Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 09

I actually meant to write my GBBD post on the official day (the 15th of each month) but having just gotten back from a trip I had too many post-trip chores to do. So I took the photos, stewed about not having enough time to write a post, and then realized, ah ha! Tuesday is Bloomsday, which I try to celebrate in some fashion each year, so why not be a little cheeky and do my Bloom Day post on Bloomsday?! ;-)

The backyard was in pretty decent shape given that I was gone for 5 days and the summer heat officially hit. Here are the raised beds.



The black-eyed susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is really starting to climb the fence now. It came in a hanging basket, which is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Well maybe not the dumbest but that vine really wanted to grow up, not down!



New for me this year is Red Cascades miniature climbing rose. It's doing quite well and I hope it gets as big and rambling as I've seen in other gardens.



I rarely give the lowly verbena much press and I don't know why. It's a great filler plant. This one, being crowded by a prostrate rosemary, is Lanai Bright Pink. I bought it to match the Homestead Pink verbena I had in an adjacent bed (I couldn't find Homestead Pink anywhere in my area). It looks so much like Homestead Pink but it remains to be seen if it'll survive the winter as well.



Old reliable Victoria Blue salvia is blooming away. It was planted as a nice contrast to my coreopsis but I had to chop all the coreopsis back when it had a big powdery mildew attack.



Behind the salvias is a Buddleia davidii ‘Pink Delight’. I haven't decided if this is the best color for this space yet and the plant itself is still a little puny. But it has all summer to prove itself.



The Mother of Thyme thyme was in full bloom when I got home.



Here's the last of my daylilies that are still blooming. Sorry I don't know what the name of this one is but it's a very prolific bloomer.



The Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies' is blooming away.



But it's covered with aphids. Can you see them?



The purple coneflower is blooming as well. I really must get more of these plants.



There are a lot of other plants blooming as well: all the roses, the peppers, larkspur, ox-eye daisies, Verbena bonariensis, Salvias like 'Coral Nymph' and 'Black and Blue', the hydrangeas, cleomes, arugula, Blue Daze, 'Elvis Lives' hosta, etc.

Now I'm off to visit other garden blogger's Bloom Day posts. Carol of May Dreams Gardens hosts this event every month, where you can find a list of everyone's GBBD posts. Oh, and stay tuned for my next post about Chanticleer Garden - all I can say about that place is "yowza!".