Show us your Summer Bulbs & Discussion Part 3

Flevo Kosmic does look a little different, barely noticeabe though. Variations normally occur anyway in a cultivar. If anything there is a little less fuchsia colour on the lower petal tips, they do cut the line fine when trying to introduce new cultivars, obviously from the same cross.

My Lilium Casa Blanca has opened in all it's splendour, it keeps returning with good vigour, although this year I though for a start it would be weak, it did put on a spurt.

I tokk many pics trying to get good shots of a 'Flesh Fly', species yet to be determined. The hot season seems to have attracted many different bugs.

I almost forgot to take proper pics of the lily! This bug has a very long, broad tongue with an arrow hook on the end, it feeds on nectar, dung and carrion.

Here is the handsome fellow

Fancy.
I am all for the fly, but I prefer the curled-back sepals of the lily.

Nice scent too, casa Blanca that is!

Commelina dianthifolia, hardy to -10C but I would say hardier. Mine set seed and fill in the spaces after Aquilegia has finished, along with self set pansies.

They are late to grow, the flowers close by afternoon, but are a deep gentian blue. The camera just doesn't get this, it always comes up pale. Some at the rear low down do look darker. I love it, it makes a long narrow tuber. Self sets can grow and flower well in a season if weather conditions are good. I have some amongst the carrots doing really well.

Yes, they are much hardier.
What a blue... what a blue.
Is this thread dying or what? Oh well!
K

Hey, it's a rhizome:

May I take this opportunity to wish jmorth a Very Happy Birthday!

A detour from bulbs to show my very own Fairies.

Tuberose - lends enchantment to the air

Tuberose at night -
Wallaby1- thankyou for the birthday greeting..., and nice pic of the amourous butterflies.

Happy Birthday, jmorth!

and, my thanks to vossner...
J

Gloriosa

Pretty! Pretty! Keep em' comin' Love them all. Belated birthday wishes, Jm. Kenton, I'll make the executive decision (sorry, Dave) :) rhizomes count.. it's GORGEOUS- what kind? I need a bigger pond. Show us more!

Here is a little vignette of my small north side shade garden with caladiums poking through sweet woodruff and Tolmiea menziesii (piggyback plant, a native here).

That is so beautiful, pardalinum! Ah, the piggyback plant. That reminds me of my college days in the mid-1970s, when I had one of those in my apartment. I haven't seen one since!

Wow, pardalinum, just beautiful. (I visited your state last summer. If I'd ever move it would be my first consideration - you have it all, mountains, ocean, valleys, rivers, most beautiful state) I'm coming back, maybe next summer to see more)

So excited!!!
Some of my hippeastrums (amaryllis) are starting to bloom. I have them in pots in the garden by the kitchen door. Amputo didn't bloom this winter, but look at her now!

Fancy pair, the red-leaved Caladium (what is the cvr?) and blue-leafed hosta. Very clever, I don't think I've seen that before. Original.

Unfortunately I didn't keep track of the caladium cvrs except I'm sure you recognize Gingerland. These were all purchased at a local discount store. The hosta is Frances Williams and is appearing a bit more blue than real life-- that's my camera's fault... The combination is serendipitous-- I never plan anything. I see it- I like it-- I buy it-- I shove it in somewhere!

Another pic of Amputo.

Merengue will be blooming soon. Wish I had caladiums (love Gingerland) but can't keep up with the gardens as it is!

Hey everyone! Boojum - that's a very clear white. Lovely.

And Kenton - love your summer bulb!

I can smell the heavenly scent of those tuberoses jmorth.

Its finaly becoming cool enough for people to survive outside
around here. I think I'm coming alive again - was in a heat-induced
stupor for the last few weeks! I don't think I've got any bulbs
in bloom, even if I get clever like our friend (JamesCo).

