Happy Friday, Gpoders!
Today we’ll return to Carla Zan Belim Dory’s endlessly fun gardens in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and catch up with the top early summer garden performers. In case you missed it, Carla has looked in detail at various plants that steal the show through the rapidly changing growing season. She continued to update from early Bloom of the Year (parts 1 and 2 of Cara’s Early Spring Flowers) and into the end of spring and the first taste of summer (Cara’s Garden in June). Today, she sees a new plant appearing at the end of June and is picking up where she left off.
June is another month of surprises every day. Every day new flowers bloom and it’s a wonder how lucky I am to have a garden. We had another week of crazy summer storms, and fortunately my yard has been causing minimal damage. . . At this time. I still have a lot to do and am at war with weeds. Today, when I was taking these pictures, I had several instances of “I forgot I planted it!”
When the lilies begin to bloom, you know that summer has arrived. This dreamy variety is a grand mix of pink and yellow, potentially the cultivar “Eternal Summer” (lyllium “Eternal Summer”, zones 4–9).
Cara’s Woodland Garden is full of large flowers and ornaments, but there are also plenty of native plants in the mix. Indian pink (Spigelia Marilandica, Zones 5–9) is a native of North American that blooms in June and thrives in the shade, perfect complement to Cara’s other pink and red flowers.
Speaking of pink and red flowers, this ruffled daily is a fantastic shade of strawberry red.
When we are looking for annuals, we all want plants that go far away. Strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum, zones 8-10, or year) is always easy for me. Their bright flowers are an incredible addition to the container all summer, and keep kicking in the fall. However, the straw flower show doesn’t have to end there. Also known as “eternal flowers,” these flowers are extremely popular in dried flower markets because they retain their color after drying. Save money to dry some of these flowers at the end of the year and you’ll get endless decoration options during the winter.
Flowers may be a summer garden gem, but lush leaves are a precious metal that combines all these sparkling beauty. At Cara’s Woodland Garden, a wonderful mixture of leafy plants is essential to her landscape.
Hosts are always an easy choice, but Cara collects a variety of different leaves and mixes the charming vignette colors, textures and forms.
In Cara’s final obedience, she exhibited several of her hydrangea and clematis collections, followed by their colorful performances as the moon continued.
More leaves will blow away Cara’s gorgeous flowers and run for money: Flame Thrower® Eastern Red Bud (Cercis Canadensis ‘NC2016-2’, Zones 5–9) offers a color-like display of colors from spring to summer, then completely turning yellow in autumn.
However, the best display is when flowers and leaves work together to create something spectacular. White hydrangea flowers are brightened in contrast to deep burgundy/purple lake maple.
Thank you for another incredible update to your garden, Cara! The evolution from the early days of spring flowers to the first snowfall is absolutely incredible, with the surprise on the way being the cherry blossoms above.
How do flowers and leaves work together in your garden? Is there a forest garden where leaves shine like cara? Or are the leaves anchors that keep your flowers looking fresh in the bright sun? Consider sharing your garden highlights with your blog! Follow the instructions below to send a photo by email or DM via Instagram: @girlherdogandtheroad.
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