Gardening and Gardens

It's hot and humid here on Long Island, NY this month, which is typical for July. Around this time, I'm happy I did most of my big gardening tasks in the spring when the weather was more comfortable. Still, there is always a flower to deadhead or a perennial to relocate. Thankfully though, the garden is mostly on auto pilot and I'm enjoying the blooms. Here's what's growing and blooming in my garden this month:  The Russian Sage mingles with the Black Eye Susans Echinacea 'Hot Papaya' really stands out (and above!) the  Sedum, Liatris and more Black Eyed Susans  A beautiful pink bee balm - Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' More pinks! Above, coneflowers (echinacea) in bloom and below, a hydrangea - Over in the shade garden, the Japanese Painted Fern is looking lovely next to the small Hosta 'Mouse Ears' and Hosta 'June.' This whole garden is finally starting to fill in! Do you have any of these same ...

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 I'm just letting most of the plants simply do their thing.  Below are a few favorites from my August garden this month: These black eyed Susans take center stage in August in my garden. They are so happy and free, I just let them bloom and fill in all over. It's like a sky full of yellow fireworks. A new addition this year under the yellow Day Lily is Sedum 'Cherry Tart'.  I love the purple foliage and pink blossoms. The panicle hydrangea is in full bloom now and looking fantastic.  Another new addition is Echinachea 'Hot Papaya'. I needed something tall in the back of the bed that would look lovely with the rudbeckias. These cone flowers have petals  that point downward and look like little mini rockets to me.  The Knockout...

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! ...

Heat, humidity and thunderstorms -- all part of summer here on Long Island. I'm thankful for my Black Eyed Susans (Rubeckia hirta 'Goldsturm') as they continue to look great, despite all kinds of weather. Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - have a look at what's growing and blooming in my garden this month. Under the japanese maple, the sedums are almost ready to bloom. A few pink echinaceas still peek through but the real show stoppers are the rubeckias.  Along the side of the front garden, the purple Angelonia angustifolia 'Dresden blue' is doing beautifully. The lantana in front of the Echinacea magnus is also looking good.  A perennial lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis 'Queen Victoria') just started to bloom. I just love the deep red colored flowers on erect stems against the deep, dark foliage below.  The crape myrtle is in full bloom. I've never had one of these before and I love it! I might prune it after its finished blooming t...

It's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day! Here's what's growing and blooming in my new garden this month: Flower box just outside the front door is blooming with Lobelia, Petunia and Bacopa. This little beauty is just starting to bloom. Looks like a Pee Gee Hydrangea to me. Do you agree? Finally my Impatiens have filled in. I love the mixture of pinks and oranges. It's called "Samba Mix." Hot and spicy! I love this combination of purple Russian Sage and the yellow Black-eyed Susan. Another Hydrangea starting to bloom. This one looks more like the Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva' maybe?) At the curbside garden, the Hostas along the sidewalk (to the right) are getting too much sun. The leaves are yellowing and it doesn't look healthy. I'm not a big fan of this type of Hosta and its flower stem is long and wispy. But the Hosta in the back (left foreground), I like.  The leaves are green with yellow margins. T...

On a recent trip to Washington D.C., I happened to walk by the American Pharmacists Association headquarters building. I was intrigued by the plants growing outside the building so I stopped to take a closer look. And then I realized it... they were planted with a purpose. All these plants have medicinal and healing properties. From the sidewalk, I could see Yarrow ( Achillea) , Yucca, Coneflower (Echinacea) , St. John's Wort (Hypericum) , Yew (Taxus) and Monk's Pepper (Vitex) . Yarrow (Achillea) is said to be named after the Greek mythical figure Achilles, who used it to stop the bleeding wounds of his soldiers. Today, Yarrow is believed to help with digestion. The plant contains flavonoids which increase saliva and stomach acid. It's also good for treating and managing the symptoms of colds, flu and fever. Yucca leaves and roots are used for arthritis pain relief and joint inflammation. Coneflower (Echinachea) is probably one of the most popular herbs in A...