July Blooms in the Flower Garden
My flower cutting garden continues to produce beautiful blooms.
This cutting garden has developed so much over the last few years. I enjoy comparing its progress from year to year, and seeing where I need to add more plants to improve the display. This time of year I have hollyhocks, Shasta daisies, balloon flowers, Black-Eyed Susans, asters, yarrow, echinacea, and more. There is always something new to see every time I walk through the space.
Enjoy these recent photos.
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- My perennial flower cutting garden is one of the first visitors see when entering the farm. It is large and filled with gorgeous blooms late spring through August. These are the showy flower heads of rudbeckia. Rudbeckia’s bright, summer-blooming flowers give the best effect when planted in masses in a border or wildflower meadow.
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- In general, rudbeckias are relatively drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. Flower colors include yellow and gold, and the plants grow two to six feet tall, depending on the variety.
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- There are still a few poppies thriving in the beds. Poppies produce open flowers that come in many colors from white and gray to crimson red.
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- They also come in different forms. Poppies are an attractive, easy to grow flower in both annual and perennial varieties. They require very little care, whether they are sown from seed or planted when young – they just need full sun and well-drained soil.
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- Here is a poppy seed pod, which is what’s left on the stem once the flower blooms and the petals fall off. As the seed heads turn brown with ripeness, it’s time to cut them and harvest the seeds. One can tell when pods are ripe by shaking the stem. If the pod rattles, it’s ready.
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- Just outside the flower garden, I have dark pink Astilbe – it adds whimsical texture to every space with its fluffy, pink spikes of flowers. Astilbes are wonderful shade perennials, known for their dark green foliage and plume-like blossoms. Flowers bloom mid-summer and make charming fresh or dried cut flowers.
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- These are the interesting leaves of variegated Nasturtium. Variegated Nasturtium leaves are circular, shield-shaped leaves that grow on a trailing plant. The leaves are fragrant, with a mustard-like scent.
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- Another plant with interesting foliage is Pulmoniaria. Pulmonaria are members of the Boraginaceae family and first cousin to other well-known garden favorites such as myosotis, brunnera, symphytum, and mertensia, the Virginia Bluebell. The name Pulmonaria come from the foliage, which is often green with white spots, resembling a diseased lung. In fact, its common name is lungwort. The silver spots on Pulmonaria leaves are actually the result of foliar air pockets used for cooling the lower surface of the leaves.
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- Achillea millefolium, commonly known as yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a hardy perennial with fernlike leaves and colorful blooms. The large, flat-topped flower clusters are perfect for cutting and drying.
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- The flower clusters or corymbs are made up of dozens of tiny daisy-like florets. Colors range from white and soft pink pastels to brilliant shades of yellow, red, orange, and gold.
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- Echinops is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are native to Europe, east to central Asia, and south to the mountains of tropical Africa.
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- This is a balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus – a species of herbaceous flowering perennial plant of the family Campanulaceae, and the only member of the genus Platycodon. It is native to East Asia and is also known as the Chinese bellflower or platycodon.
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- Balloon flowers get their name from the unopened buds, which swell up prior to opening and resemble little hot-air balloons.
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- The opened flowers resemble those of bellflowers, and while most often deep blue or purple, white and pink varieties are also available.
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- This is a double, white, bell-shaped flowers. Balloon flowers thrive in sun or partial shade. It likes well-drained, slightly acidic soil; and although the balloon flower plant will tolerate dry conditions, it prefers plenty of moisture. This cold hardy plant also does best in cooler conditions in summer, so afternoon shade is a good idea for warmer regions.
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- I grow many different asters in the garden. Asters are also called Starworts, Michaelmas Daisies, or Frost Flowers. They need little in the way of maintenance – they just need deadheading for more blooms the following season. Asters come in a great variety of colors including pink, white, red, orange, and their various shades, making them one of the most popular flowers for use in floral arrangements.
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- Johnny Jump Ups are a popular viola. They are native to Spain and the Pyrennes Mountains and are easy to grow. Small plants produce dainty, fragrant blooms – some in deep purple and yellow.
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- Phlox has superb heat and mildew resistance. They thrive here at the farm. Phlox is a tall and upright grower that’s great for the back of the border, or even planted at the edge of the garden among the shrubs. Phlox also comes in a range of colors from pure white to lavender to even red and grows happily in most parts of the country. If properly planted and sited, phlox is largely pest and disease free too – a perfect perennial.
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- Echinacea purpurea, or purple coneflower, is a hardy perennial. Echinacea purpurea has a large center cone, surrounded by colored petals that brighten the garden in mid-summer. Echinacea is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family.
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- This is Alcea rosea, also known as the hollyhock. These plants can reach five to eight-feet tall and up to about four feet across.
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- Shasta daisy flowers provide perky summer blooms, offering the look of the traditional daisy along with evergreen foliage. They are low maintenance and great for filling in bare spots in the landscape. I hope your gardens are thriving this summer. What are some of your favorite mid-season blooms? Share them with me in the section below.
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