What's happening in your mid summer garden?

Salvia Pozo Blue

I agree! I wish one of my yards looked so good! I only have bits that look good, ha, ha!
I was going to post of photo of my apple bins for you KaperC, but got cold feet. I grow most of my food and most of that from seed I collect from the ones I let go. This summer is a major seed producing one. Beets, turnips, parsnips, three colors of swiss chard, radishes, celery, onions, parsley, broccoli, and leeks are all in seed production mode right now. Right alongside the veggies for food. Looks horrid!!!
So if I post a photo, it will be with my humble apologies........
Now you know why you only see close ups from me most of the time ;-)

This message was edited Jul 26, 2009 9:29 PM

Clockwise from top, Plumeria California Sunset, P. Brad's White, P. (yellow from Co-op last year).

Your yard must smell heavenly! Can you close your eyes and pretend to be on a beach in Hawaii? I just sold my two 15 gallon Kahili Gingers that were about to bloom. Hopefully the two 5 gallons I am keeping, will put out spikes soon!
You guys down there get to grow the coolest stuff!

No problem, PC. :-) We pulled the last but one of our golden beets today and grilled the slices on the barbecue with some other stuff. I'm definitely going to sow some more seeds of that. I'm verrrrrrry new to veg gardening and won't do too much, but the beets and bush beans are keepers for sure.

We're cross-posting tonight. Unfortunately, due to allergies, I have to stick my nose practically in the flowers I like to smell them. Also unfortunately, the ones that bother me do so no matter what - alyssum, star-gazer lilies, pansies... LOL Sometimes you can't win.

I love that Eriogonum--going to have to pick that one up for sure! How big does it get? I'm trying to figure out where I'll have room to cram it in but I must have one! LOL

I'll second that!!

jkom your garden tapestries are beautiful and inspirational. Here are lilies 'Sheherazade'. Mine get about 6 feet tall.

I can collect seed if you like, ladies! Mine is probably six feet across. I'll measure it for you. However, I suspect you can control it a bit with pruning. I cut it down early in the year. In the past, I ended up with a nice rounded mound, but I did a sloppy job this year, and later than usual. What I love is how it changes colors through the seasons. It will go rosy pink, then rusty later in the year. I think I want some more!

I've always wanted to grow that one too,but as with everything else...where to fit it in?

KaperC - I would love some seeds too when you collect them. I have a spot that gets no summer water, so with eriogonum being drought tolerant, that might work. Is it suitable as a cut flower?

Cool lily doss! I am going to have to look for that one! Mine usually get that tall, but for some reason, this year they did not. I think the older bulbs may be gone and it is the younger ones blooming now. They have always been in a container. Maybe this winter it will be time to spill it and see what all is in there....
My streps are in bloom out front under the cherry trees now. They get a bit of late afternoon sun, but don't seem to mind. I was always taught these were hothouse guys, but mine live outdoors year round in their container.

I'll collect the seeds this fall and post to the forum, then anyone who wants some can tell me. Otherwise, I'll never remember!

I've never tried them as cut flowers.

Hey guys, I'm back! I missed you all!
I have a new Nikon, and hope to have some photos to post. Don't always understand what I'm doing, so I'm reading the manual and practicing.
Parts of my garden are thriving, and parts are jungly, overgrown and neglected.
One fatality on this trip was my beautiful b.fly bush. I was told if I whacked it back and watered it, that it might come back. It was well established. Anybody have any ideas?
Loved seeing all of your gardens, and will have some photos to post of mine. Now that I'm home again I hope to get things "trimmed up a little".
WIB,
SW

Your butterfly bush will probably be back. They're tough little cookies.
Hope you had a great trip and have lots of adventures to share!

SW - Welcome back. I usually cut my Bbush back in early spring at the same time as the fountain grass. Believe I have read cut 2/3 off. This is the first year I have been brave enough to cut that much and they did come back, but not as tall and flowered much later and fewer flower heads this year. I have one that is the first to come back each year, but after that first flush looks like it is dying. Two of them are really too close together, and there is a lavender plant at their feet. They should all be separated, but I would hate to lose one of them in the process.

