Garden Share Bristol

last of the hollyhocks, Alcea rosea

Clematis 'Mongolian Gold'

These little seed heads are about the size of a dime...

Sunflower!  Helianthus annuus

yellow flowering pine-leaf penstemon, Penstemon pinifolius 'Mersea Yellow'

The Denver area has been in a Stage 1 Drought  this summer due to a low winter snow pack, low spring and summer precipitation, and higher than average temperatures.  I decided it would be a good year to test the durability of my garden plantings — I wasn't interested in knocking myself out (or using potable water) to provide supplemental water to my ornamental gardens on a regular basis.  My gardens are not on an automatic irrigation system so I either use a hose-end sprinkler attachment or  hand-water with a "wand."  I usually wait until my plants are in a prolonged wilt (no nighttime recovery) for 4-10 days before I give things a good soak.  This year I've watered the gardens about 6 times, total.  They look pretty sad, and we may finally lose a beauty bush (Kolkwitsia amabilis) that has never thrived.

The good news is that many of my plants have come through quite well, flowering profusely for long periods of time.  It may be no surprise to you that they're the same plants that I always brag on - the tough guys that put on a spectacular show during the "good" rain years, and keep on truckin' during the drought years, too.

The penstemon above, and its red flowering "parent" looked terrific mid-summer for weeks on end .  These next three — the horned poppy, Russian sage, and hummingbird trumpet — are planted in a side garden that got NO supplemental water this summer. They're going like gangbusters.

horned poppy, Glaucium flavum

Zauschneria arizonica with Perovskia artiplicifolia in the background

lower growing, groundcover form:  Zauschneria garrettii

the colorful, fuzzy bracts of Russian sage

This coneflower, too, has bloomed endlessly!

prairie coneflower, Ratibida columnifera

We're coming in to prime planting season now, so if you're looking to supplement your gardens with some xeric perennials, I hope you'll consider trying one of these.

Do you miss your June garden?  Wishing you could turn back the clock and enjoy all your lovely flower faves again? Well, you can!  All you need to do is head up to Colorado's high country. Last weekend we took a day-trip from Denver to Fairplay / South Park (yes, that South Park), on through Breckenridge, and home via Frisco.

In Fairplay (elevation 9,953 feet), a tiny unpaved corner of the old stone county building has a spunky display of delphinium, alpine poppy (Papaver nudicale), columbine, Campanula spp., and snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum).  The discovery of this little pocket garden was almost as exciting as the llama races!

The historic district of Breckenridge (elevation 9,600 feet) puts on a beautiful show for the summer tourists with gorgeous hanging baskets and flower boxes dripping with color (I was too stunned to take photos?  Doh!) Cottage style gardens are tucked into any little space available.  This garden includes blooms of cat mint (Nepeta spp.), larkspur, globe flower (Trollius spp.), foxglove, Veronica spp. and Dianthus spp.

Delphinium, lady's mantle (Alchmilla mollis), and Lilium spp. as well.

 Gardening at high elevations is challenging:  the growing season is very short, the nights are cool, and the sun is intense with a capital I ... but the rewards are huge.

(Frisco is on the shore of beautiful Lake Dillon, an important reservoir for metro Denver and the home of one of our favorite BBQ joints: Q4U.)

Hosta spp

Waves of summer color — the perennial trials garden at Colorado State University

Last Saturday was cool and cloudy, a perfect day to visit Tribble Stone.  Located at the base of the foothills between Boulder and Lyons, Tribble is a great resource for Colorado flagstone (sandstone). They carry both the rose and buff colors, and do custom cutting right on the site.

cut stone in the foreground, "random"  (as in shapes) in the back

Here's a flagstone slab right out of the quarry.  It's about 10" thick and will be split into 3 or 4 pieces by chiseling along the edge and exploiting a natural fault line.

Jim, for scale! Note the natural cracks/faults in the slabs

Or it might go straight to the cutter.  This is a pneumatic chop blade. Awesome!  This is how dimensional stone is cut; 2'x2', 3' x 2' 18" x 18" or whatever you need, it's made to order.

8" thick slab ready to be cut.  Any guesses why this equipment is buried?

