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| Apricot Drift rose, cottage pinks and lavender (possibly Munstead) |
It's been quite a week so this post is a few days late. But since I resolved to post for every Bloom Day from April until our first frost this year, better late than never.
This has already been a challenging season in my 6b central Ohio garden. Things started off well. We had a wet, chilly early spring, followed by almost no rain (0.05" to be exact) from May 20-June 11 and a hot spell. Plus wildfire smoke from the Canadian fires. I have planted a lot of seedlings, an completely new bed's worth in fact, and was sick of watering by June 1. Much earlier than usual.
Things have been better over the last week and we got around 2" of rain total and the temperature has been cool enough that I turned the A/C off. The recent rain has been a big help, though we're still in a moderate drought. I know many have it worse and others often face drought. It's certainly a challenge. But let's see what's blooming, shall we?
I've long wanted a hydrangea and when I saw this Hydrangea macrophylla 'Linsey Ann (L.A. Dreamin' hydrangea) on sale at a local garden center I decided it had to come home with me. The joy it's brought me has already been more than worth it. I just love the color!
Also pictured is a mixed container (left), pansies and seed dahlias.
I grew these Alaska shasta daisies from seed last year so this is my first year seeing them bloom. They're pretty, but along with the rain issues this year we've also had a lot of pest pressure and aphids have been all over them. That's been a bummer and I prefer not to use spray pest control.
I also grew these Rainbow Loveliness cottage pinks from seed last year and they have been blooming their heads off. Their scent is amazing, perfume-y, with a bit of spice to it. And it really carries. I just love it and it intertwined with the apricot Drift rose.
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I planted these foxglove beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis, last summer so this is my first time ever seeing them bloom. The bees also loved them, but unfortunately so did the deer and they ate all of the blooms a few days ago. Along with everything else, the deer seem especially hungry this year.
Continuing the theme, I also grew these Rocky Mountain Blue Penstemon from seed last year so this is it's first season blooming and I absolutely love them. The color is so vibrant.
These no ID bellflower are also in bloom. Probably my best internet plant purchase ever (there haven't been many). I've had them for years, but last year I moved some of the volunteers so that they form a nice clump and I'm really happy with the result.
Some of the mixed Sweet William that are dotted around the garden. They're in a variety of colors, but this combination is my favorite.
