Flower frolic

Daylilies. Perennial, full sun, drought hardy, mid-summer bloom. Literally a bazillion different colors and sizes to choose from.

I have never been able to keep my daylilies in the ground long enough to be able to get a huge excellent clump with lots of blooms. I had usually dug them, and split them up to propogate before they could really mature. Until this year.

Give them a bit of water and you will get more and longer lasting blooms.

Dalias. Perrenial, tubor, mid-full sun, likes a bit of water. Again, a bazillion colors are available to choose from.

When I lived in W. Seattle, there was a little bungalow near a pizza restaurant that Jake and I would go to every Friday night before we were blessed/encumbered with child. It was obviously an older lady's house and she had about 80 different kinds of Dalia planted in rigid rows in front of her house. Most of them were those incredably huge, head sized blooms that were almost too heavy for the stalk. I remember she had little "crutches" set up for them so they could hold their blooms up. So, I was dazzled and relieved when I made friends with The Dalia Guy here on Vashon Island. I had him come over with a few of his favorites and they are all wonderful and only one was the obscenely huge variety. I prefer the kind with blooms all over the plant. Nuff said.

Monarda or Bee Balm. Perennial, full sun, drought hardy, bee friendly.

This flower gets my most excellent summer cut flower award this year. The blooms are almost architectural in their complexity and very unusual in a bouquet. They do come in several shades. I have a red and a mauve that really has to be one the most beautiful flowers in the garden. It stands upright about 3 or so feet and makes an impressive display. The initial plant will spread well and becomes a big clump. It took a serious hit and I lost a bit after our tough winter but it seems to have bounced back.