Sally, yes the red flower is the gaillardia. It has gotten bigger and sprawling, had to prop it up with a short fence.
FIRST FLOWERS OF SUMMER!! AUGUST Edition :)
Oh wow, that's surprising, it didn't really look like one to me from that angle.
Didn't get outside to play today as I wanted to, things kept piling up on me. =/ Had 2 trips to the orthodontist, dump, bathroom cleaning, pie-baking... and don't remember what all else. That first ortho visit was a long one - GOT MY BRACES OFF!!! < =D Rushed home to mow the lawn and got the call while I was mowing to tell me my retainer was ready. (that was fast!). Finished mowing, ran back out again.. by this time it was nearly noon, HAD to eat... and the list goes on and on. =/ All this to say sorry, I didn't get any new pics today. :(
Sally, I agree that the Corydalis lutea gets a little lanky & unpredictable, but it's still a welcome "filler" in my border. However, there's more of it than I need in the front garden this year... so I'll be adding it to my "haves" list for the swap if I can get some dug & potted up. This year's seedlings should bloom next year.
I'd like to have a start of your more compact one, please. I think I got one from you in spring, but it died back in the summer heat.. and I'm not sure if it's "dormant not dead" or simply deceased. LOL
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Speedie has beautiful teeth with no extra hardware on them!! Hmm, toffee apples at the fall swap, maybe?
Thanks Robin, it was the flower center that made me think it was the Gaillardia- otherwise I thought Gaillardia was short and sprawling.
yaySpeedie!
gotcha critter- I'll go make labels for you and Seq and stick them in the clump.
Catching up with showing you some blooms from my garden
now that I can be on Dg again.
1--The ONLY tall Ageratum that grew out for me from karen's seeds.
I WS it--and had a few come up. Will have to collect as many seeds as i can.
2--Darl Swallowrail on my Butterfly Bush.
3--Cardinal Climber vine
4--One of the tall Glads that are now starting to bloom
5--MG bloom (I still think it is "Blue Rocket") in a fence
Some more.....
1--Perennial Hibiscus--"Luna"
2--My KK Hibiscus--all big and floppy.
3--Some blooms of the Kk Hibiscus.
4--My front bed being overtaken by Rudbeckias.
5--Color contrast----Wasabi Coleus and Alabama Sunset.
These are from July---you have seen all the others...
1--This may be the ONLY Acalypha still living in the MAG.
2--Tall, Red Hibiscus--front corner of the house. many years old now...
Sally, what an inspired idea, making labels ahead of time and sticking them into the clump of whatever you're planning to dig & divide! Thank you!
I've got a tomato cage over each of my Hibiscus moscheutos plants, but they get big & floppy anyway! Their blooms are so lovely, I don't mind. But I do wish the dang Japanese Beetles would leave them alone! They're not as bad as some years but still bad enough that some plants get hit pretty badly -- and hibiscus seems to be as much a favorite of theirs as roses
Nice blooms G! Those Hibiscus are very beautiful :)
Forgot to show you the old "Stump Bed"--where I now have the deciduous
Azalea from Paul. Maybe I should re-name it--"Balls of Fire Bed"...
that is the cultivar of the azalea. Done---it shall now be known as thtat!
SO now I have all kinds of Coleus planted around the Azalea in this bed.
And--as usual--the Coleus take over...
Here are 4 pictures from E--S--W--and N sides of this bed.
Cuttings galore--if I wan to go that route one more time...Not sure.
They grow SOOO tall in the 6 months of winter/spring....need pinching twice more...
G.
Ooh, I love those huge hibiscus blooms.
Gita, the Wasabi is loving my front flowerbed, growing big!
Yes! So is mine, Sally,--anywhere I have it. Love the color!
Take lots of cuttings.....but you will have to pinch them back at least twice.
And--the speckled one (Carnival) is growing berserk...SO big everywhere!
G.
