After obsessing about the damage done by the nuclear heatwave we experienced on July 6th, I nearly lost track of Bloom Day. Like many of my summer Bloom Day posts, my meanderings through the garden felt a lot like a scavenger hunt. Despite the 110F (43C) temperature that scorched the garden and killed some plants outright a week ago, there are still flowers. There are just far fewer of them. The
Dahlias and
Zinnias that stole the show in my July 2017 post are only just getting started this July 15th and many of the other plants I featured in last year's post are either no-shows or they've been incinerated by the heatwave.
The nicest bed is one which is partially shaded in the afternoon and is also protected from the wind by its proximity to the house and a tall shrub on the west side.
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| The photo on the upper left shows the bed in question. Clockwise from the top right, the bed contains: Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon', Gaillardia 'Fanfare Citronella', variegated Lantana 'Samantha', a noID Anigozanthos, and Leucadendron'Pisa'. There are blue Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) in there too, mostly plants that over-wintered from last year, but none are blooming yet. |
Some flowering plants laughed at the heatwave, figuratively speaking.
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| Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher' is blooming right on schedule, although it undoubtedly benefited from the shade of 2 large trees overhead |
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| Achillea 'Moonshine's' first flush of blooms are fading but that has nothing to do with the heat. With deadheading, they'll continue to produce new, albeit smaller, blooms for awhile yet. |
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| Grevilleas 'Ned Kelly' (left) and 'Superb' (right) literally never stop blooming |
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| Succulent Oscularia deltoides is in its glory at this time of year |
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| I noticed flowers on Leonotis leonurus for the first time this season as the heat abated. Could this have been prompted by the temperature spike? |
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| Romneya coulteri (Matilija Poppy) didn't appear to even register summer's shift into high gear |
Other plants were affected by the heat but still have blooms.
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| The appearance of the Agapanthus flowers certainly wasn't improved by the high temperatures and dry wind conditions but at least they didn't burn |
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| All the Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' blooms dropped their petals but, as soon as they were deadheaded, new blooms appeared. However, the foliage has been scorched. |
Still other plants are just getting into their summer stride.
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| I was late in getting all my Dahlia tubers planted this year. 'Otto's Thrill', purchased in a pot with buds, is the only plant I currently have in bloom but others are showing buds at last. |
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| I thought my Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) were slow to get going this year but, looking back at last year's July post, it seems they're right on schedule; however, the recent heat did scorch some plants, which may affect future blooms |
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| Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' appears to be blooming later but even better than it did last year |
The daylilies fizzled out a little early but a few varieties produced flowers even during the heatwave.
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| Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' (top), a dormant variety that came with the garden, is showing off its last blooms. The same is true of 'Apollodorus' (bottom left), which is new to my garden this year, and 'Persian Market' (lower right), one of my old favorites. |
The rest of the flowers in the garden are scant but I'll share them in the form of color collages as I usually do.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Catananche caerulea, Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers', noID Lavandula, Trichostema 'Midnight Magic', Osteospermum 'Violet Ice', Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', and, in the center, Melaleuca thymifolia |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Gaura lindheimeri (shown with Myrtus communis 'Compacta'), Leucanthemum x superbum, Scaevola 'Surdiva White', noID Osteospermum, and Pandorea jasminoides 'Alba' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Calendula 'Zeolights' grown from seed, Crassula pubescens ssp radicans, Euryops 'Sonnenschein', Hunnemannia fumariifolia (Mexican Tulip Poppy, a plant that keeps on giving), and Santolina virens 'Lemon Fizz' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', Lobelia laxiflora, Lotus jacobaeus, Pelargonium peltatum, Pentas lanceolata 'Nova', Zinnia elegans 'Queen Red Lime', and, in the center, a noID rose. The latter opened and promptly withered yesterday morning. |
That's it for my Bloom Day round-up. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts,
visit our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
