On the 15th of each month, garden bloggers from around the globe post pictures of the things that are blooming in their gardens on that day. I’ve decided to join the crowd and add my own photo montage.

There are a lot of things blooming right now, so I’ll limit mine to the most interesting or different plants. They all happen to be perennial flowers this time.

I’ve started with a vignette of the garden bench under the arbor. You can see the daylilies from this viewpoint, but there are more treasures tucked in that you must approach the bench to see. By the way, these first two plants are great in flower arrangements:

Achillea 'Apricot Delight', a test plant from Blooms of Bressingham, is a winner!

Eryngium 'Big Blue', also from Blooms of Bressingham . . .

In another area of the landscape, in front of my gardening shed, are these bright bloomers:

Tickseed, Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise' looks great behind grey Snow in Summer, Cerastium tomentosum.

Lysimachia 'Alexander' has wonderful variegated foliage and yellow blooms . . .

Closer to the patio, there are a few plants blooming in my favorite yellow/white and blue/purple flower colors. First, in the herb garden:

A closeup of the flowers of lavender 'Hidcote Blue'

And in the perennial border, a plant that blooms in waves all summer and fall, with 3/4-inch white daisies, a Japanese aster. I think more people should use this tidy plant!

Japanese aster, Kalameris integrifolia.

Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'

This Veronica has beautiful spikes of blue-purple flowers that last a long time. Unfortunately, the plants usually get powdery mildew part way through the summer, so the lower foliage looks really bad. I hide this by planting a shorter plant in front. Next to it is a goldenrod that always surprises me by blooming so early (I think of goldenrod as a late summer into fall bloomer). This is the dwarf goldenrod ‘Fireworks’, that only reaches two feet tall.

Solidago 'Fireworks'

Sedum 'Blue Spruce' is a great low groundcover used next to stepping stones . . .

I haven’t shown you annuals, shrubs (Hydrangea!) roses, daylilies, coneflowers, salvia and a host of other plants . . . they are long blooming and will probably still be lookin’ good for the July Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

Happy Gardening, and may you always have a host of blooms in your garden, too!

Sue