Wednesday, July 8, 2015

End of Month View - The White Garden Bed June

My apologies for coming in very late with my monthly post documenting the development of my White Garden Bed, but work simply didn't leave me any time to blog prior to today. The photos that I used for this post were all taken on June 29th though, so what you see is really how the bed looked at the end of June.

I have to say that for the first time since I started to take part in this meme, I am truly satisfied with my White Garden Bed. The plants have filled in nicely, there are lots of white flowers and you can finally see that it is designed with a monochromatic white color scheme in mind.

The biggest change that I made last month, I planted a new rose, you can't even see in the first view of that bed, but I come back to that later. Besides that I bought seven plants of Gaura lindheimeri 'Belleza White', which are placed behind the white column with the silver gazing ball. I also took off another layer of fronds of the right cycad, because I couldn't stand to look at the sunburned fronds anymore.


June 2015


May 2015


I think it is justified to call the change between May and June quite dramatic. The Dianthus 'Floral Lace White' are in full bloom and all four roses (from the left to the right: 'Pope John Paul II', 'Chandos Beauty', 'Moonstone' and 'Auckland Metro') are flowering more or less profusely. 



Here is a bud of 'Moonstone', the rose in the center of the bed, that is just opening. Very beautiful rose, but the leaves are starting to become infected with rose rust, again. 



Mature bloom of 'Moonstone'. The flowers are undeniable very pretty, but I am never really happy with a rose, when the leaves are very sickly. 



When I started to participate in the End of Month View meme, this white angle shot was my initial first view. Between the last rose to the left and the Pygmy Date Palm to the very right there was just a huge crater of a hole, which is now filled with a rose and plenty of soil. Unfortunately, you can barely make out the small leaveless canes in front of the dark blue post of the fence.

I had a little mishap with this rose, because right after I planted it, we went to Portland and when we came back all its leaves had gotten brown and most of them had already fallen off. I finished the job and plucked of the last leaves, in the hope that the rose would start to leave out again. I believe it was either over or under watered or it simply suffered from transplanting shock. Even though the rose looks like it is dead right now, I am relatively sure it will survive. I guess next month we will know more. 



In this photo you can see the rose a little better. Initially I wanted to continue the White Garden Bed up to this area, but after much contemplation I decided that the White Garden Bed will become to big in proportion to the whole size of my backyard. So I decided to plant a pink rose ('Memorial Day') here to have a color transition to the area to the right side of the White Garden Bed. I am not entirely sure if this is the right decision, mainly because I have such a hard time to visualize anything. But the good thing is that if I don't like it, I always can change it.


June 2015


May 2015

In my second End of Month View it is very clear that the Hybrid Tea Rose 'Moonstone' has become the star of the White Garden Bed in the moment, but...




...'Chandos Beauty', the rose to the very right, can also produce very lovely blooms. At the time the photos were taken it had only two fully open flowers, but those were stunning. 




I don't know why I am so crazy about this small plant, but I am really in love with Dichondra sericea 'Silver Ponyfoot' (it is the small plant in the foreground of the white garden statue). I think the metallic shine on the leave is just doing me in. For the longest time I thought the plant wouldn't make it, after it had been transplanted from a container into the ground, but now several month later it seems to have recovered and is growing actively. It is supposed to be drought tolerant, exactly what I need with the ongoing water restrictions. 




My bearded Irises 'Platinum' surprised me positively. Both plants to the right and to the left of the rose 'Moonstone' in the middle of the White Garden Bed were blooming. Altogether I counted five flower stalks, which is unheard of so far. I think, Iris flowers are almost as pretty as rose blooms. 


June 2015


May 2015


In my last End of Month View shot you can clearly see how profusely the white agapanthus is blooming. It is really fantastic this year. The leaves of the amaryllis belladonna behind the white column with the gazing ball have completely died back and I removed all the dried up parts. 



Here is a close-up of the white agapanthus. Isn't this a beautiful flower? To me agapanthus in bloom is the substitut for the alliums that we can't grow here, because it is too warm. 



Probably my most favorite rose in the whole garden: 'Pope John Paul II' growing right next to the agapanthus on the right side. 



The flowers are hard to beat in terms of their beauty and for an Hybrid Tea Rose they come in great quantities and the rose has a quick repeat. 



My husband cleaned up the dried up parts of the lamb's ears in the foreground. And they look so much better now. Behind them you see the Gaura lindheimeri 'Belleza White' more clearly. I haven't had time to plant them into the ground yet, but I think they will look quite nice there. 



I am in love with the airy, butterfly like blooms. They are so dainty and seem to flutter if there is a light breeze. Best of all, Gauras are supposed to be really drought tolerant and planting them is another step to help my garden to cope with the drought conditions, but still look pretty.

