Bloomin' Tuesday in the Front Yard Bed

The curb bed in the front is the one I posted on last.  The area by the arbor is what I'm posting on today.  I'm thinking I named this the "bed of many colors" last year.   It used to be the "new bed" but it's not the newest any more.  This is its third summer.  I'm linking in to Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday.   I mixed photos taken a couple days ago with some taken yesterday. 

I've been "shopping" in our garage and shed, finding objects to fill in some of the bare spots, that will be filled in when the plants grow.  The annual seedlings are growing slowly in this area.  I finally decided which Queen Anne's lace seedlings to let grow.  Last year, there was a huge one in the area between the orange perfection phlox and the octopus bellflower.  I didn't realize I'd have its seedlings all over the whole bed.

The painted rock, I got for a good price at a farmers' market.  It says, "peace be with you" on it.  I planted a gateway joe pye weed in the corner where the kiss me over the garden gate was last year.  There are seedlings from it just beyond.  I'm letting a few grow, thinking they won't be quite as big as the one last year.

The octopus bellflower is a cool looking plant, but I have figured out it spreads aggressively.  I am pulling up plants that go beyond where I want them.  It will be an ongoing activity.

So far, the pulling out of the extra plants is worth it for these blooms.  Oh, and I have a pot of them that survived the winter and are blooming.  I forgot to take the photo of the pot that I just placed in one of the bare spots in the curb area.

I don't like the color of this snapdragon as well as the light pink ones. The yarrows have lots of buds.

I need to look at last year's posts to find the name for this lovely clematis. (Added Tuesday evening, 10:45,  I looked at last year's posts, and found the name, Clematis, 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'.)

It's one of my favorite blooms.

The primroses are still blooming.  I placed a pot with cosmos next to it.  I wasn't going to grow cosmos this year, because it takes so long to bloom, but this one is blooming now, and I didn't cut the blooms or buds off like I sometimes do when planting annuals.

This is a coneflower with narrow leaves. 

Here's the plant.  I didn't get a photo of the orange poppies posted.  They sure had a short bloom time. The daisies are doing well, and there are the pink snapdragons and foxglove in the background.

This is the area that used to be a circle bed with an orange, red, and yellow theme.  I am not liking the blanket flower in this bed now.  I still like the pine leaf penstemon here though.

I normally cut back the helleniums so they stay bushy and bloom later in the summer.  I didn't get that done this year.  So far, the plant has a nice shape.  I'll have to deadhead before they start to sprawl.

Here's a view facing west.

This is a different clump of daisies, with the yellow foxglove and a pia hydrangea growing with it.  I'm excited that the hydrangea is going to have lots of blooms this year, instead of just one clump, like it did the first 2 seasons here.

This penstemon, which was part of the circle bed,  is behind the daisies.

The dianthus are going to need to be deadheaded soon.  And, here is the lovely delphinium, towering at over 5 feet tall!

I see it was starting to lean.  I hadn't noticed.  Next year, I'll put a taller stake next to it to support it better.

The foxgloves are doing well this year.  They must like this area, because I've never had them live more than a year or two.  (When I went to Jean's blog to make a link, I saw her awesome foxgloves in her header photo and post.  You need to check them out!)

There are 2 stalks this size on this one, and I see a new little one forming.

I'm glad I took these photos a few days ago, because yesterday, the delphinium snapped in the rain.

At first, I wondered if a squirrel did it, but the bend looks like the stem just couldn't support the weight of the bloom.  I tried to tie it up to a taller stake, but it wouldn't stay.

I decided to cut it, and bring it in.  The vase isn't the best size, but I'm not sure how long the blooms are going to look nice, anyway.

The lighter colored flower buds should open soon.

Happy Tuesday!