African Garden + summer

July '13 Bloom Day
Clematis 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' and 'Madame Julia Correvon' on the recently stained arch

Well, I'm back from England and still jet lagged, so this late Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post will be severely truncated. The above photo was taken shortly before we left, but both Clematis are still blooming well. It's finally feeling like a good, old-fashioned Midwestern summer. It's currently 91F/33C with a dew point of 73F, giving the garden a jungle-like feel. While the mosquitoes had been held at bay by the cooler weather and constant rain, the big flood a few weeks ago followed by warmer, drier weather has resulted in a bumper crop of the nasty bloodsuckers (another reason for the lack of photos). Gardening activities have been severely curtailed until further notice.
The garden is in full summer mode, with the daylilies taking center stage.

Hemerocallis 'Druid's Chant' taken on my iPhone on July 15

They are all in bud or bloom now, except for 'Chosen Love', which bloomed while we were gone. While I missed the blooms on the Papaver somniferum, there is yet a bud waiting in the wings.

Also in bloom on July 15:
Aquilegia vulgaris 'Heart of Gold Strain', 'Woodside Blue' (this is quite unusual)
Astilbe 'Veronica Klose'
Astrantia 'Abbey Road'
Callirhoe involucrata
Calycanthus floridus 'Athens'
Campanula persicifolia 'Blue-Eyed Blonde', 'Grandiflora Alba', 'Telham Beauty'
Campanula 'Samantha', 'Sarastro'
Clematis 'Betty Corning', 'Evipo 031' (Bonanza™), 'Evisix' (Petit Faucon™), 'Fairy Blue' (Crystal Fountain™), 'Natascha', 'Rhapsody', 'Silver Moon', 'Venosa Violacea',
Coreopsis Big Bang Series 'Star Cluster'
Dianthus 'Cranberry Ice'
Echinacea purpurea
Geranium 'Blogold' (Blue Sunrise™), 'Bob's Blunder', 'Jolly Bee', 'Gerwat' (Rozanne™)
Hemerocallis 'Little Grapette', 'Pink Lavender Appeal', 'Woodside Amethyst', mystery yellow
Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie', 'Citronelle', 'Frosted Violet', 'Havana', 'Raspberry Ice'
Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears', 'Candy Hearts', 'Rainforest Sunrise'
Hydrangea 'Bailmer' (Endless Summer™), 'Blue Billow', 'Little Honey', 'Penny Mac', 'Snow Queen', 'PIIHM-1' (Twist-n-Shout™)
Knautia 'Thunder and Lightning'
Lavandula 'Hidcote' (I went there!!)
Lilium 'Purple Prince' and a very tall yellow trumpet I got from Frances of Fairegarden
Phlox paniculata 'Nicky'
Platycodon grandiflorus
Ruellia humilis

I'm enjoying looking at the garden through the window from inside my air conditioned house. Happy Summer!

Bloom Day is hosted every month by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.