July 2013 Parade of Plants

Good grief it is hard to look at all those pictures from each month last year but here I go with a few highlights from July ... before the garden starts showing signs of stress.
I'll start of at this point in the back garden.

I did something unusual that year .. I used a lot more annuals in the garden and only two main tubs on the deck .. it actually cut down work for me watering pots, so I think I will try to stick to that plan for this year too!
Less to water on the deck and more plants in the garden meant fewer weeds got a foot hold, you have to love that right ?

I am like Gracie from Gardening with Grace .. I do have a thing for PINK even with my work tools ;-)

The ally way is still a work in progress .. I want to transplant some bamboo close to the water feature.
A clump of Green Panda is behind the ornamental grass.

Summer Lace hydrangea has become one of my favorites. 

I use it to try and hide the AC unit as well as look gorgeous!!

I have a mystery hydrangea just below it .. it hasn't flowered in 2 years so I am becoming a little leery about it !

The goldenrod next to it is a beauty and of course I can't find the name tag .. it is an older perennial I transplanted quite a few times, it really is a beautiful cultivar of the goldenrods.

Another pink highlight with these Chinensis Astilbe ... love the look and hardiness

It is a great month for day lilies . The only problem is I transplanted a few and have no idea which are which now .. these are Black Eyed Stella ..

This new clematis did so well in it's first year "Blue Angle" paired with Ilse Khrone white climbing rose which a shot of is just below this picture.

This yarrow, "Strawberry Seduction" really did seduce me ... I had one mail order plant but had to buy another one at one of our garden centers .. to keep the first one company ? haha

Echinacea "Double Scoop Raspberry" was another one that caught my eye .. I don't usually like the double flowering cone flowers but this one was a cutie !

A mix of new and old plants here .. three from the new variety "Little Cuties"
Sugerberry, Coco, and Sweetart .. plus a couple of hellebore and pulmonaria

I love astilbe ... it is the plant that keeps on giving even when the flowers have faded .. their foliage is still so attractive .. fern like.
Ostrich astilbe is one of my favorites .. I love the almost weeping habit it has .. it echos my "Red Majestic" crylus(corkscrew hazelnut)  further back and at this time of year not so red but still very pretty !

July really is a month for astilbe !

Frans Hall day lily is very striking with it's colour pattern

I think this is Little Grapette  day lily that is used out front for more interest with a surrounding border last year .. I will have to watch it and see if my idea really works or just confuses things more ? haha

Mixed sedum breaks up the "greenery" here .. I have a few patches of variegated and white just to kick it up a notch.

An older echinacea "Sparkler" is simply gorgeous and a lovely PINK !
I planted dill with the rose arbor hoping it would help ward off bugs and it does seem to work.

This was a really "simple" basket of annuals I bought .. I loved the colour combination.

Plain white isn't so plain to me .. it really brightens up a spot of green on green !

A "circus" of heuchera and tiarella combinations

The "nibbler" caught in action !

We had two bunnies visit us for a bit of snacking ... they seemed to like asters and my golden rod ... but both plants grew back with no problems so we were all happy !