Tam

I suggest water. Drinking it and gardening in it. The water lilies love the heat to a suprising degree.
Thanks, Tam. Good to see you again.
K

So many beauties!
jmorth, love your assortment of potted summer bulbs- I've got to try tuberoses now after seeing yours!

boojum, that's a lovely, pristine hipp- just beautiful!

I was out of town for a week and a half and Wow! - the tropicals have gone bezurk. The elephant ears I put on each side of the front door have nearly blocked the entrance! It put me in mind of my friend who calls me "Poison Ivy" after the batman character, but somehow the outfit just does'nt have the same effect on me as it did Uma Thuman, lol.

Anyhow, here are some babies that have been loving the heat since I've been gone. Tuberous begonia, Canna 'Striped Beauty', Colocosia 'Illustris', and purple oxalis in this grouping.

This area where I'm using all my tropicals is at the base of the "hill of my discontent" I've spoken of earlier. It's a perfect spot for them because the soil is rich and stays moist, and I get pretty good sun there. I had the project planned, but quit my job in spring, so I proceeded with the project determined not to spend a dime on it. I used cardboard and straw to tame the wild vegetation and am growing several things in pots there so I would'nt have as many weeds to contend with. I'm not minding the wild growth as a background for the tropicals as it lends to the jungle effect. I plan to gradually work my way up the hill until I have it tamed.

This is part of the jungle with Colocosia 'Black Magic'.

Another shot with Canna 'Tangelo' that started blooming while I was away.

Showing more Canna 'Striped Beauty'

These elephant ears were given to me, and have varying degrees of red shading on the stems and darker green leaves than my others. They've gotten bigger this year than ever before.

This message was edited Aug 12, 2006 8:26 AM

Same EEs with coleus, cannas, brugs, etc. around them.

Everything is growing like crazy at this end of the tropical garden, but I'm still anxiously awaiting blooms from the aethiopica callas at the right. The glossy, plastic-looking leaves have been pretty, but I would love to see blooms with the caladiums in front and the clerodendron vine that is to the right just out of the pic.

Neal, Moorehead, KY or the Amazon??????

Oh yeah! Neal you sure woke up this thread with those shots from the jungle!
Tam

That mulch looks pretty classy and contrasts well with the plants.
Can I request a closeup of 'Tangelo' Neal?

(Bang as the thread gets popular!)

Trust K to get excited about the mulch!

great stuff Neal

love your Caladium arrangement pardalinum, Gingerland goes well with the unknown.

boojum you are making me want more Hippeastrum, the excitement is contageous!

K, hot lily!

Hey, I didn't think of canna, but it is a rhizome isn't it? Which is a sort of bulb isn't it?

Tropical Sunrise

I can taste that from here, Wallaby.

Tropical sunrise is a real beauty!

I figure since cannas are sold as summer bulbs, we can consider them as such here :)

I'm finding the tropcal rain forest meets eastern Kentucky woods a most contrived and amusing contrast, lol. At the time, free and functional were my only concerns when using the straw mulch, but the look has'nt bothered me at all- certainly much neater than the weedy mess I was looking at before.

The blooms that were open on 'Tangelo' have faded, but new ones are about to open, so I'll be sure to get a close up when they do. I don't know the name of this one, but the dark leaves are wonderful. I love it with the coleus below.

I lost all my cana's a couple years ago. I need to stock up next spring. I love all the options
for gorgeous folliage. Now... just gotta figure out where I can build a new bed to house these
big guys...

Tam

Wow! That 'Tangelo' colour with bronzy leaves is amazing!

I like your description of
"tropcal rain forest meets eastern Kentucky woods ", it is amazing what one can do with a little or lot of imagination!

Ditto that.

Chocolate Cosmos - a bulb
Cosmos atrosanguines
light chocolate scent, very dark flower

dark chocolate is good for health

Great color! I've been lax. Hippeastrum (amaryllis) 'Merengue' is in bloom here and I haven't remembered to post.

Here it is in the garden with friends.