I will start the month off with this..
Oenothera 'Siskiyou' also called pink Missouri Primrose
Since June is the month for roses, anyone growing them? Please share your photos.
What else is blooming for you now?
June Flowers OT
That is pretty and I love the mix of the two colors!
I had to look it up for more info..
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/PlantFinder/Plant.asp?code=A117
GL, I love that Oenothera, lovely pink! I've seen it in Yellow before too, which is pretty but I am just a pink kinda gal!
Ibrabec: That Fan Flower is beautiful! I have seen Scaevola on occasion at our local garden centers but have never tried it in the garden, didn't know if it would survive the heat down here for very long. I just found listings for different ones in PF: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=scaevola&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search and there are a few reports of growing in Florida!
We've had a lot of stuff blooming here for the past three or four months but then we had those flooding rains and some heavy winds that knocked a lot of plants for a loop. I have two huge Gardenia bushes and after 8 or 9 straight days of heavy rains, the ground was covered with flowers. Three large Oleanders, white, light pink and dark pink were in full bloom, those were knocked off too. I had three Rose bushes full of blooms two weeks ago ... I'm sure there will be new buds before long. This Rose is a Noid that has been around for years ... had a name at one time but ya know how that goes!
I'm so bad about buying plants to plant in the yard and then never doing it ... they sit around in their pots for years. This is a Bougainvillea I never got around to planting. There's an old plastic table sitting out in the back driveway and the pot is sitting on the table. Our driveway goes around the side of the house to the back but we never use that part. I have a few things sitting around out there.
It's true, jannich what you say about Missouri Primrose. It's so easy and spreads but i pull them up to keep in control. All you need a little left and it will take off again. Zinnias are great for the hot weather. I like the colors and they are so useful as cut flowers too.
Lin..pretty rose and foliage looks nice with no blackspot. Love salvias of all kinds. I buy Lady in Red salvia especially for the hummingbirds. They self sow and come back but I buy a few just to be sure. The ixora is so attractive with those golden flowers. I am planting more and more in pots these days.
I didn't see your other posts when I posted, jan. Look at that upside down tomato! I've heard of growing that way but I am glad to see it works! Nothing better than a fresh vine ripened tomato sandwich. Mmmm. Lovely lilies and happy sunflower.
You too, syrumani. You'll be enjoying tomatoes very soon. I planted about 10 plants of a few different varieties.
Hi ya Jan ... those zinnia's are so pretty! And, I love Sunflowers, especially when they are gifts from the birds! I still have a large pot of sunflowers sitting out in the back driveway ... pretty blooms compliments of the birds. The heads are setting seeds and some animal (probably Raccoon) has been tearing them up at night. I found two long stems pulled down to the ground and the heads half eaten. It doesn't bother me though, I look at it like it's a gift that keeps on giving ... I can enjoy the pretty blooms and then those blooms are feeding the wildlife. As the birds scatter seeds and they start sprouting in the lawn, I just try to take the time to pull lots of them up and pot them before I mow the lawn.
Wow! Jan & Nichole, Great looking "maters"! My tomato plants in pots had some cutworm or something eating the fruit. We have yet to get a tomato that looks decent enough that I want to eat it! I planted some in the ground which are just setting blooms so fruit should soon follow ... hope I get some decent ones this time. The past few years my tomato plants have been attacked by insects. I want to try the upside down method! Oooh ... a fresh tomato sandwich sounds soooo yummy!
Last year, the one tomato plant that just looked great was Aunt Ruby's German Green something. The plant was tall, bushy, etc. No blossoms that I could tell, so never got any fruit. It lasted all the way until the first good freeze, and then, only half died. It took another freeze to finish it off!
It must be something to do with the zones all of you live in.Here tomatoes grow like crazy.I don't care to use insecticides on food plants and occasionally one gets a fungus or blight problem,but I just pull it and throw it.Last year all were leveled to the ground,with not a leaf left,but I had planted a few Romas in pots,so at least we had a few.
Love your flower pictures!!
Lynn
Lynn - the ground here is horrible. You can't dig down more than 6" or so before it turns into rocks, etc. I think Gail calls it caliche (or something similar).
Yes, everyone's flower pictures are very nice!
Nichole, I didn't realize y'all had Caliche soil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliche_(mineral)#Problems_caused_by_Caliche to deal with there in that part of Texas. That's got to be almost as bad as digging in the hard red clay my sister has in Georgia. I remember trying to help her with some gardening years ago when I was young and I couldn't budge that hard red clay! Down here in this part of Florida we have mostly sand but if you dig a little ways down you will hit coquina/shell and then water LOL. We are about 9' above sea level.
Yes, it was pretty bad. Unless I was going to rent a rototiller (and a strong one), I would not have been able to get very deep.
Do you have hard water in your area, syrumani? I would think so with all that lime in the ground.
Thanks Lin for mentioning coquina. I was trying to think of what that is called last night having seen walls built of it in St. Augustine.