1--Carnival Coleus
2--Wasabi Coleus and Alabama Sunset (already posted this)
3--The "Pineapple...something" Coleus I bought at a $$ nursery
This one is staying very compact--almost no stems to take a cutting.
hello, how is everyone? we just got back from vacation. had a nice time 'after' we bought a new used car!! our '99 Jeep finally got traded in. It decided to break down the first day we left the house. it broke down on us last year too (brakes went). This year, we didn't get too far. We were going to the Adirondacks and made it to Ramsey NJ before breaking down. Anyway, glad to be back. I finally got out this morning and took a few pics. hope to take more later
lots of Gita's four o'clocks, but I wish I didn't collect seeds last year from my favorite hot pink broken colors because I never got to planting them. The blooms that came up are mostly yellows thanks to me collecting all the pink seeds!!! still pretty though
our Joe Pye weed is full of buds and is shorter this season for some reason
also, we notice that the swallowtails are few and far between... does anyone know why are there so few butterflies this year? I've seen others commenting about noticing fewer butterflies too
Nice Cleome :)
What is that red tube shaped flower in the 4th pic?
So what kind of new car did you get?
Hi Wind. Hope that you had a nice vacation despite the car trouble. Did you eventually make it to the Adirondacks? It is beautiful country. I am still noticing a lot of butterflies at my place, but I also have been hearing that other folks aren't really seeing many this year.
Mike is originally from a little town in the Adirondacks called Stony Creek - population is about 700. Lake George is a nearby summer resort. Even as small as this town is, it has relevant info on Wikipedia LOL. Most of Mike's relatives on both his father's and his mother's side, still live there. His grandmother is 103 and lives in the same house and continues to host dinners for the extended family every Sunday - usually 30+ relatives attend. Probably a 50+ year tradition. Really kind of cool.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stony_Creek,_New_York
Seq, it is a cigar plant (Cuphea ignea) - I always get a few every year because the hummingbirds love it. And, we got another Jeep, an '05 though, can't afford a new one lol
Aspen, yes, we did finally make it to the Adirondacks. It was amazing as always. And the weather was seasonal this year. Last year was unseasonably hot. That's great about Mike's grandmom being so active at her age! wow, she must be an amazing woman. what a special family tradition
friendly squirrel greeted me at the garden gate this morning
picked a few huge heirloom yellow tomatoes this morning and a handful of chocolate cherry tomatoes
Ok, I thought it might be one of those. Do you grow it as an annual? Cute squirrel :)
as an annual.
...that squirrel was cute. I saw him again tonight. I could tell it was him because of his distinct dark ring around his face
we're hoping to pick grapes tomorrow and make some jelly
Mmmmm, home made jelly, Yummy!!! And that squirrel is really adorable!
OK, finally got some better shots of the back container area... didn't take any yesterday when I watered 'cause they were looking thirsty - wanted to wait 'til they perked up some. ;)
Next year: More Coleus!!
1 and 2: The right side, front-on view and side view. The Coleus really makes the difference!
3: The left side; yeah, I've got the Speedwell and the lemongrass on the left (and not the right), but it just doesn't fill in nearly as nicely. Will need to move things around differently next year, and maybe transplant those Speedwell into The Big Bed.. use that pot for a Coleus instead... with a couple Caladiums in with it. =)
Nice mix of colors, Speedie! Congrats on getting your braces off; your teeth must feel strange now.
Gita, your front bed is so crammed full - I love it!
Wind, your squirrel is adorable. They can be so entertaining. The Cuphea ignea is beautiful, and looks great next to the purplish flower (what is it anyway)?
About the butterflies...basically, there are less around because last winter was so very cold. Coleup posted a link about it on the Monarch thread; I'll try to find it.
Edited to add the link, found by CatMint not Coleup: http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/07/where-are-all-the-butterflies/
This message was edited Aug 8, 2014 10:00 PM
I have no idea which flower is in the first 2 photos. Does anyone recognize it? Several came up in the same area, so I think they might have grown from seeds I got at the seed swap.
The 3rd shows Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer' grown from Typwc's seeds, and Zinnias from Critter and Joyanna.
Muddy, I think your mystery flower is Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus and you may have obtained the seeds from me at the seed swap.
Yeah definitely a helianthus Muddy. I have a similar one that seems to do well in part/dappled shade.
