2013 Summer Flower Pictures
It's here. It's hot. School is out. The days of tulips and daffodils are over, and on to the cone flowers and black eyed susans.
Well Sweep said they didn't have any of the Fanfare Blanket Flower left, however a single one was sitting there, so I quick grabbed it. Maybe this year I can get it to stick around for next. Here it is nicely in bloom with a second flower on the way.
The Goblin Blanket Flower I posted pictures of in years past is actually on sale at Lowes - 3/$10 in their weekly circular.
GC 
maja 
My Garden is really starting to fill out this year which makes me very happy. My hubby says I'm going to run out of room soon but I will prove him wrong
Nosila 
jerseycash5Nosila, are those a type of late-blooming iris? I've seen them in peoples' yards, but never at any nurseries.
Would it be too late to plant now?
3wbdwnj 3wbdwnj- I've also never seen at a nursery. I got these from someone at work that needed to split theirs.
However, I've ordered other types of plants from here and have had good luck
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/scan/MM=0ac76d4c8cea5cc589ba7341903d71d1:0:19:20.html?mv_more_ip=1&mv_nextpage=results_2012&mv_arg=
But if you wait until next year I will prob be able to split them and give you some.
Only tried dahlias once and not a lot of luck. There's a house in our neighborhood that had them once and came out really nice.
maja - thanks.
Nosila - Just say the word and we'll get any open space you have totally filled up. I got enough to trade myself, let alone the rest of the world. Still have some of those penstemons to give away, a section of cone flower came up where it's not supposed to, and enough beebalm to cover a 3rd world country. And that's just a start.
Many things are now out, including both types of heliopsis. This picture is the all yellow one, the other one with an orange center and darker petals is lagging behind, but it's out too. This is the tall "yellow daisy" talked about before and some was given away at the exchange.
First of the beebalm just bloomed today. I thought the butterfly weed would finally open, but looks like it's tomorrow. That pincushion flower has made it and is getting close. That will be nice to be able to show the demonstration of generosity around. ;-)
The butterfly weed did start today, but still only about 1/3 of it. Should make a better picture around Friday.
So the Rose Campion is the new addition this year. Came up easy and should be a great contrast in a couple of areas. Probably the only lychnis variation that has grown without trouble and isn't in jeopardy of not showing again next year. Very happy with it.
I love the rose campion, GC, my favorite color!! My butterfly weed didn't come back this year :(
Iris 
iris - I think you're going to love my phlox when it eventually makes it's appearance. ;-) Sorry to hear about the butterfly weed. Mine does have a definite behavior to it. It's no where to be seen for a long time, then it just shows up gradually a millimeter above ground. And stays that way. Then without warning it's a foot tall one day. And then another six inches the second day. And then two feet the third day until it spends another week or two trying to make flowers. Very off and on. It's a surprisingly good plant and draws bees more than even bee balm or sedum. Any chance yours is just still dormant? This year might be the very very first I might be able to split just a small portion of it. Remind me at the end of the season.
The heat and humidity made the bee balm take that final step. This is an iridescent purple, I've got another that's a tomato soup red. My mom is the culprit on these, she has bee balm in spades.
My bee balm hasnt bloomed yet however my hydranga (sp?) is in full bloom. A little early for them, isnt it? I also have a plant, dont know what it is called, but it is about 6' tall, all green, no flowers yet. I will take a picture tomorrow and attempt to show it but I've never done it before, I'm not real good on computers. Otherwise, I may ask you to come over and help me identify it, GC!
There will be no star gazer lilies this summer. :o(
The first stem was munched off yesterday...the rest met a similar fate this evening.
The culprit...BUNNIES! Stupid jerks.
Tracy 
Iris - Hydrangea are right on track about now. I've got a neighbor that has one in full bloom. If you need any help with the camera, just let me know.
Tracy - I've had the same fate multiple years whether rabbits or deer. I've done the best with Deer Out and one Easter lily is still hanging on, but two others already munched. I've got balloon flower near it and that has had a little nibble too. The deer totally destroyed the tops of one set of phlox, yet let two others alone.
