My perennial bed in the backyard seems to be half overgrown and half barren. There is a periphery of flowers now and the agastache rupestris are starting their bloom cycle.
I don't think they're as xeric as they're purported to be. A friend of mine planted one last year and hers is gargantuan. She doesn't do anything special, but water and feed it.
I probably shouldn't have gone crazy with the salvia photos, but I'm not sure when I'll have so many flowers again.
This week I was able to turn off the timer for the drip system and didn't need to water because of some monsoonal rains. The ground was moist in the mornings and in the afternoons I heard the tapping of raindrops on the windows in my office.
These firecracker penstemon (eatonii?) have gotten overgrown and are ready to be divided. They've been long lived in my garden, which is something I can't say for many of my penstemon.
The Shasta daisies are faring well with extra water, too. I probably shouldn't have them in my garden, but I planted them when I was still trying to fit a square peg in a round hole in terms of gardening. I wanted a traditional perennial border that doesn't lend itself to gardening in Santa Fe. They don't bloom often, but I don't have the heart to pull them out. So are you receiving extra rain this year or is it as dry as a bone where you live?
I hope you enjoyed the little tour of the back garden. I'm joining Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Special thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting. Please check out what's blooming in other parts of the country and in other parts of the world.
Last summer, I had one sad salvia pachyphylla, "Blue Flame" bloom. It's my favorite salvia in my garden. High Country Gardens states in the Spring 2012 catalog, it's "A finicky plant for experienced gardeners." That definitely leaves me out.
Last summer was dry dry dry. Did I mention it was dry? However, my three plants have gotten lots of supplemental water this year because it's connected to the same drip system as my vegetable garden. I need to start a new drip zone for the vegetables with a separate timer, but for the time being they're receiving the benefit of more water. What a difference a little water makes.
I hope you enjoyed the little tour of the back garden. I'm joining Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Special thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting. Please check out what's blooming in other parts of the country and in other parts of the world.
Wow that salvia looks so special, i think i haven't seen it even in blogs. We only have the red in our hot tropics, but it is struggling.
ReplyDeleteThe pachyphylla is my favorite salvia. Salvias seem to do well here. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteWe've had a month (June 11 - July 9) of no rain, none at all until this week. Thankfully rain began on Tuesday and has continued.
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Have a blessed Sunday!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Mississippi, USA
Lea, I'm glad you got some rain. Last year was terrible I think all I did was complain about the drought. Happy Bloom Day and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteLovely blooms. I really like that Salvia and you can count on Daisies no matter what even without extra water.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
Cher, the salvia is a show stopper and my favorite. My luck with daisies is mixed.
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ReplyDeleteYour blooms look very happy! I love daisies even if they are overused. They make great cut flowers and always look good in the garden. Hurray for rain!
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for the rain and the cooler weather this week. I think I might plant some echinacea along side the daisies. Cher has some that are a beautiful planting.
DeleteI adore your backyard blooms...that salvia is one I have wanted but not in my climate I thought...and my penstemons are gone due to the dry, dry, dry weather. I do have lots of shastas though and you will see them tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI have mostly drought tolerant penstemons. The salvia seems to bloom for me every other year. I guess next year will be a non-blooming year. :(
DeleteLovely photos and beautiful flowers, despite your dry weather - glad to hear you had a monsoon at least this week. Would you like to have some of our rain from over here in Britain? We have much more than we need! My garden is lush and green, but oh so late since we have had very little sunshine the last 3 months.
ReplyDeleteMy Aunt Dot lives in London and mentioned the hose pipe ban to me. I would be glad to take some of your rain. Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteIt's less dry this year than last so I've been enjoying the good fortune of having flowers this year.
What a gorgeous salvia! We had a record hot dry spell going, but thankfully it's finally broken and we've gotten a decent amount of rain this past week. Boy do the plants need it! I've certainly found out which plants do not do so well with the heat..
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying the respite from the heat and the plants have, too. The garden looks a lot healthier this year. I'm glad you got some rain.
