I love my garden….
'Rio Bravo' Sage, AZ Yellow Bells and Bougainvillea
Although, it is far from perfect…
- I do have weeds cropping up here and there despite my best efforts to pull them out.
- I don’t always deadhead my flowers on time, if at all
- I have a hidden area in my garden that I NEVER take pictures of (other then a single Bougainvillea shrub, it contains my husband’s shed and the trash cans).
- I don’t always prune my plants at the right time, which is embarrassing because I’m a horticulturist – but they survive anyways. (I’m more of a “Do as I say” then a “Do as I do” person 
This is my favorite time of year because my garden is full of blooming plants. The spring-blooming plants are still flowering AND my summer-blooming plants are beginning to bloom.
I’d love to share with you some of my favorites this time of year in my garden:
Oriental Poppy
I planted Oriental Poppies from seed for the first time this year. They contrast so nicely with the blue/purple of my Bachelor’s Button…
Bachelor's Button
Red Bird-of-Paradise
My Red Bird-of-Paradise has just begun to bloom. It will produce beautiful, vibrant flowers through September. I have mine growing underneath my kitchen window and hummingbirds visit them frequently.
Graham Thomas (David Austin Shrub Rose)
I have three ‘David Austin’ shrub roses. Graham Thomas is my favorite.
Hollyhocks
Another flowering plant that I added this year were hollyhocks. I planted them from seed from a gardening friend in Colorado. My hollyhocks are over 12 feet tall!
Pink Bower Vine
I love the deep pink heart of my pink bower vine. I have them growing up the wall of the entryway to my home.
Gold Lantana
At the base of my pink bower vines, I have gold lantana growing. You can tell that I need to prune them back…
Firecracker Penstemon
This is my favorite plant of all time. Firecracker penstemon blooms in my zone 9 garden beginning in January and lasts through May. Hummingbirds just love it!
Nasturtium
Every year, I plant nasturtiums from seed in my vegetable gardens and in some of my containers. They help to repel damaging insects and I love their bright blooms.
Arizona Yellow Bells
I have a fenced yard, so I have planted large, flowering shrubs in front. I’d much rather look at a flowering shrub then a bare fence, wouldn’t you?
Cosmos, marigolds and nasturtiums growing among bush beans, cucumbers and corn.
Lastly, I also include flowering plants in my vegetable gardens, which attract pollinators and help to repel damaging bugs. I also like how pretty they look, growing among my vegetables.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to view the flowering plants in my garden?
What is blooming in your garden this time of year?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool pictures, Noelle! Thanks for sharing your garden with us!
I love all of your pictures. I want to get some flowers to keep the bad buds away. Thanks for telling me about it.
Diane
Wow, what beautiful flowers you have in your garden! I bet you have tons of butterflies. I had difficulty with nasturtiums because it seemed to hot for them in my zone 7 garden but your zone is even hotter! Maybe I will have to try them again. I also tried the red bird of paradise in a pot but it never did very well. I knew it wouldn’t overwinter here but I thought it would grow and flower during the summer. I love my lantana every year (and so do the butterflies – we raise them in the summer). Hollyhocks are on my list to try – especially since they are a butterfly host plant. I enjoyed your post.
I grew Lantana this year (2012) and was very disappointed in them. My brother grows them and they are a nice mound, mine were all stems and traveled. Not likely will plant them again.