First daisy made its full appearance today (thanks abbadabba, they've done well!!), butterfly weed has about 2/3 of its flowers open, and it looks like crocosmia is starting?? Now that shouldn't be until at least mid July.
In the mean time the one single red hot poker that came and went looked like it was going to be a tough year for them. But then all of a sudden there are a whole bunch and it's a bumper crop!
Um, Iris? I glanced towards your house while driving by a couple days ago. It looks like the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I'm sure the butterflies will find something else they can land on. ;-)
Rebecka GC, I really love red hot poker, but don't have any in my garden anymore. Thanks for posting a picture of yours. They look magnificent. In the past, the deer have nibbled the tops of my phlox, but it grows back and flowers. Maybe yours will too, if the deer leave it alone.
Chickadee 
Chickadee - Red hot poker all gone? I have a remedy for that. ;-) As for the phlox, sometimes mine still flowers, sometimes not. It all depends on whether they just nibble the top or really go to town munching leaves all the way down the stalk. The ones that got targeted in the front were pretty well munch. But not to worry, a clump next to it was untouched. Go figure.
In the mean time, I knew this one was close and the rain made it pop right out. It's the pin cushion flower (scabiosa) from magpie!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's in a spot that hasn't done well with several things and this has just taken right to it.
Here is a picture of a flower I wish I could grow here! This is a type of ginger plant from Barbados.
Another mystery plant; hopefully someone (GC!!) can help my identify it. The scent is heavenly and the butterflies love it too!
iris - From the flower it looks something like a blue bell or bellflower from the bottom (campanula), but those usually have serated leaves, and the pink versions I looked up have little smell. You said your butterfly weed didn't come up this year. Are you sure it wasn't a pink one?? The leaves look just like butterfly weed and there are some not in the typical orange one like I have here. (told you it just bloomed in full) What I think is really out of place though is the fragrance. Just not sure of that.
In any case, nice to see you sure got the hang of the posting pictures. ;-)
iris - "Swamp milk weed". The leaf and the way the flowers are clustered is a big match, and the pink flowers turned inside out is just the way Wiki has a picture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Swamp_milkweed_monarch.jpg
Plus it says *fragrant*. That's got to be it, so your butterfly weed may not have disappeared after all.
My butterfly bushes just started to bloom and will last thru September. I'll have lots of winged visitors...many butterflies and humming birds.
Chickadee: We just returned from dinner and had a similar sight in our side yard. A Mama Deer and her baby....Love it!!
joyful 
Chickadee - I think your first picture is one of the most artistic deer shaped clover topiaries I've ever seen. If I didn't no better I'd figure it to almost jump right out at you.
The butterfly bush looks great, I saw another one this morning and wondered when mine is going to get going. Neighbors on either side of me have purple ones, so mine is white. It's got full sun so you would think it would be right there, but I guess the white blooms a bit later.
In the mean time I've got red day lilies fighting with the lemon day lilies for which one can bloom more in one day. The double orange ones haven't even made an appearance yet.
I knew you would figure it out, GC, Thank You!! My butterfly bushes haven't started yet either. I planted a yellow one last year; I hope I get some flowers on it this year. My Queen of the Prairie is in full bloom and the bees and butterflies love it. My lilies are just starting as are my Shasta daisies.
Mariann Not to derail things but this is the second year in a row that my hydrangea (a big blue mophead variety) has grown to planetary size but does not have a single bloom on it. I have a second hydrangea plant that is about half the size and it has blooms. They're next to each other.
Any ideas why there are no blooms?
emaxxman emaxx, mine didn't bloom last year either, but this year I have three. The thing to check is whether the new growth is coming from the old "sticks" or from the roots. If it comes from the roots it won't bloom. This would likely happen if the old growth was trimmed off. Another possibility is a late frost, which is what I think happened to mine last year. Being that you have one that is blooming, I'm a little stumped.
"This would likely happen if the old growth was trimmed off. "
I think that's it. I trimmed the larger one. I did get new growth off of the trimmed branches and some new growth from the ground. I won't trim it at all this year and see if they bloom next year I guess.
