I really enjoy seeing everyone's blooms, especially this time of the season when it's so hot and dry out. I'll show you mine if you show me yours!
Plains Coreopsis and Red Salvia
Hot August Blooms & Garden Views
The Tecoma Sans Esperanza is in full bloom and looking very lovely.
Very nice Stephanie.
Well, it's not a bloom ... but my Kumquat has a few fruits a'ripening.
Carla
Hey Carla, it's something to look at, so it counts! LOL
Here's a view from my back flower bed. Red salvia, Indigo Spires salvia and purple basil.
Okra!
I like how you can see the little hairs on the petals.
That is a lovely picture Carlo, and Okra has such pretty blooms!!
I love the okra blooms!! Not all my okra blooms, but I have 3 or 4 daily and they're pretty to look at.
Looks like there are some nice edible plants out there. Like those combos Stephanie.
The toad lilies have started to bloom. They are so tiny and such delicate flowers!
I got these from Pattie (patrob) at the spring RU in Arlington this year.
This little Bulbine is going to town! I got this from Datura at the Arlington RU in April. It was one of her winter survival projects!
The Pigeonberry is really starting to bloom and put on a show.
Isn't it nice to have a plant and a nice reminder of who gave it to you. My toadlily didn't make it from the winter. It is so lovely, maybe will try again. Bulbine has been a great bloomer all summer.
Double Love with black and blue salvia
Goldenrod solidago 'laurin' and prairie verbena (from Charlene)
Lady in Red and white salvia greggii
Love the japanese silvergrass. Especially when backlit.
I tried this licorice vine for the first time. It is velvety...no licorice smell :( and has done very well in a pot.
I've an herb call borage (Borago officianalis http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/281/ ) that is starting to bloom. I like the blue of its flowers, and will try to post a picture later.
It tastes bad, though. I don't know why I can't grow herbs I really want, but things I never heard of and grew on a whim pop up and grow just fine.
The Firecracker Plant/Cigar Plant is still going like crazy! I'm going to try to take some cuttings to see if I can root them. Also, the yellow Zexmenia is still doing well and blooming all over the place.
Forgot to mention that I got the Cigar Plant above from Sheila at the Fall RU last year.
Pink Skullcap, from Anna at the fall RU in Arlington last year. I brought home a tiny plant and it had some seed pods on it. I harvested the seeds, saved them until February, then I winter sowed them. I think every seed germinated and now I have about 6 of these in various places in my flower bed.
These, of course, are still bloomin' to beat the band. Blanket Flower, grown from seeds given to me by someone at the fall RU in Arlington last year.
My cigar plant bit the dust. Of course, there's a lot of dust to bite.
Wow Stephanie, I am impressed with your seed sowing. I am rarely successful.That blanket flower looks great.
Anna~winter sowing!! Almost everything I put in milk jugs and winter sowed germinated. Some so much that I didn't have room for it all. WS is the way to go! I noticed in the pink skullcap picture that there are some seed pods. Will have to go out and harvest some seeds to plant more of these for the spring RU.
I love the Zinnias.....they always put on a colorful show, even in this heat!
I am new to this forum and pretty new to growing plants in TX (3 years).
My goal is to water less and grow more variety. I am always working on both.
Here are some of my favorite hot bloomers.
Very nice Everyone!!!
Welcome to DG's newtonsthirdlaw....think I will call you Newton for short! :-) And welcome to Texas.
I'm an old timer in Texas gardening.....I got here a year before you did--ha ha! But I am still learning what thrives and what dies in this fierce heat!
At least the growing season is long, to give us more practice! I too am still experimenting and as with any garden I have created, things seem to develop on their own despite my pitiful attempt at planning. The surprises are what makes gardening interesting...
If something grows well--I immediately go out and buy 2 to 3 more.
We are actually talking about removing half our grass to continue our flower garden.
I will do that but it will be a gradual process as my husband cannot know! I have no love for grass but its always there and I manage over time to end up with less than I started. A bog garden is next on my list but it might look a bit lost out in a sea of grass.
CT
Ooh......be sure and plant some Cannas in your bog---I have had great luck with them. They do not mind this heat at all, and bloom until first frost.
I have seen them growing and they are nice but I was thinking of a carnivorous plant bog with pitcher plants, VFT's and some sundews. Difficult maybe but I have always loved them and spent a lot of time near and on floating bogs as a kid in MI.
CT
Oops.........well you are on your own then--have never grown those.
newtonsthirdlaw, welcome to the heat. Check the RU thread if you haven't already. It is fun to find heat beaters and see them thrive. What is that little purple flower ...very pretty.
It's Globe Amanranthus, an anual that I bought at Calloways. I used to grow them and thought I would try it here. So far its been pretty drought tolerent, long blooming and pretty. It doesn't do as well in shadier areas as I found out last year when they got lanky. One plant makes a nice spread and I love that color.
As for the RU, I am thinking about going to the one at Randol Mill Park near my house but I don't have anything to trade. Haven't really tried to save any seed or propagate this year except maybe 3 tall M. Petunias LOL.
Cheryl
Cheryl,sometimes a bag of potting soil or perlite is very welcome by those of us who do a lot of potting.
Also used pots, especially quart and gallon sizes, sometimes something special but inexpensive that you made can be a good trade item.
Josephine.
Josephine, I had not thought about trading anything but plants or seeds and maybe I will find somethings out there in the yard or shed. I would like to see what others are growing and doing so I plan on attending. I am also curious about the community green house in Arlington. I am off work in the summers and would love to volunteer there or something like it. I was also curious about any community gardens here. Are there any and how does one get involved in that?
Morganc, Can I grow those cannas in a raised portion of a pond? Your cannas are beautiful! Are they the reg. bulbs they sell or some species that is adapted to having wet feet? I have seen some plants that looked like cannas growing in water and thought they must be related.
Cheryl
I do not know if you can grow all Cannas in water......but they do love it. They can be very heat tolerant as well....versatile little devils that they are. I grow mine in dirt.
The Cannas in the pic are Canna Tropicana......I'll bet there ARE Cannas, or a close relative, that will grow in water.