Thursday, July 8, 2010

She’s A Doozy Of A Daisy

I guess the word for most of the states is hot, hot
hot the last couple of days. I am not going to complain
though after last winter and being thoroughly sick of it
all.
Lily Fest starts this Friday and the daughter and I are
going to venture another visit.
After my first time two years ago I said that I had seen
it and was a little let down by wading through the vendors
but my curiosity is getting to me and since it is close by
we will try it one more time.

 

LilyFest_2008_Treestumpb

Maybe I just want to go back and see what is planted
in the upside down tree this year LOL!

 

LilyFest_2008_Frog

Or maybe I just miss the Toad!!

Since everything was from two to three weeks early
this summer I am wondering if some of the blooms
will be already spent and gone by now.
With showers coming in tomorrow we may get a little
damp but it will feel good and maybe it will soak the
dry gardens and cool off a tad.
I will report on the Lily Fest in later postings.

 

DaisyBed

Meanwhile back in the garden it is Daisy days and Becky
Shasta is blooming in the beds.
I grew some Crazy Daisies from seeds over the winter and
I am hoping to get a bloom this summer but maybe that
will not happen until next year.I cannot wait to see their
frilly heads in the garden.

 

Daisy_Sidebed

 

DaisyBed2

     I have this one in several of my beds because it is so reliable
and when you find a flower that grows in rock and clay
you really take advantage of it.
Then there is also this wonderful idea of waves of bright
white  flowers that brightens up the landscape and glows
in the garden in the evenings.

 

Daisybed4

The downside is that the Japanese Beetles love them too.
I could do without these pests right now that are attacking
my blooms and have a hankering for my roses and hollyhocks.
They were eating the yellow center out of this daisy before
I attacked them back.If there is one bright spot here it is
that there seem to be fewer this year.

 

BeckyShasta_JapaneseBettles

 

BlackeyedSusans

Out in the woodland bed the Black Eyed Susan’s are blooming
amongst the Echinacea and Yarrow in the sunny end of the bed.
I had planted a packet of wildflower seeds out there last summer and these are the only ones that grew this summer.
I guess it was too much to hope that the two zinnias that did
decide to grow last year would not seed back. LOL!

 

BlackeyedSusans2

 

Gaillardia_MesaYellow2

The new Gaillardia Mesa Yellow is starting to bloom for me.
This is my attempt at adding more yellow to the garden.
Oh well, I am trying everyone.
I think I will like this bright yellow beauty in the garden.

 

Gaillardia_MesYellow3

The Stargazer Lilies are now in bloom in the
woodland bed.

Lily_Stargazers2

I am just thankful that the deer stayed away from my lilies
this summer so far so that they could get a chance to bloom.

 

Geranium_HorizenRedIce

This Red Horizon is going to be another lovely geranium
that I will keep in my growing number of geranium plants
over to over winter. I love her bright red edges.

 

Rose_MordenBlush3_July7

The little Morden Blush rose bush blooms are now
opening and they are lovely. They do look like medium
size New Dawn blooms.

Phlox_Laura_July5

The Laura Phlox is much taller this summer and she
has the best fragrance. Her color may be lighter this year
than last.

Monarda_Petite

Monarda Petite Wonder is the only Bee Balm that has
not mildewed this summer and that is a very good
characteristic for humid Ohio. It is only about 14
inches tall it does wonderfully as a front of the bed
border plant.
And it does not fall over!!

Since tomorrow is Friday and I will be off to the Lily Fest,
everyone join Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday and
“Flaunt Your Flowers”.

Fertilizer_Friday

I will catch up with all those beautiful blooms of yours
later on.

Happy Gardening Everyone !!
Lona

26 comments:

Justin and Anne said...

So pretty! Your flowers are gorgeous right now. Thanks for giving us an update!

Kay said...

Beautiful flowers. I love the daisies.

VW said...

Such pretty pictures of the daisies and other summer flowers. I'm sorry to hear of the beetles attacking the centers. So if you grow double varieties of daisies, like Esther Reed, do the beetles leave them alone? Interesting. And I love, love the blues in your header.

Liz said...

Hi Lona,

I love the Daisies and the Black-eyed susan and Echinacea combination, so very nice!

Unknown said...

Lona everything is really looking good in your gardens. I like the red trim on that Geranium too- it really makes it stand out. And your Monard is great. I just bought a Monarda. I had one before but who knows what happened to it. Can't wait to see mine bloom. Sadly, the deer did get a few of my lilies but they were pretty sloppy this time and left most of them. I thinking they are teaching those cute little babies how it's done. ;-)
Have fun at Lily Fest - hopefully you won't be disappointed this year.

Rose said...

Your 'Mesa' gaillardia are looking so good, Lona! I planted some from seed this spring, and so far they've been a big disappointment--not a single bloom. But I have to agree on 'Becky'--she's quite the prolific bloomer here, too.

Love all the cool blues of your header--just what we need on these hot, hot days.

