BLOOMS 2011 CONTINUES......

Thanks Jon, you are too kind. I'd have to get at least 6 flats worth of plants to fill in the area in the front beds or grow that many seedlings. I'm definitely going to have to research where to get the Pacifica seeds and get an early start next year. Annette

Oh wow. You have some serious space to work with and fill Annette. Sticking with Pacifica Series is probably the best choice for when you decide to give them a try. I would think someone in your area must sell annual vinca plants in the summer. Your climate is just right for them.

We can't plant annuals till late April, and preferentially early May here. I learned that lesson when we first moved here from Jacksonville, FL in 1996. It was a very warm March and we decided to add some color to the front beds with marigolds and lisianthus. Two weeks later, they were done, frozen to the ground, never to rise again. LOL

Most eventually get leggy and lackluster down here by winter Evelyn. I get the feeling they are not daylength neutral and respond best to longer daylight hours. Perhaps that's why they're not commonly sold here in winter. "Pacifica Burgundy Halo" did look good here for 12 months which is longer than any other I've tried.

Speaking of Gerbera Daisies it will be interesting to see if the new 2011 "Garvinea Series" Gerberas ARE truly the first perennial Gerbera all the way down to Zone 7 as listed. That would definitely be a breakthrough for this flower. It seems the Burpee has first dibs on this new type of Gerbera. Regular Gerberas act as short lived perennials here. Some die after a year and I have a few entering years two and three.

Due to laziness I left last years tall Lisianthus in the ground. They stopped growing but didn't die back. Now there's upward growing emerging in the past couple weeks. Perhaps they may do something again this year????? Just let them do their thing I guess.

Did you cut them back? I'm a believer in Colorburst Bloombooster. I add it 1/3 to 2/3 Osmocote or Dynamite fertilizer, and fertilize all my plant with this mix every spring except the irises. In the past the plants grew like crazy and seemed to llke this combo.

I cut the Lisianthus stems back to the ground, but the foliage remained all winter. Didn't fertilize them with anything since I assumed they were annuals. I'm so bad with the fertilizing of just about everything and do very little of it even though I know I should. Been trying to cut gardening costs and that's where I've been taking shortcuts. It so common for many perennials to just "go quiet" here in the winter. They stop growing for several months, but never die back since there are no killing frosts. Since the Lisianthus was acting the same way I just let it be.

I like how the seem to be reaching to greet folks walking by
Rip Van Winkle in the front of the picture, Itzim and Tete-a-tete in the back

City of Haarlem Hyacinth has just started to open to compliment my Arabis (I know it's not a bulb but it's one of my favorite spring blooming perennials, the flowers dance in the slightest breeze)

Tulip Red Emperor, a little square for my taste but can't beat the color

"Sun Power" double tulips with a muscari border that has grown enormous.

OOOOPS! The correct name of the double yellow tulip is "Monte Carlo".

This message was edited Apr 20, 2011 4:01 PM

Very very nice. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Jxmas, tell us more about your Arabis, I've never heard of it before. Can we also see a front picture of Rip Van Winkle, it's an interesting bloom shape. Leawood, I love your sea of muscari. I can't wait till mine fills in like that.

This message was edited Apr 16, 2011 7:19 PM

another w/ fine color

w/ some whites

Thalia narcissus - I love their fragrance.

"Olympic Flame" Darwin tulips. I planted clumps of these throughout my border two years ago and they are still blooming.

Falconet

Banja Luka

Ipheion

A bed of mixed Darwin late-blooming varieties I planted last fall.

I really like the mixed colors.....looks beautiful!

What a beautiful color combination. Leawood, are these some of the tulips that you stored last year?

Hi Cem,
Here's a closeup of Rip Van Winkle -- taken with my iphone so it's not the best pic. I got them from Bluestone Perennials a few years back when I was trying out some doubles and they were the only ones to bloom and come back for me. It's very windy in my neighborhood so it's good that they're short. Some blooms are a mix of green & yellow.

That bloom is adorable. Thanks for the up close view. I also take most of my pictures with my Iphone. I take multiple views and delete the blurry ones. I found it will actually focus on what your take if you hold it on the plant long enough. I have a really good camera as well, but I find it hard to use as it needs to be held in both hands to be used, and for some of these views of these plants I need one hand free to help balance me so that I don't fall head first into the plants. LOL:0)

Yes, the yellow (Mrs. John Scheepers) and white ("Maureen") are bulbs I dug and stored over last summer.

Cem -- more on my arabis -- most of the year it's like a groundcover sending out long aboveground 'runners' that don't seem to root, I like it in the summer because it needs less water than grass to stay green.

In spring the flower stems stand up (sometimes as much as a foot) and dance in the breeze without much breakage which is another plus for me because it is so windy here. After flowering they create lots of seed pods which is when I cut them back.

I've grown it from seed starting indoors and the seedlings are tiny and fragile which is probably why it doesn't self seed in my yard -- the constant squirrel digging makes sure that only the strongest seedlings survive :-D

Charm -- in a mum

she's pretty -- but she's no Shirley
I'll probably never know her name

Lea -- that is one AWESOME bed of tulips!!

jmorth -- i'm liking those Banja Luka -- I'm curious about the 'metal ball' in the pic -- is it art or plant protection or both?

Love the mixed colors bed of tulips as well. Could see myself sitting in a lawn chair relaxing and just soaking it all in. Have never heard of Arabis before, but it looks great adding little splashes of color.

"Orange Bouquet" Darwin tulips and "Sun Lover" double tulips.

Dependable lavender tulips I planted several years ago - I've forgotten the name, but they keep coming back.

Very Pretty Leawood. Jxmas, thanks for sharing the info about the Arabis.

Gladiolas beginning their second year of blooming here in South Florida. This is Gladiola "Twilight" was tropical hybrid Hibiscus "Burnt Saffron" in the background.

Alstroemeria "Premier Pink" with Dutch Iris "Hollandica". The Alstroemeria have another month or so of blooming until they go quiet until next winter.

Wow. The hibiscus is gorgeous, Amorecuore! I have a few common hibiscus I hold over the winter, but nothing that lovely!

Thanks Leawood. You can hold over the hybrid hibiscus the same way you do with your common hibiscus. The hybrids do seem to need a higher light source though to continue to bloom while inside during the cold months in Northern climates. They would need an unabated southern facing window to give you the highest likelihood of blooms while inside. The hybrids are not common, even in Florida.....believe it or not. I'll see just a few of them available locally, but only a couple times a year and the selection is very very limited. Generally speaking, they have to be bought online. "Burnt Saffron" came from Hidden Valley Hibiscus in CA.

Jon

Well it's gorgeous, Jon. I have large windows in my basement, but the light is such that the hibiscus don't bloom - I just let them go dormant for the winter then pump them up with an acid fertilizer in the spring to promote blooms.