Blanketflower and Salvia

I started both of these plants from seed.  I grew the 'Blue Bedder' sage a few years back.  (I want to start more next year, maybe, because some of the original plants have kind of petered out, as they are wont to do.) 

The blanketflower (gaillardia) is either some I grew from seed or volunteers from the self-sown seed of those plants.  It all started with a cheap packet of blanketflower seeds.  I don't remember any specific information from that packet, but it's probably Gaillardia aristata.  Whatever type I have seems to be perennial-- though likely a short-lived perennial.  It self-sows fairly easily, or seeds can be gathered for planting elsewhere.  Give it full sun and well-drained soil for best results.  Mine tends to topple in heavy rain, unfortunately-- its worst fault. 

The golden blob behind the sage in the third photo is 'Sunshine' ligustrum, another of my favorite plants. 

Summer Medley

I think this will be the last of the catch-up photo posts.

Lantana:

Bog sage with Curcuma 'Scarlet Fever' in back:

Bat-face cuphea:

Caladium:

The night-blooming jasmine was crazy this year.  Super strong.  For a while, I'd get a powerful whiff of it on the west-facing back porch at night.  Keep in mind that this plant is on the north side of the house, well away from the back porch.  While it's still not one of my favorite scents, it's better wafting over a distance than it is sniffed up close, in my opinion.

The white butterfly ginger lily is a far more pleasing fragrance, though, and unlike night-blooming jasmine, it can be enjoyed during daylight hours.

Pincushion ginger.
Not much for smell, but an exotic-looking plant.

Bronze fennel.
It flowered this year, so maybe I'll be able to gather seeds.

Forsythia sage and bog sage.

You may remember that this year the forsythia sage began blooming much earlier than it's "supposed" to, in this area.  It's been blooming ever since.  It'll be interesting to see what happens next spring/summer.  If we have another mild winter, it might do an all-summer bloom again.

Dragonfly near Duranta 'Sapphire Showers'.

Purple coneflower.
They've been "done" for a while, now.

Canna.
I think this flower was on the 'Russian Red', which is grown more for its foliage than its flowers, which are relatively small for a canna lily.  Still, the orangey-red of the flower against that purple stem is eye-catching and tropical.

Tropical milkweed seeds.
The tropical milkweed set seed.  They have such soft, fluffy, feathery seeds!  Very pretty.

After a while, the milkweed started to look "done".  I probably waited too long to address the situation-- definitely the story of my summer in the garden!  By the time I cut it back, it was looking positively dreadful, but I cut it into portions and stuck them in pots of soil, just in case.  Amazingly, many of the pieces with absolutely no leaves sprouted new growth.  I'm not sure how well they'll survive the winter after such a late start, but we'll give it a try!

Tuberose 'Mexican Single'.
This year, I saw my first tuberose bloom in the garden-- first 'The Pearl', then 'Mexican Single' (a.k.a. 'Single Mexican').  I gave them each a sniff or two, and I have to say... I don't see what the fuss is all about!

I was disappointed, in fact.  Maybe I just haven't smelled them under the right circumstances; many flowers smell the best/strongest under just the right atmospheric conditions, and maybe I happened not to be outside when those happened. Whatever the reason, they weren't very strong-smelling, despite their reputation.

When I did lean in to take a close whiff, I'm not sure they were worth the effort.  I'd read many people's description of the fragrance and been puzzled by some of them.  Well, I now know just what they meant when certain people described the perfume as smelling like rubber.  There's definitely a rubbery note in there-- which (unsurprisingly) is not really a selling point for me!

Now, it wasn't overtly horrible-- somewhat like a gardenia, maybe, but with a slight note of... tires or something.  Hm.  I'll be interested to see what they smell like next summer.  Maybe it's one of those fragrances that are better from a distance than up close.

Roses of Sharon.

We've had an early taste of fall, the past week or so.  It's been cool and dry enough to have the windows open at night and part of the day.  You may not understand how wonderful this is, but trust me-- it's of monumental importance!

I love autumn weather.  There's nothing else like it.  The challenge now will be to do some work outside instead of just sitting and enjoying.  Summer may not be completely done with us.  Warmer weather may creep back in, but this breath of fresh air has proven that summer will soon be on its way out.  I'm ready!

Blackberry Lily

This summer, I've had the pleasure of seeing my first blackberry lily (Iris domestica) in bloom!

I started out with a few seeds, which came from Nan Ondra in late 2015.  I should've kept better notes, but as it is I'm not sure exactly what happened with those seeds... I think I planted them in the spring of 2016, but they must not have sprouted until this spring... Unless they did, and I just didn't ever put them into the garden last year (which is doubtful).  The seeds do need at least a month of cold stratification.  Most likely, they didn't get enough of that before I planted them, so they weren't "triggered" to sprout until after their winter spent outdoors.

