I'll open this with an unremarkable photo of my daylily bed in full bloom.

Sped, love the daylilies, unremarkable as they may be. I have them too and like them out on the old fence where I can enjoy them but don't have to tend to them.

Shasta daisies above fading Spirea

Old faithful Clematis Jackmanii

Coleus "Oompah" with Lemon Basil

Volunteer Black-eyed Susans

Another nice Heritage rose

Susan

Wow. That Rose is way cool. I have a few things to add.

Hosta Olive Bailey Langdon with a pulmonaria in front.

Asiatic Lilies, sorry can't remember the name.

Hemerocallis 'Stephanie Returns'

Clematis John Huxtable

Hosta flower bract, from H. Manhattan

Zinnia, a cut and come again type.

Steve

I've been looking at all the photos from June and now July... getting inspired by what I've seen and thinking that I really should have put in some variety of Shasta Daisy ... and I sure do wish that I had planted some Zinnias, like Steve's 'Cut and Come Again' ... what happened to all my spring intentions? So many things have come and gone in my gardens. But here are some recent photos of what's blooming now.

One of my favorite groupings of Phlox

The dry garden with its riot of different sedums

The shaded side garden where the foliage makes striking contrasts

Daylily 'Light the Way' is magnificent up at the top of the long garden. The one at the bottom of the long garden was eaten by deer.

Hemerocallis 'Larry Grace'

Hemerocallis 'Raspberry Winter'

That's all for now,

Molie

Susan, your daylilies look perfect growing alongside your fence! I think they look at their ultimate best when growing along a fence or stone wall. ALL your flowers are lovely, and I especially love your clematis.

Steve, Stephanie Returns was on my list of daylilies to buy one year, and seeing yours, I wish I had ordered it. Your zinnia is so vibrant-looking!

And Molie all your flower groupings complement each other so well. Just lovely gardens!

My bee balm has sprung into bloom, but the lack of bees in it is very sobering. I counted but two bumblebees, and most years it is alive with bees of all varieties. This year it is bee-less balm. :-( I hope this will not be one of the last years that it thrives.

Here are a couple pots I started from seed and I'm pleased with how well they've both done. One of a number of seed geraniums on the left and portulaca on the right. Both are supposed to produce orange flowers because... well... they reside in my orange garden!

However I'm starting to wonder if the portulaca blossoms are actually going to be orange. These buds look very suspiciously pink/red to me, but a few days of sun will tell! What do you all think?

There were also two pots of beautiful orange blooming marigolds (that I've grown from saved seeds for a dozen generations) in this same garden until yesterday. I moved them to my "marigold protection zone" (apologies or homage to Claire!) to protect them from the horrid Japanese beetles until later in the summer when the beetles make their exit. For some reason they seem safe from the bugs on my front porch, too high up I guess.

Sped, regarding your portulaca and the unwanted colors... my advice is to plant some in the ground (if they reseed for you up there) because I've been getting them all over the gardens in many colors from the few I planted years ago. They just keep coming back for me.

Susan, I love your Heritage rose. I've lost a few David Austin roses... what's your secret to such a fabulous plant?

Steve, do you have any new hostas to show us or are they all in the hostas forum?

I've been lax in taking Hosta pics this year. Like everyone else I've been taking daylily pictures. But I do have a few that are looking good at this stage.

Here's a red Hosta flower that's a bit unusual.

And here's a seedling that I'm evaluating and hoping to work with when it flowers.

This is probably my favorite named Hosta. This is montana Aureomarginata with a hydrangea.

One of the cool things about Sum and Substance is that it's size allows it to be grown as a backdrop for other plants. This is one of the Big Bang series of Coreopsis.

I don't know if I've shown this daylily before. This is Hemerocallis 'Third Witch' bred by Margo Reed, a retired Kindergarten teacher who along with her husband, Jim Murphy make the most beautiful spider daylilies at Woodhenge Gardens. Unfortunately, most of them are expensive.

Steve

Wow, Steve! I'll say the red Hosta flower is a bit unusual! What's its name? I'd love to see the whole plant.

