It has been unusually rainy this month. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining...far from it! We had 3 days of straight rain the second week of JUNE. The plants think it is fantastic! They are looking healthy and green and growing faster than the weeds in my garden. Whats not to like!
Continuing from last month, daylilies are still filling the garden with bold color and big blooms.
Don't you think the stamen look like long eyelashes? Blink, Blink.
An anomaly in my garden is this pink hydrangea. Why is this so special? Well, my soil (a.k.a. red clay) is acidic. Since the pH of the soil determines the coloring of this type of hydrangea, blue is the typical color you see around Georgia.
Hydrangeas produce pink blooms in neutral to alkaline (6.5 - 7.0) soil and will produce blue blooms in acidic (5.0-5.5) soil. I have always been told that the only way to get pink blooms in Georgia is to plant hydrangeas in pots and add lots of lime. (If your soil is more alkaline add aluminum sulfate to get blue blooms.) Sometimes you may see a hydrangea that has blue, pink and purple blooms simultaneously because of the varying pH levels in the soil around the plant.
This hydrangea was planted in the Blue & White garden. Oops! The OPS soil that we added to this bed must have brought up the pH level significantly for this to happen.
Other summer faithfulls and pollinator favorites around the garden ~
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| Monarda |
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| Bumble bee on Buddleia |
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| Oranges & Lemons Blanket Flower with Russian Sage |
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| Coneflower 'White Swan' |
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| Black & Blue Salvia | | | | |
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| Coreopsis moonbeam |
It struck me as I was walking through the garden that I never photograph my pots or hanging baskets. So to change things up here is a look at a few.
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| Lantana 'New Gold', sweet potato vine, coleus, Calibrachoa 'Cabaret' |
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| Wave petunia 'Lavendar', Zinnia 'profusion cherry' |
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| Colocasi Esculenta 'Black Magic' with Euphorbia graminea 'Diamond Frost' |
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| Coleus, sweet potato vine, white pentas and black petunia |
I am joining Garden Blogger's Bloom day hosted by Carol at
May Dreams Gardens. Swing on over and take a look at blooms around the globe.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~ Karin
So many gorgeous colors! My gardens are still lacking a little in color... Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful....I was just out and saw that the deer had eaten all the lily buds..again....Michelle
ReplyDeleteBeautiful daylilies, Karin. I love your container of coleus and sweet potato vine too. That is a stunning combo.
ReplyDeleteAll your blooms are really pretty and I love the planting in the urn. Beautiful choices.
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
aloha,
ReplyDeletewhat a wonderful tour of your garden, i love all the day lillies
Your garden looks so lovely! I love the long eyelashes on the lilies. Mine are blooming as well, and I forget how beautiful they are. That hydrangea wants to be pink, I suppose, and it is a beauty! Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteDaylilies are one of those plants that can be taken for granted because they are everywhere. My favorite are the ones growing along the roadside. They just make me smile when I drive by and see that happy color. Loved your post on hydrangeas!
DeleteGreat photo of the salvia. It looks like it's suspended in mid-air. My mom used to put nails in the soil in New Orleans to change the color of hydrangeas, not very scientific, but I guess it changed the pH.
ReplyDeleteHey, if it works, why not! And certainly cheaper than buying bags of lime!
DeleteLove that container with the coleus and sweet potato vine, it looks very lush and the colours show each other off well. Great shots of the daylilies, I like the muted yellow of that first one.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blooms. We have many of the same plants and blooms going on now. Happy garden blooms.
ReplyDeleteStunning Lily photos! And everything else looks great, too. Strange--you're getting too much rain and we're not getting enough this summer. I'm starting to worry a bit because I can't water everything. Time for a rain dance. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy mom (in Michigan) was saying that they are really short on rain too. We are usually in dry, dry conditions at this time of the year so I am so thankful for all the rain we've had. It looks like the tide is turning since we aren't suppose to have any rain for the next week and temps in the 90s... Hello summer!
DeleteYour summer colour is fantastic. The Daylilies are just wonderful, and I just love the planting combinations in that last container!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week-end!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Karin isn't rain wonderful as long as the weather clears a bit and it is warm....we are headed for days of 90s and no rain...the garden is such a trooper...I have a couple of daylilies but they are still holding tight in bud....I was hoping to see hydrangea but maybe later in summer finally...love your containers and the bold colors.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of the stamens on daylilies as eyelashes before - now that's what I'll remember when I see them! I love hydrangeas no matter the color. My usually blue hydrangeas are pink and blue this year - my clay soil is acidic but our water PH is alkaline. Maybe your hydrangeas will be blue next year.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great array of glorious blooms! I like having a pink one or two hydrangeas....mine are all blue.
ReplyDeleteOkay, what I really want to know is how you keep all those beautiful hanging baskets and containers watered and happy in the Georgia heat?! I try to be diligent with containers, but I am apparently not diligent enough!
ReplyDeleteLove those daylilies! Such style!
Indie, I water my baskets everyday with the water from the dehumidifier or rain barrel. As the summer heat grows some of them in the full sun have to be watered twice a day to still look nice. It takes a lot of care for sure.
DeleteDaylilies are gorgeous. I've never seen potatoes grown like that. Do you find sweet potatoes in the pot ?
ReplyDeleteThese sweet potato vines are ornamental. They are commonly used in pots and baskets in the States. I am growing some sweet potatoes for the first time from an organic potato I let root. I am looking forward to seeing how that works out. The edible vine leaves are a little smaller than the ornamental ones I have. I suppose I could use an edible vine in my pots. A thought for next year.
DeleteI am envious of your days of rain. It has been very, very dry here. I have had to water repeatedly, which is unusual for this early in the summer. You have a lovely array of flowers in bloom, Karin. I never thought of it but daylilies to look like they have long blinking eyelashes, but they do! I love the foliage colors in your planters and hanging baskets. Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!
ReplyDeleteKarin, I love the G. Oranges & Lemons with Russian Sage... nice combination! And your containers are so nice. We have been very dry also and are having some heat this week - 92! That is pretty warm for my part of PA. That reminds me that I need to do some watering!
ReplyDeleteHappy June,
Julie
Hi Karin, it looks great in your garden, they look healthy. Now that the rainy season here started i hope our plants will regain their beauty too. I love most that last photo there, as that sweet potato leaves is so beautiful with the light green leaves!
ReplyDelete