Even though I am late, I am linking my post to Helen's The Patient's Gardeners Weblog, who kindly hosts the End of Month View meme each month. If you haven't visited her yet, please pop over and see how her's and other gardens looked by the end of June. 

See you in the garden!

Christina



20 comments:

  1. The pink rose is a good idea Christina. Lovely plants as always but those amazing views steals the show!

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  2. It is lovely to see the changes over the course of the month. But the gaura is fabulous! It's the perfect spot for it!

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  3. Good morning Christina ~ I love your white bed. 'Moonstone' is oh so lovely as are the 'guara'.

    You have such wonderful views through the fence. A nice backdrop to your lovely garden.

    FlowerLady

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  4. Christina, die Rosen sind wunderbar und die Iris hat ihren Namen wahrhaft verdient. Im Moment habe ich mir gerade überlegt, wie du in dem Beet hinter dem Pool (ich will rein) arbeitest. Und wenn man noch so achtgibt, fällt da nicht Erde auch ins Wasser?

    Sigrun

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    1. Sigrun, working in the narrow White Garden Bed directly behind the pool can be a nightmare. Soil has fallen into the pool, tools have fallen into the pool, dogs have fallen into the pool, I have fallen into the pool, you name it.
      A few weeks ago, when I was spreading compost in that bed, the soil bag toppled over and maybe one third of the soil in the bag ended up in the pool. I tried to get out as much as possible, but it was still enough left to be collected by the pool sweep to cloak the pool filter :-(, which needed a full cleaning after that, which we have to pay extra for, since it is not included in the regular pool service fee. Well what can I say, having a flowerbed behind the pool is not exactly ideal...
      Christina

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  5. Esta precioso Christina. Muchos besos.

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  6. I love those roses and the Gaura ! There is a lovely freshness to your white garden, it must make you feel cooler every time you look at it !

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  7. First I have to say how lovely the views are over the fence, but I think your white garden looks stunning as background for your pool, the white of the roses and Gauras and the gray leaves are looking not only cool, but also beautiful.

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  8. I'm impressed by how well your white garden bed is doing, Christina! 'Chandos Beauty' is particularly pretty. Your bearded Iris are performing much better than mine - only one variety of mine bloomed this year.

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  9. That Gaura is so pretty. Yes, you've made some amazing progress. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to experience your climate ... in that pool ... with the view beyond. Wow!

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  10. Awesome! White is a beautiful color, so pure... I'm interested to your roses and iris, so pretty. Thanks for sharing beauty from your own garden.

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  11. Herrlich liebe Christina,
    dein Beet ist wirklich weiß!
    Und so viele schöne Blüten!
    Mein weißes Beet ist irgendwie
    mit der Zeit immer bunter geworden :-)
    Ganz viele liebe Sommergrüße
    sendet dir die Urte :-)

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  12. Oh, your garden looks so tidy. I wish I could say that about my wilderness. It is great to see the changes in the garden. keep going, I want to see how it all develops! Groetjes,

    Hetty

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  13. Yes, Christina, I can see a big difference between May and June, and your White Garden looks great! The new guara is really pretty. I have had no luck with gaura, which breaks my heart, because I do love it. I think we are just too humid here for it to do well.

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  14. It's coming together so well Christina, you must be pleased. The white agapanthus look wonderful, and the Gaura is a great choice and works well. Do you have problems with agapanthus self seeding everywhere? I know in Australia (where I'm originally from) they are now considered a weed as they have been so prolific in spreading everywhere. I thought your climate might be similar to that.But maybe you wouldn't mind if they self-seeded!

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    1. Julieanne, I wish my agapanthus would self seed! They are so pretty and I wouldn't mind to have some more of them in my garden. Mine don't self seed at all. The only thing that seems to germinate the moment a seed hits the ground are the Washingtonia Palms. I also haven't heard of any problems here in Southern California with self seeding agapanthus from other gardeners.
      Christina

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  15. Oh, I do love your rose 'Pope John Paul II', completely white roses are such a rare thing, and this one seem white from start to finish. Does it have white buds too? Your gauras are absolutely lovely, I could never grow gauras in my old garden, didn’t have enough sun, but here in my new garden there should be plenty enough for them. Your White Garden Bed is looking better and better for every month, all your hard work is really paying off! Take care, Helene.

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  16. Your whites truly are being showcased! Such great blooms and a great garden theme!

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  17. Hunting back thru your archives for your white garden. We have plants and ideas in common. And the mediterranean climate. Ours now in March turning to the kinder autumn rain hopes.

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  18. Hi, I have taken on the hosting of the EoMV from Helen. Please join us at https://glebehouse.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/end-of-month-view-august-2017/

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