Yes, daylilies can be very expensive.... I try to avoid Hemerocallis websites, though these plants are marvelous "investments" because they spread and can be divided. Your "Third Witch' is a spider variety? Very striking plant.

Molie

Molie,

Thanks for the comments.

Third Witch could be what they call "Unusual Form" instead of Spider. The daylily people actually have a ratio of width to length to determine if a flower is a spider or not.

The red flower is just from a seedling. It's the first one I've had bloom this year. I have a few of these grown from seed given to me by a friend who breeds for red flowers. The plant is nothing to look at. The leaves are boring. So the trick is to get those red flowers into plants that have more interesting leaves. It won't be too long until you see plants with different color flowers. I know some folks who have bred blue flowers and I've seen pictures of yellow. If I get something interesting from these red flowered types, I'll be sure to post it.

Steve

I love that Third Witch daylily, Steve. Very pretty and unusual! My philosophy is that you can never have too many daylilies!

Molie, I'm not at all sure that portulaca could survive here overwintering in the far north on its own. I started these indoors in small pots. (We're supposed to be zone 4 but I think we're in a little pocket that verges on zone 3.) It's immaterial though since my portulaca has in fact turned out to be a true orange as advertised, just what I wanted! I'm going to try to save the seeds and grow them next year.

The geraniums in the blue pot behind the portulaca are supposed to be also orange. I grew a lot of annuals from seed this year for the first time, vowing to avoid buying flowers that are probably grown with the use of pesticides.

These are 10th or 12th generation marigolds and nasturtiums from saved seeds, taking refuge on the front porch from the newly emerged Japanese beetles. These plants never disappoint.

A couple other things I started from seed early this spring: parsley and the first bloom on my hanging pot of petunias (which I have never before successfully grown from seed).

And lastly a view of my front porch from the side.

Lovely daylilies and hostas and orange flowers shown here! That red hosta flower is astonishing, Steve - I didn't know hostas did that!

My compost pile is blooming. Well, I'm sure the fungi consider these to be flowers of sorts since it's their reproductive bodies.

I transfer material from the black bins to the pile on the ground to finish. When I went out today I discovered the pile was covered with mushrooms.

The branch was there to hold down pieces of cardboard until they were assimilated.

There are at least two different types of mushrooms here, maybe more but I'm not sure which ones are just younger and which are mature.

Maybe young ones.

Maybe the same mushroom type but mature.

Mature and a different color and texture than the above.

Maybe younger ones of the above.

At some point these will all go poof and the spores will be dispersed. Now if only the spores would grow into new little compost piles....

Claire

A few of the usual July suspects:

Hemerocallis 'American Revolution' that's now blooming in three different spots in my garden even though I don't think I've ever divided and moved it. I hope it's seeding around because I love it.

Hemerocallis 'Corky' which is new this year. A modest little daylily but endearing (to me, anyway).

Hosta 'Blue Angel' is blooming and the Blue Billow hydrangea waited for it.

Hosta 'Big Daddy' in a shadier spot under a white pine.

My smaller Dicentra 'Gold Heart' is reblooming - just one flower but it was a nice surprise.

And one of the volunteer Kousa dogwoods is beginning to develop fruit.

Claire

Another great round of photos from everyone. Steve, that hosta seedling of yours is quite special.

No woodchuck = Delphinium...just petering out

No woodchuck = Lupine.....I've been deadheading continually and while the blooms are much smaller now, they keep going!

No woodchuck = Hollyhock......do you see a pattern here? This is the first year in a very long time where I'm not on the buffet rounds of the woodchuck.

I started 'Prairie Sun' rudbeckia from seed a number of years ago and have been so pleased with it. It blooms for such a long time.

The daylily border is just starting its show.

The oakleaf hydrangea is now held up by about half a roll of jute twine. Poor thing was nearly laying on the ground after this winter and then some heavy rain.

I added 'Bobo' last year and am really excited about this one.

The calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine' just keeps blooming and blooming.

