gave you the most joy this last summer?
I must say for me it was a new bougainvillea called California Gold. I had 2 small standards and each, though they looked the same when I bought them, turned different colors as the summer progressed. They stayed in bloom well into fall. The color was orange with a lot of pink on top of the orange
I also finally figured out how to keep bougainvilleas in bloom constantly, so I was just thrilled with all of mine.
I can't pick just one! I guess that's why the house is stuffed with plants all winter! Bougainvillea is one of my favorites, too. Ooh-la-la seems to bloom the most for me, but all of them are happy to grow here. Cherry Blossom bloomed most of the summer, and so did White Stripe. Ok, I'm NOT going to start that, I'll end up naming all of the 20 or so varieties that I have! California Gold is a pretty one, and seems to have weather induced color changes more than a lot of them.
I'm thrilled that Ooh-la-la has recovered so well. A year ago my first kittens decided to climb the standard and broke at least half of the top off. I cried, cut it back, and replaced the thick bamboo post with a metal plant stake so it wouldn't look so climbable. It worked! Nobody tried to climb the now skinny trunk. It still looks a little bit lopsided, it will need some more trimming to get back into shape.
More brugs bloomed this summer than ever before, including all of the cuttings that I had gotten last fall. I especially love Butterfly, Creamsickle, Antique Lace, Island Girl..........ok, I can't get this started either, I'll name ALL of them!
I'm crazy about FRAGRANT oleanders, too. It's wonderful that they are most fragrant during the heat of the day when the brugs are sleeping. My favorite one has variegated leaves and double pink flowers.
For me, it was my daylilies blooming in the fullest force since I had them ! (a liittle over a year)
This is giving me spring fever and winter isn't even here yet. LOL! Such a gorgeous picture, Kell. I love them, but can't grow them. I think the season isn't long enough and I have no greenhouse during the winter.
My favorites are many. I love tropicals of any kind, coleus, especially the sun coleus, vines such as Morning Glory and Clematis, Hibiscus, perennial or tropical... and the list goes on. Brugs are still my favorite, but are being crowded with my love of other tropicals and annuals. Even daylilies may race past them soon. I'm starting to like the perennials again, more and more.
Brugie like you I love Perrenials but I must say I loved my Mandavellia this past summer, I finnaly had to cut it down even though it was full of blooms I mounded the roots with Mulch hoping it may come back, but I doubt it
is there something else besides trumpets?
seriously, I do have other plants-
but no, nothing compares to trumpets
It's a 3 way tie
Brugs
Daylilies
TB Irises
well next year I hope it will be differen I have NOT had a blooming Brug YET.
I think for me it was my Amaranthus. It was the first time to grow them and I had NO IDEA they would be so spectacular. Of course, I also didn't realize they'd get to the 7 to 8 ft. height that they did, so next year I will plan them in better spots accordingly.
The Rhododendrons, the very fragrant Azalea pontica, Weigelias and the very fragrant Philadelphus-hybrid Mme Blanche belong to my favorites. We have several of each in the garden.
First, great topic, kell!
Kind of a hard question - I've been fortunate enough to acquire some spectacular plants this year (in my opinion, anyhow)! For me, I think I'd have to say my Monstera deliciosa. I've had it about 3 years (starting as 4 seedlings in a gallon pot), and this is the first year it's really done something, and I've been quite impressed with it. It's newest leaf is something like 2 feet wide and a little more than that long. I catch myself stopping to admire it nearly everytime I go outside.
I think I've moved beyond brugs and I have to admit, the bananas are quickly becoming favorites of mine. There are just so many flowering tropical plants available down here that brugs just aren't as exciting as they once were.
Oh shoot Susie, I forgot bananas. I love them. I just wish I didn't have to dig them up in the fall.
Have not tried bannanas yet maybe I should do that
Kell, that color is amazing!
I probably have to say it was my Bouvardia longiflora, which released its heavenly scent at night, but my Tuberose flowers are a close second.
Love the pictures! I must say the plant that brought me the most joy was my caladiums. They looked good all season and I purchased them at 75% off. I only had to dig a small hole to plant them in. Dropped some osmocote in at the same time. I then did nothing else all season. Doesn't get any better then that.
Ignore the other plants, just look at the dazzling red caladium. They were wonderful to pop in as fillers in the perennial bed. Sadly, I can't find my other pictures of them.
One more thing- look how good the red color plays off the red in the hydrangea in the back of the bed.
This message was edited Dec 13, 2004 6:06 PM
Wow...I can't believe that "Red" didn't do it for you Kell! But from the looks of your image, I can understand why you loved that bougainvillea! For me it was all my brugs... and bananas... and papayas... and ee's... and brugs, and brugs and brugs!!! LOL
Has to be my brug seedling Tatiana. Never did I dream it would be so wonderful and fragrant but I guess we could expect no less from a plant from Monica's bloodline. Cross made by Ludger
Wow, Titiana is a beauty, Donna.
She sure is. One of my favorite new hybrids this year.
Beautiful, Donna.
her color and scent are fabulous and those curly tendrils are to die for. Sure hope she does as well next year so I can register her with ABADS. You all that are trailing her please keep me informed
Caladiums love it here, I will use lots more next year planted at intervals, they are amazing and require little care, feeding, no bugs, just great plants, as are begonias and impatiens and Upees. I do LOVE my blue iris in the spring and my LA blue iris but don't have a photo...
Pretty bed, Sherry. I love foliage plants too.
Thanks, Shirley! They are really 'making' caladiums that will take lots of sun, I didn't have a single one burn this year. Next spring, I'm going to buy a couple more of those those three tier plant stands and have a wall or screen of caladiums, using about 12 pots...
Sherry -- your garden looks so pretty!
The key to Caladiums in full sun: Plant bulbs rather than nursery plants. The nursery plants have been raised in the shade, and therefore burn easily. When you plant bulbs, they adapt easily to their environment. I too love Caladiums! And, a way to keep them looking really fresh is to stagger planting the blubs every couple of weeks, rather than planting them all at once.
I have to say my double mandi and my banana that bloomed and is now in the GH with nanas on it!!!!
Oh and here's the double Mandi
Kell I love bougi's,and yours is one I was checking out in the Logees catalog
how do you make them bloom all the time???
Wow, I love them both CC. I want bananas so bad. LOL!
Thanks Gretchen!!! I always plant the bulbs and I staggered some this year, but not enough because I wanted to fill up a new, empty garden quickly. Next year I'll plant double or triple the caladiums I did this year, they just make me look so good, like I really know how to garden. If they were only fragrant!!! As usual, your Happy Holidays photo is beautiful and perfect!!!
