THE BOUNTIFUL BLOOMS OF J ULY -GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY

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Those Spring Flingers that visited my garden at the end of May saw a very immature planting of annuals and perennials since I had to establish a new bed , due to the loss of some of my major shrubs.

With the coolest and rainiest Spring/Summer in about a hundred years the garden is lush with new growth.

So far I'm pleased with my new plantings and will continue to add to them. The collage above shows what's blooming in Sweet Garden Chicago.

Visit Carol at Maydreamsgardens to see what's blooming in gardens across the USA.

SHADES OF GEORGIA O'KEEFE

These roses would've been good subjects for famed artist Georgia O'Keefe who painted flowers larger than life.

I miss not having roses in my small urban garden but my neighbor down the street has an entire bed devoted to them and she graciously allowed me to photograph them. I'm far from being a good photographer but I was pleased with the way these shots turned out.

My Pot Garden

Turtle topiary planted with Hens and Chicks

Assorted sedum and cacti

It's my daughter Cathy's fault. She started it all with her indoor collection of sedum and cacti, which I fell for. She has more than a hundred potted plants.

She's given me cuttings from her plants and I've purchased several kinds of hens and chicks. I've hardly ever bothered with potted plants because of the maintenance involved but since I'm at home this summer I've enjoyed them.

I'll have to come up with some sort of indoor greenhouse to over winter them because our house is so close to the neighbors that most of the natural light, with few exceptions, is blocked.

Never Thought I'd be Writing about this Subject in July

I've already written a post on that "cold day in July, " a subject I didn't dream I would this normally hot month. Yesterday marked the coolest July 8 in 118 years.

Now comes another subject I didn't think I'd be writing about : Rain. My rain chain has really gotten a workout this year.

We normally have 36 inches of rainfall in Chicago per year. As of July we've had 26 inches or 3/4th of the total. August is usually the rainiest month ( yes, even more than April ) so we are probably going to set another record.

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Rain is a very precious commodity and its abundance has caused some extremely early flowering of my Clara Curtis Mum and I now see buds on my Rose of Sharon, which usually don't appear until the first or second week of August.

With the exception of annuals and newly planted perennials I've hardly watered the garden at all this season.

WELL I NEVER ....

Chrysanthemum rubellum 'clara curtis' aka 'country girl '

I wrote recently that when the word "never " appeared to be falling off my tongue that I would refrain from using it but this morning I just had to blurt it out when I saw Clara Curtis in bloom on July 8. Is this a record? Has anyone else had their Clara bloom earlier? I may be holding a record here, folks. Clare usually blooms way earlier than other mums but the earliest I've seen her bloom is late July and sometimes early to mid-August .

I have expounded on the virtues of Clara many times in the past but I think it bears repeating. The long bloom time, the daisy-like appearance, medium height, the hardiness, the early bloom time all add up to an outstanding perennial.

I wonder if there's an Guiness book of world records for earliest blooming mums?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA !

Happy 4th of July to everyone !


Check out the pipes on this country gal :

ITS THAT COLD DAY IN JULY

July 1 was one for the record books here in Chicago - the coldest opening in 79 years . It barely made it to the upper 60's here by Lake Michigan.

The old saw "never say never " is one that I take seriously every since my friend said she loved this new singer with a spanish accent and thought he was going to be very popular. "That'll never happen " says I. A singer with a spanish accent in America ? Nah. " Julio Igelias swept the country with his beautiful vocals. Of course it didn't hurt that he was very easy on the eyes as well.

I used to say it all the time : " That'll be a COLD day in July. " Gotta stop that now because it arrived.

Here are the Dixie Chicks singing their popular song , A Cold Day in July .