2018 Summer Flowers
I know it's a few days left on the calendar before summer is officially here. But with the advent of all the summer flowers, I'm calling it early. ;-)
As soon as this heliopsis opens, as far as I'm concerned it must be summer.
GC 
4catmom 
4catmom - Depends on which type, but I have the one coreopsis that starting blooming yesterday. Not quite ready for a picture, but will be shortly. The other thread leaf kind has a ways to go.
Here is blush campion which also started to come out yesterday.
Tracy 
This rose bush is well over 60 yrs. old. It's been transplanted once. The picture didn't turn out so well because of the heat. I thought I lost it this year because of the harsh storms we had. I didn't prune it because of that. I'm glad I didn't. Smells so pretty.
auntiel 
joyful 
skippy 
Old heirloom roses can really put on a show. Much easier than many small hybrids that have so many disease and pest issues.
Wish the deer wouldn't gobble up lilies like yours Tracy. Tried several years and all gone. I'm nursing just a single set of Easter lilies, under some peonies trying to hide it, and a bit of Deer Out, hoping I can uncover them just when they start to open. We'll see.
4catmom - those are the type with the very thin leaves. For me they've just started to have a few opening up bit still very small flowers that will get bigger. In a shaded spot like yours it may be more like 4th of July when yours are ready. Shouldn't be too long.
My globe flower has done great this year. Some years it hardly shows up, others like now it has 4 or more flowers. I think I'm going to get 5 this year without any interference from the deer.
4catmom - The thin leaf kind of coreopsis are now starting to open for me. I would think by the holiday you should have yours open as well, even if they are a bit in the shade where you are.
Certainly summer has hit now for sure. The day lilies are opening up, hopefully the deer will keep away enough to let most of them go. If not, there's always another day. ;-)
This one is a fire cracker red.
My surprise iris yesterday... didn't even know I had it!
If anyone has any interest in some.Blue Flag iris shoot me an email.
MG 
Oh Colette... ;-) I think she would take some. I can take a few find somewhere. I *still* need to find homes for more of the light blue iris.
In the mean time, bee balm in the sunny spot has started to come out! This is before July! And the late blooming clematis is now open when that's often a couple of weeks into July. All the types of coreopsis are now out. Unfortunately got hit by the deer after last nights rain stopped. Munched just the flowers of day lilies up front. Attempted to get some of the balloon flower but they only eat the tops and stop.
Here is red hot poker which is another one a bit earlier than usual.
My poker has done squat this year!!!
What are the yellow in the background...I now have some from things you passed to me.
Colette -- get in touch with me...I've hot iris (if interested)
MG - The ones you see there are definitely smaller than usual. I'm not surprised if yours are not doing anything. It's an off year for them.
What's in the background are evening primrose. (uggh) Pretty well invasive as far as I'm concerned. I did *not* plant those there.
Orange Gnome - believe it or not, although 6 inches tall it's related to the Maltese Cross that's over 5 feet. And both of those related to Rose Campion. Lychnis family.
Obsessed with the color of my hydrangea and so excited that it came back so strongly after being planted last year.
Tracy, those would be healthy even if not planted only a year ago. That's doing exceptionally well. I've got a couple but they just gradually get a tiny bit better each year. Mine aren't to the point of blooming much at all. And that must be 5 years since last moved. They're also earlier than other around. A couple neighbors are doing well but must be a good 2-3 weeks away from blooming.
Meanwhile unless it's a late summer plant, everything is now out. All the bee balm is our in force, the cone flowers are opening up, balloon flowers are ballooning, hyssop, pincusions and lavender all open. It's full on summer for sure now.
Rose campion thanks to a trade!! I put it in a spot where I stupidly moved it away from the last time I had it. And now it's just perfect!
Nosila 
Nosila - Are those ones that are permanently blue, or you change the soil to get them that way?
Mean time, do I have this right? Is it really Easter time?? ;-) These take a hideous amount of effort to keep the deer away. This year a very nice kitty in HackCATStown "donated" some hair to help. Well, actually I just gave her some belly rubs and it came right off making us both happy...
GC- I bought the stuff to put in the soil to make them that color- I bought a bag of it last season on clearance so thought I would give it a try
I am so envious of those who have hydrangea in bloom, especially in blue. I am ready to put out a "contract" on the deer living in our yard. I had a beautiful blue plant about 7 years or so ago. No more or not since. They are always eating. I tried netting with green stakes, they bite through it or under it. Sprays, forget it. If it weren't in the front of my house, I would try wire but not liking the curb appeal on that. So enjoy Tracy and Nosila, I will admire your photos.
justwondering 
And I thought my deer were bad. I know you said you don't want the look of wire, but have you tried finding something really thin and as wide apart as you can? The other thing I've heard recently is double fencing. Even if it's not that high, they say a deer won't jump if it can't see a big enough landing area. So two fences about 3-4 feet apart is supposed to be effective.
