For me, this hasn't been the year of the garden. There hasn't been much to whisper about, much less shout about. I've lamented the dry heat and the incessant wind. However, in the last month some late monsoonal rains revived the garden. Woohoo, I can participate in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for the first time this year. Thank you Carol for hosting!
The Rose Queen salvia came into its own this year. The color is so pretty and cutting back led to a second and a third flush of blooms. I bought four more and planted two of them this summer. The first two didn't get into the ground soon enough so I made another trip to the nursery.
I said in an earlier post that I wasn't sure if I like the ultraviolet salvia or not. I'm still not sure, but it has bloomed all summer in a grass like way.
Look at what I found behind the shed. I have wild asters popping up all over the place. I've tried transplanting them before to no avail so I will enjoy them where the grow and maybe consider developing a meadow-like space behind the aspens.
Agastache and more agastache. I've tried different cultivars, but the rupestris seems to work the best for me. One year I tried the Acapulco. Alas, it didn't come back the next year. I have some Rositas in the front garden and some Avas in the backyard, but both were sparse bloomers in this dryer than dry summer.
The gaura and raspberry delight salvia have been the stalwarts of the summer garden and will continue to bloom through early fall. Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Beautiful flowers, great photos!! : )
ReplyDeleteEverything looks wonderful. Those Asters are lovely. You dig a big rootball in the spring when they come up and they'll transplant. Just don't do it now. Put sticks in the ground where they are so you recognize what is coming up in the spring. Really lovely blooms.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Love your blooms - and I love the colors! Really pretty. Definitely something to shout about!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are getting some rain...whatever that salvia is...I want some!!! I agree about the Agastache...for drought conditions, rupestris is your best bet...I have some I have only watered 2 or 3 times all summer and they look fresh as a daisy :-)
ReplyDeleteYour Rose Queen is indeed regal :)
ReplyDeleteLove the colors and soft textures. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful, especially considering the difficult climate you live in.
ReplyDelete@charlie b. - Thanks for stopping by. It's been great to have flowers this last month.
ReplyDelete@Sunray - Cher, I'll try your suggestions and try transplanting next spring. Thanks for the advice.
@HolleyGarden - I'm loving the blooms also, especially all the wild asters.
@ScottW - the rupestris is one of my late summer favorites, but I miss the intense color of the Avas this year.
ReplyDelete@Patricia - I love the growth habit of the rose queen. It sprawls and is not as tight and formal as the may night.
@GWGT - Donna, Happy GBBD to you, too. I'm enjoying all the recent textures in the garden.
@Cathy and Steve - Thanks so much! Lots of rain has made for a pretty end of season garden.
Lovely blooms in all my fave shades.
ReplyDeleteReally like your salvias. Have some of those too.
ReplyDeleteOhio Outdoors
I struggle with agastache. I'm beginning to think about sticking to the larger varieties like blue fortune and such. I've had to selectively irrigate them this summer.
ReplyDeleteI love your flower choices, especially the ultra-violet salvia :), somehow the rich saturated color on a wispy plant really appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteUltra Violet looks pretty!!
ReplyDeleteI love the combinations in your agastache bed--besides the gaura and Raspberry Delight, what do you have growing there?
ReplyDeleteThat Ultra Violet is quite a purple... It looks great with the Mexican evening primroses.
@Bridget - I'm thankful for all the rain so I can enjoy the late summer blooms.
ReplyDelete@Ohio Outdoors - Salvias are one of my favorites. There is such a huge variety and they do well in the arid climate.
@Greggo - my agastache has been hit or miss with the exception of the rupestris which is always a hit.
@Masha - the ultra violet did better than anything else in the front garden this year. I think I might grow to appreciate them, but I'm still on the fence.
ReplyDelete@NHGarden - Thanks for the visit. The uv flowers are so diminutive, but it's been a great contrast to the primroses.
@Stacy - I mostly have my high desert triumvirate: agastache, penstemon and salvia. Some of the plants didn't bloom well this year. Also some Jupiter's beard from a friend and some red hot pokers to round things out.
Such pretty flowers! I love the look of the evening primroses against the salvia. Your agastache are amazing! I love how you have it grouped with the white and darker pink colors.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Those asters are so pretty - they always make me smile.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy seeing the predominance of lavenders and pinks in your garden....lovely!
ReplyDelete@Indie - Sometimes my color choices work and other times I wonder what I was thinking. I love how the white in gaura and Jupiter's beard make the garden brighter.
ReplyDelete@Hanni - I love asters, too. I'm so delighted that I have wild ones this year.
@The Sage Butterfly - Thank you! I have some yellows and oranges, too. But they were more short lived this year.
I love the presentation! Salvia is something!
ReplyDelete@Tatyana - I love making the photo collages. The garden has prettier in the last few weeks than it has all summer. It's been a great unexpected surprise.
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