This past weekend a cool front came through, lowered the humidity and made Sunday a perfect day for gardening. I had weeds to pull, and some other tasks, so I got busy. Get ready for a picture heavy post, there is a lot to see in the garden today. Late June sees more flowering plants showing their beauty, beginning with the hostas around the large oak in the front of the house.
Aren’t these flowers pretty? The variegated purple and white is so interesting close up.
Hosta volunteers are appearing along the driveway too.
In the flower bed, the gladiolas are blooming, tall spires of apricot color flowers.
The rain last weekend beat them over a bit, so I cut them and brought them inside for a vase. Gladiolas will continue to open up after being cut, so they make wonderful vase flowers for the kitchen.
Up on the veranda, I hit the clearance rack at the local big box garden center and came home with more small plants to fill up the remaining pots.
I replaced the dead white poinsettia with a variegated coleus, planted more begonias and impatiens, and arranged a few more pots near the front door.
Looking from the other side, I have groupings of pots with all kinds of colors. The torenias are now trailing down to the railing, and I am considering entering one in the State Fair gardening competition. I still want to find some metal plant racks to add some varying heights to the groups. On the lower right, you can see the amaryllis set where the remaining leaves can soak up the sun over the summer for another bloom next year. I am debating repotting it.
I found a red salvia for the white ceramic vase, now a pot. The yellow celosias on the left have been disappointing, they haven’t gotten any bigger.
The corner that gets a lot of sun now has a full complement of colors and sizes. The yellow daisies were deadheaded and are now blooming again. A red geranium gives a pop of bright color. The purple flowers in the lower left pot are calibrachoas, a flower I had never heard of before, but on sale so gave it a try. We’ll see how it grows. Pink petunias in the middle, and on the right is a lettuce crop coming up from the second planting of seeds.
Small ceramic decorative pots have pink impatiens and begonias, set on the table as a centerpiece.
Back out in the flower bed, I got the weeding done, and decided to dig up the first clump of day lilies. In that spot I put a new-to-me perennial called a penstemon. I had to keep the insert from the pot to remember what it was, LOL!! It is supposed to bloom all summer and get 15-18 inches tall.
Then in the middle of the iris bed, I put a perennial lollipop verbena, to give some color there after the iris is done.
This group of day lilies went into pots, and will be given to friends. This started as one plant a few years ago and has prolifically propagated itself.
While I was digging up weeds and day lilies, I found this little volunteer snapdragon. So I moved it to the front of the bed since its color was so pretty.
Speaking of snap dragons, the bargain plants I got last year for a quarter are putting on another wave of blooms. Another basil plant is doing well, good thing as I have an heirloom tomato and some mozzarella for a caprese salad.
The dianthus pinks should be done by now, but they are blooming again too.
Long view of the front bed after the glads were cut, day lilies dug and all the weeds were pulled, there are still some bare spots to fill in. My tomato plants are doing well, growing larger this year and flowering, but no tomatoes yet.
The tomatoes in the large pot are growing and flowering now too.
The hydrangeas continue to bloom in three colors on one plant. I’d like more purple and pink blooms so I added some lime to the top soil.
I am hoping for a few really pretty pink blooms to add to my table centerpiece. I’m having a few friends over for lunch, and I’ll show you that tablescape soon.
Petunias in the pots are going well too, the white is lovely.
Lastly, out back the rhododendrons are blooming now. The blooms are sparse due to the lack of sun the plants get being under the canopy of tall trees.
The flowers are pretty though, the bush on the left has white flowers with a blush of pink on the buds.
The bush on the right is pure white, both buds and blooms.
I did get a clematis, and got it planted. It is light pink one. I really waited too late for a good selection at the garden center.
I have given up on getting any strawberries, and converted this pot to one with pretty yellow calibrachoa and some flat leaf parsley.
One last flower to share, I planted a lovely purple phlox just Wednesday.
