Joy of July

The garden is once again my sanctuary. The last 12 months have been a hard-fought battle of us vs. extremes, critters, disease and weather. Not that we are winning (nature always has the last laugh), but at least we have evened the score this month as I am not simply fixing catastrophes and wondering why I garden at all. When we are caught up to catastrophes and our daily chores, there is space to invent and be creative; something that has not happened for a long time. 

I love such moments and have been re-discovering my creativity, the truest connection I have with my garden. While July certainly has its share of tasks, I feel as if it has been a better balance. I am enjoying it right now, so much so that earlier this week I took some time to photograph the garden.

The annual poppy Papaver somniferum 'Lauren's Grape' has made herself at home throughout the garden, now popping up in areas I have no memory of sowing seed. No matter. They compliment a rather large amount of foliage colors (I tend towards silvers and silver greens) and are easy to yank if in a less than desirable spot. The seed heads are quite decorative and offer a bounty of seeds for baking and for packaging up and selling.

I begin the tour in the labyrinth garden. This is the edge in the evening light. A Festuca 'Beyond Blue' seedling popped up front and center.

Speaking of grasses popping up, Nassella tenuissima, Mexican feather grass does so in the gravel garden. I love its movement in the breeze and the bright green foliage that shifts to blonde as the season progresses. Super-easy to remove if needed and it has very low water requirements.

The end of the Himalayan mounds with Agastache 'Kudos Red' in full bloom. Arctostaphylos pumila is the largest shrub in this photo. I find I'm going to need to move some plants in here before they are overtaken.

Romneya coulteri, Coulter's Matilija poppy has taken hold finally. Its beauty is quite graceful, so if it decides to dominate as I think it might, that's okay by me.

Looking into the labyrinth garden with Santolina 'Lemon Queen' next to a Santolina virens in the center.

Feijoa sellowiana (syn. Acca sellowiana), pineapple guava. It was a bit worn from April snow among other weather catastrophes, but is pulling through and even threw out a couple flowers that yes, do taste like bubblegum. The petals. I made FM try one first.

The Himalayan mounds on the left, the edge of the labyrinth on the right. The rosemary on the right, supposedly a prostrate form, has been less than satisfactory in terms of the overall look. I have, thanks to the Practical Plant Geek, a dozen or so actual low-growing rosemary plants developing in the greenhouse that I might use to replace these, but that is a huge project. I may begin this autumn.

A favorite penstemon, P. khunthii has responded well to our rather crazy wet spring. Last year after heat dome it struggled, but this year is fresh and floriferous.

The southern edge of the labyrinth, Oscar the agave sits battered but proud. The rot that seemed to ensue during our incredibly wet spring has dried and he's growing. I considered removing him when he looked his worst, but scars and all -- he stays.

The mostly unused firepit surrounded by Muhlenbergia rigens and Festuca rubra 'Patrick Point'. The flagstones surrounding the pit are planted with Thymus praecox 'Minus'.

Fire pit on the right out of sight and the labyrinth ahead on the left with Acanthus mollis flanking the path.

One of many Hebe 'Karo Golden Esk' in the center, a favorite of mine. There is a lot of foliage color and texture in my garden, flowers are, as usual, a bonus.

The meadow garden does have a lot of color during the summer months. It's a bit of a free-for-all bonanza and changes a little every year. Here, Achillea millefolium rises among ornamental grasses, Veronica longifolia behind it.

Allium sphaerocephalon mixes with Knautia macedonica, creating a sea of bobbing crimson flowers. The bees go for both flowers. 

Moving closer to the house the gravel garden is being cleaned up from winter and spring damage. I lost a lot of branches of Ceanothus 'Italian Skies' to April snow, other plants rotted out but most are either fine or salvageable. Many Salvia officinalis 'Berggarten' rotted and were removed. I've broken up with them. There is curiously one left that is in high dry shade and it looks fantastic. Go figure. 

Another acanthus, this one is Acanthus spinosus with rather prickly but sensational leaves. A battered (squished/flattened from heavy April snow) Arctostaphylos 'Saint Helena' is behind it.

Moving around the corner to the top of the driveway the beginning of the retaining wall and the berm garden greets you. The left side once had a Grevillea x gaudichaudii, but, alas, the weather killed it. The red flower spikes are Lobelia tupa.

Flower detail of Lobelia tupa. There are three hummingbirds defending this right now.

Moving down along the retaining wall and berm garden, this is the view out of our front door. The shade garden is in the back under those fir trees.

Some hot color in the berm garden.

Stachys 'Hummelo' has a rather electric color and compliments the Hebe 'Western Hills' behind it. This spreading perennial is quite charming and easy.

A wider shot of some of the berm garden with a self-sown Phlomis russelliana in the bricks.

This one's for Danger Garden.

A parting shot of why I grow Stipa gigantea. It catches the light. It IS light. Sigh....I love this magic in the afternoon.

We are so lucky right now as I am quite aware the rest of the world seems to be experiencing all manner of weather extremes. We have had a fairly normal summer, even on the cool side. Even a little rain. You just never know, however, so we take the joyful moments and run with them. That's what this post is all about. We are having a lot of challenges with the veggie garden, more on that another day. It's been a rough year for food production for many friends in this area.

In other news, my garden friend Dale and his colleague Rebekah of Winterbloom landscape design came over to the garden for a visit. Here's a link to their blog post about Chickadee Gardens. 

Also I have been invited to be a part of the Great Plant Picks Committee, truly an honor. If you have not heard of Great Plant Picks, I encourage a browsing of their website. The mission statement: Great Plant Picks is an educational program committed to building a comprehensive palette of outstanding plants for maritime Pacific Northwest gardens. Great Plant Picks is one of the educational outreach programs for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden providing a forum for sharing horticultural information with the wider gardening community.

OK, there you have it. A non profit that basically vets plants to provide recommendations to the public, specifically for the Pacific Northwest. Thank you Great Plant Picks for including me on your amazing team, it is truly an honor. I look forward to contributing what I can!

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always, thank you so much for reading and commenting, we love connecting with you! Happy gardening, wherever you are. May you experience joy in nature.