Summer Blooms 2014

All of a sudden, it's summer in my garden. The peonies are the big stars right now, but lots more is happening or about to happen, so I thought it would be nice to have a new thread.

For the last couple of years, I've been trying to extend an established line of peonies. There were 5 clumps in a row- 2 pink Duchess D'Orleans, 2 white Duchesse de Nemours, and one pale pink Candy Heart. I took out one of the whites last year and replaced it with Coral Charm, which is taking its time getting settled. Past the box shrub, I added D de Nemours, 2 Karl Rosenfeld, 2 Festiva Maxima (all moved from other places on the property where they were crowded or shaded out), and at the end 1 Topeka Garnet and 1 Red Charm (both new in fall 2012). This is the first year I'm seeing what I was after. Red Charm has come and gone already (pic 1), but with a couple of exceptions, the rest are finally falling into line (heh heh), pic 2. Pic 3 is the new section, with Salvias Caradonna and Blue Hill, and Siberian Iris behind. Pic 4 is FM and Topeka Garnet- good thing it's at the far end, or it would be blinding!

Another nice surprise is the Martagons. Three or four years ago I planted what was supposed to be 3 white. Last year 1 bloomed, this year #2 joined in - oops, not white, but lovely anyway.

The gardens look wonderful, Pam.....your Coral Charm should be blooming next year....wish I could get martagons to bloom here...they are very fussy!

The gardens look lovely as always Pam. It's so nice that you can enjoy them so much and share them with us. The salvias do a yeoman's job of tying everthing together, don't you think?

This is a noid climber that really took a hit this winter....It's small, but thankfully, blooming! Morden Sunrise has also come back nicely.... This is the first year I've grown painted tongue, & I love it!

Enjoying everyone's photos.

Thanks, Rosemary. Yes, I love the Salvias as fillers, so many shapes and sizes, and tough as nails. That's all I want in most places, trying for low maintenance.

Marilyn, that noid rose is lovely. Are the last two both painted tongue? I think I don't know this plant.

Besides Salvias, I seem to be collecting Dianthus. Loveliness pink and white, Greystone, Zing, Cheddar Pinks ( think).

All so pretty. At my house we're starting to get somewhere on our hill garden. So much so that my sights are on having a nice armillary also, complete with Roman column.

Pam, I bought a dianthus at WFF....called Cotton Candy Pink......I hope it spreads. Yes, the last 2 photos are painted tongue, salpiglossis, which is an annual.

I'd like to fill in more blooms around now but the garden is rather parched even after a thunderstorm a few days ago. Here's what I like from my garden: Campanula 'Chettle Charm', flowering fern, 'Raspberry wine' monarda with Japanese knotwood (not invasive), wild asters,
magnolia grandiflora 'Perry Page' has big white blossoms

Rosemary, your garden looks so gorgeous!

I was in Lexington on Saturday, but with family on a fast tour of childhood memories. We started at Forest Hills Cemetary at the family plot, then a quick pass to see the old homesite, allllllll the schools (2 out if 3 are condos now) rode through town then off to Harvard Square for lunch.

Next time, I'll try for a garden tour, but it may take a few years!

Sorry we didn't see you! There's always time for a visitor to our garden (where we were toiling away). Understandable that there are so many family destinations. Even the school my children went to is now gone and replaced by a very modern structure that uses all green technology and the latest floor plans.

Some of my lilies now blooming, the pink candelabra with Japanese iris......

So beautiful, Marilyn! The iris are a nice backdrop too. Makes me want to plant some early-blooming pinks to not wait for the rubrum lilies.

My JIs are just sitting there pouting, so I wonder if they need to be divided? Perhaps they are just late in this wacky year. I only know the elementary stuff about irises which is enough for the TBIs to bloom well.

You could try miracid for the JI if you think they need help.

Thanks!

Such lovely lilies- and the JI's, too. I got1 bloom this year on a new plant, hope it means many more in the future. My lilies are just about to start.

Just ordered Lily speciosum Black Beauty, supposed to be among the most resistant to the Red Devils. However, since I yanked the roses my problem seems quite diminished. Quite surprising, to say the least.

The red devils eat everything, but I've noticed less damage on the tall, thick lilies like Conca d'or or Time Zone....my son in Goshen has no red lily beetles!

I just read that they also like Nicotiana, another one of my faves. I thought all the bugs and critters hated the nicotine. Weird!

I was told by a lily expert in Denmark that they eat lots of plants but only lay eggs on lilies & frittelary (sp.) so I now plant neither. too bad I would like lilies but hate chasing those bugs.

Me too. No more Asiatics for me, they seem to get it the worst.

