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| Vitex |
A favorite of this hummingbird clearwing moth, the Vitex was an impulse purchase last year. I love the way it's filled out. Although, I'm a bit worried I may have placed it a little too close to the house. An amateur mistake that I still routinely make!
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| Provence lavender |
I have this lavender planted under some roses, and I love it when they bloom. Right now, the roses are going through a resting phase, but the lavender still makes this area a beauty to see.
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| Salvia |
Spiky salvias are always lovely to see in the garden. I have several different types, and are continually adding to my collection.
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| Stokesia (Stokes aster) |
Another plant that is fairly new to me, Stokesia brings a smile to my face with its big, fat, beautiful blooms. It seems to make the butterflies smile, too!
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| Hydrangea |
Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, whether they're pink, purple or blue. This year mine are a mix of colors. How fun!
My garden has the blues. It's a very happy place!
I bet your blues would make everyone happy! I love Vitex agnus castus, yours is paler than mine (which isn't showing any sign of bloom yet) but I like yours even more! It could easily become a rather large bush/small tree if untended, but you can prune it. I can't believe your roses are over already! How further away is your season there????
ReplyDeleteI should probably prune the Vitex, but I wouldn't mind it being tall - just not too large around! May here is definitely summer! In fact, usually around July or August everything goes dormant from the heat. The roses have been blooming since the end of February - one month earlier than last year! They'll start blooming again after a little rest.
DeleteThese blues are stunning! My hydrangeas are budding except for the Oakleaf which is blooming. Yours are gorgeous hues.
ReplyDeleteI just love hydrangeas, and this year with all the different colors, I think I love them even more!
DeleteSo lovely to see all the blues in your garden, you're quite ahead of us with your blooms. At this rate though, with all the rain & hail we've been having, we'll have ponds instead of plants. Your garden fills me with hope xx
ReplyDeleteRain and hail!!! Oh, I hope it quits for you soon and you get some lovely sunshine!
DeleteI love those soft hues!
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with soft hues this year. Usually I love the bright and bold!
DeleteBeautiful blue blooms. I have Salvia blooming also that I need to get photos of. They always look so pretty and the Lavender is starting to bloom for me too. Your Aster bloom is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
I do love salvia - no matter the cultivar. And I'm always surprised with the lavender blooms! For some reason I always expect it to die on me!
DeleteSuch wonderful pastel colours. I love your blues.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think blues in the garden so with any shade!
Deletealoha,
ReplyDeletelove all your bluesy blues, thanks for letting us take a peek this morning:)
Thanks for peeking! :)
DeleteYour Hydrangeas are lovely, what a treat to have so many colors at one time!
ReplyDeleteIt was a surprise to see them blooming in these different colors. The reason why will be a post, I'm sure!
DeleteI just love that insect that looks like a flying shrimp lol 8p
ReplyDeleteThe first time I saw one, I didn't know what it was but I was enchanted to see it flying over my flower like an hummingbird, it was such a magic encounter! I've found on the internet what it was and I think it's one of the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Lovely! 8)
I love those little creatures, too. Such interesting things. I hadn't thought about it looking like a flying shrimp, though! But you're right! Now I'll think about shrimp when I see them!
DeleteHello, Holly! your lavender and salvia are so lovely, The color is so tender.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nadezda. They are wonderful compliments to the other blooms in my garden.
DeleteGorgeous blues, Holley... Don't think we have any blues now.. WELL---we do have some blue Pansies blooming. So---I guess we do have some blues here too...
ReplyDeleteLove your blues!!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
My pansies are still blooming, too! Which is odd - I would have thought by now the pansies would be sulking. Guess we've had just enough cool to keep them happy. :)
DeleteAbsolutely love the blues!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the Hummingbird Moth!
I have seen several hummingbird moths this year (Or one very, very, very busy one!). It's so fun to see them!
DeleteLovely blue flowers. The only blues in my garden at the moment are forget-me nots and the occasional iris. Everything seems to be on hold at the moment whilst we're having such cold, wet weather.
ReplyDeleteMy irises bloomed months ago - except for one yellow iris that decided to bloom today! haha I wonder why it's so late!
DeleteI love those vitex trees, to me they look a little like a lilac crossed with a brillo pad. They are tree sized though, you know? Right? Might be good to move him now while still not a tree?
ReplyDeleteYes, I know. And yes, I'm certain I should move it. Now. But will I? Not sure - I'm pretty lazy. I really don't mind it getting big there, as long as the roots don't hurt my foundation. So, if the roots get big tell me, and I'll overcome my laziness! :)
DeleteYou certainly do have the blues. I have never seen Vitex before. Very pretty! And I love the Stokes Aster. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I bought the Vitex. It's funny - I never really noticed them before I bought it, now I see them everywhere!
DeleteYes, beautiful shades of blue! That Aster is a pretty variety. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the aster, and hope it increases every year. The butterflies really love it!