Stachys 'Pink Cotton Candy'

When I was replanting the cottage area my plan was for dark yellow roses and the daylily in this photo. I had already ordered all the daylilies before we changed our minds and planted orange roses. They're a little tattered after some rain. I'm not convinced with this combo but DH thinks they look good together. Thoughts? Save energy and let them be? Or dig out and move these daylilies and replant another color? Anyone who thinks something else would work better I'd love some suggestions for variety.

Wow, thyme, your calycanthus is blooming NOW? I have a Venus, which bloomed way back in June, possibly even MAY! It's a new little shrub, planted last fall, and so I'm new to this plant. I wonder if being a different variety affects bloom time... But I'm very happy to see your Hartlage Wine, as I got one this year (not planted yet, still in its pot). I wasn't sure about the color, but I have to say in your photo it looks lovely. No blooms for me this year, but I look forward to next year!

Re your rose/daylily combination: I think this combination looks okay - I like the darker rose against the lighter daylily - but the dark yellow rose would pick up the yellow throat of the daylily... I guess that was of no help at all, was it, lol...??

Beautiful as always, T2D! I like the daylily/rose combination but you could add a dark yellow spider daylily to bridge the colors and to add a different shape (my approach is always 'when in doubt add another plant').

Claire

Dee, yes, that was my thought. Yellow rose with yellow throat of daylily. I finally gave up on 'Venus'. She just wasn't performing for me. You may have better luck in a warmer zone. So glad you got 'Hartlage Wine'. It blooms for a very long time. I have mine pruned up as a tree. It's about 10' tall or so. I would say this shrub is up on the top ten list of attention grabbers when people walk around the garden.

Claire, I had to laugh when I saw your post. You read my mind! Last season when I was worried about this combo, in an effort to bridge colors, I did just as you said! It's not spider daylily but I added a handful of 'Buttered Popcorn' daylilies to the mix. It helps, but I guess I'm just bothered by this combo. Maybe I should go back to the website Steve posted and get some of their glorious spiders! Holy cow!

Thanks for the thoughts! Sorry, don't want to hijack the thread. I'll post a new thread if it really gets on my nerves as the daylilies continue to come out.

P.S. Claire, I like you're approach! There's always room for more plants!

Thyme, I've loved your calycanthus ever since you gave us a tour after one of Annie's swaps. I think the daylilies look good with the roses. The lily looks like a diluted (mixed with white) version of the rose color and the yellow repeats in both. I like the combination. Love the stachys Pink Cotton Candy.

The north side of the circle garden we can see from the house doesn't look too bad. I've got to get my camera out. The south side got dug out last year and hasn't been properly re-planted. I think tall garden phlox in such a small bed, central to our view, is a mistake. But the tall phlox seems a lot shorter this year. The Shasta clump has revived with more room.

Darn, I expected muggy and showers today so I did kitchen work instead of getting out in the garden. I think it's time to dig the garlic and do other vegetable garden chores. Stopped at Moulton Farms in Moultonborough NH yesterday and finally found a half decent selection of scented geraniums but I think I'm thru buying annuals this year except for fall chrysanthemums. Yes, I should bring geraniums inside but usually my indoor black thumb shows up. Glad cooler weather is predicted for tomorrow. Japanese beetles have shown up but mostly seem to be on potatoes. I started doing bug rounds knocking the vile varmints into a container of soapy water.

I should visit a local day lily farm at least for a look see but it would be more fun if I had a spot for a new plant.

T2D: How about something like

from Woodhenge Gardens, the site recommended by Steve? If nothing else, the name is great.

Claire

Oh, Claire! That is a great name! I'm really getting an affinity for the spider types. They're so interesting.

Defrost, more importantly, did you get any cider donuts while you were at Moulton Farms? Those are the ultimate! I just picked up some geraniums on sale at HD while I was there buying something I hope might repel a porcupine I think we have visiting regularly. I have an indoor black thumb as well so I don't overwinter anything. I just saw the beetles show up a few days ago.

Beautiful gardens and flower specimens on this thread! Lovely variety.