Mariann - Big wow!
emaxxman - Tracy is right. I love my mom. She's a great gardener. But she cut my hydrangea and it hasn't been the same since. No, it didn't die, but it's never bloomed since and still recovering. Black leaves from freezing are one reason, so you may want to make sure they're covered in winter. And cutting will do it every time. I have to slap my mom's fingers every time she visits because I know she wants to clip it. Don't.
Meanwhile, everyone's flowers all seem to come out a bit differently. My daisies have been out for a couple of weeks now.
My hydrangeas lose all of their leaves in the winter. Am I still supposed to cover it?
emaxxman - I have a giant hydrangea shrub and over the years there have been debates whether to trim it to the ground or cover it for the winter - I did neither and it grew like crazy - it stands almost 6 feet tall - there are some dead stalks in the middle and new growth came from some of the old sticks - I see where some dead
sticks could be trimmed now - I also give the hydrangea 5 gallons of water daily (when it's not raining) as it droops badly in the hot sun - I keep a 5 gallon bucket next to it and fill it with the hose, there are holes in the bucket which lets the water drain out slowly to the plant's roots.
Lastly I use Bloom Booster, a plant fertilizer I get from the hardware store - you mix a powder with water and just water the plants with it.
This hydrangea does lose all of the leaves in the winter. This hydrangea came from a cutting of a branch, from an established hydrangea that a woman gave me years ago.
jennymc jennymc - Mine looks just like that bush. It's getting huge. I'll look for the bloom fertilizer.
Thank you Tracy, GC, and jenny for your help.
Now back to the regular scheduled program. :-)
So I didn't get a picture of my pink lilies before they dropped off, but here are the orange ones and some of the yellow day lilies.
Daisies from last year's plant swap. I can't remember who they came from, but they just opened over this weekend.
And finally, from this year's plant swap, from GC, this cute little plant that is thriving like crazy from all the rain.
Tracy - That yellow day lily looks almost like the one I posted two days ago. It's certainly not the roadside orange color, and not the "Stella D'Oro" that's everywhere. A very light yellow that I'm not 100% sure of what it was called but I had thought it was something like "lemon chiffon". Good for you on the orange and other "Asiatic" lilies. I've never had any luck because mine are always munched.
Good crop of Easter lilies. Were you the one previously that was surprised at mine that I said bloomed in late June/early July? All you do is plant outside those ones you get at Easter and there you go!! Wouldn't you know I had been spraying mine and the Deer Out was working to the point it was opening up yesterday. I went this morning to take the picture and ... Munch-ola!!!
Daisy last year = abbadabba!!! I posted a big thank you before I just posted that picture of mine yesterday. The source of them is the same, and for sure they have done well. Just that one set of them I got has produced 3 separate healthy clumps in only one year. My mom wants them too so they just make the rounds and are shared with so many. It's what it's all about.
"Cute little plant" = oxeye daisy that has leaves looking like a cross between carrots and mums. I did bring those to the swap, but on behalf of "Jenny McMahon" on the forum. So all credit goes to her, not me. Those are very wild flower and resistant to just about everything. That was one of the things the recent thread looking for a bridal bouquet was about.
And the hits keep on coming - the purple cone flower has fully opened, but after yesterday's rain, here is my *white* cone flower. Not only are the petals white, but the center is so yellow instead of red or orange.
I'll have to post the Cupid's dart soon because it came out this morning. However with all the cloudy, hazy, humid, way too yucky stuff it decided to close up. Crocosmia is gonna be soon too, and is that going to be a show off!!
GC, my yellow lilies look exactly like the ones you posted. I can't remember where I got them, but they definitely need to be split whenever possible. They are outgrowing the spot I have them in.
My lilies usually get munched too, by the animals or the landscapers. I have three or four plants in different colors in that spot and each year I'm lucky if I get two or three. Plus I have the star gazers in another spot and we know how they turned out this year. Didn't even get to see them bloom.
Thanks for the clarification on the daisies. I love them. They're so cute. The oxeye is cute too. It kind of looked like parsley at first, then the flowers opened. It's gotten huge since we planted it.
