Saltwater Sounds: Saying Goodbye to July
Welcome to Saltwater Sounds, a collection of ideas, tips, and inspiration. Here, I share everything happening in the world of Shiplap and Shells, what’s to come, and the inspiration I’ve found from other bloggers.
This and That
How are you spending your last weekend of July?
The weather has been nice and cool this past week, perfect for gardening. The forecast calls for rain and a high of 67°F on Monday. The garden will love it!
I promise I’m not trying to rub it in. I know there are so many of you out there who are still trying to beat the heat. My father-in-law reported a high of 114°F in Las Vegas a few days ago.
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Do you have sleeping bees in your garden? Every evening, I walk the cut flower garden and find bumble bees sleeping on the zinnia, strawflower, and dahlia flower heads.
The sleeping bees are usually males. After just a few days of maturing, they leave the nest and never return. They live away from the colony, feed on nectar, and look for a mate.
We’re getting ready to take a big boat trip in a couple of weeks. Next month, we’re heading to the San Juan Islands and Canada, BC and I can’t wait to share the fun with you.
We’re going to The Butchart Gardens again! I always get so much inspiration when we visit.
If you know the area, I’d love to hear any ideas on places we should see on the trip.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful.” – Luther Burbank
Around the Garden and Greenhouse
The cottage garden is looking amazing right now. Most of my summer flowers bloom during the last week of July and the first week of August, so there’s quite a lot of variety and color in the garden right now.
The daisies will start fading in a week or two and the black-eyed Susans just started blooming. This is when they are overlapping and both flowering in the garden similtaniously.
The hydrangea’s colors are starting to fade a bit, and the sedum autumn joy flower heads are becoming more distinctive.
The yarrow summer berry mix is now in full bloom and makes a perfect companion plant for the Victorian Wedding and Precious Metal zinnia varieties.
I love how these pastel flowers play off of each other.
Sunflowers bring so much color to the garden. I have one right now that is well over 10 feet tall, which is definitely a record for me.
I am growing Victorian Wedding and Precious Metals zinnias in this raised bed. The bees like to sleep here the most in the evenings.
The cut flower garden is bustling, and there are many colors! These are the lilliput zinnias.
I also have an entire raised bed of State Fair Gold Metal zinnias.
These are so beautiful in person!
The picture above is a spider flower. This is the first time I’ve grown these, and the jury is still out on whether I want to grow them again. Leave me a comment and let me know if I should keep them or move on.
This blue glitter Eryngium is another new variety for me. I love how these look in a flower arrangement. The germination rate for this flower was about 60%.
I know I’ve been showing you my white coneflowers, but now the black-eyed Susans are starting to bloom around them.
The purple coneflowers (echinacea) were a little slow blooming this year, but it was worth the wait.
The black-eyed Susans have only been in bloom for a week or so.
The hydrangeas still look beautiful, but some of the plant’s blooms are starting to fade.
The only thing I’m not happy with in the garden this year is my dahlias. They are slow to bloom, and many, including the cafe au lait dahlias, have no flowers yet.
It’s always so amazing how different our gardens look from year to year, isn’t it? What’s happening in your garden?
Garden Supplies and Tools
Check out my favorite garden supplies and tools for the growing season. Whether you’re looking for potting soil or deer repellent, you’ll find what I use in my own garden.
My Gardening Tool and Product Favorites
From the Blog
19 Ways to Create a Charming Cottage-Style Kitchen
Have you considered transforming your kitchen into a more relaxed and cozy space? I’ll show you 19 simple ways to create a charming cottage-style kitchen… CONTINUE READING.
August Gardening Tips and To-Dos
Looking for ways to keep your summer garden productive and healthy while starting to prepare for the fall season? I’ll show you some August gardening tips and to-dos for your Pacific Northwest garden that will give you the best results for setting your garden up for success… CONTINUE READING.
Flower of the Week
Hydrangeas
Why should you grow hydrangeas in your garden? Here are a few reasons.
Big and Beautiful Blooms
Hydrangea bloom colors include white, green, pink, and blue, often changing throughout the season.
Versatility
They thrive in various climates and soil types, making them a versatile choice for many gardeners.
Cut Flowers
Hydrangeas make gorgeous cut flowers for indoor arrangements, allowing you to bring the beauty of your garden inside.
Variety of Types
There are many different types of hydrangeas, such as mophead, lace cap, and panicle, and each one offers unique flowers and growth habits. This lets you choose the best type for your garden’s specific conditions.
Gorgeous Dried Flowers
Hydrangeas look so pretty when dried, and it’s so easy to do. Use your dried flowers for fall or holiday decor.
Let me know if you have any questions about these charming flowers. You can read more about growing and maintaining hydrangeas in my blog post.
Gardening Question of the Week
How Can I Improve the Drainage in My Garden Soil?
Let’s Plan Your Dream Garden With Our
Gardening Planner
Unlock Your Garden’s Potential.
Our 35-page Ultimate Garden Planner is designed to help you organize, track, and flourish in your gardening endeavors.
My Favorite Inspiration Around the Web This Week
Lemon and White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Lavender
Easy Crepe Paper Flowers for Beginners
The Best Summer Peach Recipes
Sunflower Pillow: Easy No-Sew Project with Scrap Fabrics
Here’s everything you need to know about using chalk paint.
I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to see on the blog! Thank you for being here.
Until next time,
Wishing a wonderful week ahead,
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Hi Kim-
I LOVE spider flower but have had trouble growing from seed.
It comes in pink also and I just love the shape/tendrils/sticky out parts. It is supposed to self seed, they say. Not sure about that.
I still have not gotten your Tuesday emails, but I still would like them.
Take care-
Wendy Dykema
Hi Wendy! So good to hear from you. Thank you for your opinion on spider flowers. Mine were from seed and grew quite quickly. I can’t wait to tell you if they come back next year. As for the Tuesday emails, you are not missing a thing. It turned out that I just didn’t get organized enough to send out an additional email on Tuesdays but I will be sending them out starting January 2025. Sorry for the tease.
Kim, Love Cleome or spider flower for its height and texture it adds to gardens. However, plant once and you will have volunteers for years if you don’t really disturb you soils. Massed in a bed by itself as it is at our state fair grounds (In Vermont ) and it really does look like fireworks erupting
Thank you so much Janet! I’m so happy that I have them planted in smaller containers where they can be more contained. They are very unique looking flowers.