DeleteOh, I too, love that purple Salvia! I'm glad you included so many great photos of it. It's my garden's turn to be dry this year. Not fun. Take care, and enjoy your gorgeous blooms!
ReplyDeleteDry and hot gardens are no fun. Last year was a serious bummer for me. I continue to enjoy the salvia. The blooms are so enchanting.
DeleteWhen I first saw your top picture, I didn't think it looked overgrown at all! It looks like a beautiful, natural garden. :) Your garden pictures are gorgeous. I love the shades of purple and blue. Whatever you're doing is working. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela! Originally my garden was supposed to mostly purples and blues, but I did some impulse buying of plants. I pretend it doesn't clash too much. :)
DeleteGorgeous blooms!! I love that Salvia! Will have to check into that kind. With our mild winter last year, many of my Blue Bedder Salvia (farinacea) came back and are blooming now. Glad to hear you've gotten some rain and cooler temps. : )
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of blue bedder salvia. I'll have to check it out. I'm enjoying the cooler temps and the spot of rain we got today.
DeleteLove that blue in the purple salvia. And that firecracker penstemon is fabulous! Not sure, but I think I had some of those that didn't make it through our winter. :( Your daisies are all looking quite fresh, too. I like the first picture. It looks like a garden I would love to wander through, delighting in each bloom.
ReplyDeleteThanks Holley; I like wandering around in my garden in the mornings or when I get home from work. The daisy photo was taken on an overcast day. I have a hard time taking photos of white flowers.
DeleteThe penstemon is such a burst of color--I'm sure hummingbirds are loving it! And your salvia is just gorgeous. I definitely need more salvia in my life (and my front perennial bed.) Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteJulie, I think you can never have enough salvia and penstemon in your garden. The hardest part is finding room for them all. I like the firecracker penstemon because it blooms later than my other penstemons and adds a pop of color.
DeleteSzałwia jest prześliczna. Stokrotki są urocze, a u mnie nie chcą rosnąć. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteSage is very beautiful. Daisies are charming, and I have no wish to grow. Yours.
Giga, the daisies are almost done blooming, but I hope the sage blooms for a few more weeks.
DeleteGiga, że stokrotki są prawie gotowe kwitnienie, ale mam nadzieję, że kwiaty szałwii przez kilka tygodni.
GS, my Connecticut garden may have caught up with yours in dryness. Your blooms, however, sure don't look as deprived as they might. Creativity reigns in these times; I like your salvia sharing water with the vegetable garden.
ReplyDeleteThe salvia is probably getting too much water, but it will have to be until I can separate the drip line.
DeleteLove the salvia, reminds me of my trip to the Rockies this month. Would love to have success with Agastaches(the pinks and reds). I do well with the blues.
ReplyDeleteMy luck with the agastache is hit or miss. Mostly miss except for the rupestris. :(
DeleteLove the salvia pachyphylla...I had the same reaction when I read that description on their website a few years ago...it was so beautiful, but I didn't have the heart to get one...pretty sure it wouldn't be happy in my garden :-( I also have a love/hate relationship with my Shasta Daisies...they can be so pretty at times, and just awful at others...but I don't have the heart to just toss them.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I bought the plants before I read the description in the catalog. Otherwise, I probably would have foregone them.
DeletePinned that penstemon too. Really pretty. I'm hoping more rain will come your way soon.
ReplyDeleteWe had a few more showers this week. Thanks for pinning!
DeleteWow, your Salvia is gorgeous! I have an S. pachyphylla, but not the 'Blue Flame.' Mine hasn't ever bloomed, but I thought they were supposed to be ultra-xeric, as in Mojave Desert xeric! I'll give the poor thing some water. I'm with you--if I'd seen the "experts" label it would never have come home with me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Love the salvia and penstemon. I wish we had gotten some rain this month. It rains around us, but not here. It's frustrating seeing the lighting, but not getting of the rain from the storm.
ReplyDelete