It's a transitional period in my garden: most of the blooms of early summer have left the stage while the heat-loving plants of the later summer period are still standing in the wings. I've already cut back the majority of the
Agapanthus that dominated my garden in May and June. There are still a few of the unidentified red-orange daylilies that grabbed attention last month but they're days away from concluding their tour and, although a few of the reblooming varieties have produced new flower spikes, they've yet to make an appearance in stage dress. By default, the starring role in my garden at present goes to
Albizia julibrissin, a diva with a bad habit of littering.
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| Albizia julibrissin (aka mimosa tree) is the grand dame of my backyard |
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| Her close-up |
In the front yard, another arboreal diva,
Magnolia grandiflora, commands attention. She also has a serious littering habit but cleaning up after her is easier and she doesn't try to force the entire garden to accept her progeny as
Albizia does.
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| Magnolia grandiflora dominates the front lawn |
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| The bees are big fans |
Supporting players struggle to keep the audience's attention, although some of them are tiring out trying to carry the show by themselves.
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| Abelia x grandiflora is hanging out on the sidelines |
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| Achillea 'Moonshine' has kept going with a little deadheading but Eustoma grandiflorum is poised in the wings to push her off the stage |
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| Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' continues to pump out her small orange flowers but she's showing signs of waning |
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| Borago officinalis has been looking peaked but the bees demanded that she remain in the troupe for now |
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| Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' has the stamina to keep on going |
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| This stage wouldn't be the same without the presence of Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' |
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| Grevillea 'Superb,' still relatively new on the scene, is a diva in training |
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| Leucanthemum x superbum is always a crowd-pleaser |
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| Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' believe they're carrying the show in the side garden without much help from the Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon,' which have thus far failed to live up to their potential |
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| Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossum,' currently performing in a bed near the garbage cans, deserves a better stage |
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| Salvia 'Mystic Spires' performs best as part of a group |
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| Sollya heterophylla would get more acclaim if he took better publicity photos |
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| Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' is a valuable bit player |
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| Thymus serpyllum 'Minus' knits together a variety of cast members |
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| Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' is another solid performer that takes bad photos |
A few plants, recently cut back, are making encore appearances.
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| Argyranthemum frutescens 'Comet White Improved' lost one of her sisters but is carrying on |
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| Provided that he gets periodic haircuts, Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' continues to look good |
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| Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' is preparing to step back on the stage |
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| Digitalis x mertonensis 'Polka Dot Pippa' is back but still looks tired |
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| Helianthus annuus 'Valentine' looks better than her cohorts after having her head chopped off a few weeks ago |
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| Lavandula multifida performs best in this particular setting |
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| 'Ebb Tide' rose lacks the stature to make major impact in her current company |
Summer performers just beginning to make their presence known include:
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| Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye' is a real drama queen |
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| Angelonia augustifolia may remain a bit player but she is attractive |
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| Cerinthe major is a good collaborator |
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| Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' is preparing to take over the summer production in the backyard |
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| Echeveria pulvinata 'Ruby' is new on the scene and a little fuzzy about her role |
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| Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' is already commanding attention in the backyard border, whether dressed in red... |
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| or yellow |
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| Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Blue' and her sisters demand attention despite their small size |
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| Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo White' isn't as flashy as her sister but she's still very pretty |
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| Crassula exilis ssp. cooperi is a small player in a new venue |
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| Zinnia 'Profusion Apricot' is heading the charge for her family |
That's the cast for this month's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day production in my garden. Our impresario, Carol of
May Dreams Gardens, can connect you with her garden stage and other stages all over the world.
