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Sunday, June 22, 2008

Yellow season


Last year I was posting on a garden list when another gardener posted about how she doesn't like yellow in her garden. I was shocked! So many of the perennials I love are yellow, it's such a strong, happy, sunny color that I never thought somebody would deliberately leave it out of their garden.

As a tease for her I made the above collage in hopes that I would persuade her to fall in love with yellow.

Yesterday as I walked around the garden I thought of her again. It's yellow season in my garden. All the pinks, purples and blues are fading away and the yellows are popping out all over.


Coreopsis are hitting their peak. There are two kinds in this photo, my favorite is Coreopsis 'Zagreb'.
The yellow Kniphofia is also at it's peak. I would love to find more of these that do as well as this one variety. In the past I've had quite a bit of success with some Kniphofias only to have them totally disappear one year.


Here's a close up of the bloom on a Coreopsis lanceolata. I think that is the variety although this isn't my original plant. This type of Coreopsis is short lived but if you leave some heads on they will self sow and you will continue to have them in the garden.


Just winding down are the pale yellow blooms on the Ruta graveolens (Rue). I'm pretty sure they give me a second big bloom flush in the fall. Yesterday I found a few new seedlings which makes me quite happy :-)

Asclepias tuberosa can stop me in my tracks with it's stunning beauty. I now have two clumps along the driveway and it looks like a third one is starting further into the bed.


Hidden under my climbing rose I found the daylily 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' beginning to bloom. This poor baby needs to get moved out of there ASAP!

Another daylily has begun, lots of yellow in this one too, it's 'Wings of Chance' and this photo doesn't do it justice.

The Corydalis lutea is still blooming up a storm. That's one long blooming perennial if you ask me.

As a closing shot, I'd like to show you a flower I came across yesterday as I ran through Planting Fields Arboretum. I was there for a daylily meeting and had about 10 minutes to run to the rose garden and then back to my car. On the way I spotted this beauty but could find no name tag.

If I had to pick a name, I'd try Centaurea but I'll hold off and see if anybody else has a better suggestion. It was growing in full sun and at least 4 feet tall (well over a meter).

Off to walk the garden,
Melanie

6 comments:

Carol Michel said...

You've certainly made a great case for yellow flowers in the garden, so many good ones to choose from.

I have a lot of yellow in my garden now, too, so this year I have been deliberately buying anything that isn't yellow, just to mix it up a bit. But I would never NOT have bright cherry, yellow flowers in my garden.

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

ChrisND said...

I remember the time last year when I though - there's a lot of yellow in the garden. I do like some variety, but if the garden produces yellow that's fine with me.

This year we are in the pink right now (although I haven't posted yet).

Gail said...

Without yellow many a southern garden would be green all July. Black eyed Susans, Daylilies, correopsis, etc!

Yes, you have made a good case for yellow! Yellow rocks!


Gail

Bek said...

What a great collage! I love yellow/orange colors in the garden. They make it look even more inviting.

Dave said...

If I didn't like yellow before I would now! It can be mixed with so many other colors. It has great versatility.

tina said...

Yellow is my favorite color in the garden. My friends must know this now because I never get a plant that is not yellow! Corydalis lutea is the hardest working perennial-I agree. Little known or found. I got mine a show. I love it and am glad it has come back after last year's drought.