Bloom Day July 2014

It fell from midnight skies. It drummed on the galvanized – Joni Mitchell, Paprika Plains

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Marty’s been reciting those song lyrics ever since the rain came and fell in exactly that manner Monday night. We all raced out the kitchen door when the first drops began to dance on the corrugated roof over the pergola. (Rain fell on the garden bloggers in Portland, too, just in one garden. It was thrilling.) I spent most of Monday planting what I carried home in my suitcase, so to get a little rain after a midsummer planting is my kind of heaven. My clothes and other Portland Fling swag will be arriving via UPS in a couple days…

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In other exciting news…ahem…the dasylirion outside the front door opened the flowers along its roof-topping bloom spike. Above photo taken before I left for Portland.

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Will dasy ever get that gorgeous pre-birth shape back?

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15-foot dasylirion spike disappearing into the jacaranda tree. Unlike agaves, the dasylirion will supposedly persist after blooming. I’ve had this plant countless years and had never seen a bloom before. We’ve dubbed this bizarre scene “Bee Town.”

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The Silver Vase bromeliad surprised me with a bloom. Aechmea fasciata.

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Spring-planted Aristida purpurea thinly blooming

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Pennisetum ‘Skyrocket’

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The pennisetum with the unstoppable Gomphrena ‘Fireworks.’

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Castor bean’s mace-shaped seedpods are popping up throughout the back garden. Since the garden looks pretty much like June, I’ll keep this abbreviated so you can move on to other July gardens at the Bloom Day hub, Carol’s blog May Dreams Gardens.

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8 Responses to Bloom Day July 2014

  1. rusty duck says:

    Ditch the clothes and use the suitcase for plants.. you are a girl after my own heart. Nice one!

  2. Kris P says:

    I was similarly excited when the rain hit here just before midnight. Although it lasted only a few minutes, it was exciting. I look forward to your Fling photos!

  3. That Dasylirion is a queenly thing. Wish I could appreciate her stately 15-foot bloom spike in person. Nice to see you again in P-town, Denise!

  4. Peter/Outlaw says:

    I’ve never seen a Dasylirion in bloom. Bee Town is stunning! Glad to hear that you got a some rain! It was wonderful to fling with you again in Portland!

  5. Heather says:

    That Dasylirion spike is exciting enough for a whole post. SO cool.

  6. Chloris says:

    How lovely to go on a garden blogger’s fling. I wish we had something like that in Europe.
    What an amazing plant the Dasyliron is. That huge flower spike! I have never seen anything like it; so exotic.

  7. Denise says:

    @RD, the clothes arrived yesterday, but the plants have been in the ground since Tuesday. Got my priorities straight!
    @Kris, summer rain is right up there in rarity with Haley’s Comet, blue poppies in SoCal, well-designed pottery for cheap, etc, etc.
    @Jane, there’s an agave in bloom too just across the path from the dasy. Big events in the front gravel garden this year!
    @Heather, it truly is. I stand at the base, head tipped back every morning to try to count the bees.
    @Chloris, there’s talk of the fling going to England. But maybe you can swing Toronto next year. I’ve never been and am hoping to go.

  8. Deanne says:

    Lovely, love the castor bean and euphorbia combo. Looks terrific.

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