July Blooms

Mid-summer is the time my garden stalwarts shine: echinacea, rudbeckia, gaillardia. Why now, when they bloom all summer? Because just about everything else takes a break in the heat of the summer. Oriental lilies are just finishing, daylilies are done, save a few rebloomers to come, balloon flowers are nearly finished popping, butterfly weed is showing off its seed pods, .... But the steady three keep on going in summers heat. You've seen them all before, so what's left?

I've always thought coreopsis should be the fourth leg of the summer table, but as I posted last month, they just don't return. They are beautiful for a year or so, then disappear. Here's a courtesy shot of my 'Zagreb' - still beautiful because this is its first year in my garden:



Isn't it pretty with a backdrop of curly kale that I really should have harvested weeks ago?

I do have one coreopsis that has not only survived, but thrived. This is its third year here, and rather than shrinking it has actually expanded (a little). Could this be the one to prop up my summer garden? Introducing Coreopsis rosea:



And a closeup:



Thanks to my color-altering camera, you can't see that it is actually quite pink, with lavender undertones. The centers match perfectly with the neighboring orange butterfly weed, tying together two plants I wouldn't otherwise want to put so close together.

Heres hoping I can still sing the praises of C. rosea next year!

To see what is blooming today in other people's gardens, visit our lovely hostess Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for links to more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.