August is here and July's thread is getting long thought I'd start off a new thread. Please post your beautiful blooms here.
Crepe Myrtle
August Blooms
Lady, These came from you last year. Pretty little things, can't remember the name?
Here's my contribution for today - I finally found a few minutes to go outside :-)
Gardenia taitensis
Unknown lavender
Ahem - forgot to label - but it's a pretty blue! :-)
Ahem again - same plant, very, very red!
Phlox - I believe it's the "Nicky" - smells fabulous
Belamcanda Hello Yellow
The most spectacular thing in my Garden at this moment is my Kopper King Hibiscus.
It just blows me away every year!!!!
I should dig it up and plant it in the small, round flower bed in front of my house. I know I might damage some of the roots, but I might take the chance.
Several reasons I might take that chance:
1--Nothing much thrives in the big pot I try to put on some kind of a pedestal in the center
of this front bed. The SPV always takes over and everything else dies off. I have
wasted so much $$ on flowers that i thought would be SO colorful.....YUK!
2--Full sun--all day--my KK would love it. Plus, it grows about 6' tall and blooms it's
head off in the heat and humidity of our Summers.
3--The bed my KK has been growing in for the last 4 years is minute! Only about 24"
deep and smack against the foundation of my house. Behind it is a really pretty
Clematis--light blue--"Proteus". I think it is struggling due to all the shade and the
heavy roots of the KK Hib.
4--The KK is TOTALLY shading out the pretty, red Lilies I transplanted there. I mean--
they get NO daylight.
Basically--Do I need any more reasons????? NOOOOOOOOOO!
Question---When should I dig it up??? In the fall when it is totally done blooming, or in very early spring? My gut feeling is--do it in the late fall. That way it can still grow some more roots. I now I will disturb/mangle some of them in the transplanting process...I sure would hate to lose it!
OK! Here are some pictures from this beauty!!!!
Gita
A close-up of some of the blooms. They are easily dinner-plate size!
One funny thing--this Hibiscus DOES NOT make any seed pods with seeds. Oh, it starts out, but they never develop. Must be a real Hybrid!!!!
This message was edited Aug 2, 2008 11:07 PM
A close-up of ONE of the blooms. Such pretty coloring!
My 4 O'clocks ("Broken Colors") are blooming away too.
Dragon Wing Begonias also love this heat!
My white "Balloon Flowers" (first year--got them at the Swap) are doing great! I have blue ones too....
Tomorrow I will take pictures of my Pink Brugmansia--which is just in a beautiful bloom flush.
This one is so dependable! Only one that never fails rooting from cuttings either.
My "Peaches and Cream" one has still to bloom! It is growing gung-ho!
Thanks for moving us over, Holly. Pretty posies you are sharing.
Lovely blooms there Becky and Gita. A sight for sore eyes, I must say.
Ruby
Bec, Love that Gardenia
Gita, Same goes for that Hibiscus.I think I going to get one for my Mom's house.
I think I post a few Morning Glory pictures.
Here is another
And one more
Gita, Here is a bloom from my Hibiscus, It's Tropical and the blooms aren't anywhere near as large as yours are.
White Phlox, David
This is the variegated Lantana "Samantha". I was told by a nurseryman that a lot of nurseries don't carry it because it's not a good bloomer. It has out bloomed all my other Lantana and it's bigger, too.
This message was edited Aug 4, 2008 8:17 AM
Holly, those yellow water plants are Nymphoides peltata,
Yellow floating heart. Make sure they stay in a lined watergarden, if they get into a natural pond they will be invasive, I bought them at Lowes a few years ago before I knew this. They don't freeze out even in my zone. They are very pretty and can cover a watergarden pretty fast.
gita, I love your broken colors 4 o'clocks :)
I planted one seed and it hasn't bloomed yet.
This is a new lily, I'll have to look up the name...can't find it at the moment
...found it: this is Lilium, Oriental/Trumpet 'Orania'
This message was edited Aug 5, 2008 2:36 PM
Thanks Lady, I just couldn't remember what the name was. But I did remember the warning you gave me when you sent the plants about how invasive they could be. They are pretty little things.
