Blooming and Almost Blooming Friday~the late, late edition

It has been a beautiful day in my part of North Carolina, the kind of Friday that you dream of having off from work. Alas to work I went after taking photos up until the last minute before dressing to leave. I've finally stole enough time to share them here for my first Blooming Friday of 2010.

Katarina at roses and stuff asks us this Friday what photo means Summer the most to us. This picture from June 2008 in my garden is one of my favorite summer images~ Daylily 'Twister Time' with liatris and Salvia 'Black and Blue' in the background.





Presently I have nothing new blooming since my last post. The hybrid hellebore is still blooming. I was blocking the sun in this first shot so I decided to give it a glow to brighten it up a bit.




Same hellebore backlit.



The Forsythia is in full on bloom.






and the Helleborus foetidus is still hanging in there.



For the ~almost blooming~ part I have Prunus subhirtella, Weeping Cherry...







and daffs in the shade(!)...



and the ubiquitous 'Bradford' Callery Pear.




This last blossom is maturing at an alarming rate~ at least it seems that way to her caretaker;) Meike is starting to look like a little Pom instead of a fur ball. Here she is on the deck this morning, on the move...



and looking out at the garden that she is just learning her way around...



Happy Blooming Friday- well almost, I think I may have missed it by a smidge,lol.

A Grand Debut

It has been a typical August week in the garden with hot temps and not much new to see except for the debut of flowers on Hibiscus grandiflorus. It seems as though the tight little flower buds transform magically overnight. I love this plant for its greyish green velvety leaves almost as much as these powder puff pink blooms. Another plus is the Japanese beetles and Sawfly larvae don't like the velvetey leaves.





Stokesia laevis 'Peachie's Pick' was divided and transplanted in several different locations in the garden last fall. The result has been a nice staggering of bloom time among the plants this summer.



My one stalk of Sedum 'Matrona' in bud. The voles ruined the original clump and this is a start over plant.



I thought I had removed Lantana 'Miss Huff' a couple of years ago but it has persisted amid the new plantings. I leave it to see who will win out.



My first clear shot of a Silver Spotted Skipper( I wish it had been captured with the newer camera).



The bunnies kept this new planting of Mexican Petunia trimmed back until recently. It's nice to finally see flowers.



Galaxy Explosion is reblooming.



This clump of Blue Love Grass didn't get a trim this year and is in full fluff.



And to finish~ my wonderful patch of Bog Sage~ still keeping the bees happy:)

No flowers allowed...

in this blog entry. This one is all about foliage and its diversity.

I haven't had very good luck with planting Elephant Ears as perennials although I know it can be done here in zone 7b. I do have decent luck stashing potted plants in a cool dark place. They often don't come out of dormancy for me until July so I'm just beginning to enjoy some of them now. This one has been traded around and doesn't have a positive id. Garden Webbers know it as TJ's EE:)



I've had this Colocasia 'Illustris' for a few years now but this is the first leaf I've seen like this.



A combination of fuzzy and succulent~ Kalanchoe 'Jaws'



New growth on a potted Hyacinth Bean vine. I planted one in the garden for the bunnies:(



Some new growth on my Japanese Maple.



It's taken a few years but I finally have a good patch of these Hens and Chicks that my mom shared with me. The voles like them so they're a little scattered out but I like it that way.

This and That

Summer seems to be flying by me this year. I've spent precious little time in the garden this year but I'm glad that I take at least a few minutes almost every morning to capture what is happening there.

I have been less than pleased at times with Yucca 'Golden Sword' but it's looking pretty good at the moment. This enhanced photo shows it on the left with Verbena aff.xutha~ I call it Porterweed~ in the foreground. This is one of those garden views that is hard to capture just right in a photo but is pleasing to my eye as I walk around it.



The rugose texture of the leaves of Salvia madrensis~ new to me and planted recently.



Crape myrtles are such workhorses in this part of NC that they are often taken for granted by the locals. This is 'Natchez'. My pot ghetto habit has resulted in this one rooting in next to my deck so the flowers are front and center every time I step out my back door.



Bursting seed pod of Butterfly Weed~ Asclepias tuberosa



This Brugmansia has refused to die and rooted through its container which was left to the elements over the last 2 winters next to the foundation of the house in a very exposed location. This spider~ Green Lynx?~ was stationed at eye level on this trumpet and is probably still there days later.



The Perennial Heliotrope is beginning to look a little untidy but the small butterflies still love it.