Garden Tour – See What is Blooming in July

It’s time for this week’s garden tour.  I love July in my summer garden.  It’s the time when everything is really blooming but it is not too hot, yet

The color is amazing and there seems to be something new for me each day as I wander around my garden beds. 

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I enjoy the fruits of my labor in July.

This week’s garden tour

One of my favorite times of the day is when I go outside and walk around my garden beds to see what is blooming.  It is a peaceful time for me and renews my energy like nothing else.

This week’s garden walk is a combination of perennial and annual flowers. Both come into their own in July and give me color right through the month.

The summer heat can be hard on plants but these varieties are tough and are holding up well.

I hope you enjoy this virtual garden walk as much as I did.  I have a Test garden where I try out different varieties of plants to feature on my blog. Many of these are from that garden.

Starting off my garden tour is this pretty Balloon Flower. This perennial has small flowers that look just like hot air balloons before they open up.  

Kids love the shape of them. This pretty flower is also known as Chinese Bell flower.

One of the stars of my summer garden.  There are lots of varieties of this popular plant. You can water dry hydrangea flowers easily to enjoy them in arrangements.

Hydrangeas can start out one color and change, depending on the acidity in your soil. This one was pink when I planted it!

It is tricky knowing when to prune hydrangeas, since it depends on whether it sets blooms on old wood or new wood. Get some hydrangea pruning tips here.

Purple coneflowers are a tough summer perennial. The birds, butterflies and bees all love them.

They don’t droop from the summer sun, which is great for my NC garden. Be sure to leave the domed seed heads at the end of the season for any winter birds to enjoy.

There are many colors of echinacea other than the traditional purple coneflower. Find out about the varieties of coneflower here.

Hollyhocks are such a feminine flower.  The center of this flower bud looks like a petticoat! This one was grown from seed and I love the color.

Another hollyhock. This one has a double petal with a dark burgundy throat. Hollyhocks are great in cottage gardens.

I have several varieties of lilies all over my garden beds. There is nothing quite as dramatic and they are so easy to grow.

My lilies have a progression of color for months. I grow Asiatics, Orientals, Easter lilies, and of course daylilies.

(Find out the difference between Asiatic and Oriental lilies here.)

This deep coral hibiscus won’t over winter here in North Carolina since the winter is too cold, but I couldn’t resist buying these when I saw them at Lowe’s recently.

There were four plants in a pot for $16 so I just divided them and figured I’d enjoy them as an annual for this year.

If the head of this lily looks large to you, that is because it really is.  This bloom measures close to a foot in size. It is called King George Daylily.

I bought a single bulb last hear and this plant has been flowering all during the month.  It’s my favorite daylily!

My husband and I have a favorite saying in July – “George is out again!”

Gladioli make superb cut flowers. They need staking in the garden, but I don’t bother. As soon as one starts to topple over, I cut them and bring them indoors.

Baptisia Australis is also known as Blue Salvia. This plant has deep purple flower that are a magnet for bees in my garden.

At the end of the flowering time, it develops deep purple pea shaped pods that rattle in the wind. Give this plant room to grow.

It will start off as a sprig and turn into a four foot plant in no time at all!

LIatris is an ever expanding plant in my garden. I started with a few small bulbs and they just keep naturalizing to give me larger and larger plants.  

They divide easily, giving you plants for free in other areas of your garden.

The final plant in my garden tour is a white and yellow Zinnia is a magnet for swallowtail butterflies and bees. They are super easy to grow and come in a wide range of colors.

For more amazing flowers, be sure to visit my Pinterest Flower Board.

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