August 28th blooms

First for me today is Magnifique. I had to take this one off the plant, as it was in the back and facing backwards - I almost missed it!

Cinnamon Girl.

Cajun Blue.

Voodoo Magic.

Electric Blue.

Voodoo Queen up close.

And my favorite bloom today is from Belle de Jour - it's just huge!

Very Beautiful Karen!!!

We had some hard rain last night and basically washed several buds away. I did have a Black Jack open though. Its been a while for this one!!!

Your Black Jack is stunning - I can hardly wait for my buds to open up!!!

I got to this Black Dragon early this morning before the hummers did.
The hummingbirds are so drawn to the red mass of color and they tear the flowers up before noon.

Beautiful bloom, Ardesia!! Hey, I've got 2 Black Dragons - one in the ground, and one in a pot on the patio. We have quite a lot of hummers here, and mine have never been attacked, BUT, I have my hummingbird feeder above (and to the right about two feet) the potted BD. Maybe try putting a feeder above it?? Just an idea...

karen

Great pictures. I'll post something when I get something different. I have a ton of pictures in my picture file and I'm going to have to sort through and delete a bunch of them. My hummingbirds are drinking about six cups of sugar water a day now. So far, they haven't found the hibiscus...

My Purple Magic bloomed for me yesterday and today--the flower was a little smaller and a little pinker than I thought it would be but was still very pretty (but since when have any of my hibiscus ever looked like the picture on the website I bought it from! I love them all anyway though!) I probably won't get around to uploading the pics onto my computer until this weekend so I'll post it then.

I've never seen hummingbirds anywhere near my hibbies, I think I have too many other plants like Salvias, Agastache, Malvaviscus, Grevillea, etc that they like better. But I'll have to watch out--certainly don't want them destroying my pretty flowers!

I too have plenty of hummer flowers and haven't used a feeder in years. Haven't needed to as I have more than enough birds. It is the red color that draws them, if I wear a red shirt in the garden they will dive bomb me. They get confused with the Black Dragon and they keep trying to find some nectar there.

Liz, which Grevillea do you have and does it bloom all summer in CA. Ours usually stop blooming as soon as it gets too hot.

I have about a million of them (well, not quite...but at least 10-15 or so). A lot of them just bloom in the spring, but I have a few that bloom intermittently most of the year. Ones that are blooming at least a little now are G. 'Ruby Clusters', G. juniperina 'Molonglo', G. sericea, G. 'Austraflora Fanfare', and G. victoriae 'Marshall's Seedling'. G. 'Long John' isn't blooming right now but did for much of the summer. This is the first year I've grown many of these, so I'm not sure if they usually do this, or if it's just because we've had a lot of cool spells this summer (although we're having a heat wave this week...we'll see if they keep blooming!).

They are not common here and are very hard to find but I did come across G. Noell a while back. She only bloomed in the spring. I'll look for some of those you mentioned; drought tolerant and hummingbird attracting plants are always welcome.

I had hummers in early spring, but I think they left for the summer, lol.
Plum Crazy, Montserrat and Fifth Dimension bloomed today, but I was having a pool table delivered and installed, so that took up my day. My family threw me a surprise birthday party (my bd was Saturday and I had to work) tonight, so we broke in the pool table and ping pong conversion.
So, had a total blast, but not time enough to pull out camera.
Tomorrow.....

Magnifique and Black Jack have my votes tonight. Can't wait till my belle is big enough to produce flowers. Right now she is still a little baby.

Well HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAT!! So sorry we missed your special day!! Sounds like you had lots of fun!

I didn't know you collected grevillea, Liz. I love them!!! Do you have them on your hill?

Shoot my Black Dragon had a great bloom today but I got sidetracked. My boy is home and things will never be the same. LOL At 4:30 this morning I was on the phone trying to locate him in his father's new car. LOL! He is out again tonight so no sleep once again for his mother.

I LOVE my Belle de Jour and Black Jack is so special too.

I was out today looking for ceramic pots and stopped at 2 Lowes. They had good sized hibiscus in gallon cans for $4.27. So I got suckered in. LOL

Noosa Pearl Beach

Newport Beach

Hermosa Beach

I think there is a theme going on here. LOL

I bought 3 more but I don't have the names inside. They were good sized plants for $4.27 so I figured why not get 1 of each? My husband hates my logic. lol

Kell, your husband may not like your logic, but I personally think it makes great sense, LOL. Love all of your beach pics...reminds me of....the beach, lol.

I just read my post above and it didn't make sense, so here goes.

I am a nurse, and I work the 3-11 shift. Saturday was my birthday, but I was working. Today was my day off, so my family threw me a surprise party tonight. It was a blast, because, we used the new pool table and ping pong conversion set. I was lousy at pool, my brother n laws whipped our you know whats. But, I slaughtered my 16 year old niece in ping pong :)

Well Happy Birthday again Cat. Sounds like your loving family caught you with that surprise party tonight!!

I am a nurse too!!!

I forgot to say that I have tons of hummers here. Last summer I had lots of red amaryllis in bloom most of the summer in pots on my dining room table. Well actually in 1920's pressed glass punch bowls. LOL.

I am forever going outside for just a minute so I leave the screen door open and 2 hours later I show back at the door. So many times when I had the amaryllis on the table I would find hummers humming all over my dining room. I would have such a time getting them out for the ceilings are very high and all skylights. They would zero in on the red amaryllis and in they could come.

A very happy and belated birthday cat. It sounds like you did have a blast.

Kell, I love the punch bowl idea, you are so clever. I have a bunch of amaryllis in the garden and every now and then I'll dig one up, force it to dry (they never actually go dormant here) and when it does get some water it sends up a bud. it is probably the only time I can manipulate mother nature.

Enjoy the frustration :-) of having your son home; soon he will be back in NYC and you will wish you could be frustrated again.

BTW, great find on the hibiscus at Lowe's. Named varieties too, you lucky girl!

Happy birthday Cat!

Kell--no grevilleas on the hill, I have them on the flat part of the backyard and the terraces, and a bunch in pots waiting to be planted this fall. I love Aussie plants, and I've got a whole bunch of them, not just grevilleas. I love the hibbies you got from Lowes, I may have to check the one in Livermore this weekend and see if they've got any good ones!

Happy Belated Birthday Cat!! Sounds like you had a blast at your party - and a pool & ping pong table, wow! I love ping pong and used to be good when I was younger, but DH doesn't play so we don't have a table :-(

Kell, great finds! I particularly like the Hermosa & Newport Beach varieties. Your logic sounds perfectly fine to me ;-)

karen

Ha ha, Kell - sounds like we have the same logic AND the same type of husbands!!

I still can't believe your Lowe's have named plants. Today I passed a new nursery and, of course my car turned in all by itself. Across the yard I saw hibiscus with labels and I practically flew over to see what they were and wouldn't you know they were Seminole Pink and Celia Red, the two most common hibbies out there.
Good thing I am expecting a box from David to cheer me up.

Yep, new hibs to cheer someone up. Waiting for some from Robert :)

Well shoot, I want a box from somewhere too.