Hi GPODers!
Maxine Brisport in Rotterdam, New York, is back with another summer garden update. Maxine has shared her vibrant garden many times over the years (Small Garden Guests in Maxine’s Garden, Hot-Season Flowers in Maxine’s Garden, and Blooms in Maxine’s Garden—just to name a few), but most recently she sent some highlights from the start of the peak season (Early Summer in Maxine’s New York Garden, Part 1 and Part 2). Today she is back to showcase the abundance that unfolds in the heat of midsummer.
Our midsummer garden is a vibrant tapestry, a kaleidoscope of colors that erupts in every direction. Bright yellow cup plants stand tall, their cheerful faces attracting buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies. The sweet, heady perfume of roses mingles with the subtle scent of the lilies, creating an intoxicating aroma that fills the air. The gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze, accompanied by the chirping of birds, forms a natural soundtrack that enhances the peaceful ambiance. Every corner of the garden is overflowing with life, a testament to the abundance and joy of summer.
Thank you,
Maxine Brisport
This photo epitomizes what Maxine calls a “kaleidoscope of colors.” Diverse foliage mixes and melds together, while a gorgeous array of pink, white, and yellow blooms adds layers of brightness.
Not to be underestimated, leaves can also add some bold hues to a peak-season garden. This moody, black foliage appears to be that of a ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ black snakeroot (Cimicifuga ramosa ‘Hillside Black Beauty’, Zones 6–9). If so, later in the summer this plant will produce tall spires of fluffy white flowers.
In another part of the garden, the bright white blooms of a ‘Casa Blanca’ lily (Lilium ‘Casa Blanca’, Zones 5–8) glow with some baby blue bigleaf hydrangea blooms (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 6–9).
More hydrangeas, this time the panicle form (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8), created a flurry of white flowers in front of bright red bursts of bee balm.
On the opposite side of the strawberry red bee balm, these light pink lilies are covered in big blossoms.
In a few months, red and green decor will signal the start of the holiday season, but right now these colors celebrate the heat of summer. Rich green foliage marries wonderfully with the bright blooms of ‘Lucifer’ crocosmia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Zones 6–9).
To keep the hot hues going, ‘Pieton’ lily (Lilium ‘Pieton’, Zones 3–8) and Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum × superbum, Zones 5–9) make for a cheerful combination in front of the golden foliage of a ‘White Gold’ bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Tndicwg’, Zones 4–8).
I absolutely adore that Maxine includes as many colors as possible in her garden. She hits every color in the rainbow, from the brightest reds to the vibrant purple of this Stokes’ aster (Stokesia laevis, Zones 5–9).
Lastly, alongside that Stokes’ aster is more bee balm to attract even more pollinators. This cultivar has produced an incredible number of blooms this year in a lovely shade of pink.
Just as she did for her early summer submission, Maxine sent a plethora of lovely scenes from her garden in midsummer. Check back in with Garden Photo of the Day tomorrow as we return to Rotterdam to see more!
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