In a Vase on Monday: Watching and Waiting

I've been watching and waiting for my Coreopsis 'Redshift' to start its bloom cycle.  In my garden, these blooms take over as the blooms on the Agapanthus taper off.  I have a total of 8 of these perennial plants in the back yard, 5 of which I added in March of this year.  The buds began appearing a month or more ago but, at the time of my July Bloom Day post, only a few buds had opened.  A day or two after Bloom Day, the 3 original plants were covered in blooms, making them a suitable choice to use "In a Vase on Monday," the meme sponsored by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden.  As the Coreopsis are rather wispy, they needed a centerpiece with greater impact, which was provided by Helianthus annuus 'Valentine,' but the Coreopsis dictated the overall color scheme.

The bouquet includes:

• 2 stems of Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye'
• 5 stems of Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift'
• 1 stem of Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin'
• 2 stems of Helianthus annuus 'Valentine'
• 3 stems of Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'
• 1 stem of Solenostemon scutellarioides 'Coleus Inky Fingers'

As the following picture shows, the color of the Coreopsis varies.  At the start of the bloom cycle in summer, the flowers open with butter yellow petals and a deep red halo around the center.  The red streaks at the center gradually radiate to the tips of the petals.  The flowers are temperature sensitive and, as the weather cools in the fall, the red color will dominate.

A fuzzy photo showing some of the color differences in the Coreopsis

I added the coleus at the last minute in an effort to lighten the heaviness created by the burgundy-colored annual Amaranthus.

While the daisy-like shape of the Gaillardia is similar to that of the tickseed and sunflower, the color was just a little off, so it ended up tucked into the back of the bouquet.

Other floral rejects - 2 stems of Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit,' 3 stems of Bulbine frutescens and a small piece of Coreopsis - ended up in a small vase consigned to the guest bathroom, where all my rejects seem to end up at present.

And the larger vase ended up in the front entry, as usual.

Go to Cathy's blog at Rambling in the Garden to see her creation this week. You'll also find links to photos of vases created by other participating gardeners.

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.

Happy 4th of July!

Best wishes for a wonderful Independence Day!  Here's my version of safe and sane fireworks:

Phormium 'Dark Delight' and Hebe 'Wiri Blush'

Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'

Amaranthus cruentus 'Hopi Red Dye'

Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady'

Argyranthemum frutescens

Agapanthus

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Borago officinalis

Eustoma grandiflorum "Borealis Blue'

And the finale:

Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink'