Friday, December 11, 2015

New Plantings

Over the past couple of weeks (or so), I've been doing some planting in the vicinity of the new sitting area/gravel circle.  (These photographs don't show today's plantings, but at least they're a step in the right direction.  More photos soon, I hope.)

December Plantings

On the trellis against the fence, I put the two red passionflower vines that I think are probably 'Lady Margaret'.  (One of them even had a couple of open flowers today!)

On the other trellis, it's pink trumpet vine (Podranea ricasoliana).  Both this plant and the passionvines are from Mom's luckily-timed clearance shopping spree.

Though you can't really distinguish it very well in these pictures, I planted the 'Red Heart' rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)-- also from Mom-- between the two trellises.  This variety has single white flowers with red spots in the center.

December Plantings

On the other side of the banana shrub (Magnolia figo, aka Michelia figo), I planted 'Double Purple' rose of Sharon (yet another from Mom).  As the name suggests, the blooms of this cultivar are double and purple-- a lilac type of purple:

Double Purple Rose of Sharon


December Plantings

On either side of the transition from path to sitting area, I planted tiny seedlings of a third type of rose of Sharon-- one with double pink flowers (name unknown).  (These are very small and even more difficult to spot in photos.)

These are cuttings from a tree in Granny W.'s yard.  I rooted them in water and hope they're far enough along to succeed in the ground.  I debated whether to plant them now or keep them in their little nursery pots until spring.  Well, I'll hope for the best.  Meanwhile, there's a third, smaller cutting that's still in a pot and a fourth cutting (smaller still) trying to root in water in my kitchen window.  If the ones I've planted don't do well, maybe one of the others will have better luck.

Meanwhile, I've also planted the Salvia madrensis (forsythia sage) on the south side of the path/circle, where it can get a little shade.  I'm not sure it's the best spot, but we'll give it a try.  Plenty of room for it to grow, there.

Along the fence (see photo below), starting at the bamboo and moving eastward, first there's a Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers'.  I've decided to give them a try in this part of the yard, after all.  I amended the soil around them-- a little-- so maybe it'll work out.  I don't think drainage will be a problem here.  Our poorly-drained soil is along the western and southern sides of the fenced yard.

Next, there's a rose of Sharon (the thing Trixie's standing behind) that volunteered under the single, purple-w/-red-center one we have.  The "single" roses of Sharon apparently have a reputation for self-sowing.  I assume this will turn out to be another purple-w/-red-center, unless it managed to cross-pollinate with the all-white rose of Sharon.  In any case, I'm sure it'll be pretty.  They all are, in my opinion.

One step further down the row is Mascagnia macroptera (butterfly vine), followed by the second Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers'.

December Plantings

Not pictured (because I only planted it today) is a mystery crepe myrtle that I placed between the butterfly vine and the second duranta.  It's another volunteer-- this time one that showed up near the 'Victor' crepe myrtle in a spot where it simply couldn't stay.  I had to cut back some of the roots (or, well, maybe I didn't have to, but I did), but I think it has a good chance.

This crepe myrtle seemed worth trying to save, because the color of the flowers-- a pale pink-- was different from those already in the yard.  The others we have are all either white, watermelon pink, or some other dark/bright pink.  I don't have plans to actively hunt down and add more crepe myrtles to the yard (no ideal place to put them, for one thing), but I didn't have the heart to just throw away a volunteer in a "new" color.

Also planted today-- the two 'Little Bonnie' dwarf spirea from Mom (more super-clearance purchases).  They went on the other side of the banana shrub.  (A picture is probably worth a thousand words of me trying to explain precisely where they're located.)

The last things I planted today were daylilies.  The last several pots of home-started daylilies and a small pot of 'Little Business' (dwarf, repeat-bloomer, raspberry with chartreuse throat) went here and there around part of the gravel circle.

Oh!  I just remembered something else I planted a while back-- strawberry begonia (Saxifraga stolonifera).  The pot was full, so I took a piece off before planting it (south side of the path, in some shade) to pot up for indoors.

...And I think that's it for recent plantings.  There are several more plants still awaiting placement, but we're getting there!