The slope bed has ornamental grass, bee balm, Laura Bush petunias, creeping phlox, coneflowers, agastache, loropetalum, and much more.

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The pea gravel path that goes around the gazebo and up around the slope bed.

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Magellan and Zahara Zinnias, Black Pearl Peppers, variegated Caryopteris

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Click any photo to view larger.

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The Long Border

This flower bed runs on both sides of a small creek for about forty-five feet, with a huge poplar tree and the round marble patio with a seating area and some containers at one end. It’s cottage garden style, which means I plant whatever I want in there. :) Right now, it’s a rainbow of color. There are two small bridges within this border, and an arch with hyacinth bean vine. I have planted the bed with a mix of annuals, coneflowers, heucheras, hydrangeas, a ‘Josee’ Lilac, black and green elephant ears, lots of spring bulbs, caladiums, alternanthera, bee balm, agastache, two red bud trees on one side… and much more. The area gets mostly full sun with evening shade. These photos show one side of this long border, click any to enlarge.

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Mix of plants at one end of border

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One side of border with patio

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One end of border in background, looking from edge of front bed

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Mixed annuals near one of the bridges

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Arch with hyacinth bean vine

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Details, patio, closer view

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Fountain and supertunias, Dragon Wing Begonias, Mixed Caladiums

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Around The Garden

I finally put down the watering hose long enough to pick up the camera and take a few photos of the garden this week. I have had to water so much lately that I feel like I am permanently attached to the hose! We have soaker and drip hoses in some of the beds, but when I have plants that are so dry they’re wilted, I prefer to turn the hose on them. (Plus, hand watering gives me a chance to really see everything.) We are SO dry and in desperate need of rain! It hasn’t rained here in about three weeks, and we are HOT, very hot. The temperature was 96 today and we are supposed to go over one hundred degrees for the next few days, with no rain in sight. I’m watering just to keep things alive now. How’s your weather? Is it hot and dry where you are too? Anyone else feeling permanently attached to their watering hoses? :) Here are lots of photos I took this week, sorry for the poor quality of some, they were taken in late evening, click to enlarge.

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Petunia ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum’ in hanging baskets, Purple Angelonia and Petunia ‘Prism Sunshine’ in container, grown from seed

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Dwarf Pink Bee Balm (‘Grand Parade’), pink Double Delight Coneflowers, purple-leaved Red Shiso (Perilla Frutescens), and pink Polka Dot plants in the long border near the creek.

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‘Black Dragon’ Coleus, various types of salvia, marigolds in rock wall flower bed

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Pink Balloon Flowers, with ‘Laura Bush’ petunias and variegated Caryopteris divaricata ‘Snow Fairy’ shrub in the background. By the way, all my caryopteris shrubs are already in bloom. Everything is about a month ahead this year!

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Veronica

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Coneflowers

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An exceptionally pretty daylily :)

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Monarda ‘Grand Parade’

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White Swan Coneflowers and Agastache ‘Heat Wave’

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Zinnias and ‘Black Pearl’ peppers (at far left) with Echinacea Powwow White and PowWow Wild Berry coneflowers, ‘White Swan’ coneflowers in bed above gazebo

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Magellan™ Cherry Zinnias grown from seed

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Long creekside border near patio

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Closer View

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Container flowers with petunias, spike, verbena, bacopa, red geraniums, and dahlias in the background

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Dragonwing Begonias and Persian Shield in pots on the rock patio

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Hot Summer Coneflowers

Here is another new coneflower I’m growing this year, ‘Hot Summer’ (Echinacea). So far, it’s a definite winner for me. I bought two of these and, like the Pow Wow Coneflowers, the plants were very small when I planted them out in early July. They have grown well and are already blooming. I love these! The flowers start out yellow and gradually mature to a deep red, so you get a plant with several different shades of yellow, orange and red all at the same time. Gorgeous! Unlike the PowWows, these are full-sized coneflowers and should reach 3 feet tall. I sure hope they continue to do well and am looking forward to seeing them get bigger and better next year. These first four photos show one flower and the gradual color progression, click to enlarge.

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July 9 – first color of newly opened bud is yellow.

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July 11 – yellow and orange now.

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July 13 – two days later, red tones now.

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July 15 – Deep red now, the camera doesn’t really capture the gorgeous color.

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Photo taken today showing various colors on same plant. The red lasts a good while and then begins fading back to a dusty rose color.

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