Skip to main content

(Belated) Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2019

We had internet problems yesterday and so I was not able to post an entry for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Internet restored, so here it is a bit belatedly.

 Full disclosure: Not all of these pictures are current but all of these plants are currently blooming in my southeast Texas (zone 9a) garden.
Crinum: Milk and wine lilies. 
Dahlia. 
My dinner-plate-sized hibiscus. 
Joe Pye weed, which isn't a weed at all but a native plant that pollinators love. 
Anisacanthus wrightii, flame acanthus.
 Crocosmia.
 Echinacea: Purple coneflower.
Lantana. 
Duranta erecta: Golden dewdrop.
 Almond verbena: Unobtrusive flowers with a heavenly scent.
 'Pride of Barbados,' one of my favorite summer bloomers.
Hamelia patens, aka Mexican firebush: Blooms for most of the year and is much favored by hummingbirds and all kinds of pollinators, like this bee.
 Crinum: 'Ellen Bosanquet.'
The ubiquitous crape myrtle - wouldn't be summer without 'em!
Texas sage: Its blooms are triggered by rain and we've had plenty of that so far this summer. 
 Cypress vine: An old-fashioned garden favorite of hummingbirds. And of me.

  
 And, last but not least, my ever-dependable blue plumbago.

 Thank you for stopping by. I hope you'll leave a comment so I'll know you were here. And thank you, Carol of May Dreams Gardens, as always, for hosting this monthly meme. 

 Happy (belated) Bloom Day to all!
Labels:

Comments

  1. Small City ScenesJuly 16, 2019 at 1:57 PM

    All beautiful flowers. I have always wanted a crepe Myrtle but while they will grow to trees here they seldom bloom---too short a season so not enough sun and heat.
    MB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 16, 2019 at 4:48 PM

      They do love the sun and heat which makes them perfect for our climate.

      Delete
  2. LeaJuly 16, 2019 at 3:09 PM

    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!!!!
    Love the Texas Sage - so pretty!
    Your garden, of course, is ahead of mine, but I expect some of the same blooms next month - my cypress vine is just putting up runners.
    My Milk and Wine Lilies have not bloomed in several years. I wonder if I need to relocate the bulbs to get more sunlight.
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 16, 2019 at 4:50 PM

      They do seem to relish the sunlight. Mine get at least six hours daily and they are flourishing.

      Delete
  3. AlanaJuly 16, 2019 at 5:39 PM

    You (almost) want to make me move to a hot clime - I love crepe myrtles and there are none hardy for my zone 5b area - but maybe one day. All beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 16, 2019 at 6:24 PM

      Considering how beautiful your garden is without crape myrtles, I'd say you are well advised to stick to your cooler climate!

      Delete
  4. Arun GoyalJuly 17, 2019 at 11:27 AM

    Wow your first pic is my most anticipated bloom, since I have tried growing this bulbous species but somehow never had good luck,Pride of barbados or Peacock plant and plumbago are so easily growing bushes that can give bountiful blooms with little care,Is crocosmia same as montbrettia ,Duranta and Lantana are such hardy plants for harsh summer days,Happy blooms day.

    PS Hows your husband health hope he is in good spirit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersJuly 17, 2019 at 12:42 PM

      You are very kind to ask about my husband. His recovery is on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule, and he's feeling well and optimistic. We are both optimistic.

      Delete
  5. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern GardeningJuly 17, 2019 at 5:11 PM

    All of your blooms are beautiful Dorothy and I especially love the Crinum. Although we have many of the same perennials, we are just out of the hardiness zone for growing any of the more tropical plants. I so enjoyed the visit!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Judy KruegerJuly 18, 2019 at 10:25 AM

    I want to come and sit in your yard for an afternoon!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
19 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters!  Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
6 comments
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
24 comments
Read more