Tired Bones & The Mudroom Bed

As we near the Summer Solstice, the mudroom flowerbed is beginning to turn into a riot of color. While the Cone Flowers have yet to bloom,  most of the Salvias and Penstemon have begun their annual colorful display.

In the front of the bed we have this lovely clump of Cotula Hispida. It was one of the first plants to bloom this Spring. As you can see, a few of its bright yellow ball blooms are just beginning to turn brown.

Here is another early bloomer for us. The bumble bees just love this Salvia Nemorosa "Caradonna". The long, purple bloom stalks have been covered with flying pollinators for at least the last 4 weeks.

Salvia Microphylla "La Trinidad Pink". Each year we cut back on this plant hard - and each year it bounces back and reaches an enormous size once again. even though it is a bit of a garden thug, we love it. It begins to bloom in late May and will bloom all Summer. And the hummingbirds just love it.

Another great Salvia- Salvia Greggii "Nuevo Leon". We have two plants of this lovely, little purple bloomer. 

Down near the front of the bed we have this diminutive Pentstemon Pinifolius "Mersea Yellow". The plant doesn't have the most ideal growth habit, but the yellow blooms make up for it. 

And yet another Salvia. I can't find a tag for this guy. It's much taller plant than our other Salvias and is slowly getting covered with lipstick red blooms. Another Hummingbird favorite.

Our "Princess Diana" Clemitis died over the winter. We replaced it this year with this tender vine Thunbergia Alata "Orange Beauty". This is the first open bloom of the year but the plant is producing a bunch of climbing vines. The trellis should be covered in orange blooms next month.

Lastly, we have two blooming plants of the electric blue Pentemon "Beard Tongue". It is another plant that doesn't have the most desirable growth habit but boy are its blue blooms beautiful. It has been in bloom for over a month now and continues to set new flowering stalks.