We’re visiting with Joseph today in his northern Indiana garden.

It has been a great summer so far in my garden. Other than one errant hailstorm that tore up my hostas, we’ve had plenty of rain and no excess heat, and things are thriving. Here are some of my favorite things that have been blooming in the garden.

Moon carrot (Seseli gummiferum, Zones 5–9) looks a little like Queen Anne’s lace, but with the volume turned up. It is a biennial I grew from seed. Last year it was just a clump of silvery lacy foliage, and this year it exploded into this display of white umbles. Since it is a biennial I don’t expect the plant to come back next year, but I’ve heard it tends to self-sow, so hopefully I’ll have new ones.

This is either Gentiana septemfida or Gentiana paradoxa (Zones 4–8). I grew both from seed and then got them mixed up, and I honestly don’t know how to tell the two apart. Whichever it is, I’m loving the incredible true-blue flowers on tidy, low-growing plants. The best part is that they start blooming right in the height of summer when I’m ready to have something new and beautiful in the garden.

I really like this particular gentian seedling, with its white throat that contrasts with the dark blue petals.

I planted a bunch of low-growing, drought-tolerant plants in the bed next to the sidewalk, and I am enjoying how they are starting to knit together. Here, hens and chicks (Sempervivum sp., Zones 3–8) and woolly thyme (Thymus serpyllum, Zones 4–8) are getting up close and personal.

I would have had a better display of ‘Scheherazade’ lily (Lilium ‘Scheherazade’, Zones 4–8), but the flowers got pretty damaged by our little hailstorm. But I love the blooms that survived and am looking forward to an even better display next year.

This little harebell (Campanula rotundifolia, Zones 3–6) is a species native all around the northern hemisphere. It has bloomed more or less all summer despite being given a few haircuts by the rabbits.

Every summer I look forward to vespers iris (Iris dichotoma, Zones 5–9) blooming. The flowers are small but are produced in big air clouds, and they open each afternoon around 4 pm. I love seeing them pop open and then watching the bees come by for nectar and pollen.

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