There is seldom a time when there isn't something in bloom here at Oak Lawn Cheese factory, but the two highlights of the garden season are May and July. Because of our late season this year, July bloom should remain strong for some time yet. As we rapidly approach the first of August, I thought I'd review what has happened over the course of the past couple weeks and what continues for a time as well.
I really like the contrasts created with the use of Elephant Ears in containers. Shown above, a large plant works well at the entrance path that leads through the rockery to the front door. Below a similar plant mixes well with hostas, containerized dahlias yet to bloom, and a couple of odd geraniums. This is the area just outside the kitchen window where we feed our birds.
The rockery is mostly delegated to spring bloom including many primulas, epimediums, and helebores. This time of year the bloom basically consists of a few NG impatiens, alyssum that isn't caring for the temps this year, dianthus whose bloom is pretty much spent for now, and a few hosta. As one heads up the stairs there are a number of hemerocallis cultivars, asiatic and orienpet lilies, annuals, and many dwarf conifers. I constructed the rockery just over a year ago. Sempervivums are doing quite well here as well as are various dwarf hemlocks, witch hazels, and a lovely young Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia'. A potted Brugsmansia 'Inca Sun' blooms all season and dinner plate dahlias also have a very long season and make an excellent foil to the rock walls of this old building.
One learns to take pleasure in the great variety of textures and the promise of future spring blooms in the rockery at this time of the year.
If you have been following my blog, you know that hemerocallis is a huge part of the July bloom here at Oak Lawn. Again... a few of my favorites.
The first one pictured below is an unnamed seedling which may well be one of my very favorite daylilies... the two that follow are also attractive unnamed plants. Many of these frilled daylilies remind me of a rich and forbidden desert... they look almost good enough to eat, which is in fact often done with their buds in salads.
 |
| Watership Down |
 |
| Flight of the Raven |
 |
| Heavenly Beginnings |
 |
| Inner Destiny |
 |
| Wild Child |
 |
| Red Peacemaker |
The large daylily garden mixed planting started out somewhat poorly this season. We suspect that the late and very cool spring caused the underplanted daffodils to make much more foliage than usual, causing difficulty for the hemerocallis foliage to develop normally. Additionally much of the daylily foliage in this area tended to brown, which may also be related to almost five weeks without rain. With the 4.5" of rain over the course of about a week, the blossoming improves daily and should go on for some time.
The focus of much of my posting of late has been orienpet lilies. That season is approaching an end as several plants are shedding spent blossoms. I would like to share a last look at these very special plants as they have been such a significant part of my gardens through much of July and into August this year. Additional cultivars can be seen in previous postings.
 |
| Vice versa |
 |
| name misplaced (may be an oriental) |
 |
| Silk Road |
 |
| Pizzazz |
 |
| Conca D'or |
 |
| Sheherazade |
 |
| Pizzazz |
 |
| Candy Club |
 |
| Rexona |
The lily pictured below was bred by Robert Griesbach and named for Leslie Woodriff, the father of oriental crosses which include the orienpets. He is especially well known for Stargazer, a lily that has made a fortune for Dutch bulb companies. Woodriff is responsible for the first orienpet cross which is Black Beauty first seen 50 years ago. My 'Black Beauties' are just beginning to bloom now. In previous posts I believe I may have displayed a misnamed bulb as Leslie Woodriff... my 'Leslie Woodriff' bulbs are purchased from two major and well-known providers and the bulbs sent by each do not seem to be the same plant. If anyone has any thoughts on this, I'd appreciate hearing them as the catalog pictures even look different.
 |
| Leslie Woodriff |
There are a few orienpets yet to bloom in the gardens, including the Black Beauty bulbs as noted above. I occasionally lose bulbs and voles are suspected in this situation. Last year one of my normally very tall plants only grew a foot tall and upon digging, I realized that the roots were all eaten off. The only other problem I've encountered with orienpets was a situation this spring with too wet conditions. There foliage was very chlorotic, so I treated them with a natural fertilizer which has trace elements and some copperas (iron sulphate) to help unlock the nutrients and make them available to the plants. While still showing signs of some difficulty foliage-wise. they have bloomed normally and I expect them to make it. The initial problem probably related to too heavy a soil and too much mulch.
I will close today's post with a few long views that include the annuals which for the most part are having a good year. The biggest exception would be the sweet alyssum which doesn't care for all the heat we are experiencing.
 |
| Supertunia Vista Bubblegum in old cistern |
 |
| Brugsmansias have bloomed all summer |
 |
| The arbor at dawn |
 |
| Mass planting of hemerocallis Joel |
 |
| One of numerous clematis |
 |
| Impatiens in cottage garden |
 |
| Impatiens in cottage garden |
 |
| Cottage garden |
 |
| Gazebo |
 |
| Dreamland zinnias |
 |
| Dreamland zinnias |
Socializer Widget By Blogger Yard
Related Posts:
July 2011 review
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét