RE: July gardens/what excels when all else fails?

Oh my can I sympathize with the "July gardens" theme, although usually in
Oregon it's the "August garden" that is the problem.  July is usually very
nice.

I think because we had a wet, cold spring things just aren't up to snuff at
all, and adding the heat to them is making it worse.

There are some things, though, that love this weather.  I've learned to try
to have a little bit of everything because you never know what type of
summer we'll have.  Some years, we have a "no summer" where tomatoes won't
even ripen.

Right now, in my garden, the "shining stars" are the yellow Hyperion
daylily, about 4' tall and a clear, lemon yellow.  No gold, no green in that
yellow.  They are backed by agastache foeniculum (sp ?) which is about 6"
taller -- spikes of deep blue the bees adore.  They are loving the heat and
dry weather.

The sedums are quite happy as well, Dragon's Blood has opened.  The
butterfly bushes are in "hog heaven" and paired with a deep peach daylily,
'Hot Toddy,' the Black Knight variety is looking great.

The annual nicotiana alata -- tall and pure white -- open their trumpets at
dusk and positively swell with fragrance and stature during the evening.  My
biggest patch is planted near a redleaved Japanese maple and I like this
combination really well too.

The artemesias are quite happy too.  I have 'Silver King' planted behind a
lavender rose and behind Silver King I have a burgandy clematis growing up
through a large tomato cage, so it grows up and then over, waterfall-ish,
into the rose, Silver King and a nearby 3' goldenrod.  Of course the
goldenrod is quite happy in the heat as well.

And don't forget verbascum.  They love this heat.  I have only tried the
chiaxii album and and chiaxii (yellow).  They are a wonderful vertical
accent this time of year.

Yes, the peonies, irises and even roses are waining, but when you stop to
think about it, there are still a lot of nice things out there!  I think the
garden as a whole is not as "lush" as in June, but to everything there is a
season.

And who would want to be without the sunflowers?  Or the hollyhocks (sorry
Donna -- while mine are thriving although I have had to literally defoliate
others, but they are behind things so they don't look so naked).

And lilies!  Chinese Trumpet lilies, asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies,
daylilies (okay, they aren't the same genus, but I'm trying to cheer ya'll
up here).  

Hydrangeas, astilbes, aconitum and filipendula for shade are at their best
now.

Anyway, those are my "pics" for the raggedy days of summer.

Susan Saxton, zone 6b

For mine is a little old-fashioned garden where the flowers come together to
praise the Lord and teach all who look upon them to do likewise.
Celia Thaxter

I AM in shape.  ROUND is a shape!

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	csmith@world.std.com [c*@world.std.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, July 22, 1999 7:09 AM
> To:	'perennials@mallorn.com'
> Subject:	RE: July gardens
> 
> 
> It seems like very little is blooming now (at least in my 
> garden.)  The day lillies are just about done.  Even coral 
> cells has stopped.  My evening primroses are finished too!  
> Yuck.  Only a few long phlox, obedient plants and one 
> stunning deep blue balloon flower remain.  I think I'm 
> heading to the garden center to buy whatever is blooming!
> 
> Does anyone have any good ideas for August bloomers for 
> partial shade?  
> 
> It sounds like that hot humid weather you're all describing 
> is what is coming our way for the rest of the week.  We had a 
> gorgeous weekend and early week though so I can't complain.
> 
> Claire 
> Stow, Massachusetts (Zone 5)

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