Monday, June 21, 2010

Gardening is something you learn by doing — and by making
mistakes.... Like cooking, gardening is a constant process of
experimentation, repeating the successes and
throwing out the failures.
- Carol Stocker



The bridge of my nose is sunburned and I’m peppered with mosquito bites but my lawn is mowed, three containers are planted with annuals, and most of the weeding is finished. I guess that’s a fair trade off.

In June there is such an abundance of blooms. There doesn’t seem to be any way to include all of them on my blog. Here are some favorites.

The daylilies have begun blooming.




Siloam Double Classic is my favorite today. I love the pale apricot color and the vivid yellow center that looks like it is lit from within.


Prairie Fire is a pretty red but the bright color streaks. It seems to be a common trait in the dark colors.



Clear yellow Hyperion, the old faithful standby.


Oriental lily Mona Lisa.


Here are a few of the shrub roses I didn’t include in previous posts.


Westerland


Autumn Sunset, a sport of Westerland.


Hybrid Tea Double Delight


Meideland Magic


Hybrid Tea Tiffany

On the ground wrens run through the garden like mice. This spring they are nesting in three of my birdhouses. The parents are in constant motion, frantically searching the garden to provide enough bugs to keep the growing chicks satisfied.



I found the first Japanese beetle Friday afternoon. So far there are just a few but by the first week in July there will be hundreds. I’m enjoying my roses now. When the beetles begin to destroy the blooms I will deadhead all the bushes and prevent them from blooming for the rest of the season. Sad but there is just no other way to battle these beetles.



The blackberries and strawberries are ripe. I think I’ll have a bowl of icecream with blackberries while sit on the porch and watch the last cardinal visit the feeder and the lightening bugs begin to flash one by one.

34 comments:

Heather at Dusty Bay said...

Your garden blooms look fantastic and your guests look cute, Marnie. Have a great day!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

What beautiful blooms! Love the little wren photo. We get wrens on occasion but I haven't located any nests in our yard yet.

F Cameron said...

You were busy! Mowing, containers...and the sunburn and bites (ouch).

Your apricot daylily looks like a delicate dessert! I see why it is your favorite today.

The roses are so lovely and I'm sorry to hear that the JBs will show up. They have been here for more than a week. With our 95+ degree temps and horrible humidity, I've about given up on even deadheading. When they finish, I'll do some severe pruning -- but, I have just ordinary KO roses, and nothing special.

I wish the Wrens would eat the JBs!

Have a great day!

Louise said...

I wish SOMETHING would eat the Japanese Beetles!

Your Daylilies are ahead of mine, and beautiful. I go out every morning examining the scapes. I don't know the names of most of mine, but, I'm betting that the big yellow one will be the first to bloom, after the road lilies, of course.

I love looking at pictures of your roses. That's the nearest I will get to them, as I can't grow them here. The problem isn't beetles, it's deer.

Enjoy this early summer day.

joey said...

Beautiful offerings for this first day of summer! My daylilies are beginning to pop too ... ahead of schedule. Enjoy this beautiful day :) ... at least I hope it is for you ... I saw big booming storms are on the way tonight.

Dawn said...

Aw, on the birds. Aren't they facinating when caring for the little ones?
Your roses are breathtaking.

tina said...

Your blooms are beautiful! We've had J. beetles here for more than a week but so far their numbers are not astronomical. Yahoo!

Lona said...

Marnie your Lilies are just beautiful. I had just planted the Siloam Double last fall but it may not bloom for another year since it is a baby yet but after seeing yours I am going to love it. The yellow Autumn Sunset rose is so pretty. I found my first Japanese beetles this weekend too on the new yellow knockout rose so I will have to watch out now.
Your gardens are looking so pretty.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Marnie,
I enjoyed reading your post. The words were as enjoyable as the photos. Yes, it is summer, and the blooms are abundant. You sure have some pretty ones!

We have a wren family, too, but I'm not sure where the nest is, and I don't see them running around the yard. LOL There is one that likes to sing from the top of a tall light pole in our back yard.

I hope your sunburn and mosquito bites heal soon.

oldcrow61 said...

I envy you having the weeding all done. I'm still struggling with it. I think I'm pretty well on top of everything else though. If we could only get some dry warm days all in a row, I could get more done. Ah well! Your flowers as always are beautiful.

Rose said...

You've been a busy girl, Marnie! Every time I go outside--when it's not raining, that is--it doesn't take me long to give up from either the heat or the bugs. You have so many lovely roses; I hope you get to enjoy them awhile before the beetles get to them. They arrived here last week, and I've been trying to pick off all the little suckers early in the morning. I learned in one of my classes that the less damage they do early on, the fewer beetles will come later. Let's hope that's true!

I can't pick a favorite daylily--they're all gorgeous!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Your garden seems to be on about the same schedule as mine. The J.Beetles are out here too etc...
I just love your roses. When I see them I think about trying to grow them again. I guess if I fail again I could just throw them out. I kind of hate to do that though. I hope you enjoy the summer skeeters and all.

Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings said...

Oh dear, the JP's are already on their way. I read in Mother Earth News that Trachnoid wasps lay their eggs on JP's heads. Shrug. If only we could attract more of the beneficials. Right now, I have an assassin bug killing squash bugs in my garden, but I'm squishing them to help. :)

Your blooms are lovely. Thrips damage the darker daylilies. I just try to overlook the spots and streaks because I love reds and purples so much. Have a beautiful day.~~Dee

BeadedTail said...

