Wildflower Wednesday July 2012

Welcome to my Wildflower Wednesday post, join other blogs for their wildflowers on Clay and Limestone, hosted by Gail, with delightful photos of pollinators on Joe Pye Weed.

I was pleasantly surprised this month to out of the blue discover wildflowers I had grown from seed a year or two ago blooming that I didn't even know had survived.  One such is a Rudbeckia from a mixed package of T & M seeds.

Agastache aurantica also surprised me, I thought it had bitten the dust over the winter-

Then there were the delicate blooms of Allium cernuum-

Limnanthes douglasii that I grew under lights bloomed much later than some that self-sowed from last year, these are very cheery and I hope they will self-sow more and establish themselves in my yard.  They were getting nibbled by deer so perhaps they won't be able to really spread.  In some areas in California they color the hills and are known as "Meadowfoam", and are inportant to pollinators.

I hope you are finding some native plants to brighten your gardens.

Hannah

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day July, 2012

Welcome to another GBBD, for more lovely flowers in bloom see all the posts at May Dreams Gardens, hosted by Carol.

I'll start off with a great little ground cover that I grew from seed last year and it bloomed in the fall and now, spreading to about a square foot already, Dianthus deltoides 'Microchips'-

The once-blooming roses are winding down, here is the last to bloom, Tuscany Superb, to see the others I posted for GBBD last month, click here-

Irises are almost done except the remaining Japanese ones, in form rather like ballroom skirts, here is Tuptim-

The daylilies are coming into their full glory, here are some double Kwanso with I think Jacob-

Here is Fooled Me

Clematis are blooming now, the earliest and last of my original 5 Park Clematis along with Jackmani, Niobe-

My favorite for lovely multi-hued blooms that are borne for a long time is C. venosa violacea

Jackmani is very reliable and vigorous, love that deep purple color, and floating in front are the very vigorous C. integrifolia, tiny light blue bells-

Long-coveted and added last fall only to be eaten to the ground by rabbits, Geranium 'Rozanne' is making a comeback under wire-

A new purchase that I saw on another blog and just had to have, since I'm starting some from seed but they won't bloom probably until next year, and this one is variegated as well as blooming, Knautia macedonica from HD.

A new annual I grew from seed this year and to my surprise is blooming now along with some Nasturtiums, is Cerinthe 'Purple Bells'-

A houseplant I've forgotten the name of, blooming-

The cool reliable return of Lychnis coronaria, in that intense vibrant magenta, the color that gardeners and growers tend to call all kinds of ridiculous other names even though it is ubiquitous-

And last for another vibrant color, Crocosmia 'lucifer' with a tropical splash hard to match-

Well, enjoy your blooms,   Hannah

Wildflower Wednesday June 2012

I was on a trip to Southern California on WW, so am posting late.  Catch other posts at Clay and Limestone, hosted graciously by Gail.  The last night of camping was in Big Sur at Limekiln Beach State Park, some photos here from a blog, a nice campground with a beach and also a walk through some Redwoods along a stream to a waterfall.  I unfortunately left my camera behind for the hike to the waterfall, but did notice some Aquilegia formosa in bloom, which are also blooming in my garden on second year plants I grew from seed-

Other plants I saw there were big mats of Oxalis oregana, and a Heuchera that especially liked making big mats covered with wispy white blooms on the vertical stones of the waterfall.

Another wildflower I grew last year that is blooming this year is Erysimum wheeleri-

Tellima grandiflora 'Fringe Cups' self-sows readily in my garden and blooms with greenish flowers with a fringed pink edge-

The orange-yellow native honeysuckle Lonicera ciliosa is blooming-

Thanks for joining me for some native wildflowers.

Hannah