Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: July 2014

Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.High summer means high heat and humidity. Water evaporates from the ground quickly, and mulch would be helpful but it’s too hot to move. Early mornings and short trips outside provide the means for a successful garden at this time of year.

Tough plants, too, are required. Crocosmia flowers better when there’s abundant water, but short thunderstorms suits it just fine.

The jewel of my July garden must be blackberry lilies, formerly Belamcanda chinensis, now Iris domestica. Looking like an iris only in its foliage, these orchid-like flowers provide delight in the hottest weather.

Blackberry lily, formerly Belamcanda chinensis, now Iris domestica.