The Front Garden In The Thursday Morning Sun
The light was so perfect Thursday morning that Judy was inspired to grab her camera on her way out the door and take a few pictures. I know I just did a post on Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), but look how the yellow flowers are luminous in the sun.
Here’s the grassy path that separates the driveway border from the island bed in the front yard.
Viewing the front island bed from the sidewalk, over the heads of the Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) and Wild Bergamot (M. fistulosa). The Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) grew really tall this year, next year I should remember to cut it back.
Wild Bergamot is so often unfairly ignored in favor of its flashier cousin, Bee Balm.
The first Orange Coneflowers (Rudbeckia fulgida) to bloom are by the driveway. That’s Cigar Flower (Cuphea ignea) behind the Rudbeckia. It’s hard to tell that the Cigar Flower is in a container.
I like the combination of Wild Bergamot and Early Sunflower ‘Prairie Sunset (Heliopsis helianthoides). This picture also shows how nicely the foliage has returned on the Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis) after I cut it back.
Oh and by the way, the Morning Glories (Ipomoea tricolor) have FINALLY taken and are climbing up the tutuer. I suppose we should get actual flowers in August. Better late than never.
Have you been challenged by the harsh summer light in your garden?
Lovely flowers! You have very cheerful yard, sir. =)
Thank you! We have to make the most of our weather before winter returns!
Very lush and pretty! We are always challenged by too much sun that burns everything!
I imagine you get more sun in general, with both the benefits and the challenges.
What a beautiful garden you have got! 😀
Same to you – I just saw your latest post. We like the same colors, I think.
We have both got good taste then! 😉
Goes without saying!
What a beautiful stroll through your gardens ~ thanks for sharing that with us!
You’re welcome. Thanks for visiting the blog!
Morning glories are one of those annuals you only have to plant once :).
I find harsh summer light a challenge most when I visit other gardens. In my own I can choose to take photos in the early morning or evening although it seems like I can never capture illumination as well as Judy did in this series. Nice!
This variety of morning glory has not self-sown in our garden so far, but we’ll see!
Looks like you timed your open garden for just the right time. What a riot of color and bloom! I can almost hear the bees!
We’re very lucky with the weather. It’s turned nice and cool over the last week and that has helped keep the flowers looking good.
How lovely and fresh everything looks. I’m forever watering in this weather and still everything looks wilted!xxxx
The weather has turned cool, and that has helped a lot.
Beautiful!
Thank you!
very cheerful indeed, and the yellow coneflowers shine like the sun 🙂
They really glow, don’t they?
OK, I’m seriously jealous now. Everything is so lush and beautiful. My garden is entering its ratty stage.
Hey, I just saw the pictures from Alaska. You have no business being jealous! Anyhow, your summer is much further along than ours.
Love the lush plantings. The photo with the “Swamp Milkweed in the back, Bee Balm and Wild Bergamot in the foreground” is sumptuous.
Thanks, that’s also one of our favorites.
Your garden and planting is really beautiful, its a real pleasure to read your post too. Thank you. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by!
I love Wild Bergamot and it grows in the meadow…great to see the morning glories took hold.
The Bergamot looks great in a mass, I think. Never had so much trouble trying to grow morning glories.
Oh, I agree about the Wild Bergamot! It looks fantastic in your garden! We went hiking at Devil’s Lake State Park to day, and it was growing like crazy–the scent was almost overpowering. The Bergamot, mixed with Rudbeckias, Sunflowers, and Cup Plant Blooms was so pretty. Beautiful photos, Judy!
I remember Devils Lake from the days we lived in Madison. This must have been a great day for a hike – not too hot, not raining!
That is a front garden with masses of kerb appeal Jason! The colours are just exploding all over!
Thank you! I’m feeling rather pleased with it right at the moment.
The picture of yellow coneflower is magnificent. You plant selection is an inspiration as my garden has too many early summer plants. I have to extend the season and will take a page from your book!
It’s very easy to concentrate your blooms in one part of the season. Their are some who do it deliberately.
Your garden is spectacular. I have the hardest time growing swamp milkweed. It seems to want more moisture than I can ever give it. What’s your secret? Meanwhile, the orange milkweed reseeds with abandon across my gardens, which I don’t really mind. I agree with you about the chipmunks. By next year they’ll probably be in cahoots with the bunnies and I’ll be on the verge of insanity.
I have the opposite situation. Swamp milkweed grows like a weed here, while the butterflyweed will grow, but must be coaxed along patiently. By the way, one of the nurseries here was carrying a bunch of Indian Pink late in the season and, thinking of your garden, I bought a whole bunch. They seem to be settling in fine despite being planted in July.
Good luck on today’s garden tour. I wish I could see it in person.
Thanks! Maybe one of these days …
Hi Jason, I love the shot of the borders through the grassy path, it looks so lush and the pools of sunlight on the plants is really beautiful.
Thanks! Though I probably should have left the path a bit wider.
The first two-shots, what a beautiful lighting effect. Your garden looks great–July hasn’t bothered it one bit.
Here it’s not the light that bothers me, it’s the heat.
Just luck that the light was filtered to focus like a beam on the Ratbida.
Great photos! I especially love the combo of the two monardas. Do you find that Wild Bergamot has the same issues with powdery mildew as bee balm seems to have?
I like this combination also. Yes, Wild Bergamot does tend to get powdery mildew. Actually the Bee Balm ‘Raspberry Wine’ is bred for resistance to mildew and its leaves have been very clean this year.
This is what a flower garden should look like! Everything looks like it belongs, full and luscious, not too contrived. I love the combination of the orange Coneflower with Cigar Flower.
Me too. That was not planned, though. The weather has been really kind to the gardens around here the last couple of weeks.
Pretty light in your shots, Judy. The gardens look great and hope you had many garden visitors this weekend.
Turnout was rather modest, but we still had fun and got to talk to some neighbors I haven’t seen in a while and someone I met through our blogs.
So lush! ANd yes, the light was perfect – we can almost sense your joy in the morning!
Both Judy and I do enjoy opening the front door in the morning and taking in all the flowers.
Morning is a great time to get some photos. I like anything tall and am interested in your Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata). How tall does it get? I would also like to add some Wild Bergamot. I think the purple color would look so much better than the fire engine red variety alone side my phlox and would a better companion to the ‘Raspberry Wine’ Bee Balm.
It grows up to 5′ in my garden and does need staking. In leaner soil it’s supposed to grow as short as 2′. The Bergamot does go really well with the ‘Raspberry Wine’.
Looking good! Yes the strong sunshine has caused a few problems in my front garden while we were away. Should have asked a neighbour to water.
I’m sure things will recover. Asking the neighbors doesn’t always work either, unless you’ve got really reliable neighbors.
Beautiful as always!!!
Thanks much!
I love your yard! How long have you had the cup plant? Mine is on its second season, and quite large. I don’t have room for it to get much larger. I’ll have to give divisions away in the spring. I got mine from a plant sale a friend had.
I think mine is on its third year in the current location. Probably in a year or two I’ll have to start slicing off chunks from the clump.