Summer Garden: Dahlia, Lilies, and Hydrangea

Although it did rain quite a bit just a few days ago, the long rainy season in Western Oregon is finally over, and the days will now become sunny and hot.  I was out in my garden this weekend, taking note of all the blooming excitement while I did some weeding.  Are you familiar with dahlias?  They come in what seems like an infinite variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.  I picked this one for both its shape and color, neither of which I know the name of.

 

These lilies started out with just six bulbs about three years ago and have more than doubled since then.  I'm thinking I'm going to be moving some of them out of this bed and start a new one somewhere else.

Below is the first of the hydrangea blooms - I love the contrast of these newly sprouting colors!  Funny thing is, when I first planted this hydrangea the flowers were a deep rich blue, and they have since turned purple!