Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – Page 2

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day! October 2014

Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day!

My blogging time is scarce these days but I’ve been pushing to get a Wordless Wednesday post out since their quick and easy and keep me in the game. I really love GBBD and always feel inspired to try to post something, even if it looks like the exact same post from the year before. I’m planting some bulbs this month and some new perennials too, with the hope that we’ll have some fresh, new things happening here next year. I’m already excited for 2015 and as I do every year, I’m having some difficulty saying goodbye to this year’s garden. I should really do a proper garden update but here are some snapshots of what’s blooming today.Looking down, there’s lots of orange, quite a bit of green and some not yet dealt with veggies that need to be removed. The lemon zest petunias are still blooming, just a little, but this was a long run for petunias in my book!We have lavender blossoms that still smell beautiful.
Giant zinnias, actually they weren’t so giant, but that’s okay.The candy cane zinnias kind of grew on me..We have garden mums scattered here and there.
I like this pretty daisy like variety of chrysanthemum.
The last roses of summer…These are giant marigolds, grown from seed.They deterred bugs and added a lot of cheer.I’m excited about this stevia flower that’s about to bloom. Stevia is an herb with very sweet leaves that make a nice alternative to sugar in teas and things. I’d like to add more of these less common herbs where I have space.The foliage hasn’t quite peaked here in Salem but it’s going to be beautiful in a few days!

Be sure to check out the other garden blogger’s Bloom Day posts on May Dreams Gardens by clicking here.

Gosh it feels good to blog!

Hope to be back soon!

Enjoy Everything!

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- August 2014

Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day! We had a lot of rain the other day. It was nowhere near the thirteen inch amounts that were reported in areas to the south but it was a continuously driving rain all day. In anticipation of that I took these pictures on Tuesday because I wasn’t sure that there would be any blooms left after. We ended up doing okay in the rain. Everything got a good drink but we didn’t have too much destruction.

Last fall we scattered knockout roses across the front and side yards and while their very common, they have added a nice bit of color. I’ve been reading about rosa rosetta virus and worrying so I pruned all red canes and branches back to the ground a few weeks ago. I’m pretty sure that mine have it and there’s not a lot you can do to stop it other than try to cut it out before the mites make their way to the roots. We’ll see what happens.
I like the way the reddish pink flowers look against the worn fence.

The scarlet runner bean is taking off. I enjoy this plant because it’s pretty while it grows and it produces beautiful purple beans at the end of the season. It’s just a great, easy vine for filling in tall, long spaces.
It’s starting to creep up the bird feeder pole. I should have provided strings or a trellis.

We have lots of lilies. These were all planted in the years before I would have saved the packaging and made note of varieties. I like this pretty pale pink..
Deep orange…I don’t think it’s a ditch lily? Betsey, what do you say?
And a beautiful deep red…
I planted a few varieties of zinnia this year. The only ones blooming as of today are “peppermint stick mix.” I’m a little disappointed in them. I expected big beautiful bunches but so far the few seeds that germinated have produced single, scattered flowers. That does resemble a peppermint stick. It was pretty on the package but I’m not so sure now.

Volunteer sunflowers are scattered around.

And I’ve been enjoying these deep shaded coleus this year.

This is my favorite deck planter. It’s about three feet high.

The rose of sharon that my sister sent me in a manila envelope a few years ago is in bloom. I love these plants.

Here’s the big picture… lots of blooms from last month are still raging out there!

Does your garden “rage” too?

I think I need to get back outside, lol.

Be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens by clicking here to see the other GBBD posts. They are going to be amazing!!!

Love to you all,

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- July 2014!!

Hello, hello, hello! We just got back last night from an eight day, multi-state. twenty hour or so car trip to see our families. I fully intended to blog along the way but my internet access came and went (mostly went) and our stops at each place were relatively short so I took photos with the hope that I’ll share a few of them here in the next few weeks. Anyway, it’s GBBD which is a great way to jump back in to the blogosphere and say hi! Here’s what we came home to last night:
Echinacea

Ditch lily

Lavender, with bees

Black-eyed susan/rudbeckia, just beginning to bloom

Bee balm
I’m not sure about this, it’s almost invasive in a beautiful way

Yarrow

A big dill flower, I couldn’t resist…

Pansies and verbena in the chicken coop window box

The beginning of the liatris

Balloon flower rose campionObedient plant… does a wonderful job of luring cucumber beetles away from the cucs..

Maybe another variety of obedient plant? Talk to me….

and the bellflower…

I seem to have lots of tall blooms that would be pretty in a vase…

Be sure to check out May Dreams Gardens for all of the other GBBD posts!!

I hope your all well and I can’t wait to catch up on all of my favorite blogs!

Love,

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- June 2014

Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day! Here’s a quick peek at a few things that are blooming around here.

Happy Father’s Day Mr Mallard!

And Happy Father’s Day to our great Dad too!

Check out blooms all over the world on May Dreams Gardens by clicking right here!

Heading off for a hike with Dad, and maybe some lobster for lunch!

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day-May 2014

Happy GBBD-May 2014!

I haven’t looked at last May’s Bloom Day post but my worry is that it’s very similar to this year’s. Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day is making me think about adding new plants and changing the garden around a little. We’ll see what happens with that.

Here’s what I have:

Tulips are still hanging in there.

Lots of pansies everywhere. Did I tell you that we grew our own pansies from seed at work this year? They need a little special care in the beginning but their not that hard and it felt like quite an accomplishment. These are not those homegrown pansies, but maybe I’ll try it here next year.

