Wildfires, Clematis & A Too Blue Garden

May Night Salvia, Dame's Rocket, Lupines

Too hot and too smoky to do much of anything today... other than rejoice that I have central air. It's 100 degrees and I can't remember the last time it rained. Smoke from wildfires rise above the meadow, clouding the mountain view.

More May Night Salvia (love that stuff!) Flax, Painted Daisies, Catmint

It occurs to me, as I wander aimlessly around the yard that my new garden patches are too, too blue. Shades of blue and purple are lovely but they need white, yellow, pink, etc. in order to really 'pop.'

No matter how often I march into the nursery vowing I'll buy accent-color perennials, I invariably lose my willpower when confronted with something else that is purple or blue.

Clematis (Climbing Vine)

Sometimes I get it right: I tucked a crimson Dianthus into this spot just to shake things up a little. Now a lot of gardeners would frown on this, thinking pink or yellow would be a tamer, more acceptable combination. Which is precisely, why I chose red. :))

*This photo is deceiving. I stood on top of my fence and shot this pointing down. Practically broke my neck doing it, too! You see, I got a new camera and I'm all enamoured with my brand new toy.

Clematis is a hardy, climbing vine that would much prefer a shadier spot. If the stars had aligned that would have been the case but the young sapling I planted next to it, kicked the bucket. Clematis live for 30 or so years, the perfect accessory for a scrawny new tree. They'll weave themselves into the branches and flower like crazy.

Note the large bud next to the bloom. In another week or so there will be at least 50 of these palm-size purple flowers sprucing up my fence.