New York terrace garden

Planted two months ago on a high floor near Columbus Circle

Buddleja [apparently this is the preferred botanical spelling now after much back and forth] "Adonis Blue", doing well. It was requested for the scent, which is delicious, of course, and the owners have promised to deadhead the flowers before they set seed. That's a lot of deadheading.

Planting in July is not desirable, horticulturally speaking, but this is the city that never sleeps and we have to break such rules of refinement...With plenty of water, as in, more than one would think, everything is doing fine. Buddleja is considered invasive and escapes gardens easily, so I hesitate before using it. Still: it flowers faithfully and long, and smells dwonderful, and is very pretty when surrounded by butterflies. This colour is a knock-out, too.

We had one casualty, a little euphorbia, but otherwise, so far so good. I have had trouble before with euphorbias, which don't seem to like transplanting.

Above, Geranium "Victor Reiter", similar to "Rozanne" is blooming right now - a hardy geranium with delicate flowers, it doesn't appear to be tough, but survives our freezing winters well.

And Symphocarpus "Red Pearl". Symphocarpus, or Snowberry is native to the US and edible, though not pleasant-tasting. Birds eat the berries, though apparently it's not first on their list, either. Their main attraction is ornamental, and in spring hummingbirds are drawn to their flowers...

Now, above...this was new to me and I have, um, forgotten its name, so am contacting the nursery for ID'ing help. It is prostrate, with needly, rosemary-like, shiny leaves and these pure, gentian-coloured, minute flowers, blooming now in September and very happy.

Ed: 9/5/08: this just in from John at Atlantic Nursery:

Lithodora diffusa 'Grace Ward'
sun    Full sun
height    6-12 in.
width    1 ft.
water    Moderate
hardiness     0°

Low trailing perennial, with small hairy dark green leaves, covered in spring
and summer with azure blue flowers.

A little play area for the two small children, and, hidden in the shrubs on the left, a tap to turn on an arching set of water spouts to sprinkle them in hot weather