My mother’s Day plant…petunias, verbena and marigold…kind of an interesting combination, don’t you think?

Solomen’s Seal

Lamium

Rhubarb, sorry I can’t help but include it, it’s a bloom!

Bleeding Heart…

Bride and groom… This is always such a tricky flower to photograph.

It’s so pretty but it barely stays still.

Primrose

Spirea

And we’re finally seeing some crabapple blooms! These are very late this year…

…but definitely worth the wait.

And a little bit of dogwood bloom.

Last year this tree was covered with flowers. This year we have just a few. Was it the winter? Does it need a boost of fertilizer? I’m not sure but we’ll keep an eye on it.

So, that’s it for us here at The Salem Garden. Nothing too flashy or impressive, all common names, very imperfect, but full of love! Love works for me!

Grab a cup of coffee or tea and be sure to check out the other garden blogger’s posts for GBBD on May Dreams Gardens! What a treat!

Enjoy everything!

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day-March 2014

Well I can’t say that I’m the bloom day game just yet, we don’t have any blooms outside. We still have quite a bit of snow and I’ve heard a rumor of more snow possible on Monday. So for now I have to look at the patches of garden where the snowdrops and crocus usually are and just know that their under there and in a few days or weeks we’ll see them again. I’m very confident that by APRIL I’ll have some really authentic Salem Garden blooms to share. In the meantime I’ll share the indoor flowers that I’ve been enjoying while I wait.

I had a birthday recently and my friends and family were very generous in their gifts of flowers. It was a few weeks ago so most have gone by but I’ve managed to hold on to a few.

The last few flowers of alstroemeria from the bouquet that my family gave me.

A lovely white azalea, which will be planted outside soon.

This is a mystery… anyone care to identify for me? It came from a company called proplants.com but I don’t see it on their website. It’s pretty on my kitchen countertop.

And another that arrived in a lovely arrangement without a tag. It looks like it might be a member of the clerodendrum family…anyone?

Next month there will be bulbs and flowering trees, I just know it! In the meantime be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens to see lots of spring gardens in bloom!

Tomorrow I’m back to the chicken series until that crocus blooms!

Enjoy everything!

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- December 2013

It’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, December 2013!

Ten days until Christmas!

I wish I could say that I have more, but this poinsettia is my only bloom.

It’s a beautiful color. I love a pink poinsettia.

It lives on the tippy top of our big organizing cabinet in the foyer, far from our cats’ reach.

Here’s the garden this morning. We had about five inches of snow overnight, which turned to rain and slush and is now in the process of re-freezing. Yay! Not really.

If only ice could be considered a bloom.

Click here to read all of the warmer climate posts on May Dreams Gardens and some creative northern climate posts as well. It’s amazing what a difference a few degrees if warmth makes, along with a positive outlook.

Enjoying everything (even the ice)…

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- November 2013

I didn’t think that I’d have a November GBBD post to share but I just can’t quite give up yet.

We still have a few blooms to enjoy here on the coast of New England.

Still a few knock out roses, the rest of the roses are gone. I’m really in love with this color that I chose for the front and side yards. We planted several of these recently. You’ll see more of them in the spring.

Some snapdragons too…with the right kind of winter I may be able to post a photo of these in the February and March GBBD posts (just kidding, probably)..

Not quite a bloom, but the asparagus foliage and seeds almost qualify. I love these!

And just enough foxglove to make sure that we don’t forget about it.

That’s it for me! Looking forward to looking at the other Bloom Day posts at May Dreams Gardens!

Hope you do too!

Michele

ps/ It’s the weekend! Be sure to take a few minutes to check out the video that I shared here the other day of Margaret Roach‘s gardens in New York State. It’s great!

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day-October 2013

Here’s my very late in the day, just under the wire Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day post! I started it at 6:30 this morning (when it was technically too dark to take photos) and I was so close to finishing tonight that I just had to do it. I love reading all of the other posts, and while I don’t generally use the latin names, and some of my blooms may have been posted in months past, I find great satisfaction in participating. So… here we go!

Our zinnias are still unfolding. I couldn’t live without zinnias.

The volunteer snapdragon carries on.

The cosmos continue, and so do the canoes.

A simple white chrysanthemum.

A pretty pink and white, very hardy chrysanthemum.

Classic yellow mums

And one of the last roses of summer. I dug this rose bush out of the Harrington estate on Essex Street in Salem right before a bulldozer scraped the top ten inches of soil out of that yard about thirteen years ago. It blooms in June then comes back a bit in the fall. I moved part of it here from my garden on Forrester Street when we bought this house in 2002. I believe that the other half is still living down on Forrester St.

Of course there are chrysanthemums in a shade of rust. See what happens when you plant the hardy varieties rather than toss them?

The knockout roses forge on as well. You have to love them!

Zebra grass

Sedum

And while not “blooming”, our woods just below the garden are full of fall color!

Be sure to visit the other garden blogs at May Dreams Gardens!

Goodnight!

Michele

Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day- July 2013

I have exactly five seconds to photograph, write and publish this post because I’m heading in to Boston for day two of Boston College new parent orientation this morning. So busy and so much fun! Here’s what I’ve got at 6:08 am in Salem, Massachusetts on the fifteenth of July. Have a great day garden bloggers and Salem Garden readers! I’ll be checking out all of your gardens later!

Love, Michele

ps/ Be sure to visit Maydreamsgardens to see the other bloom day posts! Off I go!