Category Archives: the Lot

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – August 2015

bloom day, front bed, native plants, perennials, pollinators, the Lot

Today is Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for August. Bloom Day is a monthly garden meme hosted over at May Dreams Garden, allowing gardeners from around the world to share what is blooming in their gardens. I’ve noticed on the Lot a handful of the plants that began blooming in July are also blooming this month.

These include:

  • Blanket Flower (Gaillardea)
  • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
  • Dwarf Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Buttefly Kisses’)
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
  • Multiple Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
  • Tall Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
  • Dwarf Sea Holly (Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’)
  • Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber)
  • Rose Champion (Lychnis coronaria) 
  • Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Joining the bloomin’ party this month is the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) and the great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). Right now the two are elbowing for space, so I’ll have to space them out more in the Spring.

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Also new this month are the pretty, blue blooms of plumbago (Ceratostigma). Last Fall, I thinned clumps of plumbago from the large patch in the backyard bed. Those plants were then transferred to the front, south-facing bed. It seems the plant has successfully established itself. I’m excited to see how the red foliage will look in the south bed this Fall.

081515-plumbago-sbed

Finally, here is the cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) I planted on the Lot last season. It was purchased at a native plant sale. I am quite excited about this plant because it is supposed to be a rockstar in providing for insects and birds. It towers over other plants in the lot, standing at about 8′ tall right now. Check it out, yo.

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And here are just a couple of the many winged visitors to the plant today. I counted at least 5 different types of bees.

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So, the second insect had me stumped. I searched about on The Interwebs today but had no luck. One last try as I was writing this post turned up the name Goldenrod Soldier Beetle (Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus). They feed primarily on nectar and pollen of plants in late summer. Occasionally they’ll treat themselves to an aphid or two. Here is a close-up.

081515-cup-plant-pollinator

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2015

alley bed, backyard bed, bloom day, fence bed, front bed, house bed, southwest bed, the Lot

It’s bloom day again, so that means it’s time for another inventory of what is currently blooming on the Lot. May Dreams Gardens is the blog host of GBBD. There you can view gardens around the world and see what is blooming.

Beginning in the alley bed, the asiatic lilies are finishing up as the dragon’s blood sedum is just beginning to hold aloft its fuchsia blooms.

071515-dragons-bloodThe daylilies in the back have finished up, but the second flush of the bachelor’s button (Centaurea montana) is beginning to bloom. About midsummer, this plant will bloom, the stalks collapse outward, and new growth will begin from the center.

071515-bachelors-button

In the backyard of the Lot, there is plenty going on right now. Just finishing is the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ and the lavender (Lavandula). In the west fence bed the dwarf sea holly (Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’) is still blooming, along with a second display of yellow columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha) and some rose champion (Lychnis coronaria).

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071515-yellow-columbine

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Back by the rain barrels, the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)is doing well in its second year on the Lot.

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The backyard bed includes blooms from the himalayan cinquefoil (Potentilla nepalensis), jupiter’s beard (Centranthus ruber), and the tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata). The black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia) blooms are just beginning to open.

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The east fence bed is blooming with tall garden phlox, balloon flowers (Platycodon), and tickseed (Coreopsis).

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The dwarf coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Buttefly Kisses’) is peeking out from underneath an exuberant clematis.

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Another unidentified clematis has given up waiting for its trellis it was promised this last spring and is now crawling across the lawn.

071515-clematis

The house bed is glowing right now with the leopard plant (Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’). The foamy bells (Heucherella ‘Sweet Tea’) is still sending out blooms and some native cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) are beginning to bloom for the first time.

071515-ligularia

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071515-native-cardinal-flower

In the southwest bed, the bee balm (Monarda) is on its way out while the south bed is in full bloom with a palette of violet, red, yellow, and orange.  Multiple varieties of tickseed (Coreopsis) are blooming as well as purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and blanket flower (Gaillardea).

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Finally, here are a few of the annual containers I put together with leftovers from the GIG’s container planting day.

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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 2015

bloom day, fellow gardeners, fence bed, house bed, loki bed, sidewalk bed, the Lot

Today is Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, a meme hosted by May Dreams Gardens in which gardeners worldwide share what is blooming in their gardens. May on the Lot is when the garden beds really kick it into gear and the plants take off. Though we’ve had less rains than previous Springs, everything is looking good and growing well.

In a northern backyard bed this Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum) is coming back with a vengeance and just starting to bloom. It is beginning to gobble up the poor Coral Bell. The little Labrador Violets are have been blooming for awhile now.
051515_coralbell-sweet-william-violet

In one of the back alley beds Mt Airy Fothergilla is doing its Spring thing. It survived the winter with only a couple of snapped limbs.051515_mtairy

Blooming for its first time on the Lot is this dainty barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’) along the Eastern side of the house. The crocus leaves illustrates the small size of the plant.051515_Epimedium-lilafee

Another barrenwort I brought home with me from the 2014 Portland Garden Bloggers’ Fling has reappeared and is right at home as well on the Eastern side. Where the previous plant’s blooms remind me of little sprites, these flowers look like small spiders or crabs.051515_Epimedium-Portland 051515_Epimedium-Portland2

The fuzzy pasque (Anemone patens) flower is in bloom, looking soggy here as I snapped photos between rain showers.051515_pasque-flower

The dwarf irises are blooming…051515_dward-iris

… as are the bluebells which snuck under the fence from the neighbor’s property. The foreground gives a glimpse of some of the Forget-me-nots (or rather “if you plant me once you’ll be rid of me nots”) blooming around the backyard.051515_bluebells

The foamflower (Tiarella) is in bloom.051515_fence-bed

The bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis alba) is as huge and beautiful as ever.051515_gate-bed

Both cranesbill plants are brightening up the pathway back to the compost bin.051515_cranesbill

The Sweet Tea Coral Bell is beginning to bloom. Hmm, I didn’t notice until this photo I forgot to clean up those old leaves at the base.051515_house-bed

The brunnera is blooming. I much prefer this well-behaved version of Forget-me-not.051515_brunnera

Huzzah! I did not kill the Jack-in-the-Pulpit I brought back from the 2014 Nursery Crawl. At the beginning of the season it received too much hot, afternoon sun. It seems happier here. 051515_jack-in-the-pulpit

By the way, this is Jack. He’s a pretty dapper fellow.051515_jack

This is a Geum triflorum ‘Prairie Smoke,’ the prize find of the 2014 Nursery Crawl. I picked it up when it was already done blooming, only able to enjoy the seed heads (which admittedly is why I purchased the plant). This season I am able to enjoy the blooms as well.051515_geum-prairie-smokeLoki’s bed is looking great with the lenten rose (Hellebores) and solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum Variegatum) blooming.051515_lokis-bed

Here is a brand new bloom for this season. Our west-side neighbors have a beautiful strawberry patch growing against the fence. I’m wondering what these stowaways will get up to on the Lot.051515_strawberry-bloomAnother shot of the Eastern side of the house shows the rock foil (Saxifraga) and the dwarf  bugleweed (Ajuga x ‘Chocolate Chip’) in bloom.051515_rock-garden 051515_dragons-blood-bugleweedAnd for the very first season in bloom is our lilac. This shrub was given to us by Miss A after she received it from the Arbor Day Foundation. We placed it in the ground as a mere twig. It was mowed over not once but twice by the neighbors (oh the challenges of urban gardening)! It smells heavenly.051515_lilac

The last of the tulips are fading, and the Sweet William is full of buds in the South bed. The carpet flox is still full of color in the Southwest bed. That is all for the Lot this May! What is blooming in your garden?