Meditation Circle
Today’s weather could not have been more perfect to have a group of friends visit the garden, walk the meditation circle and share a potluck lunch. Cloudless blue skies, low humidity and temperatures in the mid-seventies made for a fine day to be outside.
Inside the labyrinth Penstemon (Beardtongue) hybrids are blooming this week and buzzing with bees.
Penstemons In Meditation Circle
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ delineates a long stretch of path near an outer edge. Its color is deep and rich violet-purple. Its loose form means it sprawls over into the paths on either side, making it necessary to trim the overhanging flower stalks to help keep visitors safe when walking the labyrinth.
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)
Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ (Beardtongue)
Marking several turnaround points in the labyrinth is another penstemon cultivar, Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red.’ This variety has a tighter and more upright form, making it more suitable and requiring less maintenance in the narrow space between the paths. Both Penstemon cultivars remained green during this past mild winter.
Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue)
The garden has transitioned away from the focus on roses and irises, but a few Bearded Irises linger.
German Bearded Iris
German Bearded Iris
German Bearded Iris
Yesterday the garden’s peony opened. This is ‘Pink Parfait.’
Peony Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait’
pbmGarden 
Gorgeous flowers. Bees must love your yard!
Thank you. The penstemon seems to be quite attractive to bees. And they like the tradescantia too.
I love penstemons, and these look so big and healthy! (I have given up trying to grow them as they often succumb to our bitter winters.) A lovely colour too. Your irises have lasted well and that peony is beautiful! Thanks for a lovely post again!
Thanks! Too bad you’ve had to give up penstemons, but you sure have quite a great variety of plants. Glad you stopped by.
The Penstemon mexicali ‘Pike’s Peak Purple’ has just a lovely pure colour. They are difficult to find here but gorw well. The white Iris is also lovely. I want to get more Iris, I’m going to have to be be strict with myself. Christina
Oh Christina, feel free to indulge when it comes to irises!
I am taken with that meditation circle. It looks better every time I see it.
My irises are still in the coming up stage.
Thanks Sandy. The meditation circle added a nice focal point to the garden and a nice place to just be. I may always be experimenting with the various plantings but perhaps that’s the nature of gardening.
It’s nice to anticipate the irises. Hope they do well for you this year. I’m already missing mine as they quickly wane.
I’ll have to grow some Penstemons for the bees. Are they invasive? I have Bee balm in the garden and they spread like weeds.
Do give penstemon a try. I don’t think they’re invasive but it is always safest to check lists for your area. Bee balm does spread easily in my garden too but it’s native here and not too hard to pull up when I need some room.