Blooming & Growing in August

Dahlia `Unwin's Dwarf' started from seed last winter:

Another Dahlia UD:

Coreopsis `Heaven's Gate':

Rudbeckia `Irish Eyes':

Julia Child:

Lol, did you notice the cute little caterpillar posing for you on the rose? Love those dahlias .. I'm going to get into those next year. How tall do they get?


X

Those are beautiful, H! Do the dahlias overwinter for you? I would love to start some from seed and have them in my gardens as long as I wouldn't have to dig them up. I always say I'll dig, but then life takes over and so does the frost.

I'm with you tgg .. I'm at the point now where I throw stuff in the ground and tell it "your on your own".

X

All the dahlias I've ever had have overwintered for me just fine, even those in Asheville, which I suspect are a variety of UDs. I have decided the UDs are the way to go, though, both for the variety of the flowers and the nice size they've gotten on them in just this season. I love dahlias anyhow, and these have been a bonus for me. I also planted some tubers of LeBaron and these UDs are almost as big as they are, so I'm impressed. I'll be using more of these UDs in my garden next year, you can count on it!

X, they're a good 18-22 inches tall and very bush. Just nice plants all around.

Thanks, everyone, for the comments.

Angie

Gingers starting to bloom.

Beautiful ginger, Core! Don't they smell divine?

Here's a limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) but I have a problem. These are more a cold weather hydrangea so I planted one in a shady spot, too shady. Idea being to keep it from being burnt to a crisp during the summer. The only part flowering is one branch that hangs out in the sun. Turned out that these seem to have no trouble with heat or humidity and I need to transplant it to a spot that gets more sun. Flower color not dependent on the PH of the soil and they are a light green to white flower. Mine are starting off light green then turn white as they age. Grows fast and no problems so far I just need to get it in a sunnier spot for next year.

The flowers on my ginger don't give off much of a scent unless I'm right up on them.

I've found the white butterfly is the most heavily fragrant of the hedychiums.

X

Beautiful blossoms everyone! I've been so busy and have been delinquent in checking in here!
X, love your gingers.
Hemophobic: I also started Unwin's dahlia from seed over the winter. My other Dahlia's are blooming but that one is still a bit puny looking. May I ask what conditions you have yours in? I think mine may be in too much of a hot spot.


Here's Curcuma alismatifolia (with friend).
Deb

What a fantastic shot.

I love gingers. I can't plant enough.

I bought a little gourd plant at the farmers market in a dixie cup. Forgot the variety. I think the blooms are really pretty.

Most of the gourd flowers didn't develop, but I FINALLY got one to grow!!! Of course, my husband says, "Figures. The one vegetable-like thing you grow is decorative."

Killer garden spider.

B&J, "Decorative" - LOL.
Yeah - there are some huge garden spiders this year, both the Golden Silk and the other Argiopes. Must be lots of "food" flying around because of all the rain.

Thanks, Ardesia. I was kinda happy with that pic, too. :>

Little Helvola water lily blooming in my container water garden.
Deb

Beautiful! Don't water lilies have fragrances?

X

Ya know, X, I never noticed. Gonna go stick my nose in tomorrow and see! :>

Could ya take a picture of your whole container water garden? I'd like to see it. I've been wanting to make one.

X

I had planted a small plant earlier that I thought was Amsonia tabernaemontana (Blue Star) .As I observe its habits now, I recognize it as another plant, but I don't know which one. Does anyone know what plant it is? I have a feeling it might be a weed. The leaves do look like Amsonia.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is another photo of the plant ... As I go through my flower beds in the fall, I want to be able to do clean up and get the weeds pulled if I have to. Thanks!!!

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poke weed, I think....

X, Sure - I'll go take a snap of it now.... back soon. :)

I'm afraid I've neglected it a bit this season, X. I've let the Parrot Feather take over, but my excuse is that a Green Frog has taken up residence in there, and he freaks out when I start reaching in there! LOL.
I'll post a 2nd pic a little closer-up.

There's a mini Umpbrella Palm at the back that's hard to really see in this pic, plus the water lily, Parrot Feather, and a touch of Creeping Jenny. Too cloudy and dark this morning, so the lily buds aren't open at the moment.
Deb

How pretty! I guess I'm going to have to do one next year since I'm in the process of trading for some dwarf papyrus. I've always loved lotus and water gardens is the only way to have them.

X

Thanks, X. A bit dishevelled but I like it. It was my compromise. I'd love to have a real, in the ground pond, but don't want the snakes that seem to come with them. It was very easy to create. I fertilize the plants a couple of times a season, and put mosquito dunks in and that's about it. It stays out all winter, too.
I'd love to try Lotus!
I have a larger container one in the front of the house with a small spitter, and a big Umbrella Palm. It's pretty popular with the Dragonflies. :)
Deb

If both of you will remind me next January I can share some lotus roots with you.

This is a new Momo Botan bud. This year, once they open they quickly shatter from all this rain. We are about to have another thunder bumper; it is getting noisy outside again.

I'm working in the garden like mad before it starts raining .. my parents are coming for a visit on Monday. Just stopped in to cool off a bit. I've got the edging done and am trying to get the rest of the weed wacking finished before it starts. I'll mow tomorrow and use the bagger since the grass will probably be soaking wet.

I must say that this has been a bad year for a few of my plants because of the heat, humidity and rain. My tuberose (a double Pearl) finally put out a flower stalk at the end of June but only one opened and it was pathetic and the rest of the buds mildewed and molded. I finally gave up and cut it down today. Also some of my Japanese Morning Glory apparently don't like the weather because the reproductive parts are black or brown when the flower opens .. of course it's the Fujishibori that's doing it the most and the one I desperately want more seeds from.

Thanks Ardesia!

X

Thanks, Ardesia. That's a beautiful bud!
I've been out doing some trimming and weeding. The weeds are loving this rainy summer! Why can't they be the ones that mildew and rot? :) sigh.
Deb

My Lady Margaret Passiflora always elicits a "wow!" from me when I see the deep dark red. I had to extricate it from some bakers racks when I emptied the greenhouse to wash it .. I was able to unwind it (took about 45 minutes) without damage and replant it in a pot with one of my homemade trellises. It apparently likes being out of the greenhouse because it's blooming again.

My Journey's End Canna is really looking great too.

The Bengal Tiger is finally blooming as well and the banana finally stopped growing upward .. I kept telling it that it is suppose to be a dwarf .. I think it finally listened.

The Gingers, Canna and Banana are about the only plants that are really loving this weather.

X

Oh .. almost forgot the Jacquemontia pringlei morning glory .. it's really gorgeous this year .. always loaded with blooms .. just wish I could get seeds out of it.

X

LOVE your Lady Margaret!

Me too! That color is amazing.

X