Feels Like Summer

Summer has arrived and right on time. Literally the day of the solstice, June 21st the sun shone and has been here ever since. The garden makes me happy on warm summer days and it feels as if it's been a year since the joy was felt at such tangible levels. Here then is a simple tour of Chickadee Gardens towards the end of June.

Textures and foliage color are at the top of my list for plant choices along with hardiness, water requirements (low) and value for wildlife. 

Beauty and flowers are a bonus.

Evening light in the dry garden.

A silver/purple/white border with Cistus 'Paper Moon', Nepeta 'Dropmoore', white California poppies and Stipa barbata.

At the base of the deck.

Also the base of the deck pulled back a little.

Grasses are beginning to take off adding texture and capturing light.

This is the silver/purple/white bed from the other angle.

Some bright colors from a distance at the edge of the dry labyrinth border.

Textures and colors in the dry gravel garden.

Foliage colors dominate in this part of the dry garden.

Looking west on a warm summer evening.

Buddha is happy with the sunshine.

Nassella tenuissima and Geranium himalayense 'Irish Blue' 

Moving around to the front of the house the berm garden in evening light.

The berm garden from the other angle.

Itea 'Henry's Garnet', one of my favorite deciduous shrubs is just beginning to bloom.

Our native Philadelphus lewisii in full fragrant bloom. The leaves look terrible this year from the wet spring and probably fungus, but the flowers are glorious.

Sanguisorba officinalis 'Martin's Mulberry' planted last year is a delight.

Textures and groundcovers battle it out at the top of the driveway.

Calluna vulgaris 'Firefly' with Acaena 'Blue Haze' and Sedum 'Angelina'

The whole scene from a distance.

Deutzia scabra 'Variegata' in the chicken yard. Someday I should do a post just about the survivors there.

Another chicken yard plant, Sambucus nigra 'Pulverulenta', - variegated elderberry.

The shade garden on the left and top of the berm garden on the right.

Looking west at the end of the shade garden. Perhaps I shall do a post about the shade lovers next time.

A simple post this week, primarily because I have been so busy now that the weather is on track. We are out there taking care of the garden, chores, chickens, cats and one another. I hope you can do the same. If it weren't for the backwards direction this country seems to be headed I would say it has been about as perfect a week as it could get.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. I hope this pause in your day has brought a little sunshine into your world. Happy gardening.

Comments

  1. Anonymous8:01 AM PDT

    The hues and textures, all the green and silver variations are so great. A touch of white adds coolness to summer heat: I love it. The berm garden is coming along and filling up nicely. The pulled-back photo off the deck is practically a jungle scene (what's the plant in the center of photo 6?).
    I realize today that you shade garden above the berm is also quite dry... a lot of competition for water in the shade of those conifers. I'd love to read a post dedicated to this area: shade woodland gardens.
    Chavli

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    1. Thank you Chavli, that's the look I love too....greens and silvers with a touch of white.

      The plant in the center of photo 6, if you mean the dark foliaged one is Anthriscus s. 'Ravenswing'. It's supposed to be a short lived perennial but I've had them in the garden for several years. White umbelliferous flowers in spring. Yes, the shade garden is incredibly dry due to the mature-ish fir trees - so yes, maybe a blog post about that area is in order. Thank you for the suggestion.

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  2. I enjoyed my virtual stroll along with you, Tamara. It fits my image of heaven. I hope you're taking time between your garden chores to enjoy it - but then staying busy is a good way to distract oneself from newscasts, if only temporarily.

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    1. You are so sweet, Kris. We are enjoying it indeed - although today is hot hot hot. And indeed we must keep busy or I'd surely lose my mind in this crazy time.

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  3. Replies
    1. Baa haa haa...that's the husband, FM, pushing my buttons about Philadelphus lewisii. His mother, my MIL Sharon insists it's called syringa (the state flower of Idaho). I try to tell her that Syringa sp. are lilacs but no one seems to believe me. Sigh....

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    2. Syringa vulgaris or Syringa meyerii etc, all are lilacs.

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    3. THANK YOU Luv2garden. See, FM?

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  4. Things have certainly flipped! As I write this on Sunday we're headed to 100—poor plants are not ready for this! How is Oscar doing?

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    Replies
    1. Oh, flip-a-roo it has. In the space of a few days it has gone from wet and cold to nearly 100 degrees here today too. Not ready indeed, especially as much of the soil is so saturated - it will be another observation session to see what, if anything, this hot weather will do to plants like cistus. Anyhow, Oscar is gratefully and a little surprisingly recovering. The wounds are drying up and new growth pushes out from the center, so I'll leave him. He thanks you for asking.

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