Monday, June 22, 2015

The Heat Is On

As June begins to wind down, I feel as though I am just getting started in the garden now that the heat is on. 90 degrees today. (Sunday) We get out early to work in the cool of the morning, but it warms up pretty quickly. While the Head Gardener goes about working on his projects, I set to planting the perennials that I purchased in the last couple of days. I am trying to fill in the flower bed at the back of the house. I have waited too long to purchase perennials, for I am finding the selections at my favorite garden centers pretty well picked over.


I have a collection of mostly new plants that I have not grown before. (I don't know why I continue to take photos under the pergola for they never turn out.)


A touch of blue, Forget-me-nots to off set all of the pink.




I love the color of this bell flower; it will be a nice compliment to the coral bells.


This shade loving coral bell will go in another garden where there is more shade.


Dragon's something will be added to the succulent garden.


Lewisia goes in the succulent garden, too, with luscious pink flowers.


I need a better photo of the gorgeous pink lupin and her companion, also new here. I  am hoping that lupin survive the night for it looked really droopy yesterday despite the fact that it was well watered.

As July approaches, the iris have finished, the peonies only have a few viable blooms left, the roses are in full flush, the tiger lilies are still quiet along with the daisies and echinacea.

There is a profusion of pink in the garden. I know that I probably spend too much time photographing the pink, but I can't help myself.

I picked most of the Sarah Bernhardt peonies because the heads were so heavy that they fell to the ground. I had several bouquets throughout the house, making it smell sweet with their perfume.


I put these four in a pink depression glass serving bowl with a spiky frog to keep the heavy blossoms in place. I found two frogs in a local antique store. My grandmother used to use them in her flower arrangements. They certainly do keep flowers from flopping around in a vase or bowl.   
     
 

For the Monday's Mosaic shared at Lavender Cottage, I took a few shots in the front courtyard. While the roses are half as tall as they normal would be and the blooms are smaller, they are blooming profusely. Gertrude Jekyll looks wonderful. Even my bargain cheap supermarket miniature roses are full of blooms. The clematis has gone crazy. I never imagined that it would grow so large. I may have to do some pruning. 


I am feeling guilty now because I rather bad mouthed Gertrude a few posts ago, saying that I didn't replace her because she was so moody. But look at her; can't get enough of her pinkness.

It will be a quiet week here as I continue to scour the garden centers, hoping to find some plants on sale. I have more bare spots to fill in both in the back and out in the center circle. 

Thanks for taking to time visit. I do enjoy your sweet comments as I try to get back to each of you in response.  Sometimes it takes me all week. I do a lot of reading from the iPad, so some of the blog photos don't load very fast, so then I have to use the computer, so I don't get around as quickly as I should. Most of the time I end up at the bottom of your long list of comments. I hope you find me at the end of the week or before you publish your next post.


And so the sun sets on another Sunday at the Garden Spot. Life is good. While the tree is half dead, the ponies graze contently.  As the outside world rages, here we give thanks for peace and quiet, and we pray for the same for everyone else.

Have a wonderful week.






20 comments:

  1. Hello Ann, your flowers are lovely. The lupine is gorgeous and I love the roses and peonies. Happy Monday, have a great new week ahead!

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  2. Gertrude Jekyll is one of my favourite roses...but oh, those thorns! I think the best one, vey similar, is Zepherine with no thorns, lovely pink flowers and a heavenly scent.

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  3. My peonies are the same, fading away. I had a hard time finding all the petunias I wanted. It looks absolutely gorgeous at The Garden Spot!

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  4. Your garden and flowers are wonderful. Beautiful roses. Happy Monday!

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  5. Hello Ann. Your garden is looking great - I still want to get some more perennials in, too, and noticed that the selection is very low at the nursery. I'm glad Gertrude smartened up and is delighting you (and us) with those blooms.

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  6. Hi Ann,

    Thank you for your comment on my blog. I enjoyed hearing how you feel about blogging/anonymity and writing!

    You bought some beautiful perennials. The two top ones are not familiar to me, but the lupins are among my favourites! I hope they will grow well in your garden. They can be a bit tricky and the slugs love them :-)

    Hope you will manage to keep cool in the heat!

    Have a good week!

    Madelief x

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  7. Your flowers are beautiful as always Ann. I like lupin but just can't get them to grow for some reason.

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  8. I am glad to see you are finally getting gardening as am I now that the heat is on....the plants looks wonderful as do those amazing peonies...have a wonderful summer!

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  9. Hi Ann
    At least the nurseries should be bringing in fall blooming perennials soon which will give you more choices. I haven't used my flower frogs for some time but I know where they are when I need to keep something upright in a vase.
    'Gertrude' looks like a prim and proper lady all decked out in her pink finery - glad she performed finally.
    Oh yes, that is dragon's blood sedum - I did a small hill out the front with it and when in bloom, looks spectacular.
    Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.

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  10. You really do have beautiful photos and take such good photos. I hope you have good weather this week. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  11. You bought a nice collection of new perennials for your garden Ann, and what about the Peonies in your bowl, wonderful. I think Gertrud Jekyll is one of the best David Austin roses, it is reliable and goes on for years in our garden. May be she had a bad start in your garden, but now she is catching up, great.
    It also takes me a whole week to comment on the blogs I follow, sometimes I'm early sometimes late, but I always try to keep up.
    Hugs, Janneke

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  12. Hi Ann, even at the "bottom" of the comments, I still see each and every comment that is left, they are emailed to me. I think many other bloggers see them that way also. Like you we are in the middle of hot and heat...it's going to be well over 100 here by the weekend. Watering, and trying to keep things alive and cool is high on our priority list, LOL.

    Jen

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  13. Hi Ann, even at the "bottom" of the comments, I still see each and every comment that is left, they are emailed to me. I think many other bloggers see them that way also. Like you we are in the middle of hot and heat...it's going to be well over 100 here by the weekend. Watering, and trying to keep things alive and cool is high on our priority list, LOL.

    Jen

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  14. I just want to come over there with some apples or carrots for those lovelies at the end : )

    Enjoy your continued planting this week and I hope that it cools a bit for that. Here in Western PA the humidity is currently so thick you could cut it with a knife.

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  15. I just want to come over there with some apples or carrots for those lovelies at the end : )

    Enjoy your continued planting this week and I hope that it cools a bit for that. Here in Western PA the humidity is currently so thick you could cut it with a knife.

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  16. Hi Ann! All those flowers are gorgeous! I had Lupin a few years back but it was too windy for them and they didn't make it. It's such a romantic, very cottage flower. I hope you have success with it. Love the ponies!
    hugs♥,
    Caroline

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  17. Lovely lovely lovely - I just can't get enough of pink!!!! I can't wait to see how everything looks in the garden when planted.I haven't posted all week - Don was in the hospital but they have sorted out all the huge problems and come up with a grand solution and he has been sprung from the hospital after 6 days.

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  18. The long summer days, the warmth of the sun, blue cloudless skies and pottering about in the garden all conspire to keep us away from blogland! Thanks for taking time to visit me & the Friesians and happy planting!

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  19. Your pink rose is a beauty! She just needed time. :o) I hope your lupine made it though the night. Lewisia need super sharp drainage. I've killed a few. Now I keep them mulched with pea gravel. Make sure the top layer of the soil is just gravel or they'll rot.

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  20. Here's my little tip for taking photos under the pergola, use your flash! Don't set it to auto, but to on. It will fill in the shadows for you. Most people don't think to use the flash outdoors, especially in the sun, but it works!

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