Serendipity Gardens by Carol Lang

When I came across this quote from George Croly, I thought, “Now doesn’t that just really define July?”

“Flowers are nature’s jewels, with whose wealth she decks her summer beauty.”

With the heat and humidity of July, the gardens are all in bloom and the gardens are like a giant patchwork quilt of colors. As the Asiatic lilies put on a great show earlier, the stars of the garden are just beginning their performance. Those Oriental and tiger lilies will really heat up the garden with yellows, oranges and several other bright colors.

Along the fence, the rudbeckia are opening their pretty faces of yellow with dark brown/black centers that will attract butterflies and insects galore. The trellis on the fence has morning glories climbing it. One is spiraling up the pole where a birdhouse sits to add bright blue/purple flowers that will call the hummingbirds to them. The Victorian gazebo garden is all decked out with many shades of pink daylilies that add so much charm to the garden. The pink mandevilla is climbing up the gazebo and soon will reach all the way to the top of it.

Along the driveway garden, the rows of yellow and orange celosia are ramping up their show of bright colors while the bright lights cosmos are just beginning to bloom in shades of yellow, orange and even some red ones. The dill is standing high above everything else with such a gorgeous lime-green color. When brushed against the dill emits a fragrance in which reminds me of my mother’s dill pickles. Hopefully soon I will see caterpillars that will turn into swallowtail butterflies that will munch on the dill.

The few cosmos in the cutting garden are so pretty in shades of pink and crimson. When the Shirley poppies were blooming in a deep crimson with a black throat, they made quite the combination. My blue bachelor buttons look like they are on the downward side of their bloom, as I cannot get to them to deadhead them. But they will continue to add their color to the spectacle. On the other side of the cutting garden the phlox are now in bloom with a couple of them along the driveway that add a lovely shade of lavender to all of the yellow colors. The blue globe thistle is just starting to show its color, but what I love most about it is the round shape of its bristly flowers.

Who wouldn’t love the July gardens? There is so much color everywhere that you really have to take a slow stroll around the gardens to enjoy every flower. So far, not a lot of insects are on the flowers but a few more appear every day. I am still enjoying lots of damselflies among the blooms and a few butterflies. Just the colors of all the insects in itself is a wonderful show to my eyes. Ralph Waldo Emerson said —“Nature always wears the colors of spirit.”

 

Carol Hegel Lang is a green thumb residing in Albert Lea. Her column appears weekly. Email her at carolhegellang@gmail.com.