Cool with the new camera. Ours may have given up the ghost. DH sent it to Sony, so we'll see if they can fix it, but unless they can do that, it's no camera for awhile. Just not in budget.

Coming back to jungly and overgrown sounds like they grew a lot, so much better than coming home to straggly and dried up!

Welcome home, Jules! We missed you. :-)

Dry and crunchy b.fly bush. See photo. Sigh . . .
Heat has been atrocious here. Should get a few degrees of cooling soon.

I could post a photo of me dragging hoses around all day...

Bower Vine is very happy.

I have been doing that too, wc. Finally have them all where I want them, and nobody better move them or I'll go ballistic on them. LOL!
My honeybird bush is also happy.

How about a pink 4 O'clock?

Walnuts are getting bigger.

I found another bunch of bananas. Wasn't expecting a fifth bunch.

darker pink 4 O'clock.

Found this guy hanging around in the gh.

The shrimp plant is getting bushy and putting out lateral branches. Yippee!

One of the succulents in the old fountain bloomed. So pretty, kind of coral colored.

Last one for today. My DH, eating a piece of corn he grew himself. Doesn't he look happy? Now he knows why I like to grow my own veggies. He is so proud of himself. Good corn too!
WIB!
SW

I miss growing my corn 'cause I like to eat it fresh in the field. That's an awfully pretty pale pink 4 o'clock...is the other one darker pink, or is it the magenta? I have magenta, but I would love the pale pink...will you save seeds, please? I have the hollyhock seeds separated and saved for you, will send them off this week....

SW, I don't understand why your b'fly bush would take such a hit when everything else is doing so well. I wonder if maybe a gopher got to the roots or something? I've got ones that have done well multiple summers (and we get just about the same weather you do, I think) in spite of NO additional water all summer long. Unless yours is used to getting water and then suddenly didn't, I can't figure out why it would look like this.

We planted a good-sized Fremontia (Flannel Bush) last fall and were so pleased at the flowering - it was the first of about 6 to really get full-sized flowers on it. Beautiful! I went out last week to find it listing to the side and totally dead. We planted it in a basket, but can only think the mulch was too thick and the gophers got over the basket somehow. Haven't had the heart to dig it up and inspect it.

There's a Salvia growing nearby which is OK, so it wasn't totally the heat (they don't like summer water) and gophers are the only thing I can think of that could take a big plant like that down so quickly. I'm just sick over it. :-(


Forgot to add: The buckwheat is about as wide as both my arms stretched out.

This message was edited Jul 28, 2009 9:16 AM

wc, I have both the pale pink and the magenta. I will save seeds. I have all different kinds of colors and some bicolors too. Never know what is going to come up. Sending photo.
ima, I thought it might be a watering problem. I checked the emitter, and it should have been getting water. I don't have a clue why it would die. Don't see any gopher holes anywhere nearby. Still heart broken, but I will replace the plant, eventually. Sigh!
KC, so sorry about your Flannel Bush. I know the feeling.
So your buckwheat is about 6 feet wide? I just love them, myself. I can sometimes find heart shaped blossoms, which I think are pretty.
WIB,
SW

How about a pretty yellow and pink 4 O'clock?
: )
WIB,
SW

Those are pretty, SW!

As soon as my gorgeous white 4-o-clock recovers from my having to prune it back to a "stump" last week when it blew over in a big ol' gust, I'll be saving seeds for whoever would like them.

I WANT SEEDS! Yes, to the white...PLMK when you have seeds and I'll send an sasbe....Yes, please, SW, I would love the colors other than the magenta which I have! While on seeds...I have a bounteous amount of Mexican Hat/ ratibida that I'm harvesting this week if anyone wants any. I've read that they can be invasive...which is a good word to me, but I'm well aware that not everyone feels that way...lol..

Three days of deadheading Agapanthus!!!! I don't know if these @#%$##@^ things are worth it.

That's what I say ever year about cutting back the s.leucanthas and s. Anthony Parkers and echiums, and, and, and.....lately I'm having thoughts of big trees, lots of grass and a riding mower......preferably somewhere where it rains...