Creatures that fly Part I

Although it's called butterfly weed, I find more bees and
wasps on A. tuberosa than anything else. They love it.

Buddleia davidii, on the other hand, grows so large
there's enough nectar for all. Here is an American Lady.

The most detailed shot that I got of the very intricate underwing patterns
was of course this shot, where half of the wing is hidden by a leaf.

Like Peas in a Pod

Like peas in a pod, all of these Iris japonica siblings are similar but not exactly alike. These finished blooming last week, just escaping the current heat wave which surely would have burnt them up. All have purple flowers, but some are a deep rich shade, while others have a grayish cast, which sounds ghastly but is surprisingly beautiful.

After several years, this is the first seedling not to have completely purple
flowers. I like the contrast of the snowy white falls with the purple standards.

Blooming Friday

It's time for the hot weather plants: Rudbeckia, bee balm, daylilies and phlox.

Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace'. The foliage of this bee balm has an outstanding fragrance, so strong that you can smell it when the rosettes are stepped on in winter. M. fistulosa is much more drought tolerant than didyma.

Daylily 'Buttered Popcorn' with 'Midnight' Penstemon and purple coneflower

Phlox paniculata 'Robert Poore' looks cool even when the weather
is hot enough to melt an ice cream cone in less than five minutes.

Thank you to Katarina at roses and stuff for hosting Blooming Friday.

More Daylilies

'Beautiful Edgings'

'Lavender Deal'

'Lavender Stardust'

'Ada May Musick'

'Hyperion'

'Pandora's Box'

My trade tag says looks like is says 'Choo Choo Fantasy', but that one's a bicolor
and this one obviously isn't. I like the pink color though, name or no name!

A yellow noid that is absolutely wonderful: beautiful, refined and fragrant.

It's Daylily Time

Meriam White

I love pink daylilies, and Ah Youth is one of the best. The color is a true soft pink.

Lavender Deal

Fairy Tale Pink

This daylily is well-named, as the sparkle on the petals looks just like fairy dust.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day June 2009

It's time once again for Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Summer is really getting into swing here in NC, and with the hot weather comes the summer flowers.

Purple coneflower

Achillea millefolium

Oak-Leaved hydrangea

Perennial sweet pea, tomatoes, and rugosa rubra

Dianthus 'Siberian Blues' and Skipper

We've gotten an excellent crop of black raspberries this year.

Mermaid

Rudbeckia

Japanese Iris

Transylvania sage with Phlox pilosa, still in
bloom after all this time. PP is indeed practically perfect!

Gardenia, grown from a cutting from a huge old gardenia in DH's grandmother's yard.

Marie Pavie

'Bleu Celeste' daylily with Stipa and 'Zwanenburg Blue' Spiderwort

Purple daylily, an offspring of 'Charlie Baker' and
'Lavender Arrowhead', and the best of the bunch so far.

Chocolate Splash

Ruby Spider

Commuter daylilies

Lion in Winter

Meriam White


Thank you Carol, for hosting Bloom Day, and Happy Bloom Day everyone!