Coral Penstemon barbatus
Another beautiful week in the garden. The weather has been hot the past few days, a bit too dry, but thunderstorms are predicted later today through tomorrow. We need the rain!
Highlights in my garden this week (hover over or click photos for ID):
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Lettuce Leaf Poppy (Papaver somniferum)
Coral Penstemon barbatus
Pink Nicotiana alata and Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa)
Hosta ‘Bressingham Blue’ with white Astilbe chinensis
Japanese Iris (I. ensata)
Rosa ‘New Dawn’
Clematis ‘Madame Julia Correvon’
Clematis ‘Cherokee’
I’m linking up with Gillian at Country Gardens UK for her weekly ‘Looking Good’ garden showcase. Click the link to see her and other gardener’s highlights this week.
The Fourth of July is Independence Day here in the U.S. and as everyone is celebrating with fireworks and parades, my arrangement this week reflects the holiday spirit with the patriotic colors of red, white and blue.
For the Stars and Stripes, I have tiny white stars of lady’s bedstraw (Galium triflorum) and red and white stripes of sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), along with starbursts of Blue Allium (A. azureum). 
Trumpets of white foxglove (Digitalis purpurea alba), foamy panicles of meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), umbels of common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and pure white sweet William contrast with bright red sweet William and my first sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), that surprised me by being scarlet! It is the first time I have grown them (inspired by last summer’s IAVOM vases), and I am so pleased I did. They smell heavenly – thanks for the inspiration, ladies!
A note about the sweet William– they came with the house when we arrived 26 years ago and I expect they were planted at least 50 years ago soon after the house was built, coming back faithfully every year at the edge of the woods. Supposedly a biennial, I’ve found these to be perennial, unlike other more recent varieties I have planted.
The vase, fashioned to look like an old-fashioned milk can, is a thrift store find. Hard to see in the photo, but ‘MILK’ is embossed on the front.
Thanks to Cathy at 
A
s highlighted in my 
A few sprigs of catmint (Nepeta mussinii) and stems of common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) complete the arrangement.
The vase, a 
The Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa) is looking great. Its blossoms look like hundreds of white butterflies have alighted on its branches.
And lastly, the catmint (Nepeta mussinii) is putting on a great show and the bees are loving it.
I’m linking up with Gillian at 
I adore the voluptuous, scented blossoms of peonies (Paeonia lactiflora) and wish their all-too-short blooming season would last longer. Today, I deadheaded the terminal buds that have gone by and now have the smaller secondary buds to enjoy. It is supposed to be warm the next few days, so I might have only a week left.
I’ve also added a few oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) and contrasting stems of speedwell – the exquisite cobalt of Veronica ‘Crater Lake Blue.’ This is my absolute favorite speedwell!
Eliza Waters 