Some 15 years ago, I began creating individual gardens and borders of ornamental trees and shrubs. After reading books about 'gardening as one ages' -authors Sydney Eddison and Isabel Zucker, e.g. - I was even more convinced to follow their sage advice and am glad I did. In that process, while crouching under large rhododendrons one sunny day, I decided I wanted a place/space where I could go and sit and be enveloped by the nature of the plants and trees I planted. So I built 'The Philosophy Garden' and can now sit inside its embracing quiet. In a few more years and faithful use of the deer repellent, it should have more height, more depth of cover.

Without planning, on the 4th of July, it bloomed red, white and blue hydrangea blossoms.

Cityline Paris - there are 3 in this 40' x40' garden. The Deutzia Chardonnay Pearls is spent in front

On a side border of flowering shrubs, in front of the Autumn Wine Ninebark (dark leaves) is a Harlequin Glorybower, Clerodendrum trichotomum, planted last fall.

It has a bud on every stem after spending its first winter under 3-4 feet of snow.

Out front in my hellstrip garden for bees, bugs, butterflies, and birds, the lilies are blooming and mostly leaning toward the South. Other than an amethyst lily that comes later, all the lilies are nameless, welcomed guests that I've picked up along the years. This year the milkweed has happily spread, but no Monarch yet.


And the guests...

Bumble on Walker's Low Catmint.
Jane - who, thanks to T2D, now wants calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine'. :)

I did post a second thread for July 2015, but just wanted to say on this one how much I enjoy Thyme's cottage garden photos and Jane's philosophy garden pics. What a happy coincidence, Jane, to have the red, white, and blue blooms appear on July 4th!

Yikes, wasn't sure which thread to post to, lol! Decisions, decisions! Finally decided to do one last post here, since I'm responding to things on this particular thread.

Thyme, I was stunned today to see one white bloom on my calycanthus Venus! What the heck? Now I'm wondering if I am confused, bewildered and befuddled regarding bloom time on this sucker. I swear it bloomed quite early this season, but I don't think they rebloom, do they....? Could I be thinking back to last year....? But I don't think I had it in spring/early summer last year....? Oy vey, the memory ain't what it used to be, and just from 6 weeks ago too....

Jane, I too am going down that path. I still have many years of gardening in me (God willing), and this is a long-term plan but I do have some health issues, as well as time issues, and just am thinking ahead to days where I might possibly not want to spend my entire life in the garden, even if I do have the time (gasp!). Hence the new calycanthus. I'm putting in a shrub border, and taking out some of my sun garden perennial - too darn hot to garden in the sun (my family calls me the vampire gardener, lol - I avoid the at almost all costs!). So between the borders with mostly shrubs (low maintenance) and the shade gardens (cooler maintenance!) gardening will hopefully remain doable and and enjoyable.

Dee - I like the reference to vampire gardening since I also do my best to avoid the sun, though often it's just lots of clothes and a hat with an 8" brim.

Jane, I think the 3'-4' of snow last winter may have been a good thing for your Clerodendrum trichotomum since MO Botanic Garden says it is unreliably hardy in zone 6, so that extra layer of insulation was probably a benefit to yours.

Dee, HW has been a solid rebloomer, so I'm not surprised you're seeing a flower on Venus. Usually the blooms are a bit more sparse as the summer wears on, but this year there is an inordinate amount of continual bloom.

jane, I planted a clerodendrum about five years ago. Have never seen a single flower.......but have seedlings everywhere?!? It is the oddest thing. I search the dang plant every year even for tiny flowers and nothing. Then I have little seedlings sometimes twelve to fifteen feet away from it......at first I thought maybe runners, but they're not. Unless I have a slightly different variety. My leaves smell like peanut butter. Do yours? I've seen them for sale in nurseries up here now and I've been surprised because I've only known it as a southern shrub/tree. Took a seedling from my moms in NC and figured maybe it would be a die-back shrub for me, which it is. But if it doesn't start putting out those beautiful flowers soon, I'm going to shovel prune it! There, I threatened it. Now it will bloom next year!

No, I refrained from getting any cider donuts. We were headed to Jordan's for ice cream sine it was too early for lobster rolls and onion rings at Red Hill Dairy. Corunum, the white fence makes your garden even prettier.