Garden Blogger's Bloom Day July 2014

It's been a surprising year in my gardens with a record cold winter slowing down the spring blooms to the point that we have a Bluebonnet in July.  No kidding, this early March bloomer has surprised with a bloom as we near the hottest time of year.  I'm joining Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and sharing blooms in my garden for July.

So far we have not reached the 100F mark this year.  Not bad and I will take it.  Amazing since recent summers have seen record heat.  A cold front from the north might bring even cooler temperatures and a welcomed bit of summer rain to the garden this week.

A walk around the garden causes the hundreds of Queen butterflies to flit about.  They quickly resettle on the Gregg's Mistflower which has to be the best butterfly plant ever.

Yellow Cestrum takes it all in stride and blooms continuously throughout the summer.

When the butterflies are not on the Gregg's Mistflower they are enjoying Gomphrena 'Fireworks'.

Henry Duelberg Salvia keeps on blooming through the heat.

This wildflower showed up in the garden last year and I have identified it as a Palafoxia and tentatively as P. arida but more study is needed.

Nolina Lindheimeri has been blooming for a month in the crevice garden.

A few views of all the color in the circle garden.  The red flowers are Gomphrena 'Strawberry Fields'.

Last fall I scored some Cosmos seeds from the now-closed gardens at The Antique Rose Emporium and they are blooming away in the sun.  I look forward to having these reseed to keep them going for the future as a memory of those wonderful gardens.

Russian Sage blooms quite well in the heat though it looks a bit faded in the sun.

The Butterfly vine drapes over the front fence with its bright yellow flowers and aptly named seeds.

A White Spiderlily has bloomed in the side courtyard garden.  I am enjoying a procession of blooms from these plants which were shared by gardening friends.

This time of year the bright red and gold Pride of Barbados flowers are screaming for attention all over town.

Four-nerve daisy blooms through both heat and cold and picks up the colors of the Yucca Color Guard out by the street.

The newly planted Damianita brave the heat with a few blooms.  Eventually they will grow into large mounds of gold flowers.  Ending this post as I often do with a gratuitous shot of the Agave ovatifolia which is not a bloom but it sure looks like one to me.

You can join Carol and many other bloggers from all over the world at May Dreams Gardens to share or enjoy what's blooming in our gardens for July 2014.