This morning, I was outside watering the containers on the deck and those next to the potager and greenhouse. We had very hot temperatures in Oklahoma last week. One day we topped out at 108° and another, 110°F. We are now back down to the normal mid to low-90s, but Oklahoma's extreme summer weather proved which were the best plants for summer containers. Containers on the back deck surrounding the chairs. I think if I had to live again in an apartment, I would be ok if I had a place for lots of containers. Behind the chair is Pennisetum purpureum 'Princess Caroline' and next to it is P. purpureum 'Fireworks.' I love the way grasses sway in the breeze no matter how hot things get. Drip irrigation works Here's my rundown, but before we start, note that my containers are--for the most part--on drip irrigation. I did plant a...

Rosa 'The Poet's Wife' with a shorter variety of phlox. The name of the phlox is long gone. I like it though. Good morning campers! It's the 15th of the month so, you know that means Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day hosted by the splendid Carol of May Dreams Gardens. I went out last night and took some photos. Because we had popup showers all day, and my son mowed the grass, which is still surprisingly green, everything sparkled. Let's go check out the blooms at our Little Cedar Garden, shall we? Click on the photos in the galleries to increase the size of the pictures and read the captions. I took these yesterday evening after I worked in the garden all day. It was cloudy, and we had intermittent showers so the weather was humid, but not too hot. I would say that's Oklahoma's summer song this year, and in the...

Green sweat bee, I think on Hyperion daylily. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably know Bill and I traveled to Yorkshire on a fabulous garden tour arranged during England's National Garden Scheme. For those of you who don't, posts about our trip are in the works. My mom is unwell, and I've been spending a lot of time with her, and I'm a bit behind. Bear with me, please. After we flew home a week ago Sunday, I found my own garden a beautiful and unruly mess. It's time for garden triage. How does one do garden triage? Zinnias and sunflowers in the cutting garden. First, assess what needs doing. I live and garden on a pretty steep hill, and since Oklahoma got tons of rain while I was gone, my river rock paths are a washed out mess. I need to drag the gravel up and repair...

Hemerocallis 'Night Embers' a double that is finally starting to double in this heart. It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, and since it's June, it's daylily season. Time for me to flit about the garden and wax rhapsodic about these big, bright perennials which take over for about two months each year. As I walked the back garden this evening, I pondered why daylilies garner so many gardeners' imaginations including mine. I think it's because they make the garden new every single day. Special thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for sponsoring Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Hop over to her site and see what's blooming all over the world. Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' and many daylilies, including 'Bricks Galore' on the right, brighten my back garden. Click on the galleries below to enlarge the photos and read the captions. No day during daylily season is the same. Flowers emerge fresh and...