Crazy Lady in the Garden

It's Bloomin Tuesday over at Jean's Blog - although with the holiday it feels like a Monday.  So take a tour here and then head over to Jean's to see all the gorgeous gardens from all over.

I'm also joining Fertilizer Friday over at Tootsie's Blog so definitely pop in there also.

I often wonder if my neighbors have ever considered calling the funny farm to come pick up a new patient.  When I'm out in my yard working in the gardens, I find myself talking to the bees (Oh, I'm so sorry I got in your way! I needed to deadhead this plant.  Please don't leave!  I'll be done in a minute), to my arch enemy the Japanese Beetles (Get the  $#@!$#@ out of my yard and stop eating my babies!) right before I stomp them to pieces, to the spiders (OK, I'll let you live out here but just stay out of my house and don't kill the bees), to the tomato worms as I back away quivering with the heebie jeebies (OMG, you have to be the grossest things out here) and especially to my plants (Hi Sweetie!  You look so pretty today!  Do you want some water?  You do?  OK - I'll get some for you right now). 

I will also run my hands through the Lavendar and Monarda and then put my hands to my face and inhale deeply.   Or run to my hubby and make him smell them.  The neighbors must look over in sympathy, shaking their heads.  Poor woman.  And her poor husband!

I finally realized how insane I must look from the outside last night as I was deadheading at the back of the yard.  Horseflies the size of airplanes were dive bombing me so I finally put down my shears and bucket and began frantically waving my arms in the air and smacking myself in the head repeatedly, attempting to kill them (Horseflies: 5, Me: 0).  I looked up after the third or fourth smack to see my teenage daughter on our deck laughing hysterically while pointing me out to her friend.  Great....

What crazy things do you when you're gardening?   When I dead head, I'll see a flower that's almost completely gone by but not quite.  Do I clip it off, knowing full well that by the next day it will be completely dead?  No, of course not.  I leave it there because in my twisted little mind I think that the one little bloom must be saved for as long as possible. 

I also feel like I've lost a family member when I clip off a new bud by mistake while deadheading and apologize profusely to the poor decapitated little bud.   It's crazy, and so am I, but at least I'm happy!

And we're off. I think we'll start with delphiniums just because they are so spectactular.  Here are Delphinium Chinensis, beautiful little delphs.  They only grow to about 18 inches so they're great for the front of the border and the foliage is ferny and pretty.  Delphinium Magic Fountains, Rose Campion and Shasta Daisy Snow Lady in the background:

These are my favorite delphs: Delphinium Millenium Mix.  They aren't as big as Pacific Giants, but taller than Magic Fountains and richer blues.  They do need to be staked though; Magic Fountains don't:

Delphinium Millenium Mix in the back, Delphinium Magic Fountains in the front.  Magic Fountains bloom a week or two before Milleniums.  My Magic Fountains are winding down and Millenium is taking over for them.  Chinensis blooms several weeks earlier than Magic Fountains and bloom for most of the summer:

Delphinium Millenium Mix - my absolute favorite color out of all of them:

More delphs:

The Delphinium lovefest is over and we'll move on to a few other lovelies to break up the blue.  In honor of Independence Day, here's some red, white and blue.  Shasta Daisy Snow Lady, Knockout Rose Radrazz and Delphinium Chinensis:

Rudbeckia (not sure what kind) with Shasta Daisy and Rose Campion:

Stella de'Oro Daylily:

Pretty little butterfly enjoying Rose Campion:

Knockout Rose Radrazz and Double Pink:

Heuchera (Coral Bells) Firefly are still blooming; they have been for several weeks now.  The hummingbirds absolutely love these:

Peachleaf Bellflower still blooming also:

Shasta Daisy Snow Lady:

Lavendar Blue Scent is a favorite for the bees.  They are all over this all the time.  Smells so good :

Gaillardia.  I love the colors of these.  They bloom for a long time and if you let them go to seed they will self sow.  The seed heads look like cute little pom poms:

Queen Anne's Lace is technically a weed, but I think it's really pretty and dainty so I let a few grow around the beds.  They're white when in bloom but this bud is pink for some reason:

Geranium Rozanne is on my Top Ten list. It blooms all summer.  The blooms are more blue when the weather is cooler, more purple when it's warmer.   It does sprawl and thinks it's a vine against the pool fence.  It is growing up it like a little shrub:

Clematis Jackmanii is still blooming away:

This is an Echinachea, not sure of the name.  It doesn't get as tall as the other Echinaceas or bloom as much but the unique bright pink blooms are so pretty:

I can't remember what these are but I believe they are annuals.  I grew them from seed this year and they're just starting to bloom.  They all came from the same seed packet, but each plant is producing different colored flowers.  Does anyone know what these are?:   

This was supposed to be Echinacea Pink Swan.  Oops!  That doesn't look pink to me:

And here's my 'Three-fer' all a-bloom.  Echinacea, Monarda and Rudbeckia all volunteered in the same spot.  Delphinium Millenium Mix are showing off in the background behind the fence:

To wrap things up, here are pics of overall gardens.  I forgot to take pictures of the front of the house and hubby is off hiking with the camera so these are all different angles in the backyard.

Pool fence between house and pool. This is the hummingbirds' favorite area.  When we sit under the deck, it's like a hummingbird landing strip. There are Heuchera Firefly, Rose Campion, Shasta Daisy Snow Lady, Coreopsis Early Sunrise, Delpinium Chinensis, Peachleaf Bellflower and Knockout Rose Radrazz.  Two views, one from each side:

 Outside of pool fence.  It has Hosta, Rudbeckia, Shasta Daisy Snowlady, Rose Campion, Monarda, Daylily Happy Returns, Early Sunrise Coreopsis:

Side garden with Delphs, Veronica, Rose Campion, Shasta Daisies, Heliopsis, Asiatic Lilies, KnockOut Rose Radrazz, Peachleaf Bellflower:

The back of the pool fence - finally mulched!  Better late than never, right?  Two views, one from each end:

 

Garden by gate at side of the house.  Alchemilla Lady's Mantle, Spiderwort, Rose Campion:

Side of walkway from gate above.  Hosta and Catmint Walkers Low just planted this year and surprising me with some blooms this week.  Tiny piece of side gardn is visible at top corner:

Picture from the same spot but showing the side garden and veggie garden at the back of the yard:

More views of the side garden:

Opposite side of pool fence with Rose Campion and Rudbeckia.  This is where I stuck all of my extras that I couldn't bear to throw on the compost pile.  My wonderful husband used up the last of the mulch pile to finish up this bed.  Two views, one from each end:

 

Back of pool fence:

All of the side gardens from the back of the yard:

Back of pool fence (inside):

And last but not least, the side garden again but broken up into three pics to show each section:

Happy Fourth of July!  Stay cool  :)