General Subjects > Flowers and Foliage Now

July 2022 in the Northern Hemisphere

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Jeffnz:
Hi Robert
We have, Dr Keith Hammett, a well known dahlia breeder located here in NZ. He has been responsible for the resurgence in popularity of single dahlias many with dark foliage.

 

Robert:
Hi Jeff

It is good news to learn that there are talented and well-known breeders of single Dahlias in New Zealand. I am not surprised. New Zealand has so many highly talented Horticulturists and Gardeners. Your nation has an excellent reputation for horticultural excellence.

Here in California I feel like a complete failure. My intent on posting the results of my breeding work is to encourage independence and creativity for those gardeners that are interested in such things. Anybody can learn to breed excellent plant varieties. Absolutely no formal education is necessary, just the desire to breed new plants, creative ideas, and some determination. I have been strongly influenced by the agricultural philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka. I like to use simple plants that are close-at-hand and turn them into useful plants for our garden. I have no need for exotic plants from faraway lands. If they come my way this is okay, however they are not necessary. I firmly believe that a beautiful and interesting garden can be created with simple plants and materials that are close at hand. I have no special skills or abilities, yet I feel that I am creating beauty and peace in our garden. A peaceful heart in these troubled times is an invaluable blessing. So much has changed for me in the past two years. Beginning about 6 months ago, when I go out to work all day in our garden I find myself, from time-to-time, in a peaceful state of “no mind”. I spend most of my time in our Sacramento garden, or in the garden in Placerville. These days I have very little contact with the outside world, however I do make an effort to share my gardening experiences on this Forum. If these efforts reach the heart and help just one soul out there then, I guess, I have achieved some success.



This posting below is the effort of my wife Jasmin.


For over a month I have intended to submit at least something.  I disagreed with my husband Robert about a June gap in the garden, but I was too busy with a sick canary.  Now that it is July, some of those June flowers are still around, with a few additions.

Spring is so abundant it is no wonder the garden seems barren after.  However, I appreciate the subtle changes after the explosions of color.  There are beige tones, as those spring blooms fade and transform into seedpods.  It is also a season when the newest generation of insect helpers are hatched, and grow larger.  I have enjoyed watching spider eggs transform and hatch out their spiderlings, and I saw this little mantid. 



I really appreciate it when Forumists provide temperature information, otherwise “hot” or “cold” become meaningless. June for us involved wild swings between 27ºC and 38 or 40ºC.  After a time, it settled into 38 or 40ºC.  There were never any intermediate temperatures, and it was difficult for the birds, plants, and us to adjust.  As for July, it has been quite pleasant, 26-28ºC, although it looks like another warmer period is coming soon.

This Castilleja and Lupine have been the happiest, regardless of the temperatures.



It is still very dry.  I am amazed that our hydrangeas remain happy.  Perhaps after so many years, they have become “drought tolerant”!  The one named “Angel Lace” probably gets a little more pampering from my husband, but the two in front are on their own, with once a week watering. 





Nearby, I have my newly planted Erythranthe bed, which does not look like much, even a month later:  As native plants, they are excellent food for the native insects!  The plants are well munched, yet somehow still thriving.  I have to keep the netting, because “Barge-o” the raccoon has no inhibitions marching over and digging up everything.  This one is rude enough to overturn large containers.

Robert:


Summer is for lilies:  The West Coast hybrids are nearly done when the Liliums sargentiae, regale, and henryi begin their show.  In one area are a few Orientals.  These are the scents of summer I adore.



At one time, Hollyhocks were known as an “outhouse flower”, since they were frequently planted outside these buildings to prettify and hide the obvious.  In our area are a couple of other gardens where I have seen nice groupings of these flowers, and I want to transform the front yard a bit with their presence.



Summer is not complete without flavors, and squash and squash blossoms are certainly one of our delights.  Cucurbita maxima also has an incredibly intoxicating aroma.



I have enjoyed everyone’s excellent photographs, your gardens, troughs, and colors.

shelagh:
Wonderful pictures everyone. It's so hot here things are coming into flower and going over very fast. Here are a few I spotted today.

Gypsophil muralis Teeny Deep Rose, impossible to count the flowers.

Inula ensifolia, this doesn't usually flower till August.

Lysimachia clethroides.

Scutellaria Texas Rose.

A Zinnia.

Maggi Young:
From Anton Edwards : "In a world where too much ground disappears under concrete, how do we make paths that are not muddy in wet weather? Dig out the grass, lay a porous membrane and cover with 10 cm of wood chips. It just takes a lot of effort, but if you ever want to let Nature return, just lift the membrane. In the meantime, so many new beds, so much potential, so much mulching and weeding lie ahead. Why do we do such things? Keeps us off the streets, I suppose. "

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