It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: August 2022, which means it's time to share what's in flower in my Oklahoma garden. Some plants, like the Helenium autumnale, common sneezeweed, are just coming into flower while others, like Phlox paniculata, tall garden phlox, are hanging on. As always, click on images in the galleries to make them larger. My passalong Phlox paniculata. ? Throughout July and August, much of the country, including Oklahoma, had very hot temperatures day and night. Today is supposed to top out at 101° yet again. It's been too hot for too long, and many of my garden coaching clients have texted me lamenting their gardens this year. I hear you. Mine isn't great either. However, I have great news! Wednesday starts a real cooldown which will get us back into the seasonal temperature range. All together now, "Hip, hip, hooray!" Rosa 'Easy on the Eyes' is new...

We returned from the daylily national convention a couple of weeks ago, and it's been too hot in Oklahoma ever since. I think David Payne said yesterday that we're at day 15 of consecutive days over 100°F. It was 104° again yesterday. We had a cold front come through last night with very little rain. It's now down to 88°, but we'll be back in the 100s in a couple of days. We returned from the daylily national convention a couple of weeks ago, and it's been too hot in Oklahoma ever since. I think David Payne said yesterday that we're at day 15 of consecutive days over 100°F. It was 104° again yesterday. We had a cold front come through last night with very little rain. It's now down to 88°, but we'll be back in the 100s in a couple of days. While I was out taking photos...

For July's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I want to share my visit to the daylily national convention. A region of the American Daylily Society puts on the AHS National Convention each year. Region 15 put on this year's convention, which was held in Asheville, North Carolina. Hemerocallis 'Another Day in Paradise' (Selman, 2011.) It was paradise if a humid one. H. 'Wishful Dreaming' (Selman, 2011) H. Porky Pig daylily (Gossard, 2011) H. 'Tripled Edged Sword' (Maryott 2020) It was exciting because Bill and I had never been to the national convention before. Over 500 people attended. My daylily sickness rages on, and theirs does too. If you find you love these flowers, I wrote a post about the care and feeding of daylilies a while back. First, our hotel for the daylily national convention The front porch at the Princess Anne Hotel. We've been to Asheville many times, but my...

As if it wasn't already difficult to grow roses in Oklahoma, we are now battling Japanese beetles too. Normally, I don't like to include words of war in my posts, but battling Japanese beetles is just that. War. Damage from Japanese beetles on Rosa 'South Africa.' Identifying Japanese beetles From the University of Illinois Extension: "Adult Japanese beetles are stocky and range from about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long. They are metallic green with coppery wing covers. There is a row of white spots along each side of the abdomen just below the wing covers, as well as two white spots on the back end of the abdomen." Japanese beetle adult in case you're wondering. These beetles are a menace I never saw these green and brown beetles in my garden until last year, and I'm hearing from all of you that they are a menace in your gardens too...