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Monday, July 16, 2012

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD July 2012

Lavender and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in the Driveway Garden for July
Lavender and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in the Driveway Garden for July
Welcome to Pennsylvania in July! It has been a hot dry summer here this year, as it has been in most of the US. My gardens have had very little supplementary watering this season. Everything was looking tired around the edges until we had a garden clean-up this past weekend.


Here are some of my tricks for making the summer garden look its best:
  • Clip back shrubs in to order.
  • Cut out yellow and brown foliage from border.
  • Cut some perennials to the ground after their bloom (including daylilies (Hemerocallis)  and hardy geraniums.
  • Deadhead or give hair cuts to other spent flowers & sub-shrubs (including lamb's ears, coneflower, daisies, lavender, and annuals, such as petunias.)
  • Add colorful annuals and tropical foliage (cannas, elephant ears, grasses, etc) to carry the garden through the gap into fall.
Adding annuals will mean the need to for more watering. If you locate most of your annuals in a few concentrated areas, it will take less time and water to keep up with them. In locations where the water tables are dangerously low, you will need to use some water conservation tricks to keep your flowers growing (ex. like using dishpan water for your flowers when you are done).

Come take a walk around...
Full view of the Driveway Garden this July. It is much improved from last year.
One of my favorite combinations right now: Orange Tiger lilies (Lily Tigrinum Splendens) and the Drumstick allium (Allium sphaerocephalon).


View from the inside of the Driveway Garden. The Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is finally taking off a bit.
A bee enjoying the tropical looking blooms of Rose of Sharon, a hardy hibiscus, in July.  They do really give everything a color lift at this time of the season!
Here are my freshly planted annuals right by the front steps. I really like adding the elephant ears to give these plantings some instant height while I am waiting for them to fill out a bit.
Around the front of the house you can have a full view of Cherry Corner and the Shade Path Garden.
The assorted daylilies (Hemerocallis) are still blooming away, and I have tucked in some New Guinea impatients to keep the bloom going when they are finished.
Double version of Hemerocallis fulva
Hemerocallis 'Autumn Minaret' is my favorite for its light fragrance.
Along the Shade Path the hostas are blooming away and are most welcome. I have filled in here and there with some more New Guinea impatients and also some dark-leaved begonias.
Looking back to the fence along the Shade Path. The annuals here are really to give a nice light touch to the mounds of foliage that carry this garden through this part of the season until the fall flowers begin.
At the front of the Shade Path, I added some larger Begonia 'Dragon Wings' and the ever popular Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'.
Altogether I think it makes a good effect for July in this dry shade garden. This area had some intense pruning of dead leaves, etc. and it looks so much better for it.
One more July pretty that is found by our potager, pink mallow (Malva alcea). I like it much better when I cut it down by half in June to keep it from becoming too top heavy.
Happy July!
See more gardens around the world at May Dreams for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

30 comments:

  1. The pink mallow is just lovely, and I love the Allium and Tiger Lily colour combination. Is your allium variegated, or is it just growing something that is (in right-hand column photo)? It looks wonderful.

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    1. Thanks Marisa!
      It does not have variegated foliage, but is growing through a dwarf miscanthus, M. 'Dixieland'. It is a great combination; I love it too.
      ~Julie

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  2. You're looking good over on that side of the state! I like the orange and purple together too.

    I planted what I call my "mid-season replacement" annuals today in spots where the early summer perennials have finished.

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    1. Thanks! I look forward to looking around your garden as well to admire those annuals :)
      ~Julie

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  3. Julie, I love violet onions and orange lily, it's beautiful combination of color. Dragon wings look lovely in your front bed!

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  4. I'm sure you put in some serious work in the shade garden, and it looks great!

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    1. Thanks Emily! Glad you could come take a walk around :)
      ~Julie

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  5. I can see from how green and flowerful your garden is that your climate is much kinder than mine. I couldn't possibly add annuals as you so successfully do as they would need too much irrigation, even plants put in during the previous autumn usually need some help. Your hints for keeping the garden looking good are excellent help to those whose gardens haven't entered into summer dormancy. Enjoy the beauty your efforts have created. Christina

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    1. Much, much kinder than Italy I am sure! 90 degrees is HOT to us :) I can imagine that it is so sad to see everything shrivel in the middle of the summer. But I will be admiring your green in the winter months for sure! Thanks Christina!
      ~Julie

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  6. Your garden is looking so good considering you have had it so hot and sunny, we are just the opposite, non stop rain for weeks and months! you have given us lots of useful tips to help gardens look good all summer, I'm cutting things back that have flopped with all the rain. The extra water has made everything grow so well, they are twice their usual size!

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    1. I joked with Bertie @ Hidcote that we sent our clouds to England for the summer, which just maybe since I live in one of the most cloudy and wet areas of Pennsylvania. I hope you do not have too many slugs in that luxuriant foliage to deal with!
      ~Julie

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  7. Your garden looks lush and healthy---you wouldn't know we were having a drought.

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    1. The cleaning up really, really helps! It looked terrible the other day. We have had one inch of rain this month instead of 5 and are running a deficit from many other months beforehand.

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  8. verry nice picture's, your garden looks good!!!! groeten van Diny

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  9. Looking good! I need to go around my garden and tidy up a bit. I like that you threw in some annuals during the hottest part of summer - that's the hardest time for the garden, I think.

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    1. Your summers are so much more intense than mine! I am sure I will need to tidy again next week too... so it goes :)
      ~Julie

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  10. Very nice tour! I always enjoy seeing what's blooming up your way.
    Happy GBBD!
    David/:0)

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  11. Thanks again for your beautiful garden and ideas. Elaine

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  12. Julie I adore your garden but I especially love the allium with the Turks Cap lily...my do not or did not bloom at the same time this year, but I will have to try this combo...great tips

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  13. I too cut back in summer. It is good for the plants in this dry and hot weather. I would rather have plants in coming years than prolonged flowers in this current year. Plus, they rebloom in Fall many times. I don't add the annuals though and try to depend on the roses, asters and coneflowers.

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    1. I have been thinking about wanting more grasses in my next garden, so that things pick up in summer not decline so much. I was not aware that cutting them back would prolong there lives, though I guess less stress would do that. I also need more re-blooming roses like you!
      ~Julie

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  14. Your garden looks gorgeous--you certainly have a gift with combining colors, textures, and plant heights in your various garden "rooms." Thanks for the tour!

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    1. Thanks for your compliments, Beth! I think combining things is my favorite part of gardening.
      ~Julie

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  15. I just love your garden...looks so good in spite of the heat! I agree with you on the Allium/Tiger Lily combo...it's a winner!

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    1. The feeling in mutual; I love your garden too! I think that combo would fit in very nicely at Rhone Street.
      ~Julie

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  16. It is so nice to see the long views as well as the closeups. Your flowerbeds look terrific!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I wish I had as many roses blooming now as you do!
      ~Julie

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  17. Wonderful scenes Julie!
    Very keen on the Double version of Hemerocallis fulva.

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