This month’s Bloom Day, a garden blogger’s day to share his/her blooming plants with the rest of the world, is happening the day after I’ve arrived home from a trip to Portland, OR. I am so inspired by the gardens/gardeners there and have so much fun info to log! But first, here are the current, blooming stars on the Lot.
What’s Blooming
July is the month for lilies, coreopsis, and coneflowers on the Lot. Last season multiple varieties were added to the South facing bed at the front of the house. Here’s an overview shot.
And a few details shots of the various plants blooming in this bed…
On the West side of the Lot we had a downspout creating a wet area near the house foundation. This spot also receives some hot, afternoon sun. This year I added some little natives called monkey flower (Mimulus ringens) at the point where the downspout ends. The plants are used to seasonally wet and sunny conditions. So far they are doing well and are in bloom!
Another native I introduced to a hot, seasonably wet area of the Lot is swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). Hopefully the butterflies will soon find the blooms on this new addition to the Lot. The leaves are also found to be an important food source to the Monarch butterfly.
In some of the shadier areas of the Lot, the ligularia, astilbe, and mouse ear hosta are all in bloom.
The East fence bed in the backyard of the Lot is splashed with color from some more coreopsis, balloon flower, tall garden phlox, and pretty planters Ms. A put together containing some annuals for pollinators.
Here’s a Himalayan Cinquefoil making it’s debut. It has struggled a bit this spring with stalks collapsing and a touch of powdery mildew. However, it’s still offering up some of its red blooms this month.
A small coneflower called Buttefly Kisses (Echinacea purpurea) began peeking out from underneath the cascade of clematis leaves.
In the alley bed, some spiderwort and sedum are blooming. The bees are loving those!
And the afore-mentioned collection of lilies include this one…
And last but not least, the cucumbers and pumpkin plants are beginning to bloom. Here is a bee loving a pumpkin blossom.
Make sure to visit May Dreams Gardens to enjoy all the other plants blooming this month!
Love all your natives! It’s certainly been a great year for coneflowers here, too. I’m envious of your swamp milkweed–I haven’t seen any sign of the seeds I planted here. Hope the Monarchs enjoy yours!
Thank you, Rose. This year is a big year for the Lot and integrating natives for pollinators and those hard-to-grow spots. I’ve had a lot of fun learning about the different plants and watching them grow.
No Monarchs yet, but hopefully they will find us!
Great to meet you at the Portland Fling, Stephanie! I hope your Monarchs found your Asclepias! 🙂
Hello Anna! It was wonderful to meet you as well. I already miss Portland and the wonderful gardeners I met while visiting.
I’ve had a few pollinators find the Asclepias, but no Monarchs yet! Keeping my fingers crossed and a watchful lookout to spot them.