Although they aren't supposed to eat it, these balloon flowers seem to be a consistent target of the deer. They won't eat it to the ground, but nibble the tops instead. Seems they like the look of it but then try and it's bad. White sap comes out.
The hydrangea we dug up and moved last fall is blooming beautifully while then one that stayed in place has not a single bud. This is, of course, from the transplanted hydrangea
4catmom - Did you manage to move it to a spot that the deer aren't at it? Or do they leave both areas alone and the other spot just doesn't seem to make them grow? Either way, looking good.
Meanwhile, this clematis blooms later that normal and has smaller flowers. It's not fall blooming either which won't open until 2 months from now.
The deer have been around - but we are religiously spraying with Liquid Fence deer and rabbit stuff and it seems to work -but didn't start spraying until they decimated a gorgeous clematis vine--
That clematis of mine is intertwined with holly - they'll get a nose full of ouch if any deer even think about it. ;-)
I'm very happy somehow, someway, without even planting any seeds myself, I keep getting these snap dragons back every year. Particularly since there is mulch there, I just wonder how they manage to reseed themselves without help. That was NOT a complaint. ;-)
I also have dwarf snapdragons that keep coming back..............a nice surprise every summer
The deer ate my clematis plant as it was starting to grow this season. They also love holly trees. They ate the berries and leaves.
PBM 
My holly is so thick and the leaves so tough they would get pricked by it. So they consistently stay away from that. Even if it does have berries.
I don't know about you, GC, but the bee balm makes me think of this...
Also, the kids may be watching too much Muppet Babies.
Are the kids the only ones watching too much Muppet Babies, Tracy? Just saying to know the warning signs. ;-)
GC, so much muppet babies...
Sorry for the shadow, but got a few beautifully purple gladiolas.
I need to relocate some of my hydrangeas. What time of year is best to do this? Thanks!
HopeitsLuke HopeitsLuke - without knowing better, we moved a large hydrangea last fall - It is doing great - full of blooms this year - while the one that was near it has nothing - so my uneducated opinion is fall................
That's a well experienced opinion. I would also say fall, late fall at that. They don't like being moved much. So you want to catch them napping. I'd say between Halloween and Thanksgiving would be a good time.
Tomato man
Tracy - That's "liatris". Very easy to grow
The rain has brought out the phlox. The wind may well put it back. ;-)
I need some help. I have a hibiscus bush that is being eaten alive by some sort of worm. What can I use to fight them off and protect my plant? This is actually one plant that the deer don't eat but it looks like crap because of the bugs!
Smilingbecs Smilingbecs - Looks most likely like Japanese beetles. Get yourself a Bag-A-Bug if you don't already have one. And try spraying the bushes with Neem oil if you want an organic solution.
GC - Thank you. I looked up Japanese beetles and that's not what is on the leaves. You can see the tiny little green worms or caterpillars in the picture I posted. In any case, I will look for a similar product that will hopefully get rid of these things.
smilingbecs, don't know how to post a link but google lo moth catepillar. Possibly your problem?
smilingbecs - Those are so small, I missed seeing them. Japanese beetles will eat leaves that bad, but caterpillars of several types will do that. Could be a number of types of moth caterpillars most of which you treat the same way. There are caterpillar specific insecticides that are organic, it's a type of bacteria. (Bacillus thuringiensis)
Or try some neem oil.
Thank you MG. I do believe that is what they are. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to get rid of them other than picking them off one by one. Looking on the bright side, the flowers are still blooming and the leaves are pretty much all eaten up at this point so hopefully they'll be moving on.
MG - Godlewsky's. At least one year when they had more perennials than they've had the last few years. I keep taking a big stack as it seeds and just bury it. It seems to grow fairly well that way.
You can try the seed method too if you'd like. Just remind me in about two months when the stalks are all done and gone fuzzy. Then just bury them and hope.
GC: The autumn clematis you gave me a couple of years ago is now blooming! Too early isn't it?
Iris 
Iris - I hate to say it, but have you seen the date on the calendar? Labor Day is a couple days away. ;-)
That tends to open up right about now and then last until mid October or even Halloween. It's just about right for it. Mine has been stunted by the early warm weather plus some deer activity. But it's still blooming nicely, just small compared to other years.
Here's a pic of it.
Gee, I totally missed that. cbel's garden is doing well, in some ways too well. There are some items that need thinning so they don't overtake the smaller plants. But it's good.
Besides mums, just about the only thing that's recently opened is this. Caryopteris, "bluebeard".
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