The garden is mostly quiet shades of green these days. There are some blooms, which tend to be white or blue. Here’s a selection, though I’m holding a few things back for future posts.
A view of our front door, with Clematis ‘Betty Corning’ to the right. On the door is a “living wreath” I got Judy for Mother’s Day. I’ll probably do a post about it some time this summer.
‘Betty Corning’ is just getting started with its bloom period – it will be really covered in flowers before long.
I think of this flower as blue, but I guess it is more of a lilac. As I’ve said elsewhere, in the right size it would make a great hat.
Geranium ‘Brookside’ is blooming along the west edge of the Sidewalk Border. It was planted last fall so I think it looks ok, especially since it is getting chewed up by Four-Lined Plant Bug. I like how the Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta) has volunteered along the same edge between the Geraniums. It will bloom later in the summer. The Vervain is more vertical, the Geranium more sprawling.
The Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) looks very good this year.
But it is irritating as always that they close each day before noon. Poor work ethic.
Nepeta is blooming with its dusty blue flowers. There is ‘Walker’s Low’ in the Parkway Bed (above), and ‘Six Hills Giant’ in the Driveway Border. ‘Six Hills Giant’ has lots of flowers but it’s flopping, as it does every year. Perhaps its name should be changed to ‘Six Hills Giant Having a Nap’.
The little shrub rose ‘Cassie’, at the base of the front landing, is smothered in blooms.
The semi-double white flowers are small, but prolific.
Years ago I was inspired by Lurie Garden’s River of Salvia to plant a patch of Salvia in the Sidewalk Border. Eventually it was shaded by taller plants and had to move. Now it is dispersed to several spots, including this ‘Caradonna’ in the Lamppost Bed. In this location it is doing well, and makes me wish I had more Salvia concentrated in a single spot.
Similar story with the Smooth Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis), which was moved around before ending up in the Left Bank Bed. We have the straight species and the cultivars ‘Husker Red’ and ‘Dark Towers’.
Heading into the Back Garden, we pass under the arbor where the rose ‘Darlow’s Enigma’ is just starting to bloom. Despite the drought, it has a generous number of flower buds. This rose is a rambler with small, single white flowers. (I really like white roses, preferably single or semi-double.) They have a light honey scent. ‘Darlow’s Enigma’ is supposed to be relatively shade-tolerant, and it is doing ok in this spot in part shade.
In the Back Garden, Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) is thriving and has bulked up very well. The fuzzy white flowers look so good in the shade.
We’re experiencing a warm summer, and the drought continues to intensify. However, thanks to strenuous watering, the garden does not look stressed. This is a good time to take a deep breath as we await the hot colors of summer.
gardeninacity 
Oh, do I love that shrub rose! Your description of your garden pretty much describes mine, except I think I have more shades of green and fewer blooms.
I really like ‘Cassie’ as well.
Thank you for the lovely tour. By the way, it just poured here, so I hope the clouds move on to your location!
We did get some rain yesterday!
All that you have shown us is growing and blooming so well despite not enough rain. We have had a little rain which took my area out of the drought area. I hope thenweather does worsen for you.
We had some rain yesterday. It was a help but we need a bunch more.
My goatsbeard are looking good too. I look forward to hearing about the living wreath.
Glad it is doing well for you.
The blue and white are always refreshing and soothing. Love it, Jason.
Indeed.
Everything looks beautiful, especially since blue is my favorite color, The clematis with the nodding flowers is my favorite of this post. I’ve never seen it anywhere.
One of my favorite Clematis. Not sure I have it in the best location.
“Poor work ethic” surprised a guffaw out of me. I’m all about that arrangement at your brick steps; the colors, the pots, that white rose — and the bricks — make quite a vignette. I think it’s lovely. But of course the Goatsbeard in the shade is too. Shade and white make for garden drama every time.
That’s very true. I love white flowers in the shade.
I like your Salvia (Caradonna) standing up straight and tall, my salvias have been a mix in summer, (mostly floppy) but I’ll try again and put them in a bed with more shade. I agree with the previous comment, white flowers in shade are extra special in the garden.
‘Caradonna’ is a fine mid-size Salvia.
Lovely! I hadn’t seen that clematis before — yours looks great.
It’s a good one.
My favourite colours for flowers is blue or white so your selection was outstanding for me. Amelia
I like white flowers but my favorite colors are blue and orange.
I still dig that goat’s beard. I know nothing about it, but I like its style, white color, and that it tolerates a bit of shade. Although not my idea, we just recently got some astilbe, and will be relocating some from an abandoned building this winter. It tolerates a bit of shade, has a delightful texture, and some of it blooms white. It just is not very big.
There is a white Astilbe variety called ‘Deutschland’ which is nice though the name puts me off a bit.
Oh, . . . I would not have caught that if you hadn’t mentioned it. There are likely at least a few more varieties of astilbe there than here, since it is more popular. I notice it in the Pacific Northwest. It just is not popular in California As long as I can remember, there had been only three varieties, ‘red’, ‘pink’ and ‘white’. If they had names, I don’t remember. When we got ours, there was a fourth type that had a name, but no description. Heck, I already forgot the name. I know I will like them, if they perform well. Others in the neighborhood perform adequately.
Everything is looking so pretty.
Thanks!
Your goat’s beard is gorgeous. All very pretty!
And it’s a native!
Especially love the clematis Jason. How tall does it get?
About 6′. I have mine growing on tall tomato cages.
That has just gone on my wishlist then! 😃
Love your blue and white garden. True blue is so hard to find in the flower world, too. Not sure why I’ve never planted goatsbeard in my upstate New York part shade garden but – wow!
Would love to be able to grow those blue Himalayan poppies, but they won’t grow here.
Chuckles out of me during an early morning reading…work ethic…har, har, har! Don’t you love the lulls the garden creates? Sometimes those green moments are most pleasing of all!
True. Can’t be exciting all the time.
Your garden looks great, I’m glad to see you’ve been able to hold off the drought and keep it fresh and happy looking. The colors of June are so calm compared to the explosion of yellows and golds to come!
I’ve been watering like mad, more than I’ve ever done before. Eagerly anticipating the explosions!
A living wreath, what a lovely idea, looking forward to hearing more. I did enjoy all the blues and whites, especially the spiderwort and Cassie. Your pots are looking good too.xxx
I’ll have to do a post on them at some point.
Our native goatsbeard looks like a huge dandelion when it seeds; I was surprised as could be to see the name applied to your quite different plant. And I laughed right out loud at your comment about the spiderwort’s work ethic. I’ve never noticed that they close, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. I may only have worked with them (photographically speaking) in the early morning or on a cloudy day.
I have to make an effort to catch the spiderworts while fully in bloom.
It’s all looking very colour co-ordinated, Jason. It’s a shame we can’t give you some of our rain as we have water pooling in the border edges and much of the grass is squelchy like it is in winter. The Tradescantia has the same work ethic as I do and I don’t see anything wrong with stopping for the day in the afternoon.
Happily we have gotten some rain over the last week.