Monday, July 14, 2008

Summer Drought of Color




These photos show my garden in transition to its summer "fallow". Soon I will harvest the foxglove seeds to be scatter at the forest's edge. The Euphorbia spp. dry a golden color before they set seed and "walk around" my garden. Most of the lavenders were really knocked out to a grayish blue due to 90F to 100F dry heat. I have about six still in bloom-the Lavandula angustifolia 'Alba Compacta', L. angustifolia 'Alba' , L. x intermedia 'Dilly Dally', L. angustifolia 'Frost', and several species of Spanish lavender- L. stoechas. Once these are pruned back the garden goes fairly "dormant" except for a Grevillia sp., Lychnis corneriaa, some mulliens, and a glorious radiant-blue Salvia coboreinsis behind a deer fence. I would love to grow cultivars of the California fuschia (Epilodium spp.) but deer love them. Alas, one of the great late-summer native and colorful species is missing from my garden. My garden will be patiently waiting for the fall rains.

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