Bloom Day - July 2014

It's a transitional period in my garden: most of the blooms of early summer have left the stage while the heat-loving plants of the later summer period are still standing in the wings.  I've already cut back the majority of the Agapanthus that dominated my garden in May and June.  There are still a few of the unidentified red-orange daylilies that grabbed attention last month but they're days away from concluding their tour and, although a few of the reblooming varieties have produced new flower spikes, they've yet to make an appearance in stage dress.  By default, the starring role in my garden at present goes to Albizia julibrissin, a diva with a bad habit of littering.

Albizia julibrissin (aka mimosa tree) is the grand dame of my backyard

Her close-up

In the front yard, another arboreal diva, Magnolia grandiflora, commands attention.  She also has a serious littering habit but cleaning up after her is easier and she doesn't try to force the entire garden to accept her progeny as Albizia does.

Magnolia grandiflora dominates the front lawn

The bees are big fans

Supporting players struggle to keep the audience's attention, although some of them are tiring out trying to carry the show by themselves.

Abelia x grandiflora is hanging out on the sidelines

Achillea 'Moonshine' has kept going with a little deadheading but Eustoma grandiflorum is poised in the wings to push her off the stage

Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin' continues to pump out her small orange flowers but she's showing signs of waning

Borago officinalis has been looking peaked but the bees demanded that she remain in the troupe for now

Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' has the stamina to keep on going

This stage wouldn't be the same without the presence of Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink'

Grevillea 'Superb,' still relatively new on the scene, is a diva in training

Leucanthemum x superbum is always a crowd-pleaser

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' believe they're carrying the show in the side garden without much help from the Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon,' which have thus far failed to live up to their potential

Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossum,' currently performing in a bed near the garbage cans, deserves a better stage

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' performs best as part of a group

Sollya heterophylla would get more acclaim if he took better publicity photos

Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' is a valuable bit player

Thymus serpyllum 'Minus' knits together a variety of cast members

Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' is another solid performer that takes bad photos

A few plants, recently cut back, are making encore appearances.

Argyranthemum frutescens 'Comet White Improved' lost one of her sisters but is carrying on

Provided that he gets periodic haircuts, Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' continues to look good

Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' is preparing to step back on the stage

Digitalis x mertonensis 'Polka Dot Pippa' is back but still looks tired

Helianthus annuus 'Valentine' looks better than her cohorts after having her head chopped off a few weeks ago

Lavandula multifida performs best in this particular setting

'Ebb Tide' rose lacks the stature to make major impact in her current company

Summer performers just beginning to make their presence known include:

Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye' is a real drama queen

Angelonia augustifolia may remain a bit player but she is attractive

Cerinthe major is a good collaborator

Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' is preparing to take over the summer production in the backyard

Echeveria pulvinata 'Ruby' is new on the scene and a little fuzzy about her role

Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' is already commanding attention in the backyard border, whether dressed in red...

or yellow

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo Blue' and her sisters demand attention despite their small size

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo White' isn't as flashy as her sister but she's still very pretty

Crassula exilis ssp. cooperi is a small player in a new venue

Zinnia 'Profusion Apricot' is heading the charge for her family

That's the cast for this month's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day production in my garden.  Our impresario, Carol of May Dreams Gardens, can connect you with her garden stage and other stages all over the world.