What's blooming? #14

I really get sick of people calling this pampas grass - it's Silver Feather miscanthus

Thanks onewish!

Al, I like the red flax! Alot!!!

Thanks - there is a straight scarlet flax - it might be that really in a mix.

Al that flax is really nice

:::: edit ::::: YEAH i have another photo on bloom.com

http://bloom.com/index.php?date=2007-09-07

This message was edited Sep 24, 2007 4:48 AM

Congrats onewish!! Beautiful Geranium!!

Congrats Allison!

Beautiful!

Hi all. I've been loving all your pics, as usual !

My recent favorite is Al's Pampas grass...errrr, I mean Silver Feather Miscanthus. ;-) Great photo, the blooms look so soft and downy... I love it!

Here is a baby hybrid Hibiscus 'Brandy Punch'

Al's acting pompous over his grass.

Another one about to open, how cool is this?!

Great shot!

Way cool!

Do you see what she sees?

What a fantastic shot!

Tradescantia is loving the cooler temps. The tag said these were late spring bloomers. I put them in mid-spring and they've had buds ever since. They didn't actually bloom when it was really hot in summer, but now they are going crazy. Is this normal that they would go all season?

A NOID Sedum, but I liked it anyway. Nursery-lady says this is probably an accidental cross between 'Stardust' and 'Brilliant'.

aspen:

Our Tradescantia kind of withered up and went away during the hot summer months, but now it is re-sprouting. I wish I could answer your question about your Tradescantia re-blooming, but we are just as astonished about ours re-appearing!!

Victor... bigcity college boys got fancy latin names for everything.

This message was edited Sep 24, 2007 1:50 PM

Hee hee - good one David. How is your Heptacodium?

Here is my first bloom from my Toad Lily. Planted two years ago, it did not bloom until now.

Another shot.

Geranium 'Rozanne'.

I'm glad you asked about the Heptacodium, Victor, because I could use some suggestions. But, first of all,it is doing great. I could see it grab hold about 4 days after setting it in the ground. It went in where a magnolia bush was. The hole was three feet across and two feet deep. Our soil is very bad here and I was concerned about lead paint from the house so I filled the hole with potting mix, manure and improved dirt from the garden. As you can see, it's in bloom already:

Never saw a toad lily before. Never heard of a toad lily before. I see at Plant files it is fall blooming for everyone (not just for you Victor). I'll file that one away. Fall blooming is, as you know, why I now have a heptacodium.

Victor, I have had my T.Lily for 5 years..still only has 2 shoots and 2-4 blooms, so don't feel bad.

Thanks. Yes, the bloom is pretty cool on the Toad. David, the Hepta looks great. What did you need suggestions on?

Photo below is the area of which I could use some suggestions. Need something to put under, in back, to the sides of and behind the Heptacodium.

Do need a narrow walkway to that nice new electric box (for what that ugly thing costs me this month, they could have given me something not so ugly). Anyways, I can come out quite a way in front of the Heptacodium. We're slowly improving the house and this spring (hopefully) both porches will have some work done on them. So putting in shurbs is not doable now. I was thinking bulbs.

Some muscari grows, in a haphazd fashion, there now. Might be from around when the house was build in 1884. Not set on anything in particular but would like to have things which might have been there a century ago. First priority, however, is not creating an heirloom garden but looks.

The area doesn't need to be a focal point all summer. By July, a long flower border to the left of the path will screen, from the street, what is there.

Any suggestions on how to minimize the impact of that electric box would be appreciated too!

David, first of all you have a great house. I really love that porch. Eventually the Heptacodium will fill up most of that space and will screen the el boxes. So I guess you're looking to fill the area while waiting for it to grow. The photo shows some shade. How much sun does it get? For bulbs, you can never go wrong with Daffodils, especially if you have deer. I like combining Daffs and Muscari. There are a number of other 'minor' bulbs that are deer resistant. Just can't remember them now.

You can always do a trellis a few feet in front of the meters and do Clematis and some annual vine for quick coverage while the Clematis grows. The utility co. can walk behind it to have access. I grow a Clematis up my Heptacodium.

For perennials or shrubs around the Hep, it will have to be something that will take full sun (now) to part shade (as the Hep grows). For shrubs, Clethra is one possibility. Gives a great scent as a bonus. There are smaller ones available. Itea is another nice possibility. Nice flowers and fantastic Fall color - one of the best. A nice ground cover like Geranium 'Rozanne' is another nice possibility. You have a large choice of perennials.

As the Hep grows, you want to show off the peeling bark so you will want to do some pruning and move anything that blocks that view.

I'll think a bit more on it. Good luck!

Callicarpa showing off its berries.

'Sarah's Favorite' Crape.

'Snow Queen' Hydrangea.

Deodar Cedar.

Thanks Victor! Interesting you mention a trellis. You got the need for that right. Don't know when the photo below was taken (from the size of the shurbs, a while after construction in 1884 obviously). Note the trellis on both sides on the front porch. Huge things.

Wonder what that big shrub was where the Heptacodium now stands.

Do not have deer problems here. A RR track, a Hwy and a salt marsh keep them under control. That corner receives sun from shortly after sunrise until noon. Been looking at muscari and minor bulbs but didn't know if Daffs would fit. They do. Good. That will fill up space. I'll investigate Clethra, Itea and g. Rozanne. Fragrance and fall color. Can't get better than that.

I should name this "Victor's Corner" because already, with the heptacodium, your suggestions dominate it. Appreciate the advice.

No problem David. Please don't feel compelled to use those suggestions - there are many possibilities. It's more important to look what you're working with - sun, soil, moisture, space and one many people forget - time! How the others might change over time is the most important consideration for long-term planning. Then you can look for plants that will fit the bill.

You certainly will want to mulch that area as well. If you do decide to go with a dense ground cover, perhaps eventually less and less mulch will be needed. That's what I've been trying to do in my garden.

What a great house, DP. It's gorgeous!!

oh my goodness so many nice photos today... going to have to reply and go back and fourth

Aspen love the curly hib.... and the fairy pic is great

if anyones wants my Tradescantia let me know... they are all dug up and I put them in pots.... not too fond of them

Victor love the toad lily... very pretty... the Callicarpa is neat and love love love the snow queen

I've been away for a few days and I know I'm going to miss someone here - because all of the pics are just beautiful!! In a quiet moment, I jumped on and took a quick look to show a guest how cool DG is, and she was so interested in this thread.

The Fairy shots rank way up there for me! Celeste, I loved your Fairy and her asters!

Aspen - Your Fairy shot is just terrific! As to your tradescantia question - mine have bloomed all summer. I did some dead heading and they just kept blooming. They have just stopped.

Victor - that Rozanne shot is very nice....as are your Toad Lily shots.

Allison - congrats on that beautiful geranium photo on bloom.com! Excellent photography!

DP - what a wonderful house you live in! Just gorgeous, and I love the kind of fence you have!

Candyce...lthank you. Looked better 100 years ago than it does today but we're working on it. Appreciate the information you, Victor and others have shared.

A carpenter who works on these houses was here the other day giving us a quote on repairing a few columns on the porches. He remarked repeated on the virtues of 19th century lead paint. What we thought was a sign of deck rot--springiness--was due to the orginal nails, which were not galvanlized, rusting out. Lead paint and the fact they used chesnut is why the porches are still here. All that is needed--and even I can do this--is screw the boards down and paint.

Donniebrook....Wish I could afford a picket fence like the one in the photo. That fence has been gone quite a while. Taken out before WWII I think (now WHY would anyone do that?)

This message was edited Sep 24, 2007 7:13 PM

How long are you in the house, David?

Beautiful, David!