The Alabama summer heat means that garden work is best done in the morning. Be sure to stay well hydrated and limit very strenuous tasks. For me, I am trying to limit myself to pruning, weeding and watering.
The blooming plants are approaching their peak but the good news is that there will be 10 to 12 more weeks of abundantly blooming summer perennials. The butterflies are appearing in ever greater numbers and the birds are singing happily.
Here’s a selection from today’s shoot at The Corner Garden.
The Texas Star (Hibiscus coccineus) is indeed a star. It is also called Scarlet Rosemallow. Each year it puts out more stalks that are more than 6 feet high. The blooms last only a few days but they are magnificent and at least 6 inches across.
The Rudbecki hirta “Indian Summer” is a repeat performer. It looked beaten after the December deep freeze but it is coming back beautifully. Good mix of it with the purple coneflower in the background.
The mix of Echinacea purpurea and Rudbeckia hirta on the right is just a blanket of outstanding plants today. It is very thick. I hope you can see the glimmer of Lambs’ Ear at the edge of this bed which adds just the right amount of color to make the bed stand out.
Meanwhile, here are more from the Corner Garden shoot.
The Stokes Aster is well established. You can see the abundance of blooms and buds with blooms to come. It is self seeding and I have established a second bed of plants nearby. They seem to be managing quite well.
The oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is beautifuly. It is alongside a roadway and in front of a sprinkler head so I keep it well cut back. Despite this, it is thriving with these whitish pannicles taking on a reddish tint. This is a volunteer shrub that originated from a mother plant across the roadway. It may be the “Ruby Slippers” cultivar.
The coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) on the right looked so good in this overhead shot. This native perennial is a prolific self seeder. We started with one and there are now dozens dotting the perennial bed.
I am really enjoying the garden this week. I hope you are doing the same.
Join us tomorrow for Six on Saturday hosted by Jim Stephens. Gardeners from around the world join in to share 6 photos from their gardens. You can find it at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.
The other good news is that the armadillo twins have not returned.
Hasta la vista baby! Not!
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Very pretty flowers 🌸
The cone flowers and Rudbecki mix go well together. I am glad for you, that the armadillo has moved on.
Do you think your armadillos could invite mine to travel with them? Anyway, the rudbeckia and coneflower combination is impressive. My beds are always far too sparse. You provide a good model for me.
Yes. Let’s start a VRBO for armadillos. Back across the Mississippi River would be my choice. I have a tendency to overplant. It works for me. Keeps the weeds down.
I also overplant to keep weeds down! My E pupurea is just covered with buds. No doubt waiting to bloom until the japanese beetles are around to turn the petals to tatters…
Wow! Your flowers are just stunning this week. You are way ahead of us, too, with your Rudbeckia and Hibiscus already in bloom. I have the same red Hibiscus, which is all vegetative growth at the moment and perhaps 2′ tall. While the have begun to bloom, they are nowhere near as lush and lovely as yours. Cheers!
Thank you. My Shasta daisies have just started to bloom. I am hoping they will be a feature photo for next week.
I will look forward to it!
Wow! I love the abundance of flowers! They look great in your feature image. My Rudbeckia won’t be blooming until August at the earliest. Lucky you!
I’ve never seen an armadillo in the wild before, never mind the garden! Neat picture.
Wow that Texas star sounds like its quite a site to behold.