In any case, they did finally sprout.  Before I planted them, a few succumbed to either rot or snails (or both)-- but two of them made it to the new Oval Bed.  One of these bloomed, and there are seed pods, so I hope to be able to harvest seeds and get more started.

Blackberry lily gets its common name from the fact that the seeds resemble blackberries, by the way.  They're also known as "leopard lily", and I think you'll see why, in the photos that follow...

They're described as short-lived perennials, so I hope I can get enough going from seed to establish a self-sustaining patch of them.  Though the flowers are fairly dainty, they are eye-catching and have an unusual look.  They make a charming addition to the flower bed!

Random Photos

A little this, a whole lot of that.
In no particular order!

- - - - - - -

The 'Golden Goddess' bamboo has really taken off!  I'd tell you how tall the trellis is, for a reference point, but I'm not sure... It's taller than I am, at least...

The perennial lantana is blooming amongst a bevy of weeds.  (Areas outside of the fenced yarn get the short end of the stick when it comes to weeding-- and pretty much everything else, too.)

A couple of lantanas (maybe 'Bandana Pink'?) that Mom gave me last summer have come back, as well.  I thought they were annuals in this zone, but maybe they are cold-hardy in 8b.

I'll probably try to move them outside the yard.  There are many (many, many) plants in the garden that are toxic to dogs, but for whatever reason, I'm more "scared" of lantana than most others.  Maybe because the berries they make seem so appealing.  Both our dogs have been known to forage for blackberries (and blueberries, pineapple guava, and cherry tomatoes), so it doesn't seem too far-fetched that they might sample lantana berries, too.  When I thought the plants were annuals, it was easy to just keep an eye on them, but if they might come back year after year, I'd feel safer with them growing elsewhere... It sounds like this variety doesn't set seed as much as the species, but still...

My biggest, happiest blanket flower flopped over after some violent wind and rain.  I propped it back up and am hoping it will recover.  They are prone to flopping...  Here it is in happier days.

Tropical milkweed, right next to the blanket flower, was still standing tall, the morning after the storm.  I guess that, being tropical, it's used to rough weather.  ;o)  (Blanket flower seems like more of a semi-desert plant.)

Not all of the (new-this-year) Triteleia 'Queen Fabiola' has bloomed, but some have.  Though the flowers are significantly taller than Ipheion (spring starflower), there's a fair degree of resemblance between the two.

Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' (false indigo) has more flower stalks than ever, this year, as far as I can recall.  It's still shorter than I expected it would be, though, so the place I planted it (behind a rose bush) keeps it a bit more hidden than I'd like.  Short of moving the rose, though, there's not much I can do.  False indigo has a taproot and doesn't like being transplanted!  Maybe it will grow taller in years to come.

Lots of marigolds volunteered in one of the vegetable beds.  I've left as many as possible, but some of them really should be moved.  They're crowding the squash plants.

We have some tomatoes coming along nicely, though one was toppled by the storm and is still recovering-- and at least one more is suffering from a mystery ailment.  Tomatoes do seem prone to a lot of problems.

I have some seedlings of the 'Dark Opal' basil which need hardening off and planting out.  (Hardening off is my very least favorite part of starting things from seed.)

Raindrops on roses...

The blooms of Curcuma elata (giant plume ginger) have been gracing their corner of the garden for a while, now.  When I moved the clump over to make way for a new elephant ear, I planted divisions in a few other places.  One is way down at the back of the garden, and I've been surprised at how visible the flowers are over a significant distance.  They certainly stand out!

Lunaria 'Corfu Blue' continues to flower.  Well, one of them does.  The other has yet to begin.

Red, white, and blue.  (And green.  Lots and lots of green.)

Mexican bush sage, assorted orange-y daylilies, and a purple coneflower on the cusp of blooming:

In the Oval Bed:  Daylilies, a couple of grasses, crocosmia, gladioli, and more.

The unknown pink shrub roses, when they began to bloom, almost couldn't support the weight of all those flowers!

If you recall, I pruned these roses in late winter/early spring.  All this is very new growth, and the tender "branches" (is that the correct technical term?  canes?) haven't had a chance to harden. They're struggling under the burden of so many blooms-- especially when the flowers are wet with rain or heavy dew-- but I'm sure they'll strengthen with time.

I still haven't processed the photos from the last garden survey, and it's already time to think of taking photos for the next one!  Soon!