DeleteAll the blues of your garden look exceptionally happy! The lavender especially puts a smile on my face. There are a couple gardeners here in Austin that are growing it successfully. I'm hoping to find the variety and give it a go. It smells so good!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your lavender. I had heard Provence was a good type for Texas. However, mine is in a raised bed, so the water drains well there. And I have some Spanish lavender in an area that has some sandy soil, and it is doing well, too. So, maybe put some rocks or sand at the bottom of the hole? I hope yours does well.
DeleteThanks for stopping by over at my blog Holley; I was glad to see a Vitex in your post, a plant I have wanted for many years. I am actively working on a space..always a space issue! A few years ago I saw one espaliered on a stone wall at Wave Hill BG in New York.Very effective !
ReplyDeleteOh, espaliered - what a great idea!!! Now I'm wondered exactly what I should do with mine! I hope you get your Vitex. I can't believe how much it draws the butterflies and hummingbird moths!
DeleteGorgeous colours for spring... well nearly summer I guess! Could you send a little heat my way, we are shivering with a cold snap today!
ReplyDeleteYes, nearly summer. My garden is definitely getting into its summer mode. If I could send you some heat, I surely would!
DeleteHolley I love your blues...mine are still just peeking out and hoping for more flowers to finally show...it is heating up here so we should be bursting soon...but the weeds...oh the weeds...
ReplyDeleteDonna, I know what you mean about the weeds. Seem like they are always the first to appear. Which is so discouraging for the gardener!
DeleteYour blues are just brilliant. Loved them all! How lucky you are to have these wonderful blooms.
ReplyDeleteI do love blues in the garden. They look nice and don't scream 'look at me' like some of the other colors in my garden.
DeleteI do love the blues of May. Yours are divine.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Layanne.
DeleteI saw two Vytex in a botanical garden in Gainesville Fl. They were huge. I would say about 20 feet tall. That scared me as mine is now about six foot tall and blooming profusely. Very pretty. I looked it up on the web and you can trim it back after each flush of blooms.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Vytex gets that tall you can't een see the flowers that high up. Six feet is better. Mine also is darker blue than yours.
So, I will trim my back and see what happens.
I had read about trimming them back, too. I don't know exactly what I'll do - I guess I'll have some time to decide how tall I want it to get. I do see some that are around 10 ft. tall here, but I don't think I've seen any much taller than 12 ft or so. The one at the botanical garden must have been a beautiful sight!
DeleteI love finding blue in the garden. I think I will be adding Vitex to my garden.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got this one last year, they only had two offered for sale. When I was at the garden center a few days ago, I noticed they had 20 or more of them! I think it's good that they're becoming more popular. It's an interesting and beautiful plant.
DeleteOh - this post is punching my buttons - in that good way. Blue flowers are my absolute favorites in any form...Bluebonnets, BlueBells, iris, hydrangea, salvia - they all make me a little weak in the knees!
ReplyDeleteI've been debating planting a variant of Vitex that does well here (Central Texas) out front but hesitated due to a few reports of them potentially becoming invasive. Their long lasting blooms here are sure welcome during the hotter months when everything else seems to shut down. Thanks for sharing yours - and happy GBBD!
I love blues, too, and was reading a book about an entirely blue bed. I think that would be so beautiful and relaxing, but I'm not good at sticking to one color. Interesting information about the cultivar that becomes invasive. Always good to do a little research!
DeleteBeautiful! I love hydrangeas too (as you can see :) ) and I especially like the blue ones. Love your garden blues!
ReplyDeleteI love hydrangeas, and since mine are usually blue, I'm loving the pink ones!
DeleteI have some Provence lavender, too. I waiting to see if mine wintered over or are a lost cause. Yours look great!
ReplyDeleteI hope yours wintered over. Mine are evergreen here, which makes it especially nice to plant in front of the roses.
DeleteThe blues are lovely in your garden and encompass some plants I am envious of because I can't grow them like lavender and stokesia.
ReplyDeleteI am envious of a lot of things in your garden, because I have so little shade in mine! Isn't it funny that it seems we always want ALL the plants we see! haha :)
DeleteI am eagerly waiting for my Hydrangeas to bloom. Your's are beautiful. And I love that shot of the vitex!
ReplyDeleteIt's always wonderful to see the hydrangeas bloom. And the vitex gets prettier every day! I am quite taken with it!
DeleteI cannot have enough blue in the garden. I have not heard of the Vitex before... I will have to look it up. Happy GBBD... hum... week :)
ReplyDeleteI should do a post about the Vitex. It is a real pollinator magnet!
DeleteHappy belated GBBD! Your blooms are looking wonderful. I’m also enjoying that hummingbird clearwing moth. I have never seen, nor heard, of that little creature before. Thank you for sharing with someone up in Zone 5.
ReplyDeleteI have seen several of those around this year, but I can remember the first time I ever saw one - it's quite an interesting looking creature!
DeleteI love that first photo! The moth turned out so clear and vibrant! I have never grown vitex. I'm thinking it doesn't grow here. I do grow stokes asters.
ReplyDeleteStokes aster is not well known here, although I don't know why. It has such a beautiful bloom!
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