There will be more to do soon, I want to move the irises from the upper planter box to the bed below, dig up the rest of the day lilies in the planter to move somewhere else, and add more perennials to the front bed. Of course, there will be more weeds to pull soon too. But the wonderful thing about living here is the mild climate that makes flowers easy to grow, both wild and cultivated. I didn’t show you the honeysuckle that is taking over the side yard, or the peaches that are ripening still. I haven’t seen the bears lately, so maybe I will get some of the peaches, but they are not ready to harvest yet. Speaking of critters, there has been a fair amount of wildlife here lately, and I’ll show you the recent visitors on Sunday.
What’s blooming in your garden?
Sharing
From My Carolina Home 
Amazingly beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful flowers that make me smile! Our garden is really struggling for some reason. Most of the plants are simply not growing, I’ve never seen anything like it.
My flower planter is doing well, no deaths and plenty of blooms, so there’s one bright spot! Inside, my African violet has a bloom. I have no idea how that happened!!
The garden looks beautiful. My favorites would be the hydrangea and the glads.
Good morning,
Love your tour of your veranda with the beautiful flowers. Your blue torenias are simply beautiful. I want to find some of that for my hanging baskets myself.. My front porch is long and a bit narrower than yours
But I’m doing pretty much the same with the plants I have. I have some hostas, black eyed Susies and 3 climatis plants. Bought some cleome, marigold, morning glory, Shasta daisies, zinnia, flower garden mixture seeds to plant. Haven’t gotten them all planted due to not having enough pots but I have 3 thrift stores within a mile of me so I should have enough pots soon. I already have the potting soil to fill them with. Planted some oregano and that’s doing great along with my dill, the sage and thyme haven’t done as good. Bought some herbs and the marigolds to plant near the lilies so the deer would leave them alone, they don’t like the smell of them so I read that planting them near other plants the deer and rabbits like will detour them from having a tasty meal, So far it has worked along with hanging some Irish Spring soap in knee high hosiery has don’t the trick.
We are having a lot of rain due to the storms in the Gulf that are coming our way so I’m going to try and get some yard work done myself today while it is overcast and on the cooler side inbetween the showers.
Have a great day,
Phyllis
Your photos are gorgeous. Our garden is doing well, although nothing spectacular has happened. I’m content to let things rock along, as long as weeds don’t take over.
Carole, I have a question about how you handle drainage with all your ceramic planters. It looks like many of them don’t have drainage holes, so how do you keep them from getting waterlogged?
I bought a new clematis, but it has already died and I have no idea why. I have others which are doing finr including one planted very near the one that died. Another garden mystery.
Our weather continues to be schizophrenic and very rainy.
Love your garden photos.
HI Pat,
Most of them do have drainage holes only three don’t. On those, like the white vase with the red flowers, I don’t water them “thoroughly”, I just give them a splash when the tops look dry, about every other watering of all the rest of the flowers. I do the same with the amaryllis. Every week I check them by turning them on their sides to see if any water drains out, and if it does, I let the water drain and then I don’t water them again for at least a week. It does take some attention, but I don’t want to drill holes in the pretty vases, in case I ever want to use them inside. Also, there are two that have the plants in plastic pots that are just sitting inside the ceramic pot, so I just lift them and dump any extra water after I get done with the whole veranda. Thanks for asking!
Carole
What a beautiful haven you have created for your family…not without a lot of hard labor, I’m sure. Just sitting on your porch must bring such a sense of satisfaction. Great job, Carole.
Your plants are all lovely! Wish I could say the same about mine, but I have already had two of my petunias die, and some of the others look bad. I had a lady at the senior center tell me that you should never pull off the dead blooms and leave the stem there, you need to cut the stem back. Is this what you do? Just curious. I just did this the other night, so we’ll see what happens.
My daylilies are beautiful, and it’s funny about the hostas, my husband just hates the purple shoots so he cuts them off as soon as he sees them. They don’t bother me, but the green hostas are so overgrown now that they are drowning out the varigated ones that I love so much, so I need to attend to them.
Since you are a gardener, do you know what to do with the delphinium once the blooms are spent? They just look so dead now and ugly. I’m sorry I purchased them, I should just move some daylilies from the bed to the shed and be done with it. I am trying to plant all perennials so I can quit worrying about the lawn beds. Tired of planting them with annuals each year.
I purchased a lavender bush which is doing very well, so I’m pleased with that purchase.