Wind--
My 4's are also mostly yellow. A few blooms have a brush of magenta--just speckles.
The seeds in my stash are from the more colorful ones. Maybe the :bush"
has to grow bigger before the colors will change???
By now--these plants I have came from my daughter's garden. They are still
coming up where she had them 2 years ago, So--I got some starts from her.
I wonder if the coloration can change, be diluted, over the many "generations"?
I have a slew of seeds from my original 4's. If you took them from my "BOX"--you got those.
Pics are from 2007 and 2009.
G. I just love the second photo!! that is the pic I remember. I would have had a lot more pinks if I didn't go and pick most of the seeds last year!! I'll find and plant the seeds; and when the yellows ripen, I'll try and remove some of the yellow seeds and see what happens next year
Speedie, your container area is beautiful. The caladiums are really nice and look great in combo with the coleus. I lost all my large caladiums like that. I guess I didn't store them right or they dried out... Critters came back fine for me and my usual small kind did too.
Muddy, I have a mystery yellow bloom too. Got it from one of the swaps. Does anyone know what it is? The clump has spread nicely over the years and they are really tall. A while ago I posted a pic without blooms. Here are the blooms taken this morning. As you can see, it's in full bloom now
Wind--
I don't believe the colors of the 4's blooms are in any certain seeds.
I think the colors are random--in all the seeds.
Like--picking a seed from a yellow bloom may come up pink anyway.
Like the Cleome--from the same seeds--you can get 3 or more color
combos in the blooms.
JMHO. Gita
WInd, I'm 99% sure your mystery yellow flower is Green-Headed Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata.
Thanks, Greenthumb! I was pretty sure it was something I deliberately planted. I really have got to start using plant markers. I like it, and it seems to like its sunny spot nestled among Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and Gold), a Texas Bluebonnet, Forget-me-nots and St. John's Wort.
wow, Greenthumb, thanks so much!! I do agree. funny though it is NOT in a moist area at all. In fact it is very very dry where it seems to have adapted very well
interesting G. on the seeds and colors they would be. you're right. in my mind I thought pink would come true pink etc... but now that you mention it, I had planted seeds from dusty rose nicotiana that came up white and pink as well as dusty rose
finally saw a few more butterflies today!
harvested some grapes too. not our best, but better than nothing: 5 lbs. 10 oz.
#4) bad hair day! strange
Wind, I have one of those! Mine's about 8 feet tall. I'll post pictures tomorrow.
A couple of new blooms in the yard today.
Yellow Giant Hyssop - Agastache nepetoides
Great Blue Lobelia, white form, just starting to bloom. Flower spike will get taller and taller for weeks.
Surprise Lily - Lycoris squamigera on our WV property.
beautiful flowers Gita, Diana, David!
Wind---
I forgot to mention that this 4 O'clock is called "BROKEN COLORS"...
for obvious reasons.
Again--I don't see how seeds from any generation from this plant
can change the genetic make-up of colors..which should be carried in the seeds.
It would be interesting, though, since my 4 is also mostly all yellow blooms.
David--do you have a comment on this? I may be wrong....educate us!!
Gita
Wind, those grapes look delicious! I wish I could reach into your photo : - )
Greenthumb, I really like the white Great Blue Lobelia. Fortunately, there was one mixed in with the blue Great Blue Lobelias I got from you at the swap. It was a surprise for me to see the white flowers.
Any trait where there is variation in the gene pool can expressed some of the time. Like my Great Blue Lobelia above that occasionally blooms white. Presumably, if one planted a number of white specimens together, the likelihood of white offspring would increase. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Punnett_square_mendel_flowers.svg
Interesting! I assumed it would always bloom white. If I don't have another white one already growing there, I think I'll move it next year to a bed where Lobelia cardinalis and blue Lobelia siphilitica are growing so that I'll have a group of red, white and blue Lobelias.
Just to clarify: a given individual plant will always bloom the same color. When I said "my Great Blue Lobelia above that occasionally blooms white", I meant the resulting offspring. Sorry for any misunderstanding my poor choice of phraseology may have created.