Hard as a rock, GL! (ok, that may be an exaggeration . . . but it IS hard) ^_^
GL: Oh, I just love the architecture of the ancient city of St. Augustine! Some of those buildings are so neat: http://www.staugustinelinks.com/st-augustine-history.asp I think parts of the Bridge of Lions: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=images+of+bridge+of+lions+st.+augustine+florida&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=yqAmSsvRKZSG8gTI17CBDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title that crosses the Mantanzas river from St. Augustine to the Island are made of coquina, but it may be only the Lion statues that are actually coquina rock.St. Augustine is one of my favorite cities, don't know why we don't make time to go up there anymore. It's only about 40 minute drive north of where I am and we used to spend many weekends there back in the 70's and 80's. It's really pretty at night during the holidays when it seems every single building as well as the bridge are all strung with the tiny white lights.
There used to be many old houses in the southern part of the state made of coquina. We have one landmark here in Daytona called the Taragona Arch that is constructed of coquina: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4MCX and http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=images+of+the+taragona+arch+daytona+beach&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=J6EmSt_CI5ik8ATIxMyBDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title The city decorates it during the holiday season with the tiny white lights.
I have a flower that looks just like that Missouri Primrose, only it is a vivid yellow color and it is taking over every flower bed I put them in! I can't tell you how many I have ripped out. Very pretty though.
jmp...yes, what you have is the beautiful yellow Missouri Primrose that many consider rampant in the garden to say the least!
Oh, what a gorgeous photo of is it foxglove? If so, did you know it is called digitalis from which some heart meds are made? It saves many a life. Just beautiful!
Lin, the Castillo in St. Augustine is made of coquina and that's what saved the city from attack. Thanks for all your links.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Coquina---The-Stone-That-Saved-the-City-of-Saint-Augustine&id=1755066
You are right about the city during the Christmas holidays and I have been there to see the Nights of Lights. Such a charming place.
Syrumani, I am curious what you use to water your violets?
jmp24: Sounds like you might have one of the yellow blooming evening primrose's: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=images+of+evening+primrose&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=v6wmSrqkN6Ck8gSeu72BDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Onagraceae/Oenothera/none/cultivar/0/
Love that pink bloom, Beautiful! What is that lovely plant?
Tap water. I let it sit out all day or night. I've started adding chlorine/chloramine remover drops to it, as well as some pH Down. I went and bought some bottled water a few weeks ago and used that, but I don't know if that water is any better (hoped it filtered some bad stuff out). ^_^
GL: Yes, the Castillo De San Marcos: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/318fbe/ is probably one of the oldest coquina structures in the city, from the mid or late 1700's I believe. Did you get to take the tour when you were there on vacation last year? I think they charge now ... years ago it was free. I googled and found this: http://www.nps.gov/casa/. I had no idea they did reenactments there. My DH is off all of July and August and I think we might plan a day trip to St. Augustine.
Gold Leaf, yes it is foxglove, and yes, know it is where digitalis comes from...that is an awesome photo, isn't it? I just crouched down and pressed the shutter button without even thinking - now if had been trying to get a close up shot of one of my AV's or hoya flowers, I could spend hours setting it up and considering the focus, the angles, etc etc and it still wouldn;t come out near as clear!!
I have been to St Augustine, one of the prettiest places in the US!
Very good informative links, Lin. Thanks. Good memories looking. You will have a great day if you go. Always something interesting to see and do in St. Augustine.
Laughing, jmp24. I don't know how many times a quick pic turns out so well compared to being all serious about it. Yes, your photo turned out beautifully.,.
GL - I take it the "fat" parts are the optimum ranges? I had my tap water pH tested over the weekend, and it was the standard 8.4 for San Antonio (it was lower at the house). That is why I got the pH Down, 'cause I know that AV's need a range of 6.5-7.0 (or something close to). I used enough to bring the pH of the water down to 7.5. I am going to test again using fertilized water, and then I'll test again after the water runs thru the plants (there are instructions in the Growing To Show book. This is one of the few days I didn't actually bring it to work with me! I have nothing to read now!).
I think it's because I'm growing all outside plants in pots (not much choice, in an apartment!) that the tomato plants are doing a little better. They are all right there in one space. I will look at your chart (thanks, by the way!) and see what tomatoes need as far as nutrients, and see if I need to lower pH for my veggies . . .
sorry, plantlady! I didn't realize you were asking about my photo - it's foxglove, a perennial. It is the plant that they use to make digitalis, the heart medication - though they may make the drug synthetically now, I am not sure. The deer DO NOT eat it, so it's great for around here! It is beautiful, isn't it? I couldn't even fit the whole thing, it's a 2 or 3 foot stem more than half way full of those blooms, with big wide leaves at the bottom.
thanks for the oenothera links. Always nice to know the name of something , now I can stop calling it that "yellow daisy buttercuppy thingy that is TAKING OVER!!!"
