July colors

Let’s have a short break from the cold stratification with flowers from July 2025, to visually counteract the white, bitterly cold outdoors. There are many plants flowering in July; usually the drought hasn’t installed yet and some of the June flowering plants extend resulting in riot of vivid colors. The seeds collection intensifies in July so there aren’t as many pictures taken like in May. But there are enough for a quick review :)

I will keep the Campanula species separate, for my annual  Progress with the Campanulaceae. Phyteuma orbiculare and Physoplexis comosa also flowered in 2025 so it is going pretty well.
A special note for Campanula rotundifolia Kill. (read more here: Campanula rotundifolia complex). It started to flower in June and kept going until fall! A beautiful tall bellflower (it may need support), with ribbon-like foliage and an abundance of flowers. It can be grown from full sun to part-shaded locations.

Images arranged after location: from sun to part-shade and shade

The majority of the plants shown were grown from seeds. Here’s the breaking down for the germination method:
By sowing in late fall/early winter (cold stratification): Clematis species, Delphinium fissum (seen behind the Centaurea) Swertia perennis, Asclepias exaltata and Zigadenus elegans var. glaucus.

All others: warm germinators (sow in early spring indoors if you use a light stand, otherwise sow in pots in the spring outdoors).
*Lilium species need a warm/cold stratification for complete germination.