My garden out back July 2011

Wasn’t it just yesterday when the garden was at its peak? How quickly the Summer flew by. Finally I have some pictures to show you of the garden at its best, around the 15th of July 2011.

The Great Border and Ornamental Grass beds

Gloriosa-daisies out front, doing their thing

Views down to the road

More views out back

Hydrangea looking Good

This year I think was not the best for gardening in the Upper Hudson Valley of New York State, zone 5-4 where I live. The gardening season started off with too much rain. I got the dahlias planted almost two weeks later than usual this year. After the constant on and off rain, came the extreme heat. The heat sped up the flower display, so things came and went quicker than usual. I also found it harder to do gardening maintenance, so if I had the time, early morning or after 4PM was best for me.

Even though the weather was not always perfect, some of the plants really thrived. The Gloriosa-daisies, Cleome, Daylilies, and Clematis, as well as the Zinnias all performed well. The many container plants were, and are still chugging along. I think the bones of the garden, like the Ornamental Grasses, sheared globe Arborvitae, and golden string / thread Cypress shaped into pyramids, gave interest to the garden, if flower were there or not.

From the photos, you can see how happy the Hydrangea are / were. Mine are not the appropriate kind for my location. The varieties are more suitable for Nantucket, Massachusetts or Newport, Rhode Island. They bloom on old wood, produced the previous season. If the Winter goes below 0 degrees for to many days, the branches die and flowers are minimal to none. From what you can see, last Winter was mild.

When it came to Raspberries, the fruit molded very quickly. The wet, then dry, then hot made the fruit mold even before it was completely ripe. I found myself grazing through the berry patch, eating and discarding as I went along. I had to look into each berry to see if a small worm was in it, or not. If I spotted a worm, it became another berry to throw away. Some people would call the berry with a “friend” extra protein, but not for me.

The plants that make up the garden are a strong lot. Rain, Heat, and even Hurricane Irene could not completely thwart their efforts to make a beautiful place to look at and be in. Hope you enjoyed my garden photos.

Companion Posts .. A look at My July 2012 Garden here at Whimsey Hill 7-24-2012,  A look back at the July Garden in the 1990’s, here at Whimsey Hill 7-28-2012,   Grow a Topiary from an Upright Yew 6-15-2011 ,A look at My Garden, here at Whimsey Hill 6-11-2011, Evergreens are the Winter Interest in my Garden 1-24-2012