I dashed between thundery showers to take these shots. It seems as if we've had our week of summer, and it's all looking rather like a re-run of last year's soggy July and August. The combination of sun and showers does mean that there's lots of green at the moment, and with temperatures in the high teens we're not too badly off as far as Scottish summers go.
The morning glory above is proving good value, brightening up the front doorstep.
Next to it is my miracle of a summer cactus. This hardy specimen gets left outside all year, through frost and snow, and blooms in fiery profusion each July.
At the other side of the door is a pot of nicotiana, which gives out a sweet fragrance as dusk falls (around 11 pm still, tho the glorious light nights will start to wane by the end of the month).
Shamefully, I've forgotten the names of these three hardy geraniums. I must start writing these things down. I always think I'll remember, and then I never do.
One plant I do remember the name of, because I posted about it, is my new hyssop 'Black Adder'. This has lived up to its promise in attracting bees, and I find myself impatient for next year when it will have even more blooms.
Planted at the same time, and also in the hope of attracting bees, was this bergamot 'Croftway Pink'. However, I've yet to see a bee near it. If I'm honest, it's a bit too...pink for my taste. I need to pair it with something that will tone it down a bit, but it's in a border where we plan to put in a new boundary fence, so I'm holding back on putting anything else there until that job's completed.
Finally, another of my nameless purchases, this pink hydrangea with lovely coppery leaves. Both flowers and leaves change colour through a palette of copper and bronze as the season goes on. I may not remember the name, but I know that I got it from Burncoose Nursery down in Cornwall, right down at the southern tip of England where palm trees grow.
I've taken a blogging break for a few weeks, but I'm looking forward to catching up on what's growing elsewhere, starting with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens.
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19 comments:
Dusk at 11 p.m. and temps in the high teens? Boy, I love this mini-trip to Scotland. Here, we're on the 29th day of over 100 degrees.
All your flowers are lovely. I like the little bergamot. Hey, some of us have to be pink!
I love nicotiana too! I forgot to get it this year for my containers, gotta fix that this weekend. Thank you for reminding me. = )
I have Black Adder on my wishlist to add to my collection of agastache/hyssops.
My Bee Balm/bergamot are a little on the red side. My daughter would love your pink one added to our collection. She is all about pink. The bees will come.
The bergamot 'Croftway Pink' is perfect for me with something purple next to it. LOL And I love your Hardy Geranium the double purple one. Gorgeous and frilly. All of your flowers look great.
Temps in the high teens is good? And to think I've always wanted to come to Scotland. I'd freeze my fanny off! LOL
Happy bloom day, Linda! Love the morning glory. Hope it's in a pot, or it's an annual... They do tend to take over the neighborhood otherwise ;->
I also liked the little pottery piece by your front door. What a nice accent piece with your morning glory and cactus. :-)
How tall does your nicotiana get? It's interesting that you grow it in a pot. My parents grew it in their sunny garden and it got to be about 6' tall and self-seeded very freely. (They had to pull a lot out every year!) I don't have enough sun for it. Perhaps that's okay?
Linda & Vickie, I'm sure I'll warm to the pink. RainGardener's suggestion of something purple alongside sounds good. Just to
update on the temperature - we're up to 20 degrees today, so it's very comfortable!
Town Mouse, the morning glory is in a pot. I don't want to risk an invasion!
Shady Gardener, the pottery piece is actually varnished papier mache that my son made at school. Writing this has reminded me that I need to re-varnish it this summer to protect it for the winter.
The nicotiana is about 2 feet high. I don't know how high it would get in the ground here. Perhaps we don't have high enough temperatures. I did have some in a pot on my shady patio one year - a mix of white and lime green, and it did okay, tho not as robust as these.
yes, if you figure out what the first "unknown" geranium is, i'd love to know - i've not seen a purple-y foliaged one before, lovely!
Linda, I enjoyed your beautiful blossoms. I love the blue trellis that the morning glory is climbing through. So pretty! Is the morning glory planted in the blue pot? Such a pretty color of morning glory! ~~Rhonda
Fun to see what a garden is like with cool, wet summers. We have very hot, very dry summers. Thanks for reminding me that I have to get Nicotiana again next year. I love the look and the fragrance but for some reason haven't had any for a couple of years.
Hi there Linda.. yes it often seems to rain on GBBD in our area of the country... I had to have quick camera dash too!
Just love the depth of colour in your morning glory flower... every time I see one I say to myself next year I'll grow that... and next year I forget again until I see them again on GBBD. Thanks for the reminder :-D
Thanks for sharing your hyssop 'Black Adder' too I'll have to make a note of that one. You've got a great selection of flowers there... including the pink bergamot ;-)
Have a great weekend :-D
Such glorious colors!
Linda, your posts are always a pleasant treat. How about that morning glory? Gorgeous color and your plants is so lush. The rabbits keep mine nibbled down to the ground. What's not to love about a blooming cactus and yours is no exception. I've never grown nicotiana, but seeing yours makes me think I should. And I didn't know there was such a thing as too pink:) Your pink hydrangea with the coppery leaves make my big old Annabelles looking common and boring. Looking forward to more of your posts.
Beautiful flowers, love your Morning Glory, they would cheer your heart.
I can never get nicotianna to grow here. It actually will reseed and come up each year, but not in my garden. You morning glory shot is awesome. I really like all of your purples and blues and pinks too. I don't always post but I am keeping my eye on your Scotland activities. Enjoy your vegetables.
I love all your blooms! The morning glory looks like the one I planted to grow over my butterfly shelter across the street. I can't remember the names of my geraniums, either. The middle one looks different. I wonder if it grows here. It's cool!
Lovely to see your blooming abundance of flowers. My fave is the first photo with Ipomoea purpurea!
You certainly have some very pretty specimens in your garden. What a delight it must be for you. I know I enjoy our cottage gardens a lot and I have hundreds of photos from it in store for winter blogging. Just now I'm a bit too busy with other stuff.
The bottom of the geraniums I think is the Geranium Sanquineum. We have those too and several other geraniums too. I just love them. The too others are unknown to me but I really liked the double flowered one in the middle.
I love the geraniums. I am looking for more for my garden as they are little workhorses!
Thanks for your comment on my blog! So, now I've discovered your great gardening blog! We have a great raspberry patch which spreads and grows bigger each year. Next year, I want to create some back yard garden boxes! Kind regards from EAGAN daily photo blog in Minnesota, USA
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