Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2011
This is my first Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day ever, so welcome to the new people that I assume will visit Altroverde.
We had the hottest days of the year this july, temperatures up to 37°C (circa 99°F) damp air but not enough rain. Crazy. Anyway I put aside some nice pictures for you in these days, I think from now on (and for the next 3-4 months) the Grasses Garden is at its best.
Miscanthus sin. 'Ferne Osten' is rather short but the first in bloom in my garden. I love the way it captures light and shine.
The main bed of grasses is half-moon shaped and plants are massed as to create a kind of waves. Here you can see Molinia caerulea 'Transparent' creating a watermark over Panicum virg. 'Shenandoah'
Panicum v. 'Shenandoah' on the left, echinacea p. 'Rubinzwerg', a very small (yet) rosa glauca and at the bottom the nice leaves of helianthus salicifolius.
Similar view but from another point. Here are perowskia atriplicifolia and calamagrostis acutiflora 'Stricta' in addition
Moving towards the pool you can see the reverse of the bed above. I left that thistle (cirsium vulgaris) on the right because I find it interesting. I like a lot veronicastrums as well. The white one at the bottom is just the ‘Alba” form.
Next to the thistle a fucsia salvia greggii is capturing its fluffy seeds with its sticky flowers that look rather indignant by the way they keep the mouth closed
My tools for weeding left on the bench: water, cigarettes, cap and the yellow weed-eater bin.
By the pool the lotus (nelumbo nucifera) has finally bloomed. Unfortunately I only saw it closed at mornings and evenings
Until you come home one fine day and find the lotus has just faded without saying goodbye
Hydrangea paniculata 'Vanilla et Fraise' is in bloom. It has a h.p. 'Phantom' very close but this variety is the one I prefer: purple stems, very exuberant in full sun too, big fully vanilla flowers that age to strawberry tones.
Last but not least a far echinacea p. 'White Swan' seen trough blue veronica longifoglia curly flowers and deschampsia caespitosa 'Goldtau' golden laces.
Thank you for passing by and eventually dropping a line.
Do you really want to end up biting your lips for envy?? Follow the link and see what is blooming in gardens around the World thanks to Carol from May Dreams Gardens and Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day.
AltroVerde 
I love your use of grasses and what you have created in your garden. Beautiful! Happy GBBD 🙂
Happy GBBD, Alberto! Greetings from Zone 5 in MI.
Your grasses are absolutely wonderful. Do you have a lot of wind in your area? I can just imagine them dancing and singing in the breeze.
What a beautiful and romantic garden… your pictures make one feel like they were actually in the garden… I’m trying to figure out where the garden is located… Italy perhaps? L
The paths and plantings are looking just terrific Alberto! The lotus bloom is intriguing — even the bud is complex and mysterious. Will it bloom again? Great post– try to keep cool!
Folks, I am very sorry, I’ve been in bed with fever the whole weekend, and the post of the 15th actually has been in programmed publishing since the day before. The only thing I could do was to moderate your comments by the iPhone APP to see them online.
Today I start working again and it’s been quite hard. I will take some time tomorrow to spend on your blogs too.
Thanks a lot for your comment!
Jane: yes it’s very hot but fortunately it’s rather windy too, so the grasses are always in movement it’s hard to catch them on camera!
Larry: this is Italy. Venice county to be precise (so not the Venice on-the-water). I don’t see anything romantic on my garden, I prefer seeing it tough and masculine, there’s a lack of flowers and I’m ok with it. I have to ask you something about an hydrangea I saw on your blog but tomorrow.
Linniew: to be politically correct I will take your ‘terrific’ as a compliment but I’m not sure it is… 😉
Hi Alberto, I’ve never really understood the attraction of grasses or how to use them. But looking at your blog is encouraging me. My problem is that in a wet climate with long summer evenings, grass is the enemy….and I don’t know how I can use grass in a wild garden without it getting out of control. I’ll keep reading and perhaps I will find out.
Dear Kininvie, at the beginning I was very skeptical about grasses too. When I started using them, by the way, I fell in love immediately. I didn’t catch why you see grasses as an enemy. You should try at least a miscanthus and then you’ll see. There’s plenty of grasses you can choose for your conditions that don’t self-seed.
Don’t think I could cope with that heat. We Irish are’nt genetically disposed to it. Your garden is really beautiful. Thanks for sharing it.
Bridget I am very sorry, your comment went straight to the spam without me noticing! I’ve just seen it and recovered!
I am not very disposed to heat too but I have to live with it, you don’t know how quickly I would pack my stuff and move northern!
fever? It’s boring…
I would very glad to come soon there and see your beautiful garden…
Sofia! Ciao! Che piacere sentirti! Febbre altissima, povero me, mi ha messo fuori uso per giorni.
Sai che siete sempre i benvenuti, quindi per me passate quando volete! Ma veramente… non ero io che stavo aspettando un invito da voi? 🙂
Alberto – I can see how Piet inspires you. I didn’t think that type of planting could be replicated easily in a back garden but you are doing a good job there.
Bag I think this is the best compliment you can tell me. I know I’m far away from Oudolf but I studied his works a lot and surely I picked up something good.
Alberto I was so sorry to read that you have been sick. And then to not need the Lamborghini key either, what luck. I keep hearing about Oudolf online– even on the dreaded Twitter! Hope you are feeling great and enjoying your beautiful garden again now!
I know you are trying to corrupt me with twitter, aren’t you? I know you have more important things to worry about than my fever: Tillie for example (keep her away from chickens, please!) or wild lions on public parks where unaware people get married…
BTW I get sick with the same frequency my parents or white whales couple, which means every 4 years or so. Don’t worry I’m working hard on the new rose garden again.
I love the layout of your garden, and the sweeping space you seem to have. Beautiful grasses and perennials…
Thanks Masha, I actually have room for several plants and experiments but it involves a lot of work to do when only weeding seems to be my principal duty…