Love all your garden pictures!!
always nice to see the hydrangea’s – for some reason this year mine are fading quickly! usually they last a long time – this year not so great! I always have to have drainage holes but if I find a nice pot without one I usually put another smaller pot inside it like you say you do
As always, I love your gardening photos! Just lovely!
Of course I am enjoying LOTS of roses in bloom right now; I think this is the best year I’ve ever had with my roses, have the beds fully weeded, staked up some of the floppier rose bushes, mulched the beds, added new wood chips on the paths, have watered and deadheaded regularly. Some years I’ve let myself become too busy to keep up with & enjoy my gardens (I have two large gardens in the front, a hybrid tea rose bed in a side yard, a side garden with roses, perennials & a fountain, a shade garden w/hydrangeas, etc., and a large rose/mixed bed “Secret Garden” which is invisible from my house, not to mention lots of potted roses and plants on my front/rear porch. It’s all a bit overwhelming at times, but SO worth it this time of year! Plus I planted 6 new roses this year which is always a joy!
My mock orange is in full bloom and the hydrangeas are coming into bloom. Four clematises are about done blooming, though still a few blooms. My gladiolas are up but not in bloom yet. Next to the roses, my favorite things blooming are my orange alstroemeria interspersed with the purple ‘blue-bells’ (not sure what their official name is, I have them blooming in white and purple, large bell like flowers on tall stems). The purple/orange combination is gorgeous (and the alstroemeria last forever when picked and added to bouquets).
I’m close to giving up on strawberries, too — I thought I’d thwart the critters from getting them this year by planting them in a long planter, putting them up on a table on my deck. Also planted six in a hanging planter. Have had a few to eat, but most of the fruit has been STRIPPED CLEAN, nothing but stems left where there was a nearly ripe berry. Frustrating! I did get a ‘bushel blackberry’ plant (thornless, designed for growing in a pot) which is loaded with lots of unripe berries, so I’m hoping we’ll have some to pick later in the Summer! Sure hope you get peaches this year!
Hello Its Janice from Missouri
if you want your clematis to get tall and fill out When you have new leaf at end of vine it has 3 leaves 2 across from each other and i in center that wraps around to hold on to whatever take your finger nail and pinch that center leaf out now 2 more will come in at base of the 2 leaves spot do this to all new growth and it will keep putting on new growth. Technology challenged or i would show you a pic of mine.
Have and fun and safe 4th Hubbies BD so he thinks we have to have big celebration.
Janice
Hostas round the tree, lovely, a beautiful garden all over, and gladioli, day lilies( that grow and grow down here) Penstemon, and all else, your verandah is a delight from to back.
I love seeing what’s growing in your garden! Your rhodies are surprisingly late for your region, I would have thought they would be done long ago. Lovely flowers, so beautiful! You reminded me of the snapdragons I planted last spring….now I think I know what was coming up in the cracks between the stones on my patio under the planter I had them in. Too bad I just pulled them out a few days ago, sad!
Beautiful! My hostas are blooming too. I just planted some flowers on our porch and am enjoying them so much. 🙂
You have an amazing garden. I loved the tour. :o) So colorful and prolific!
Your flowers are beautiful!
Beautiful photos! Your gladiolas and hydrangeas in particular are lovely. It’s lovely to ‘walk’ around your garden with you. Not much in flower in my garden at the moment. I managed to cut lots of lavender flowers to bring inside yesterday.
beautiful! my dil has taken over putting in plants this year and has some lovely ones out. I want more drought tolerant ones, but right now we are watering sod big time. My dad used to put rusty nails and wood ash into his hydrangeas to get the blue and purple colors. He would burn all sorts of wood in the fireplace, and then scoop the ash into his flower beds. He said the rusty nails were what caused the color, but maybe the lime in the ash? Anyway, sooooo pretty. I miss my honeysuckle at our rental house, drove by and it’s growing huge. I bought some clematis ‘bulbs’ but didn’t put them out, so we will try when it cools down to see if it establishes itself for next year. Oregon is big clematis country, especially the purple jackmanii were everywhere. We see lots of hops around here as well, though they are just green globes, not color.