Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day officially falls on Saturday but I'm once again operating on my own schedule and posting a day early. Our morning marine layer seems to have finally deserted us and our temperatures have soared. We reached a high of 92F (33C) on both Wednesday and Thursday. That's not horrible, at least by comparison to heatwaves in other years, but it's a big contrast to the cooler temperatures we'd been enjoying. Gardening has been limited to early morning watering sessions.
Fortunately, I took my Bloom Day photos earlier this week. I'll start with this month's stars.
 |
| My Agapanthus bloomed about one month behind schedule this year. They're at their peak now. With the exception of the flower on the lower right, a cultivar named 'Twister', all those shown here are unnamed varieties that came with the garden. |
 |
| This is the first time I've grown Helianthus 'Sunbelievable Brown-Eyed Girl' and I love it |
 |
| Although daylilies differ in terms of their flowering schedules, mine peaked in June last year but I have more blooms in July this year. Clockwise from the upper left are: Hemerocallis 'Cordon Rouge', 'Persian Market', 'For Pete's Sake', 'Spacecoast Behavior Pattern', 'Spanish Harlem', and 'Sammy Russell'. |
 |
| The lilies keep coming. Clockwise from the upper left are: Lilium 'Conca d'Or', 'Pretty Woman', 'Friso', and a noID white variety. |
 |
| I needed a telephoto lens to photograph the Magnolia grandiflora flowers, which grow high above my head |
 |
| Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' is peaking this month. 'Pozo Blue' is also blooming but it doesn't have the deep blue color of 'Winnifred'. |
Several of my hardworking summer stalwarts are also putting on a good show.
 |
| The Cupheas bloom most of the year but are at their most floriferous now. From the upper left are Cuphea 'Honeybells', 'Starfire Pink', and 'Vermillionaire' (shown in context and in closeup). |
 |
| The sun also brought out the Gaillardias en masse. Shown on the right are closeups of Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' and 'Spintop Copper Sun'. |
 |
| All of a sudden Gazanias are everywhere too. The only 2 named varieties I can identify are Gazania 'Gold Flame' (top, left) and 'Otomi' (middle left). Several of the others are self-sown. |
 |
| Lantana also responded to the sunshine by flowering profusely. Lantana camara 'Irene' (left) makes the strongest statement but I'm fond of the more demure variegated Lantana 'Samantha' (upper right) too. The plant on the lower right isn't a Lantana - it's Lobelia laxiflora but I included it here as it complements L. 'Irene' so well. |
A variety of plants are making their first appearances this month.
 |
| A shaggy Leucanthemum x superbum I've had for many years |
 |
| I added Sollya heterophylla (aka Australian bluebell creeper) in May 2022 but it's only now flowering for the first time. I grew this plant in my former garden but this is the first time I've tried it in my current garden. |
 |
| Other plants making an appearance this month include, clockwise from the upper left: Catanache caerulea (aka cupid's dart), Globularia x indubia (aka globe daisy), Leptospermum 'Copper Glow', white-flowered Crassula pubescens, Sonchus palmensis, and Dahlia 'XXL Veracruz' |
I had one big surprise involving a plant I installed not long after we moved in 12 years ago, which is blooming now for the very first time.
 |
| This is Phormium 'Atropurpureum'. I have at least 7 other Phormiums, all in place 7 or more years, and this is the first and only one to date to ever bloom for me. |
There are also a host of plants that are still flowering, albeit more lightly, warranting a nod of appreciation.
 |
| Top row: Arctotis 'Large Marge'and 'Pink Sugar' and the ever-blooming Grevillea 'Superb' Middle: assorted Dianthus, assorted Digitalis, and Limonium perezii Bottom: Pandorea jasminoides with Trachelospermum jasminoides, Salvia canariensis, and Viola 'Penny Peach' |
And then there are a couple of plants which appeared earlier this month, exiting prior to the usual Bloom Day recognition; however, they still warrant acknowledgement.
 |
| Epiphyllum 'King Midas' (left) and Gladiolus 'Guinea' (right) |
As usual, I'll end this post with color-themed collages representing the best of the rest currently in bloom.
 |
| Top row: Ageratum corymbosum, Gladiolus 'Vuvuzela', and Melaleuca thymifolia Middle: Nemesia 'Sunglow Bicolor', Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', and Pericallis 'Violet Bicolor' Bottom: Polygala myrtifolia, Scabiosa columbaria, and Thymus serpyllum |
 |
| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Ageratum, Agonis flexuosa (aka peppermint willow), Angelonia 'Archangel White', Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', 2 self-seeded Osteospermum, and Phyla nodiflora (aka frogfruit) |
 |
| Top: Alstromeria 'Inca Vienna', Argyranthemum 'Pink Comet', and Hebe 'Wiri Blush' Middle: Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', C. 'Sunset', and Grevillea sericea Bottom: Oenothera speciosa, Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', and Teucrium chamaedrys |
 |
| Top: stray Aeonium arboreum, Berlandiera lyrata (aka chocolate daisy), and yellow-flowered Crassula pubescens Middle: Mangave 'Freckles & Speckles', Santolina 'Lemon Fizz', and Tagetes lemmonii Bottom: noID Bacopa, Allium sphaerocephalon (drumstick allium), and Pelargonium peltatum |
In the midst of plenty, there are several noticeable absences this month. With the exception of the one small dahlia I picked up a local garden center to fill a pot, none of the dahlia tubers I originally planted in temporary pots before giving them more root space in my cutting garden have produced blooms yet. The zinnias and sunflowers I sowed from seed are still relatively small seedlings. And the lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) I've often used in floral arrangements in prior years have been virtual no-shows this year. I didn't plant any new lisianthus in the past year so that may be part of the problem. As to the dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers, I'm hoping that, as was the case with my spring blooms, the summer flowers will eventually catch up.
For more GBBD post, check in with our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens on July 15th.
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party