The Parking Strip: 7/9/15

Holy moly, I feel like I've been going nonstop for days.  We attended two evening garden cocktail parties over the weekend (genius idea, by the way, and I'm totally stealing it), a tour of neighborhood edible gardens, our own open garden, more neighborhood open gardens, neighbors popping by to visit.....I am seriously socially drained.

We had a lot of  fun, and I got to meet a ton of local garden bloggers, a nursery owner, a garden photographer and author (who's coming back tomorrow), plus a ton of new people from the 'hood.  BUT, it all adds up to be a wee bit overwhelming for this low-social human, so it's nice to have a day home alone with just the kids.

My plan was to post these last week, considering they were taken nearly two weeks ago, then just never got to it.
Better late than never.
I'll start with the Rudbeckia, since he seems to want to be the star of show right now.

This is 'Goldsturm.'

(Did you see the sad looking artichoke plant in the last picture?  He went bye bye.  I gave him one last chance, and he blew it.)

I don't know what the rules are with the dead allium, but I like 'em, so they stay.

That whole clump is from the original 4-inch pot I planted two years ago.

Last fall, I moved some to the back, as well as a piece to the other side of the parking strip, where he's mingling with an Echinops.

This one is 'Veitch's Blue', and the honeybees LOVE it.

The first two Gladiolas to bloom, out of a mixed bag, were light pink and so pretty.

'Moonraker' Phygelius, aka Cape Fuchsia.

That was 'Lucifer' pokin' his head out in the background.

I got these bulbs at a blogger plant swap, not having any idea what they'd do.

I really like them, and hope they multiply.

Galtonia candicans

The regular old orange Crocosmia redeemed itself this year.

Last year it was on the cusp of being ripped out.

It's floppin' quite a bit, so it's staked and tied up, but it's still green and blooming, so it earned another season.

Here are a couple pulled back shots from one end.

It's not summer without Echinacea, right?

The limey green plant next to it is a Pineapple Sage.

And that's it for today.

It's supposed to be cool and overcast tomorrow (sounds like heaven), so I'll probably head out to the yard with my camera.

It's been almost two weeks since I've taken any photos!

Happy Monday!