Your flowers are so pretty and always make me want to plant more in our yard! Your quote is perfect for me though because I thought I was doing so good by planting Cosmos this year instead of the ordinary annuals I plant. Turns out they are slug food. The slugs have eaten every single flower so we have a nice Cosmo stem but no flowers.

I didn't know cats liked mint so I might have to plant some of that - away from the slugs of course!

ShySongbird said...

Such gorgeous colours, Marnie! All of your blooms are beautiful but I think my favourite is the Westerland Rose, such a pretty colour.

I also loved the Wren photo, what a sweetie!

Sitting on the porch with the bowl of Blackberries and ice cream while watching the wildlife at the end of the day sounded wonderful :)

Susie said...

Aren't growing daylillies the easiest plants to grow? You have some beauties Marnie.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Marnie, Love your double Daylilies... SO pretty.... AND I smiled when I saw your Double Delight Rose...

Sorry about your Japanese Beetles... We have worked for years to get rid of the grubs in our yard --and it's gradually working for us.. We still have some --but nothing like you have.

Hugs,
Betsy

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

Happy Summer Soltice, Marnie. Your lilies are so pretty, I don't think I could pick a favorite. But the Siloam Double Classic is a stunner.

Kathleen said...

Constant experimentation is right ~ but that's what keeps both interesting!
You are so lucky to have three wren families! Wow. I'd like to see that. I haven't ever had one here so it would be really fascinating.
Ice cream with home grown blackberries sounds heavenly. Now I want some!
I miss lightening bugs too ~ I wonder what their range is because I've never seen one in Colorado?

ps. Thanks for the nice comments about my Canterbury bells. I don't stake them and they don't need it ~ I think because I have so many plants stuffed into my beds, there's no room for them to flop!

Balisha said...

Joe went out to water the little tomato in my pot on the deck and about 20 J. Beetles flew out.They are here too. I haven't seen them on the flowers yet. Your roses and lilies are just breathtaking.
Balisha
I lost you for a bit on my blog list. I don't know what happened, but a few blogs disappeared.

Sherri said...

Marnie, what lovely flowers you have-I love to see pictures of your garden! That rose named Westerland is gorgeous!

troutbirder said...

I'm a little surprised about your comments on the JB's on two counts. One is while we had zillions of them a few years ago...not so many lately. Second, I did'nt realize they were deadly on blossoms. My problems on that score are the awful adult corn rootworm beetles. They must be cousins or something! anyway gorgeous daylilies - they surely earn their keep.

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Your blooms are so gorgeous! We really haven't had any Japanese Beetle problems for years now - don't know why.

Manuela

Anonymous said...

The beetles have arrived here too, and I'm getting desperate enough to consider poison! I hand pluck them each day, but it doesn't seem to help. Do you really cut down all your rose blossoms? I couldn't go that far, because some of them are unappealling to them.

Unknown said...

Marnie,

Where are you located? I perused your blog and fell in love. I have a Florida garden and I know you must be somewhere beautiful. Your garden is so beautiful!

Unknown said...

OK; I found your location...my husband just lost his job yesterday...any old farms up your way for sale? I love your profile! We would love to raise alpacas for a living now with this new direction in our lives...perhaps just a dream...perhaps not...but, a farm in your area looks like paradise...I will return here. It feels like home already.

F Cameron said...

Marnie - I can try to save you seeds from the gaillardia 'Yellow Queen' and the 'Burgundy' if you like. You can drop me a note on my website and let me know. I will be fall before i can collect seeds. You can also purchase the seeds.

Freda

Roses and Lilacs said...

Patricia, I tried to find your blog site but kept getting messages that said it was not available.

I'm in Illinois, north and west of Chicago. We have a lot of alpaca, sheep and llama breeders in the area. Small acreage farms are pretty reasonably priced now but I don't know of any personally. Good luck, hope you find just the right place.
Marnie

Anonymous said...

Yep sounds like it's been a productive time in your garden. It's so hot here I have to do my tasks early in the morning and then escape to the A/C. ;) Your garden is a bounty of blooms, must be heavenly to smell and see right now.

Unknown said...

Gorgeous blooms, Marnie, and the birds are pretty fine too. We don't have a problem with Japanese beetles here--yet--but I also don't have scarlet lily beetles up here on the hill. I don't know if our cooler seasons/winters or the salt air affects them or if they just haven't climbed the mountain yet, but I know they are heartbreaking to many gardeners. Here's hoping that the parasitic wasps come along and kill them all!

donna said...

beautiful roses and your daylilies are gorgeous...btw mine survived the move, blooming and are exceptionally gorgeous this year...love visiting your gardens!

D said...

Lovely selection, Marnie! Our daylilies are beginning to bloom but the roses are in full bloom. Yesterday was our first near 80 degree day (79) and it was hot. Priority has been to make certain all the drip is working on the vegetable garden. Find yourself some shade and have a wonderful rest of the week.

walk2write said...

"The weeding is done." Are you sure? LOL! By the time I get done in all of the beds, it's time to start all over again. Anyway, summer is best and sweet too with all of the fruit and lovely blooms. So you do like orange, well, apricot anyway.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I really agree that gardening is doing. In fact a have a little rant that garden is a verb, not a noun. (That's it. I told you it was little!) ;-)