Monday, August 15, 2011

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - August 2011

My garden doesn't feel like it is full of blooms but when I walked around with my garden journal making a list of blooms I was surprised to see what all was blooming. It seems there just aren't masses of blooms. Blooms here and there. So here I am going to show a few of them.
Japanese Toad Lily 'Togen'. It is the only Toad Lily Blooming. I think it is because it is by a tree that I am watering to keep alive. This heat and drought is being rough on my garden. 
This is an unnamed clematis that I bought at a sell out at one of the big box stores. I needed a vine to go on an arch. This one wasn't even blooming when I bought it. It was the right price. Luckily it is not one I already have. It has a deeper color than what is in this photo. 
This rascally juvenile male Hummingbird has been working on the Hosta flowers. He is contemplating how to get at the nectar at teh base of the flower since the flower is too big for him to dip into. 
Smart boy poked a hole at the base and sipped the nectar. This is a big reason why I don't replace these old fashioned dark green hostas in my garden. They make a wonderful back drop for other plants and the lily-like blooms are gorgeous and the hummingbirds would be so disappointed. 
This last picture isn't really a bloom as yet. This night blooming cereus has already bloomed a couple other times. You can see the rag-like spent blossom in the background. I have another bud working its way to a blossom. I can't hardly wait. I don't know what has been different this summer other than the incredible heat. Maybe that is what it takes to make it bloom more. Usually it blooms only one time, often with more than one bloom at a time.

So what is blooming in your garden at this time? Anything unusual?? Below you will find a list of all that is blooming in my garden today.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is brought to us by Carol at May Dreams Garden. You can go here to see blooms from all over the world. Thank you Carol for supporting our habit.

Surprise Lilies; Clematis 'Ramona', 'Unnamed' 'Jackmanni'; Hostas; Tall Phlox 'David' 'Robert Poore'
'Blue'; Rudebecia; Geranium; Hydrangea 'Lime Light', 'Nikko Blue', 'Elegant', 'SNowball'; Corydalis; Cyclamen; Lonicera; Datura; Coreopsis; Bronze Fennel; Red Monarda; White CLimbing Rose (1bloom)
Red climbing Rose (2 blooms); Butterfly bush; Toad Lily; Yellow Trumpet Vine; Comfrey; Russian Sage; Curly mint; Lucifer Crocosmia; Beauty Berry shrub (just beginning); Perescaria; Butterfly Weed;Echinacea; Pink Anemone (just starting); Joe Pye Weed; Crepe Hardy Hibiscus; Annuals in pots.

31 comments:

  1. Happy Bloom Day, Lisa! I know what you mean about blooms. My garden is the same just now. That's a good list you have still... keep meaning to pick up a monarda :-)

    Love that clematis but hummingbirds at a Hosta flower... that must be such fun to see. I'm going to be dissappointed with bees feeding on mine now ;-)

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  2. I can't believe that the hummers go for your hosta flowers! Here, they seem to only like the purple and red tubular flowers... you must have the magic touch. :) Happy GBBD!

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  3. What garden? Your garden is my virtual garden. However the Monarchs arrived today. They go for the milkweed? How do they know. I'll get some pictures up before they take off again. Terah

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  4. Lilies are blooming in my garden and that's about it. The deer managed to eat a couple off until I draped the plants with Mingus' hair. Apparently deer don't like dog hair.

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  5. I just love that hummer photo. What a nice thing you do to keep something the hummers feed off of. I plant a lot for the birds too. You are having to hot a summer and ours is to cool and things arent doing as well as they should. Can't win can we? But I will keep our cool summer thank you. :)

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  6. Maybe not masses of bloom, but what you have is special and you do have humming birds which for me seems so, so exotic, Christina

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  7. Nice blooms. Clever hummer for sure. I have a night blooming cereus that's never bloomed. Maybe because it never gets watered, hmm

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  8. Love the hummingbird closeup, Lisa - determined little birds, aren't they!
    Surprise Lilies is the name I knew in Illinois, and I still think that one is better than Resurrection Lily or Naked Ladies. Glad they surprised you!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  9. Oh this is such a pretty post! I love hummingbirds, I've only seen one a long time ago, except for photos. Thanks for sharing. G

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  10. Hi there Lisa girl !
    I love the pictures of the hummingbird and what a crafty character to figure out a better system ! LOL
    I'm sorry about your drought going on and on .. we have a bit of a break here so I am very thankful .. I keep forgetting to take pictures of the front garden .. it is a bit of a jumble anyways .. I do love hearing the crickets though .. add some frog song and I am in heaven ? LOL .. Happy Bloom Day girl !

