Gardening and Gardens

The early spring pastels are starting to be replaced by richer yellows, deep purples and warm pinks. Summer is nearly here on Long Island, NY (zone 7b).  Here's a look at some of the things blooming in my garden this month: The pink Astilbe is the show stopper in this garden bed, but the yellow Evening Primrose seem quite content to be sandwiched amongst the pink plumes. Endless Summer Hydrangea are nearly in full bloom. These are the mop-head style hydrangeas and will alter their color based on the pH of the soil - pink blooms in alkaline and blue blooms in acidic.  A few of the hostas are starting to bloom. I love how this variety has the flowering stems floating just above the stems. It took a few years to establish, but now the Foxglove (Digitalis) is ready to bloom! It's a welcome addition to this shady spot in my garden. The flowers in my new, full sun, cutting garden are starting to bloom - Erygnium (Sea Holly, above), Snapdragon and Digiplexis...

It's Garden Blogger Bloom Day! On the 15th of each month, we garden bloggers like to show off what's blooming and growing in our gardens. Here on Long Island, zone 7, things are blooming all over and some still recovering from my sour mulch disaster. Read more about that here .  Below are a few favorites from my garden this month: Hemerocallis Purple d'Oro This lovely purple daylily has a bright yellow center and crinkled edges on the petals.  Thankfully these chartreuse colored coral bells are recovering from the mulch disaster. The wispy pink blooms held above the bright foliage brightens up this shady spot under the viburnum. Courtesy of my four budding artists, I acquired some yard art for my garden and nestled them among the variegated Liriope.  And these Annabelle hydrangeas are blooming so profusely this year! They look like big snowballs.  Even though the flowers have faded from the viburnum shrubs, the red berries have...

It's been hot and humid for the past few weeks here on Long Island. Between the heat and the mosquitos, tending the garden has been a challenge. Thankfully there are lots of carefree heat-lovers in bloom making everything look lovely. Here's what's blooming in my garden this month: This is such a beautifully colored daylily . I love the yellow center and it's magenta petals. The purple coneflower (Echinachea) is a nice compliment to the yellow Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia). Behind them is the wispy, purple Russian Sage.  I planted this Knockout Rose only two months ago. It is coming along nicely and I just love the color of the blooms. On the left is Rudbeckia "Cherry Brandy" and on the right are more Black-eyed Susans.  This Hosta is just coming into bloom. The stems are nice and erect with a lovely purple blossom. To the right, is Yarrow and more Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'.  The Crape Myrtle is starting to bloom! ...

Located in Bayville, NY, this garden was the third house on the Garden Tour along Long Island's Gold Coast. In 1974, the homeowner purchased this house and has done much of the gardening herself. I loved the beds around the trees in the front yard, surrounded by the stonework. The homeowner always had a soft spot for lilies and over the years has added to her collection. Today, she is a member of the American Day Lily Society and has well over 1,000 varieties of lilies in her garden, each labeled with the name of the lily as well as the year it was hybridized. The house has the distinction of being an official "Display Garden of the American Hemerocallis Society." Unfortunately, on the day of the tour, the gardens were not in bloom. She had a large photograph on display for visitors to see her garden in all its glory. **Update!** The homeowner invited everyone from the tour back to her house this week to view her lilies in full bloom. And it was wo...

Driving along the suburbs of Boston last week, I came across a purple house. Not only did I find this house striking and unique, but I was amazed to see the exact color match in the front flower garden. The purple Balloon Flowers ( Platycodon grandiflorus ) were in full bloom and were a wonderful compliment to the house.  Then, when I got out of the car to take the photo, I noticed two yellow Adirondack chairs off to the right of the house. The yellow of these chairs matched the yellow Daylillies ( Hemerocallis ) in the foreground! I don't know if the owner did this on purpose, and I know that I was there at the right time of the summer to see these flowers in bloom and match the color of the house.