Hot July Blooms

I like your sense of humor Larry, some people would be expressing that very differently.

I have seen a lot more grasshoppers this year. Not any with the skills yours have Larry but some "trimming".
C

WTG on the MG bush, I haven't seen one either.

Sorry about the bush Larry. There is a weird colored red grasshopper that ilovejesus had identified that is doing a number on everything down her way. I will try to find the info and post the link.

Here it is... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1185363/?hl=lubber

This message was edited Jul 21, 2011 10:17 AM

WCT~ This is my first year for my MG 'tree' as well. I'm in love with it!! It has gorgeous blooms and lots of them. It hasn't stopped blooming yet. Mine looks like yours although I've hear/read there is a white variety as well. I would love to have that one also. Mine has grown to about 5' tall so far.I'll run out and take a pic of mine to share too.

Sheila, if you would like to have one I now have a start I'd be happy to share with you :)

Catz - Mine is a runt. I started the seeds last year, kept it in GH all winter, planted it in late March and it is knee high. Same story with my confederate rose plants same time frame, runts.

datura or Jimson weed I dug from the wild

Catz....Please save me a start of the MG tree, I would love one.

My 2 Datura are so large that I think they have to go. They have just about taken over a large area of the new bed this spring and I see lots of seed pods on them. I like the plant but not sure they are worth the space they require for my smaller yard.
C

same here but my friends and neighbors beg for the offspring. The seedlings transplant easily in the spring, just need a bit of additional water in my mason sand I call soil

Chery, just cut it back by half, it will rebound for you.

I do and they just grow back bigger! I cut them all way down this morning, they were at least 6 feet x 6 feet. That is way too big for a bed in my little yard. Since they really only bloom in the evening they don't make much of a show. They are shading out other plants that have all day blooms. I think they would like nice along a fence line but I don't have that situation. They are nice tough plants but in compost rich soil with irrigation they become giants. I might try to move them somewhere out in the front yard where I really don't garden much. Can they take some shade? How drought tolerent are they?
C

They are both shade and drought tolerant, and they won't grow as big under those conditions.

Then at least one will be moved this fall.

I transplanted these early spring. I thought I was going to lose them, but these Katie's Pink Ruellias are blooming their little heads off in this heat.

My Crape Myrtle seedling having it's first blooms. This is second generation seedling from a seedling with a cascading forrn whose seed was probably from my Natchez. My 4yo first generation cascading crape is less than a foot tall and about 3 feet wide.

The Tennessee Coneflowers are still going strong.

The Obedient Plants have started blooming!

Very pretty Larry.

Looking good Stephanie...mine are not far behind....what the dogs haven't trampled that is.

The white salvia greggi and the strawberry fields gomphrena are loving this heat!

I didn't think West Texas Blue Mistflower was ever going to take off this year! I had to resuscitate it twice in the early spring. It's loving this hot, dry weather.

Of course, the Cowpen Daisies are looking fine.

Very nice Stephanie.

Your plants look incredibly healthy, Stephanie. You're a good momma!

Although sweet almond verbena, incense bush (Aloysia virgata) is not a Texas native plant (from Argentina), it loves the heat and is thriving. The scent is fabulous and the plant has been continuously blooming. The one pictured is a recent purchase. It attracts lots of bees and butterflies. I bought another one 2 days ago after seeing how ell the first one has been doing to place near my entry way so we can enjoy the fragrance in the front yard. This plant can grow into a small tree under the right conditions and can become somewhat leggy. I intend to prune it to create a nice shape.

I bet the smell is heavenly!

It looks very much like Aloysia gratissima, Bee Brush; http://wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ALGR2
You might like to give this one a try if you don't have it, it does basically the same thing and it is native.

I have a sweet almond verbena and just repotted it into a bigger container. One thing I learned on DG is that it likes to be consistently moist. So I water it every day and it is SO much happier! And it does smell heavenly!! Sort of spicy vanilla?

Josephine, when I saw the plants at the nursery I thought the blooms resembled Aloysia gratissima plants. I thought the leaves weren't right , but figured I had forgotten what they looked like. I didn't realize that they weren't until I arrived home. I have not been able to locate any Aloysia gratissima plants for sale here. I was going to dig one up to save it from roadway construction 2 years ago. However, I kept waiting for rain so I could easily dig up the roots. Rain never came and I loaded 10 gallons of water in my car to use and drove to the location. Unfortunately, it had been bulldozed already.

Oh! that is so sad, I will try to root a cutting for you and see about getting it to you. We shall see.
Josephine.

We appreciate anything that can thrive in this Texas heat Hazel!

bariolio, your sweet almond is a fine looking plant.

Josephine, I tend to go through a mourning period when plants are destroyed especially when I have intended to try to save them. Thanks for the cutting offer.

Sheila_FW, amen to that!

Does anyone else who grew H. bean have spider mites on them? I have a few and the tops are covered.
C

Thanks, Htop!
And don't even get me started on bugs! There are mealy bugs, spider mites, aphids, and UFBs on many of my plants! I have a thread on the bug ID forum, trying to ID one bug in particular. Black with red striping. Humpin' on my okra plants, the nerve... And caterpillars eating my brugmansia and possibly my hostas, cuz I see poops! Between the watering and bugs, I can hardly keep up!!
Sorry about your h. bean, Newton...I think spider mites keep attacking my thunbergia :( I keep chopping off leaves, and they grow back. I spray and the bugs keep coming...

Spider mites and white flies have demolished my bell peppers, egg plants and hot peppers even though I have sprayed the plants many times. Aphids are appearing now on other plants. What a summer!! I have given up on the veggies and will now prune the plants to about 6 inches to see if they will revive.

bariolio, the first bug you needed an ID for looks a little like a lightning bug (firefly) except I can't tell how big it is. However, I'm no bug expert.

Here's a good picture of mystery bug.

And does this look like spider mite damage/infestation?