This is the hydrangea on the back corner of the covered patio, so as you can see, there have been a few nice flowers on it, this year-- just not as many flowers as you might expect, and some of them have been very, very small.
There's a rooting from that hydrangea that's still waiting around in a pot. It has a single-- but interesting-- pink and white bloom.
Caladium.
Still looking pretty and cool and calm in white and green.
I just realized, looking up "confederate jasmine", that the plant I bought earlier this year-- a plant on clearance and very clearly labeled as confederate jasmine (with a photo of Trachelospermum jasminoides and corresponding plant info)-- is in fact a totally different plant! It's annoying how often plants from big box stores are mislabeled, but this particular instance is almost amusing, since this is the second time I've had a plant that was supposed to be confederate jasmine, but wasn't. (The first time was a pass-along plant, and it looks like it's about to bloom for the first time, so I'm keeping close watch in the hopes that I might finally be able to properly I.D. it, with the help of a flower photo!)
Of course I can't be certain, but I now think the plant in the photo below is actually a true jasmine (unlike confederate jasmine). The two plants seem to share a common name-- star jasmine-- so maybe that's how the mix-up happened... In any case, if it is, as I suspect, Jasminum nitidum (a.k.a. angelwing jasmine, royal jasmine, shining jasmine, star jasmine, etc.), it's not quite cold hardy in zone 8b. It will die to the ground in winter and come back in spring, but it won't be blooming size until late summer. That's not ideal, to say the least. I certainly won't be planting it where I intended to put confederate jasmine, and I may try to keep it indoors over at least the first winter, since it can be grown as a houseplant (or so they claim-- my results may vary!).
Hm. Well, I wouldn't have bought it if I'd known what it was, most likely, but at least it was on clearance...
Azalea still in its pot... (Shame shame shame...)
The purple oxalis with its leaves folded up...
I'm not sure of the variety, as I got my start from Granny L.'s garden. (Maybe 'Charmed Wine'?) Sometimes it has all-purple leaves, but for some reason, mine is green on top at the moment. I wonder if it needs more sun for the purple color to develop better, but I'd hate to scorch it...
I moved a couple small clumps of umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius), early spring or so. This one seems happier in its new spot than where it was before. I think it's benefiting from the increased sunlight.
I'm not much for identifying butterflies, but maybe this is a spicebush swallowtail... Whatever it is, it was enjoying the 'Mercury Rising' coreopsis.
This looks like some type of bee to me-- a tiny little bee on a purple coneflower.
I think the butterfly in these next few photos is a painted lady.
It has a fairly muted color palette (at least this one had), but what intricate patterning!
I've seen a hummingbird visiting this 'Pizzazz Purple' salvia. (No photo of the hummingbird, though.)
A few daylilies in bloom...
Celosia.
Bog sage.
I was excited to see the Brazilian plume in bloom. Pretty "feather-duster"-shaped flowers. They remind me a little of a very loose-formed chrysanthemum.
It's still a very small plant. I haven't paid it much attention, beyond watering it, because it's tucked away and nearly hidden. I should read up on it...
The bee balm is getting a bit tatty. It needs deadheading soon, probably, but the bees are still visiting it.
That's all the photos for today!
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We got well over an inch-- maybe 1.5 inches, even?-- of rain on Tuesday, and a little sprinkling today. The plants welcomed it (and so did I)!
I was happy to see green shoots of the orange bottlebrush ginger lily (Hedychium aurantiacum) just beginning to poke up in its pot. The only late-season purchase I'm waiting on now is the "fancy" pineapple lily, 'Twinkle Stars'. I don't want to jinx it, but I think I might have glimpsed the faintest hint of green in that pot, too. Keeping the fingers crossed...