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  11. Somtimes it's those blooms that are immediately noticeable that are the most dear...love that ingenious little hummer!

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  12. I'd say your hummingbird is the best bloom of all, Lisa! I just got back from Portland and wasn't sure anything would be blooming at all, but there were a few surprises. The cardinal vine seeds you sent me are really doing well. But it looks like my plant-waterer missed a few pots, so I'm going to have to get busy and start watering today.

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  13. Wonderful Hummer photos! How cool is that, poking a hole at the base to get to the nectar...good trick!

    The blooms in your garden brightened my day! Thank you!

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  14. Your garden is full of blooms! The Hummer in the hosta is wonderful.
    My night blooming cereus died a few years back and I have never replaced her.
    Yours is doing wonderfully!
    Some plants do like it hot!
    Sherry

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  15. The great thing about GBBD is that it makes us really take notice of what's blooming, and it's often more than we think. That's an impressive list of blooms, Lisa.
    Love your pics of the innovative little hummer. They're amazing birds and such fun to watch. I hate to think of them leaving soon, after just a few short months.

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  16. Dear Lisa,

    The clematis was obviously a very good buy.
    A lovely bloom for this time of year.

    I am smitten with the hummingbird, he is just too pretty and cute.
    I love old fashioned hostas....give me a garden full of them, I would not complain. Sometimes you have to see the bigger piture :)

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  17. Some wonderful things going on in that garden, Lisa.

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  18. Hey Lisa, I know which cultivar your clematis is. It is 'Fireworks.' I bought the same clemmie at Lowe's awhile back. Let me know if I'm right. :) ~~Dee

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  19. Love the humming bird, very jealous you have that in your garden

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  20. I love the first shot of the hummer, where you can't see the wings--kinda in suspended animation! My garden is large and blooms here or there never make an impact. I'm always envious of my friends with smaller spaces, because their blooms make a real impact! :)

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  21. Lisa girl I can't seem to get that link to work for me .. what was the video about ?
    Joy

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  22. Your blog is a delight to my nature famished eyes... thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures ~

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  23. I am getting around to blooms a bit late and enjoying the blooms and the hummers.

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  24. Woohoo! These are very beautiful flowers.

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  25. I love seeing the humming bird!
    I saw it a few times and this humming bird that you shared here looked different from the one I saw in Malaysia!

    No matter how, they are really cool and interesting!

    I like to see the way they spread their wings so swiftly and lively!

    Happy Tuesday Lisa and take care!

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  26. I have that same toad lily and it is doing OK but I notice far fewer flowers than other years, which I attribute to dry conditions. Can't get over that little hummingbird on the Hosta flower. Knowing that flower really give you a sense of how tiny that bird really is!

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  27. Hi, Lisa!
    Paying a long overdue visit to your blog today. Cool to see we're growing the same clematis. Love that little hummer. I have them scooting about my tired flowers, as well.

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  28. Still living vicariously. Beautiful! Terah

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  29. Hi Lisa, thank you for visiting and leaving your nice comment. It's good to be back again and have a look at other gardens. Yours is still full of summer :-) !! What a lovely snapshot of the hummingbird!

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  30. Coincidentally, I just saw a hummingbird yesterday...but it flew away so fast:(

    How I wish i could captured the beauty and charm of this little creature1

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  31. Hi Lisa! Glad I popped in to this blog of yours today - what a treat! Fab flowers and aren't you luck to have hummingbirds! Just wanted to say thanks for your comments on my last post - I rewrote it and added more pics yesterday and in so doing lost your comments, sorry ! By the way - there are no sketches!

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