Winterthur's Sycamore Hill in May

Redbuds and azaleas bloom up a winding hill to an outlook at Winterthur Gardens.

These photos popped up on my computer's slide show the other day, and it was so refreshing to see some spring favorites again! (I truly have a weakness for spring.)

We visited Winterthur (pronounced Winter-tour) in May for the first time. It is a beautiful garden for spring as its founder, H.F. du Pont used a garden journal to plant his succession of blooms that starts in early spring. After walking past the beautiful Quarry Garden with its hundreds of giant primroses, I found this hillside covered in our native redbud trees (Ceris canadensis L.) and matching pink azaleas (Rhododendron).

Dahlia 'Jean Marie'

Our first dahlia is blooming this week in the Front Walk Garden, Dahlia 'Jean Marie'.

As summer comes to our garden, the Front Walk continues its succession of blooms that started in early April with Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' and Tulipa 'Princess Irene'. Next was Tulip 'Cum Laude' and Allium 'Purple Sensation' in May, and Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientalis), more Allium and Catmint (Nepeta) in June. Dahlia 'Jen Marie' is next on stage, with the supporting cast of Cosmos and Ammi majus. We shall see how it goes as we move into August! So far, so good...

Camping & Creeking with the kids

The wooded area just to the right of our camping sight.

Here are a few wild scenes from my family's first official camping trip! It took a bit of courage to pack up five people for a weekend in the woods, tent and all, but I am so glad that we did it. And it went really well! Not too many bug bites, not a drop of rain, and just enough clean clothes to make it home.

We stayed in a truly beautiful spot - the side of a Pennsylvania mountain near a spring creek and a shallow river....

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers'

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers' in the Hill Garden this week with Echinacea purpurea.

You may have missed this flower in our July garden tour this week, so let me point it out to you! It is quite pointy after all... :)

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers' attracting a pollinator to its tiny flowers that are arranged in a whirl around branching spikes.

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD July 2013

The Hill Garden this week with purple coneflowers in bloom.

Take a walk around our garden this July to see what is blooming in the heat!

It has been nearly 90 degrees (32 C) everyday this week and very dry. Watering needs to happen every other day for my veggies and containers, which gives me an opprotunity to walk (slowly!) around and appreciate the flowers that thrive during these sultry summer days.

Beautiful Vines

If you are interested in seeing some pretty vines (or climbers as they say in the UK), you will enjoy looking through my garden archive for June, or taking a look at this folder I made as a part of the Hometalk community...

How to Train a Clematis on a Tree Trunk

Clematis 'Perle d'Azur' on our maple tree in the Shade Path garden.

A few years ago, I planted Clematis 'Perle d'Azur' at the base of an old maple tree. It has become one of the most original elements in our gardens.

Here are some tips to get a Clematis started up your own tree!

Front Curb Planting (aka The Front Woodland)

Our daylilies are all in bloom this week in our curb strip

July has brought the daylilies (Hemerocallis). The catmint, Nepeta 'Walker's Low' is just finishing up around our corner, but still has twinges of blue and lots of attraction for pollinators.

Containers for July

The foliage of this begonia will make a beautiful pot arrangement for the whole summer long.

There are so many pots around our house this summer: hanging baskets on the porch, herbs by the potager, and flowers on the steps. Even while our summer days are full of going to the pool, the library, the park, etc., these hold their own and keep things looking pretty without much besides a good mulching at the beginning of the season and an occasional watering (every few weeks here with our current rain level). Here are a few of my favorites that are new for this year!

Roses in the Hill Garden

Rosa 'The Fairy' in the Hill Garden.

The finale rose in our garden this month is the classic polyanthus Rosa 'The Fairy'. When we planted our Hill Garden, which started as just a pile of dirt from our new gravel parking area (see before photo), I planted four of these pretty re-blooming rose bushes to ring the hill. They are backed by four purple barberry bushes (which I am not sure I would recommend as they can be invasive in some areas, though they look lovely here). The silvery lamb's ears (Stachys byzantine) and evergreen moss phlox (Phlox subulata) fill in here. There is also a host of perennial flowers at the crown of the hill: Echinacea purpurea, Shasta daisies, Sedum 'Autumn Joy', russian sage (Perovskia), Mallow and others.

I love this garden in all seasons, starting with the bulbs in early spring, then tulips (early tulips and late tulips), roses and daisies for summer, bold foliage in the late summer (Cannas are in again this year!), and more roses and Sedum for October, even til December snow. But for now, we are soaking up July. :)

Lilies by the Driveway

Dwarf Asiatic lilies blooming on the edge of our Driveway Garden this week.

Lilies are one of the fragrant joys of the garden in July! We have quite a few here and there this year. These dwarf, pink lilies are always a favorite by our walk from the back door to the car.

Three Large-flowered Clematis by the Circle Lawn

Clematis 'Madam Julia Correvon' on one of the trellises around the Circle Lawn, with Clematis 'Fairy Dust' and Clematis 'Perle d' Azur' in the background.

Our garden has so many clematis this month, that I still have not gotten to post them all. Here are a few more for your viewing pleasure!