Sun = Sunflowers...

Today is a perfect summer day, blue skies, white clouds, warm temps, gentle breeze and we are enroute to our cabin for a few days....

A quick stop at Stacey's to peek at her flowers and talk gardening a bit.... she wasn't home, but the dogs were!
Denny got out his stash of dog bones while I admired her sunflowers!  I don't grow them so I couldn't resist a picture or two to share, just in case you also don't grow them!

Doesn't this just make your heart sing!

 

 

Raingardens.......grow rain?

Nope, raingardens are for collecting rain and snow melt to utilize that moisture for a low maintenance, but attractive, flower garden!

 

 

 

Who would realize this garden bed is a raingarden?  My friend, Cindy A., established this full sun one several years ago and it gets lovelier every year!  Primarily she filled it with dramatic appearing native plants.   
She gardens on a sloped yard that leads to a small lake.  Controlling the runoff where it naturally flowed was important as well as lowering the maintenance of this garden bed.  Works great!

For information on developing a raingarden check out this site: 

http://www.rochesterstormwater.com/Attachment%204%20How%20to%20Install%20a%20Raingarden.pdf

'Quick Fire' lights up gardens in July.....





Some hydrangea varieties begin blooming in June and continue to grace us with their majestic beauty until fall.  Mine don't begin blooming until August so I admire them in other gardens while I wait to enjoy mine.  I may have to find a spot for this one!  Quick Fire® Hydrangea paniculata 'Bulk' PP: 16812

'Quickfire' usually begins blooming in July in MN and comes in both shrub and tree form, whichever you prefer!  My friend, Rita B. has her 'Quick Fire'  hydrangea in tree form accenting a flower bed at the corner of her home. Stacey has hers in the shrub form midst a perennial bed.  Both forms are fabulous.  I'll try to get pictures to share with you in the fall when the color changes to light pink and deepens to a deep pinky-red shade.


'Quick Fire' Hydrangea tree form July 2014

'Quick Fire' Hydrangea shrub form July 2014

'Quick Fire' blooms about a month before other Hydrangea paniculata (hardy hydrangea) varieties.

You can check out the details by searching on the internet for "Hydrangea Quick Fire".

   




July is more than fireworks exploding....

'Becky'

 

I simply must have daisies in my garden beds!  Not just any daisy will do for me!  This one is a perfect striking white accent for every garden.

 

'Becky' blooms during those peak days of summer, has nice tall thick stems to handle even brisk breezes and rain drops as well as look fantastic in floral arrangements.  I love a vase of her with purple coneflowers and heuchera blooms as a filler with a few hosta leaves.  She's equally lovely in a bud vase also.  I mourn her last bloom when I deadhead.

 

She's reliable especially if you mulch her well for the first two MN winters.  Because she's also popular shop for her early in the spring before she's gobbled up by other gardeners. 

 

Shasta Daisy - Leucanthemum 'Becky'

Mature Height: 3 feet
Mature Spread: 18-24 inches
Mature Form: Mounded
Growth Rate: medium
Sun Exposure: full sun
Soil Type: normal, sandy, clay
Soil Moisture: moist

 

 

It's the little things.....

What a clever way to add a bit of whimsy to your block wall!

Yep, found this in Kelly and Dan's gardens!

  

Those hens and chicks will settle in any spot and be happy!

Doesn't he just make you grin?
 

Red is always a great accent color!

Doesn't this scene just make your day bright and happy!
It just fits the personality of the gardeners, Kelly & Dan T.
So glad they were on the Hosta Society Members Only Garden Tour this year.  Always a fun garden to visit!

This Monarda is bright red but photographed with a pink cast to it!

Asclepias tuberosa   Butterfly Weed





Window Boxes are not just for windows......

Isn't this the most striking garden shed you've ever seen? 
 
The color is a perfect background for this display of plants!  I spotted this on a garden tour, of course, in rural SE MN.  I will be sharing many photos of the Fischer's garden beds in posts to come.