What's Blooming Today August 15, 2011

I'm participating in the Garden Blogger's Bloom Day again on May Dreams Gardens  thanks, Carol.

Today I'm updating my photo of my rose stripped by deer that is valiantly recovering, still the same rose on day 7 of its being open, the fantastic Betty Boop (Blogger keeps turning it sideways)-

To see her when first open and of a more yellow color in the center of the petals, see Explosions in the Rose Factory  .  I'm going to keep posting Betty Boop's progress opening and hanging onto her blooms.

Another bloom that just opened is on the striped mini Fall Festival, but it will have blown in only a couple of days-

The lavish tubular inflorescences of Buddelia davidii are being visited by a Western Swallowtail-

And the little skippers are enjoying the Dwarf Greek Oreganos nearby-

A bumblebee is visiting the native Borage family plant Phacelia nemoralis in addition to nearby Borage blossoms-

I like to keep the pollinators happy, both the native bees and the honeybees.  Blocks of mint help with this, for long bloom they find irresistible.  This is a wild mint that likes to grow in ditches and water, and has a nice menthol taste that makes a nice mint tea-

The scarlet blooms of Runner beans require pollenization, and seem to attract mainly bumblebees, and are greatly loved by hummingbirds.  This is Insuk's Wang Kong, from trades on the Gardenweb forum, note the white form as well-

Other vegetable flowers blooming now are cucumbers, which have been yielding early and well,  this is Eureka, disease resistant and useful for pickling or salads, from Park Seed-

My favorite summer squash, with wonderful buttery taste and texture is Summer Crookneck from Lily Miller-

Purple is pretty in vegetable flowers, here are some Dewako Eggplant flowers, so frustratingly slower than tomatoes to grow, bloom, and fruit-

A purple bean I'm trying this year is Velour from Park Seed-

But back to flowers, Crocosmia mountbretia is now blooming, 'Lucifer' has already finished-

Daylilies are about over, roses are winding down, so it's nice to have some other plants that are just starting to bloom.  Anemone japonica just started blooming, and will continue on into fall, it spreads well all by itself-

And from the Malva family, Malva alcea fastigiata is a tall narrow plant that also comes up by itself every year without care.

Finally, the ground cover and water lover Houttuynia cordata is blooming, but these plants have reverted to the green form instead of the delightful red and yellow variegated form.  I will have to try to find some of the colorful ones in my other beds.  They are edible with a hint of orange flavor-

Happy Bloom Day,   Hannah