Happy Monday!
It’s one of my favorite days of the month, when I join my
Monday Morning Blooms’ friends for a little flower therapy!
You can find my flower friends’ links and blooming inspiration at the bottom of this post.
I’m sharing some summer garden blooms around the Potting Shed
as our common theme for this week’s edition of
Monday Morning Blooms is ‘Outdoors’!
Warning: Photo heavy post ahead, so grab something cool to drink and get comfy. :)
This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.
Mid-June is peak daylily season in our zone 7b garden!
Daylilies are the unsung hero of the summer garden IMHO.
They bloom repeatedly for years with minimal attention, tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions
and stand up to the summer heat, humidity and are even drought-tolerant!
The daylily’s botanical name, Hemerocallis, means “beauty for a day”
as each bloom only remains open for a single day. Depending on the variety,
the bloom season can last 30 to 40 days or sometimes longer.
Blooming starts in late spring and can continue into early fall.
Flowers appear on stalks called ‘scapes’, with multiple flowers
blooming on a single scape. Each daylily plant has numerous scapes and
can produce hundreds of flowers in a season. To keep the plants looking their best,
snap off the spent flowers, taking care not to break off nearby buds.
Daylilies also attract pollinators, including butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds.
For best results, plant daylilies where they’ll get six hours or more of direct sunlight each day.
Daylilies will grow in partial shade, but produce fewer flowers.
Daylilies will grow for many years with little attention,
but will produce more flowers if they are divided about every 5 years.
Divide daylilies after the plants have finished blooming in late summer or early fall.
The Potting Shed window boxes were planted with an assortment of sun-loving annuals in April.
The colorful foliage of the coleus will be bright and showy through September,
after the petunias are spent and fade.
I’ve had several readers ask about the fertilizer I use for my window boxes.
Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster is my ‘go-to’ fertilizer for summer annuals and containers.
It’s around $6 for a 1.5 lb. box and available at most garden centers.
I apply it every two weeks to my containers and window boxes starting in the spring,
upping the frequency to every 7 days during the heat of summer when I’m
watering more frequently, to help ‘boost the bloom’!
A friend surprised me this fun vintage-inspired ‘Hometown Florist’ sign for my birthday!
I placed it on my bench for a little flower fun with a decorative birdhouse and garden blooms.
A Flower Market Galvanized Metal Bucket from MacKenzie-Childs was also birthday gift!
It came with a lid and a scoop and is generously sized so it can hold potting soil,
gardening supplies or bird seed.
It’s serving as a big bucket of garden blooms. . .
Endless Summer Hydrangeas, Daylilies, Verbena,
Butterfly Bush and Chaste Tree blooms.
I cut a few Popcorn Drift and single rose blooms to join the hydrangeas and daylilies.
And this decorative birdhouse is blooming with a single rose too. :)
Butterfly bush is blooming and living up to its name,
attracting butterflies as well as bees.
Butterfly Bush is as controversial as the spelling of its name, Buddleja or Buddleia, originating in China.
As non-native species are, they can be invasive-> (I’m looking at you, Chinese Privet),
and are even banned in some states in the U.S.
When selecting a butterfly bush, choose a hybrid variety that is sterile to keep it from spreading.
You can read more about the Great Butterfly Bush Debate, here.
What’s not controversial is the Butterfly Bush’s appeal to both butterflies and bees!
I went inside to take a look at my photos and came back to find an Easter Tiger Swallowtail
had fluttered over, attracted to the pinkish-purple flower cones.
A bumble bee buzzed over, attracted the Chaste Tree blooms and Verbena.
Visit my talented blogging friends to see their beautiful ‘outdoor’ floral inspiration this week:
Pam at Everyday Living
Shirley at Housepitality Designs
Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Thank you for making your garden “pollinator friendly”
Happy Birthday Mary! It was such a treat to stroll through your summer garden…you truly inspire me as I plant new flowers and shrubs in the yard. We got a lesson on the butterfly bush at our privately owned local garden center. We did purchase one that has been “sterilized” Your window boxes are magnificent as always and I am running out to the store to get the Bloom Booster…I love, love your birthday gifts. The MKC flower bucket is so beautiful…I may have to place that on my next birthday list..and what a fabulous find/gift from your friend..how perfect is that sign! It is always a true joy to visit your garden and the shed. You can’t imagine the smile you place on many, many faces! Have a wonderful week Mary! Happy to “bloom” with you today!