It's funny about the Easter lilies and others...I posted a couple pictures on FB last year of them and the same this year. The date I posted the pictures last year was quite a bit earlier than this.
Hydrangea should bloom any day now!
Tracy - You must have hungry landscapers.
With the clouds threatening I'm sure it was going to close up again, but when I went outside first thing here is the Cupid's Dart open. I quick took a picture before it decides to be fickle and close up again.
Nosila - Not knowing the names is even better. ;-)
Post a picture. Or even better, just trade them anyway. And then we'll all figure them out together. abbadabba was in the same spot before, and then she hosted the swap!
What you posted, a lot of the flowers point down so I'm not positive but it looks like maybe three petals on the bottom, two on top?? If so that might be a kind of lobelia. I tried lobelia once and it didn't take so well. My mom has a different kind of lobelia with a really huge flower that did great. I wouldn't mind trading for that at all. If you want, you can borrow a certain 100mm macro that was previously discussed on another thread to take the pictures with.
These are the purple cone flowers instead of the white - a version that has very bold red centers but the petals are kind of pastel. I have another purple cone flower where the petals are a real deep purple. [Smoke on the .... opps, wrong thread]
Chickadee - Very nice. Very timely. Look what I found when I just came back from PA! For some reason mine where originally much more like yours with a definite blue even if lighter than yours. Now look at them and they are totally white.
The crocosmia did finally bloom, but I'm waiting for it to open all the flowers for the best picture. Same goes with a "Cosmic Eye" coreopsis that has only one single flower open. There are so many of those, best to wait until they all come out.
Been taking pictures of my garden this year and have this pretty little plant. No idea what it is called though. Anyone able to identify it?
ladeevee 
ladeevee - It looks like penstemon, otherwise known as goat's beard. Check the picture I posted here:
http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/516235#t529009
That picture has foxglove on the left, but the right is penstemon, probably a bit more like pink where yours looks white. There are different colors, and if Nosila's picture above isn't lobelia, chances are it's pensetemon.
This is the crocosmia I mentioned earlier. It's got several flowers out now, not just the initial one.
Thanks GC, it looks just like it. Now I finally can put a name to the plant. Never encountered a pensetemon before.
Nosila - Don't buy, swap!! ;-) What a busy little bee. The picture is mostly of it so I'm not sure about the flower, but is that lavender it's feasting on??
Maybe it's a good time to mention this - anyone want a load of columbines??
Thanks to another swapper I cleaned mine up to put something else there.
Now literally I have a whole big box of them with little place to put them.
After yesterday this double orange day lily called kwanso has started to come out. It's had the stalks all ready for quite some time, but now it's actually in bloom. Thanks again Colette!! This came from the very first swap.
My butterfly bush is now just getting the first blooms, and liatris has gone from just buds to the first tiny bit showing. Even the hostas that seem to be taking for ever are now opening too.
Nosila - I'll potentially answer my own question. Is it Russian sage? I looked up some pictures of common perennials that are bluish purple and I don't have. Closeups look just like that, "snail's antenna". I've seen it in multiple garden stores but always passed on it because it seems like it can get out of control if you don't trim it well. There's a house near me with it and it's just all floppy even tough it could be even worse. I can see that's way better for flowering than ornamental grasses (which I will never ever plant), but to me I think salvia the real sage is better behaved. Is that color what it looks like in real life? Looks like a really deep shade compared to some Russian sage I've seen.
"Cosmic eye" coreopsis are now out in force.
So the ongoing saga that is my hydrangea continues. I got a lot of new and old leafy growth this season and finally three stems with buds. After patiently waiting for the buds to open, they ended up shriveling up, turning brown and dropping off before ever opening. Many of the leaves on the stalks with buds have fallen off too. It got plenty of water. Any idea what happened? I'm so disappointed.
Nosila - thanks for the info. That explains the color, some salvia can be practically deep neon, and it's in the same family of plants.
Tracy - Not to worry, just continue to give it time. Keeping watering and taking care of it, it just sounds like a young plant. Mine is the same way but not as far along as yours.
iris - That must be quite a sight. I've got white butterfly bush compared to blue on both sides of me. I've never seen yellow for sale, but did look up some pictures of it. Is it the honeycomb kind?
