Monarda (Bee Balm) ‘Colrain Red’ in front of a soon to be blooming Clethra ‘Hummingbird’:
The first signs of bloom on ‘Baby Joe’ Joe Pye Weed. I am so psyched to have located these dwarf versions of the original:
Plant name, no idea; it is everywhere in the wild growth around my property and some snuck into my man-made garden. Pretty cool:
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) emerging (in front of Panicum ‘Northwind’):
Mountain Mint is so understated but that is why I love it … that and all the bugs it attracts:
I have no idea which phlox this is; got three for $1.99 and I couldn’t resist, powdery mildew be damned:
Physocarpus (Ninebark) ‘Diablo’ just started blooming and looks OK; I still value it mostly for the foliage:
Geranium ‘Brookside’ which I’ve been rather critical of in the past, looks good now that it is allowed to roam wild a bit:
Itea ‘Henry’s Garnet’ doesn’t blow you away in bloom, but it is reliable and performs so well in my native bed where it is consistently moist/wet:
I know I am going to enjoy Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ for years to come as six of these were planted just last fall as tiny plugs and they already look fantastic. Not to mention they are ignored by the deer and the rabbits and survived wet feet this past winter:
Blooms nice, the rest … not so much. I am losing it for Tradescantia (Spiderwort) ‘Sweet Kate’ so they better shape up soon or they are gone:
Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ just about to bloom in full; give it about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10:
First blooms on Hypericum ‘Albury Purple’:
Spirea ‘Snow Storm’ … hmmmm … takes up space … blooms are “decent” … suppresses weeds since better than bare ground … guess she can stay:
Amsonia ‘Tabernaemontana’ about to bloom:
Campanula ‘Joan Elliot’ blooming as well:
A new introduction to the ONG family, Geranium ‘Espresso’ showing first blooms since planted last year:
The peony buds literally formed overnight and I will be guarding them 24/7 from the soon to approach deer:
Iberis (Candytuft) ‘Snowflake’ flanked by Lamium (Dead Nettle) ‘Purple Dragon’:
And the Salvia ‘May Night’, Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’ keep on keepin on:
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| Miscanthus ‘Gracillimus’ |
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| Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’ |
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| Helenium autumnale (Sneezeweed) |
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| Caryopteris ‘Sunshine Blue’ |
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| Anemone ‘September Charm’ |
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| Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ |
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’:
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed) ‘Ice Ballet’:
Miscanthus ‘Strictus’ blowing in the 45mph winds:
A slow build to the blooms on Sorghastrum (Indian Grass) ‘Sioux Blue’:
The stellar Sedum ‘Autumn Fire’:
It provides quite the backdrop to all of my “man made” gardens:
Never before have I had re-blooming on my Viburnum ‘Shoshoni’:
Althea (Rose of Sharon) ‘Lavender Chiffon’ keeps on going:
As does Boltonia ‘Pink Beauty’:
Doesn’t it feel good to be bad?
John