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

Great post!! Daisies are so wonderful, yours look fabulous. The upside down tree is something else, what a fantastic idea for a planter.

Anne said...

Absolutely gorgeous photos!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Shirley said...

I love your mosaic! The blues are so enticing!! Is that forget-me-knots in the lower left frame or Siberian bugloss blooms? Both are very similar in appearance. Or am I off base on this one?

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hey! You're growing my fave - Laura Phlox, so pretty! As are the lovely daisies. Your garden blooms early. Mine poor posies are blooming so very late. But, we are not suffering through a heat wave and for that I am grateful. :)

PS: Luscious blue header, too!

Balisha said...

I'm afraid that my posies aren't going to do well with all this heat and my not being able to take care of them properly,,,,so I'll just enjoy yours. They are so pretty and I loved my brief visit here in your garden. Balisha

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona, your Mesa looks so much better than mine. It is the first year I have had it, so hopefully it will do better next year. I also have Laura, don't you love that little white dot?

Eileen

Bonnie said...

I too am not complaining about the heat, but I am ready for it to cool down just a tad - or at least for the humidity to lower. We went from 60 degree days to 90 degree days. Our bodies need time to acclimate! I grew Crazy Daisies from seed a few years ago and they are doing very well.

A Garden of Threads said...

Beautiful blooms, I love the daisies. They are such cheerful flowers, I even had them in my bridal bouquet so many years ago. Have a wonderful time at the show.

Patsy said...

I only had one bloom on my stargazer lily. Your flowers are so pretty.
Patsy

Noelle Johnson said...

I look forward to hearing about your visit. I do hope the weather cools down a bit for your trip. I love the upside down tree. How creative :-)

Stephanie said...

Why is your big froggie still sleeping? Wake him up to see your pretty daisies :-D

Have a wonderful weekend Lona!

Roses and Lilacs said...

Your garden looks fantastic. Love the monarda and the phlox. I was wondering why I didn't have any daisies and then you answered my question. Japanese beetles.
Marnie

Wendy said...

Hello there,

Lily Fest sounds great. It's definitely lily season around here! Love the cute toad and all his warts. Hate the Japanese beetles too. I've noticed they tend to drown themselves in the cat's outside water dish. I'll sometimes find four or five of them in there. I might try a big bowl of water near where I spot them and see what happens.

Kimberly said...

Lona, you KNOW I'd head straight over to that Lily Fest!! Lilies are my all-time favorite plants, no matter what! And you targeted my 2nd all-time fave...the daisy. Not that I don't love all the others, because I do, but these are two categories that no matter what "kind", I LOVE it!!! Please, SPRINT to that lily fest and report on what's growing in that crazy upside down tree. I can't wait!!

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

The flowers are beautiful and as always butterflies, bees and beetles come in droves to enjoy the sweet nectar one one condition. Help me pollinate, would probably be the favor, flowers ask again and again..... have a great weekend. ~bangchik

Sunita Mohan said...

Oh yum! What a lot of delicious colour, Lona. You really have a very colourful garden. And those daisies are so pretty. No wonder the beetles like them.
I love phlox! They're such cheerful looking blooms, don't you think?

Anonymous said...

Hi Lona, I love the upside-down tree. I wonder, how is it standing up? At first I thought the flowers were growing from an abandoned large water fowl nest. It is very cool. I want one in my garden.

I can understand the waxing and waning of the festival allure. Some years you just don't feel like it while the next year you're just itching to go. I hope this year's lily fest doesn't disappoint.

Boy those Stargazers sure don't disappoint, do they? Outstanding! I'm STILL waiting on mine but it's usually mid to late July before they start so I need to be patient. Your 'Laura' phlox look wonderful.

I have a favor to ask, Lona. Would you mind if I copied the photo of the Japanese beetles? We don't have them here in the PNW [knock on wood] and I'd like to have a good photo reference. Of course if I decide to use the photo, I will seek your permission first. Thank you.

Sorry the zinnias didn't reseed. How nice this would have been but at least you've got some awesome Echs and Ruds.

What a sweet rose, the Morden Blush. It reminds me of Cecile Brunner.

I like my Mondarda 'Petite wonder' too. It forms a really tight, mildew-free clump. Again yours is way ahead of mine.

I hope you got a nice, calming refreshing rain.

Rainy Day Gardener said...

I absolutely love the blue flower collage that you have as your header right now! Bravo! Your daisies look so fresh and really, they capture the feel of summer don't they? I have shasta daisies coming up for the first time this year and I think I'm really going to enjoy them ~ cheers!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

The daisies and and everything else look so pretty! I can't wait to see some lilies bloom here, yours are such a nice bright pink. After all the rain we had I've forgotten how much work dragging the hose around is. We had 3 days up the 90's and I'm actually looking forward to it cooling down a bit this week.

Priscilla @ Homegrown Delight said...

Adorable Shasta Daisies, love all your garden blooms! Have a wonderful weekend :)