Thanks, GC. I'm just not sure. It's not that young a plant. I would say it's 4-5 years old. Last year I got no buds at all, but I attributed that to weird weather patterns. The year before that I got a single cluster of buds that bloomed beautifully. This year I had three clusters of buds and I was so excited to get flowers and one even started to go a little bit and open and then all of a sudden they were brown and shriveled up and dying. The leaves along those stems all fell off too. I'm not sure if something got it (bugs or disease) or if it is from the rogue bunny that lives here that keeps eating my stuff. Oh well, I'll try again next year.
By the way, Jenny emailed me about this and I accidentally deleted it before responding. Thank you for the advice and the offer for a cutting of yours.
The many shades of Lantana. They are not doing as well this year as they usually do but I still love them. I don't know if it is the plants that I bought or the weather.
Mariann, we have a potted Lantana tree that has pretty pink and yellow flowers. Every winter my husband drags the giant thing in and keeps it in the basement, then drags it back outside every spring. It's surprisingly resilient, since it always looks like it's half dead after the transition, then it adjusts and comes back to life.
Tracy, I didn't know you could bring it in and keep it alive over the winter. I was told you couldn't do it. I love the pink and yellow flowers but had a hard time finding them this year. One year Peddlers Village had a large tree of the pink and yellow flowers. It was gorgeous. Wish I lived in Hawaii, where they grow wild!!
MB 
At least some of my phlox have survived the top nibblers. When these are out then it finally fills out all of the garden. I have white phlox too, but they're not out yet.
GC- I need your assistance again
Last year this thing grew but I tore it out...this year I decided to let it grow. It's now taller than me and it has these thingys on it then they turn into little which flowers. Any ideas?
The stalk is pretty think too. I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing in my phone because it's too sunny.
"Pokeberry". I had that stuff growing at my old house and just pulled it. But I wondered what it was and saw it at the Quiet Valley PA old fashioned days. They were having a weaving demonstration that included dying the yarn. Well the dark berries for the dye were the plant you just took a picture of, and they called it "pokeberry".
One last shot at "summer" - it's not officially over, right? The plants are winding down but by all means not done yet. That only happens at first frost.
Still the early bloomers are at a point where I'm starting to transplant and move around for next year. I know we talked about getting together a second time, and I figured that wouldn't happen until school was back in session. Even if we don't actually have an event, I've got a lot of things I would rather not see go to waste -
I have enough columbines that have to be just plain pulled to be considering them "invasive". Take my columbines, please. ;-)
Somehow an off shoot of my white butterfly bush has taken a hold 20 feet away. It can't stay, so I'd prefer it found another home.
I'm moving and splitting foxglove this year, it's done pretty well the first three years of its life. Maybe it was last year, but I thought someone mentioned they really liked that. If so, speak up, and I can give some away while working on it.
My orange butterfly weed has got to be moved a bit, hopefully also made into a second area - potential for additional recipients here as well.
Both the amsonia and baptisia are in great positions for any takers. Both don't flower for a long time otherwise I think they would be very popular. But both are really, really easy to grow.
I'm willing to provide just about any of the things that were pictured this year. I have the usual copious amounts of rose of sharon seedlings, cone flowers, multiple types of bee balm, day lilies, evening primrose, heliopsis, light blue irises, hostas, the penstemons we discussed before, and more. What I wouldn't mind having if there is any around - mini irises for a small side area in the shade, any perennials approx. 1-2 ft high for the sides of my driveway that I'm working on.
Chickadee - I have to return the favor for those additional poppies. I am preparing some red hot poker for you.
Oh, could I please take you up on the butterfly bush? I am trying to build up a bumble bee/ butterfly/ hummingbird garden for next year :)
LadeeVee - Sure, you can have it. Do you have bee balm? If not, that's a big staple for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The picture I posted is sedum, not so much for hummingbirds but both the bees and butterflies gravitate to that too. PM me and we'll arrange for delivery.
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