I so look forward to your posts! Such beautiful blooms — you truly have a green thumb! Makes me wish I was there in person to take in the beautiful color as well as the fragrance. Thanks so very much for sharing!!!
Absolutely beautiful!
Happy birthday Mary! Love your cute sign and MC bucket. That is a beautiful birdhouse too! Your daylilies are gorgeous! You have a wonderful variety of colors. Your window boxes are truly magnificent! They’re so full! The pics with the bees and butterflies are a true testament to a happy garden! I always enjoy a virtual stroll through your garden. Enjoy your week! Clara❤️
Doesn’t get much better!!! franki
Happy Birthday, Mary! Your gifts are lovely. I love your new MKC bucket and florist sign! Your arrangement is stunning. The decorative sweet blue birdhouse is delightful.
I love this post. You have captured great shots of butterflies and bees in your prolific garden. You are the best at fertilizing. Do you mix the Miracle Grow and spray it on with a hose or mix up gallons of mix?
I love your color combinations and varieties of daylilies.
Such an enjoyable and informative post as usual.
Thank you Bonnie! I’ve done it both ways but most of the time I mix it up by the gallon in watering cans to fertilize since I’m too lazy to switch out my everyday watering wand with the Garden Feeder sprayer. :)
Absolutely stunning!! Gorgeous blooms in an exquisite setting!! Thanks for sharing!!
Hugs,
Debbie
Happy birthday, Mary and what lovely gifts you received. Your garden is absolutely stunning. It is so vibrant and healthy. I love daylilies because they require little attention and yet perform beautifully. Your bee and butterfly visitors are so happy in your garden. The window boxes with the coleus are just fabulous. My hubby wants window boxes on the cottage. If he sees yours, I know he will want to make that a project.
I enjoyed strolling in your garden this morning. It is a pleasure to share Monday Morning Blooms and flower therapy. Enjoy your day, we have more rain expected!
Oh, wow, what a gorgeous Flower Market bucket full of beautiful blooms! I love the blue, peach, purple and yellow combination! Those colors are so soothing for summer. The sign is perfect for you, Mary! Great gifts, both. Happy Birthday to you!
So beautiful, your green thumb is glowing! Thank you for sharing these gorgeous photos.
Now I want some daylilies, Mary! Your new gifts are so perfect for you! The blossoming container is gorgeous and how perfect that the butterfly and bee provided decorative photo ops for you! You always inspire me!
Another WOW Mary! The day lilies are gorgeous!! Thanks for the reminder that I need to divide mine!! 🌸🌼🌻
Lovely.
This is my idea of post perfection, I never wanted it to end! Each pic is swoon worthy, I may be getting some day lily envy too! Deer have always eaten mine, but this year I have 3 blooming plants, not sure if adding Rosie may be the deterrent I always needed! We are in a wretched heat wave, over 100 for 2 weeks, I can’t handle these temps and all my outdoor fun has come to a screeching halt, making me relish your photos even more!
I love your posts of your gardens. They beautiful. Could you please let me know where you’ve ordered your day lilies? You posted it on one of your posts a long time ago. I actually ordered some and love them and I wanted to get some more.
You certainly are in bloom heaven Mary! Flowers blooming everywhere! I love love your gardener’s vignette on the potting shed bench full of your wonderful birthday gifts! The Hometown Florist sign is adorable and I’m crazy over the MKC flower covered bucket, it looks wonderful full of fat hydrangea blooms and other pretty flowers. As always you’ve shared wonderful gardening tips, thank you! Your photos look like paintings…lovely!