They love, love Casa Blanca......Here are some lilies that opened yesterday & today.....Bay Watch, Ariadne, Red Velvet......

Oh no! Casa Blanca is my favorite of all time! Yikes!

Your lilies are so beautiful... I'd love to have more, but not if I have to keep fighting those #%!# things!

I believe my neighborhood to have benefited from the release of Lily Leaf Beetle parasites in Wellesley. I am down to about four or five lilies of various types due to this scourge. I can keep a close watch on these few plants. In the last 4 years, there has been a huge decrease in the number of beetles, larvae etc I found on these plants. The picture shows an asiatic double lily growing in a pot with a dwarf Alberta spruce. This plant was plagued with beetles for years. I religiously hand picked them from this plant and the ones planted in my garden beds. In the past four years, however, the population has decreased to almost none. This plant had no beetles this year.
I attribute it to the parasitic wasps having found them after being blown in here from Wellesley.
Martha

http://web.uri.edu/biocontrol/lily-leaf-beetle-larval-collections-2014/
About the University of Rhode Island research.
Martha

Fascinating! I've done no spraying this year, and I've seen very little damage. I did see one beetle in the spring, but none since. I've been thinking that by removing the roses that were in the vicinity, I reduced the Japanese Beetle magnets and maybe that's why? But other years if I didn't spray, I saw RBs. So I don't know what to think...

I must admit, I haven't searched for them, so I may be in for a rude shock one of these days when a million of them hatch.

Didn't spray here and the infestation is very light as far as I can see. Last year the wasps seemed to arrive late, well after the RLBs started chowing down. This year the wasps were early. We have to take out a wasp nest, so it would be interesting to know what kind that is. Either way it can't stay on our windowsill.

I believe I can see the good wasps as pictured at the URI site at work in the garden and they are very busy. The lilies are about to bust forth, and it bodes well. Can't get too mad at our pooch when he knocks one down, either, so I planted several new varieties this year, and a lot of noids that were gifted by frustrated gardeners.

Very encouraging to hear the numbers of RLB are down in MA, & in your garden, Pam......I've had the usual amount....I have dusted my lilies 3x, but there is still a lot of damage ....one lily was eaten to a nub....

I see holes in leaves, but no devastation. I do think I'd better start spraying, though. I remember the year a whole patch of Tiger Lilies was wiped out to the ground.

Wait to you see the dratted larva. Disgusting things.

I haven't seen this anywhere, but I tend to use cleaning wipes and paper towels on them. Maybe not good for the lily but too disgusting to hand pick. Lilies at my house aren't any older than five years. Less munched upon and more vigorous every year, more company every year.

Went to weed the garden that faces my neighbor's house.....deer have munched lily & daylily buds...really, like there's nothing else to eat?

They LOVE DL buds. Although ours are fine. The deer seem to have stopped coming down our driveway where they can get at them. Our plants of oldie gold 'Carl Miliken' are in bloom, plus a seedling (the bees idea, not ours.

Rude awakening. They stripped the leaves off the Martagons, never touched before, and were seriously working on the Asiatics and Tiger Lilies at the other end. So far so good on the Casa Blancas. I had to wait until sundown because of the bees, then sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. And sprayed. So dumb- how could I think they just went away?! Lesson learned...

I'm sorry.

Oh, no, Pam....not the martagons! Nasty, nasty critters! I counted 6 on my Casa Blancas, they dropped down when I tried to squish....think I only got 2....

Ouch! I hope the protective wasps get to your region. This is about the RLBs not the deer isn't it?

The red beetles are very quick. You must really move your hand to squash.

Grrrrrrr.... But I should have been more vigilant. So much else to do, though. I never get to it all.

Right now I'm working on a different project, just having a quick break- it's overcast, but still so hot and humid.

The white Asclepias not only returned, but expanded, threatening to overcome the Limelight Hydrangea I put near it last fall. It's complicated, they are at the bottom of a sloped stone wall with a couple of empty spaces to fill. So I'm moving composted soil to fill in, and replanting. Right now,everything is torn apart.

Just looking at it makes my muscles hurt. Quite a job.

Ouch ;-)

But it's worth it! I want a large vertical section that's white most of the time. On the top, yesterday I dug out a lot of Saponaria and weeds, and added David's White Phlox and Shasta daisies. There is more phlox there, due any minute. The one I bought is ahead of my zone.

Now, I moved the Hydrangea forward. In the pockets above, I added a Summersnow Clematis, small flowering but profuse, and some Cimicifuga seedlings from around the garden. There is a mature one to the left of the birdbath, I'm hoping for the same effect on the other side. And the Clem, of course, lol.

And I'm beat!