One of my water lotus has put up a bud. Really surprised me I wasn't expecting any flowers from them this year. I'll post a picture when it opens.
Yes, that Nymphoides is banned in a number of states, please be careful. Nowadays some states inspect boats at the borders for plants like that.
This daylily has its last flower now. It had more than thirty-five blooms and went for a month. 'Fairy Tale Pink'
The phlox bed that was in full bloom in July doesn't stand a chance!!!
Poor thing, looks like it could use a meal you can count it's ribs!
I know I know, but not in your plants.
See I'd be broke plus have no plants. When the kids and I took a vacation in the Poconos we spent all extra money making "deer food" and feeding them - sad as that is - it's the one vacation that they still talk about so many years later.
We have woods behind our house and the deer do come in from time to time. Usually in the winter and clean out the bird feeders. One year it was so bad that I finally put up a deer feeder. Hated to do it, really don't want to draw them in, but when 8+ hungry deer are all standing around two little bird feeders you have to do something. We've had them come in to drink in the summer when there were drought conditions. I've seen them at both the small pond and even the swimming pool. But they never really bother the plants and I'm sure I have some they would like. That's such a shame that you can't enjoy both your garden and your wildlife.
That poor deer is either poisoned, diseased or starving to death. Having been born April to June last year that deer should be about a hundred to a hundred twenty five pounds and a thing of beauty. In Virginia maybe it should be even larger and ready to breed this fall. It is doubtfull if it is healthy enough to breed this fall. If per chance it might the abortion is almost certain. Get some pressure onto someone of authority if all the deer are in that condition. That's the poorest living animal I have seen anywhere in my whole life.
There are so many deer in these woods. All summer this doe and her two fawns have made themselves at home really close to the house. They've eaten all my plums and peaches, and most of the hostas. She's not lacking for food around here - in addition to my garden delicacies, the amount of rain this year has made the woods a virtual smorges board... I think she is skinny because she is young to have bred this year, and she is still trying to fatten up after having the twins.
Geese..............no wonder with the twins yet...she should be in much greater shape. High populations of animals are very unfair to the animals. Ten years ago our herds looked like this. Our game commission set about to drastically reduce the herds. That is still an issue as some areas are still over populated. Surburban areas are the hardest to get thinned out. Over all our herds are now about 70 - 90% smaller. They are again healthy animals for the most part. Still in our major city surburban areas serious over population is a major issue. I'm not sure they know what to do because of no open hunting is possible where the situation is the worst.
Years ago while hunting several areas in Virginia we would hunt for a week to see half a dozen deer. When we did they would be three times the size of this deer. This poor doe is about 80 lb. soaking wet. She could be 150 to 225 lbs if the food was correct and available. I find it amazing she was able to give birth let alone twin this spring. We have the same situation in some areas here too. It sickens me. There is little a single individual can do. Meanwhile they chew our home landscapes nearly to death. They are in your backyard because the food is there......and the fact there are few or no preditors to thin the herds.
I have readthat its been tried, to drug the deer and truck them to underpopulated aeas like Kentucky, but they don't tolerate it well. KY being low on deer because they are more willing and have the need to keep the deer hunted down. financial.
I don't think I'll go further or I might get into politics
We visited southern WV couple yrs ago, lots of deer in a big park there, tamed by visitors, also skinny and fly-coated when they got close enough to see.
And you should never trust a wild animal - we tossed them treats from off the deck.
Back to the flowers
I'll have to find those photos of the deer in the Poconos...
Finally took a breather and snapped a quick pic of the Datura blooming out front...blooms looked better a few days ago but kept forgetting to get a pic.
Does this bloom count? The dress is covered....LOL
Chantell, how adorable!!!
Chantell, Both your "flowers" are beautiful.
Chantell,
Are those Purple Daturas from my seeds?
Did I ever give you some? Mine are blooming well also.
Gita
Lots of scrawny deer between here and Philly. The larkspurs are at about half of their spring glory, which is still pretty good.