Jenna
As many photos you posted, Mary, it is never enough for me…LOL. Gorgeous and love all your daylilies. Ours of course haven’t really started yet! So enjoy, every part of your yard! Sandi
Really love the combination of hydrangeas, day lilies and butterfly bush in your garden. It always amazes me how all the different colors blend so well in a garden setting.
Lynne, Thrifting Wonderland
Happy Monday, Mary! Hard to believe we are winding down June. Summer is zooming on. Can’t offer too many photos for me. Your gardens truly inspire. I have day lilies, but they are about to finish their bloom cycle. I hope they boom again this summer. They usually do. They all came back after our severe weather this winter. I just did a major clean out of dead scares and leaves. Do you fertilize your day lilies? I’m looking at yours and thinking I need to add in some more varieties. The birds planted some purple cone flowers among my dallies, so I bought a few more plants at the garden center this weekend to add in more. They seem to be happy together.
Thanks for my Monday morning garden tour. Much enjoyed and appreciated.
What I love most about daylilies is that they bloom here after the peony and iris are done. So if you plant them with, then you have a long bloom period in a single garden bed. And the variety of daylilies is endless!
Happy Birthday Mary! Wow, your garden is so gorgeous! Those colors! So lush! You’ve inspired me to give my own flowers in the garden more “boost” because I did not up it to every 7 days . Your day lillies are spectacular, don’t hate me, but before I saw some of yours, I was not a fan. The only ones I really see around here are large orange ones. That one you have with the little ruffled edge has stolen my heart. It ‘s always a true blessing to visit your garden and shed on our very special Mondays. xo Lidy
WoW! Enjoyed strolling through your gorgeous garden this morning with my coffee. What a treat! I miss our day lilies. The deer ate everyone to the ground! Looked like a lawn mower just mowed them right down! Same with all our Hostas. Any tips for for keeping the deer away?
Have great day!
Nancy
Beautiful daylillies!
The photography and the blooms are amazing. I so enjoyed this! Thank you!
This post takes Flower Power to a new dimension, your garden is gorgeous! When my, now 7 year old, grandson was still a toddler Benjamin called a butterfly a “flutterby”. I was delighted when I discovered the “Flutterby Petite Tutti Frutti Pink Butterfly Bush”. It is the perfect size for smaller gardens and still works well in larger gardens too. It does not produce seeds which makes it acceptable in most every state. What is does produce is an abundance of flowers that attract bees and flutterbys! We love it! Thank-you!
Happy Birthday, Mary! Hope your day is blessed. Your garden is stunning.
Daylilies and Hydrangeas What could be better.? Everything in the garden looks so lush this morning after some rain yesterday. I went out and cut enough various blooms to make three bouquets for the house. Some of my Oripet lilies are as big as luncheon plates. Mixed with some Calla lilies, Dahlias. beebalm and ferns I filled a large white ironstone soup tureen. So pretty on the little island in my kitchen. A variety of daylilies were mixed wit powis castle artemisia and another bunch of beebalm made a small bouquet for a powder room. This afternoon is in the 90s so I am so glad I got out early! Happy first day of summer.
Your garden is wonderful Mary, your flowers absolutely an inspiration.
Oh my heart! I am sitting on the bench in front of your Potting Shed… don’t mind me… I’m just admiring it ALL!
Happy Birthday Mary! Enjoy every single minute!
Your photos are so engaging. Just love meandering thru your presentations. Thank you.
Mary, Mary, How your garden does grow! Soooooo beautiful! I do love day lilies as they “keep on giving” and yours are spectacular, as is everything else. Happy Birthday! ♥️ All your gifts are very special and so like you! Well, I caved and finally ordered that darling birdhouse, I could resist no longer. I justified it by saying it’s an early anniversary gift from me to me, to celebrate our 30th on July 7th. Thank you for a wonderful garden tour, a pure delight. Hugs! P.S. I bought a large Coleus plant in honor of you and am enjoying it’s vivid color! 😁
Your day lilies are so pretty. Gorgeous post! I enjoy your gardening ad potting shed posts.