English Emma Blooms

Not all days are good days in the garden. Sometimes things look pretty rough, but right now everything is blooming nicely. Here you can see orange Asiatic lilies, daylilies, purple salvia, Snow-in-Summer, ornamental alliums or walking onions, garden phlox, and iris foliage. There may also be some Silver Mound artemisia mixed in with the Snow-in-Summer.

The orange Asiatic lilies are the dramatic stars of the bed. They grow upright with glossy leaves climbing the stems like little green ladders. Asiatic lilies are hardy perennial bulbs and usually bloom in early to midsummer. They like full sun to part sun and average watering, especially during dry spells. After they bloom, I can deadhead the spent flowers, but I should leave the green stems until they yellow naturally because the bulbs are recharging. Mulch helps keep the roots cool, and they can be divided every few years if they become crowded.

Important note: lilies are extremely toxic to cats, even the pollen.

The purple salvia is probably ‘May Night’ salvia. Salvia is an absolute pollinator magnet. Bees treat it like a tiny airport terminal. It likes full sun and is drought tolerant once established. If I cut back the flower spikes after the first bloom, I may get a second flush of flowers. It can also be divided every few years if it starts to get woody in the middle.

The daylilies are almost indestructible. They spread steadily and thrive in Indiana gardens. They like sun to part sun and moderate watering. I can remove the spent flower stalks to keep them tidy, and divide them every four or five years if they start flowering less.

The white and silver mounds in front are Snow-in-Summer  mixed with Silver Mound artemisia. They add a soft, silvery edge to the bed and make the bright flowers stand out even more. Snow-in-Summer likes sun and well-drained soil. It can spread, so I may need to trim it back when it gets too enthusiastic. Silver Mound artemisia also likes sun and good drainage and does not want wet feet.

The upright onion-like clumps with round buds look like ornamental alliums or walking onions. They add excellent vertical texture, like little garden exclamation points. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil and are very drought tolerant once established. I should leave the foliage as long as possible so it can feed the bulbs.

There is also garden phlox coming along and iris foliage adding height and structure. Even when the irises are finished blooming, their leaves still help hold the shape of the bed.

This is the kind of garden moment I like: not perfect, not finished, but full of color, texture, bees, bulbs, and possibility. A dental office garden is not where one necessarily expects drama, but the lilies are absolutely giving a performance.