Left over bits and bobs? Not great for structural building, but beautiful as a textural element when applied as a veneer to buildings, columns, fireplaces, 

Odd sizes await the creative builder.

or...pots!

Their chokecherries were in fine form, too!

native chokecherry, Prunus virginiana

Note: This article was not endorsed or compensated in any way by Tribble Stone.

A summer favorite — classic hollyhocks, Alcea rosea, seen here at Denver Botanic Gardens

Has the heat got you down — feeling a bit wilted, drained, limp?  Our garden is looking a bit on the crispy side these days (and that's how I feel, too), so after a very hot day last week, a picnic at Denver Botanic Gardens sounded like a refreshing treat. We were not disappointed.

The gardens themselves were lovely — full to bursting with flowering plants, shady alcoves, and cooling water features. And I really loved the fantastic art installations. Not only are they large-scale abstract sculptures (not everyone's cup of tea, I know) that were built on site, they are made out of plants — bamboo, specifically.

Tetsunori Kawana created organic pieces that speak to the rolling prairies and foothills; billowing clouds and winds of the Denver region.

Contrasting lines and shapes, hard textures and soft. Stone sculpture by Colorado artist Frank Swanson.

Stephen Talasnik 's more architectural creations bridge water and sky.  Sky, we have a lot of; water, we crave.  A conduit is what we need, indeed.



I will enjoy watching these sculptures weather over the next few months (the installation lasts through November 4).  Already, the bright green bamboo of spring has taken on the golden hues of summer.

Visit Denver Botanic Gardens (check their website, as hours vary daily) and see what you can see.  I'd love to hear about your discoveries!

Note: this review is my express opinion and was not authorized, endorsed, or paid for by Denver Botanic gardens nor the artists mentioned.

giant water lily, water platter

Victoria amazonica

Kintzley's Ghost honeysuckle vine, Lonicera reticulata 'Kintzley Ghost'

Canna sp.

August in the garden can feel like nothing but weeds, weeds, weeds! So it's especially nice to take time to enjoy what's blooming right now:

The last of the daylilies:

Hemerocallis 'Hyperion'

The not-quite-ready-for-prime-time sedum:

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' One of my clients refers to these as "those plants that look like broccoli"

And the still going strong coneflowers:

Echinacea 'White Swan'

Ratibida columnifera

Looking fabulous right now are the bluemist spirea and butterfly bush:

Caryopteris x clandonensis

Buddleia davidii 'Dark Knight'

Buddleia davidii 'Nanho Blue' This compact form has a finer texture and silvery foliage.

Nearing the peak of perfection is the grass garden:

Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) left, and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).

Buffalo grass (Bucheloe dactyloides) swirls through the taller plants.

A tiny visitor...

Thanks for visiting my garden today, and be sure and join in the fun at May Dreams Gardens for links to more garden bloggers from across the globe!

Last week I attended the annual flower trials at Welby Gardens.  Along with a number of fellow landscape professionals, I was invited to view 800 new - or recently introduced - plant varieties (mostly annuals) and vote for my ten favorites. Welby will use the information to help determine which plants to propagate next year.  What a concept, eh?  Find out what the buyers like, and supply it!

Here are just a few that caught my eye:

Osteospermum, 'Peach Magic' from the Serenity series

This photo doesn't do justice to the iridescence of the upper surface of the flower petals. Plus, check out the rich, golden brown of the undersides.  Very cool!

Lantana 'Lemon Glow' from the Lucky series

 I love the clean, bright, cheery look of this lantana. Plus, I'm a sucker for color value shifts on the same plant - more bang for your buck!

Coleus 'Mars Landing'

 Cool name for an uber cool plant!  Looks like an exotic leather or gemstone or - gee! - the surface of Mars. Such a wonderful color palette in one plant will inspire lots of striking container plantings for sure!

Supertunia 'White Russian'

 Dude. I am totally fantasizing about an entire garden based on The Big Lebowski.  Seriously, this is a dynamic neutral that will be a great mixer.


And finally, this crazy fiesta coneflower. Not part of the trial, but a showstopper nonetheless.

Echinacea 'Double Scoop'