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.

A hummingbird moth enjoys a sip from the lavender in the Driveway Garden.

These purple lily trees perfume our walk to the house.

These coneflower have a developed curious condition that produces red balls instead of the typical petal-like rays of Echinacea purpurea. Geranium 'Orion' is still blooming from last month, but will soon need to have its very sticky flowering branches cut back to the ground. It often reflowers in the autumn after this pruning.

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus) blooming this July with Geranium 'Rozanne' and Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland'.

The right side of the Driveway garden is still looking nice, supported by all of the foliage from the plants that have already finished blooming for the year.

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Canna 'King Humbert' and Veronicastrum in the Hill Garden.

The red-veined foliage of Canna 'King Humbert' is dramatic in every setting. Here it is with Shasta daisies, now named Leucanthemum × superbum.

The Hill Garden will be full of coneflowers blooming for another month (the white variety are just getting started). By September, Rosa 'The Fairy' will be blooming again, returning the pink color to this garden.

Echinacea purpurea and Canna 'King Humbert'

Pot of annuals adding some color punch to the front steps: red leaves of a Hibiscus, pink Petunia and white variegated Pelargonium with red flowers.

Our front porch, an often neglected area, was recently spruced up a bit by a Boston fern. Such restraint, yes? With so much color in the front yard, it kind of needs a swath of green. :)

A look down the front path along the Front Walk garden. People comment on how nice our grass grows.... Our secret: seed the bare spots with white clover. It adds nitrogen to the soil, which means free fertilization, breaks the turf monoculture, mows down nicely and give the bunnies something to eat other than my lilies!

The Front Walk is full of foliage and flowers buds at the moment. It should be in bloom again by August with pink Japanese anemones, Dahila 'Jean Marie', which has a purple and white flower, and more white cosmos. Perhaps even a few orange Canna flowers will be thrown in! Zap!

Some cosmos, Cosmos 'Psyche White', are threaded through the variegated loosestrife near Cherry Corner.

Cosmos 'Psyche White'

View of Cherry Corner, which is still full of daylilies blooms, and the Shade Path, which is full of purple hosta flowers.

Hemerocallis fulva 'Kwanso' blooming in Cherry Corner and the Front Woodland this week is all ruffles.

View from the front corner to the back fence...

...and back the opposite direction.

The Circle Lawn is mostly green at the moment, but will soon break out with Sedums, Sea oats and Buddleia flowers for fall.

View down the grass of the Shade Path garden.  The hosta flowers are everywhere in July, hanging like little bells. This path is designed with a foreshortened perspective to elongate it - it is wider at the front than by the gate.

My little girl could not resist ringing all those bells.  :)

A few dragon wing Begonias are newly planted out in the Shade Path; they were successfully overwintered from last summer! (Three cheers!!! I have killed so many, I nearly gave up hope that I would ever make it work.)

A ratty, salvaged Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has turned into a pretty shrub in the past two years. The white, strappy foliage behind it is a variegated Pulmonaria and variegated Sedum 'Frosty Morn', which is a favorite of mine.

View down the Shade Path to the corner. Foliage that can be seen here consists of various Hosta, Brunnera, Foxgloves, Epimediums and Helleborus.

View from our back gate down the Shade Path. We are so pleased at how the weeping cherry has started to shield us from this busy corner. Many shrubs are planted along here, which will continue to grow and give more privacy through the years, while also being interesting ornamentally - not just green blobs, which do have their place in other garden situations.

All along our fence we have planted hardy, scented Geranium 'Bevan's Variety' , which flowers oh, so nicely in May, stays green in July and turns to red in November.

July containers of Begonia and yellow pansies on our back steps. The ivy has really filled in on our hills - finally!

Like my weeds? Last year I shook Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota) seeds along our curb strip. I am quite happy that some many took and are starting to flower this year! More updates on that later.

And lastly, by our fence we have the first of the Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' flowers for the year.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams for hosting Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!
A bit late this week, but better than never. :)

Hope you all are staying cool in this heat in the US & UK!
~Julie