Old thread is here. Be sure to check out the last few posts over there including Gita's mystery plant she wants help identifying:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1015147/
Gita, this is Fireball. It's similar to your KK but has red blooms.
Here it is in the bed to give you a better idea of the size of the blooms.
This combination wasn't blooming for July 4th, it would have been perfect for the holiday if it had. It is unintentional. I don't have names for these two dahlias, got them in a bag of clearance bulbs at Walmart last year.
Last of the beautyberry blooms with the green berries starting. They'll turn a gorgeous shade of fuschia purple when they're ripe.
I just love vitex. It's extremely drought tolerant and indestructible and has the prettiest blue flowers.
Dwarf Joe Pye weed. Dwarf means not 7 feet tall. LOL
Dinnerplate dahlia Spartacus. The photo doesn't do the color credit - its dark, dark almost burgundy red.
Toad lily
Another dahlia with a much smaller bloom and the prettiest dark foliage - Fire Mountain.
Another shot of Fire Mountain.
Helenium just starting to bloom
Purple millet - Purple Majesty and Purple Baron. I should have lots of seeds from these.
Rose Cabana
Phlox Robert Poore. A bunch of you got starts of this from me last year. The scent is wonderful.
Red phlox. This from the plants you gave me Critter. I can't wait until it gets bigger.
Spider daylily Stoplight.
This is the red dahlia that's intertwined with the white one in the red, white and blue photo above.
Holy Moly Diane!!! Wowzers...nice....very very nice....raising hand for millet seed...would've thought they'd self seeded for me last year...apparently not..I miss those dark colors...only the Cypress vine ALL over the place...fighting with the MG's....yank em both up where I don't want them...just not wanting a repeat of last years mad vine mess...ugh.
Here's a tropical vine I'm growing in a pot - Rangoon Creeper's candy cane striped bud almost opened. I've been disappointed thus far in her scent...but will give a little time...if not...she'll be traded....
(from last thread)... VA thank you... it's an olympus e510
here are some more shots from yesterday
http://picasaweb.google.com/AllisonNJ71/8309#
Wow Hart - starting off August with a bang - lots of beauties! My daughter's 'Fireball' is budding up and I sent her your pictures so she'd know what it will look like :) She just got a new camera last week and I'm waiting for pictures to update me on the landscape! Hopefully she'll be better about taking pictures than I am :( Now that the dreary week of rain has passed maybe I'll concentrate on getting a few to post.
lantana finally bloomed
Rudbekia fulgida still going strong
Coleus
Jen--LOVE that Lantana!
I have a few new pictures. Too hot for anything to really show off right now! Too much rain as well....
Here is my 4 O,Clocks "Broken Colors" that I grew from the roots I dug up last fall. I am just blown away by how strong and robust it grew--and how fast! It is at least 3'x4' now!
Here is a close-up of some of the different color blooms....
My "Tall, perennial, Red Hibiscus also started blooming a week or so ago. Lots and lots of blooms now--every day!
That reminds me--Hart! I LOVE your red counterpart to my KK Hibiscus!
Here is a close-up of the tall, red H. blooms.....
Love the colors Gita.
Aggghhh! WHY does my cheapy camera NOT photograph the deep reds as they are on all things red????? Frustrating!
Anyway--marching on--Here are my "Northern Sea Oats" growing like mad. ALL the soil below these and all around the bed--is covered in seedlings of these....They look like blades of grass--but are a lot more sturdy and erect.
I shall dig and pot----and dig and pot---so I have more to share.....
I will also cut off all the "Oat" tops so i do not have to deal with all this again! I have enough!!!!
Not exactly a "bloom"--but here is my first harvest of my Cherokee Purple tomatoes and some others.
The biggest Ch. Prpl. was almost a pound---the one at 2 O'clock!
The pile of 4 smaller ones are Jill's "Potato Top". I am surprised how small they were????
I will re-post this on the vegetables Post going here.
Thassss it, Folks! Gita
Gita - some of the digitals still have issues with reds and blues...not sure why but 2 suggestions: 1) using photo editing software you can manually "fix" colors that aren't what they should be and 2) avoiding taking pics in bright sunlight - that harsh light always washes colors out. Although "we" don't like overcast days - our cameras do...and you'll see richer fuller colors when photographing during those days then bright sunny ones. If it's not cloudy when you need it to be (when the plant's in bloom) - then taking the photos early in the day...or if the colors you're photographing are "warm" colors toward the end of the day should work for you.
As a post note - I don't as a rule like to mess with the colors...but in a pinch...is THIS closer to the color they appear?
Thanks Chantelle----I have noticed that about the sun....
I also ALWAYS turn off my flash--as that really washes them out. And yes! I have had the same issue with the beautiful, deep blues.
I always think it is my cheap (Polaroid-$80) camera.....It does not seem to have too many other issues.....
Gita
Gita your 4:00s are beautiful. You mentioned you dug up the tubers...how did you store them?
Here is Stokes Aster Blue Danube
Morning Glories are favorites of mine...especially the volunteers
Ronnie!! How are you?!? That aster pic is incredible!! Nice job!
Hi Chantell...thank you!! I am wonderful... and you!?
luvsgreatdanes----
I had heard that 4's make serious tubers.....so I decided to dig and see.
Well--they were almost twice as massive as any Dahlia could produse--and that was from seed that same Spring!
I dug them up--let them air dry outside--then took them to my basement and threw them in a box. I may have, eventually, thrown a few hand-fulls of Peat Moss over them. Other than that--I just forgot them.....
Came Spring--and I started looking for them until I found them.....NO signs of life!
So, I put them in a plastic salad container of some sort and put potting mix all around the tubers.
Soon I noticed a bit of green growth and was so excited.....THEN--the growth just took off!
So--I planted it in my bed--and the rest is history!
Here is a picture of the tubers. They lost that "polka dot" appearance as they dried out.....
Thanks Gita...I have a red one that reseeds itself but anther one I started got a late start and I may not get many flowers. I think I'll give that a try and just store it like I do the Dahlias!
Here is my red one...
love that aster Luvs...
good to know about the 4's Gita.. I always meant to try it.. but never did
