Late Season Stress

Mother Nature was most benevolent today, allowing me to finish nearly all of my lingering outside duties in 65° weather before the rains hit later this afternoon. This gives me great relief, as there's nothing worse for a gardener than facing the doldrums of winter with chores left undone.

By my count, I planted something in the neighborhood of 115 bulbs (and a few other stragglers) today with the help of my trusty new auger. I'll never plant bulbs without it again. Here's the line-up of what hit the dirt today:

10 Tulip acuminata
16 Allium schubertii
10 Anemone coronaria bicolor
2 Dracunculus vulgaris (Dragon lily, Voodoo lily)
10 Dwarf iris histrioides 'George'
5 Dwarf iris winogradowii
10 Dutch iris 'Rosario'
20 Dutch iris Apollo
10 Ornithogalum nutans (Silverbells)
10 Chionodoxa 'Blue Giant' (Glory of the Snow)
12 Daffodil centannees

Other:
1 Eremurus Shelford Hybrids (Foxtail Lily, Desert Candle)
1 Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'
1 Bearded Iris 'Wench'
1 Bearded Iris 'Anaconda Love'
1 Bearded Iris 'Aggressively Forward'
1 Japanese Iris 'Picotee Wonder'

I still have a few plants in pots on the patio that will most likely end up in either the greenhouse or the garage, but either way I'll find a comfortable temporary home for them.

Six of the Most Beautiful Words in the World...

..."Your Garden Crossings Order Has Shipped"

Half of my order is a dwarf pennesetum called 'Piglet'...now who could resist that?

For added contrast, I also indulged in several Spilled Wine™ Weigela (shown at left) and Sunjoy Gold Beret Berberis.

And it's a four-day weekend coming up. And the forecast is for high temperatures under 100°. Life is good.

Mulling Over Mulla Mulla

One of the new hot plants getting an awful lot of press in the last year has been Ptilotus exaltatus or, as it's known in its native Australia, Mulla Mulla.

Why all the attention? Well, it's a gorgeous plant, for one thing, and thrives in the harshest of conditions. Believe me, I know. I'm growing the 'Platinum Wallaby' variety in a container in my backyard now and, despite nearly a month of triple digit temperatures and very little rain, this plant is still blooming and still pretty.

According to a very informative article published last year in Sunset Magazine, the 'Platinum Wallaby' is an all-around better plant than a similar variety called 'Joey,' at least as far as North Texas gardens are concerned. 'Platinum Wallaby' prefers alkaline soil, which we have a lot of here, and as a perennial, it also appears to just be generally tougher.

Since Proven Winners is a supplier of 'Platinum Wallaby,' I'm hoping it will hop to our local nurseries faster than a bush kangaroo.

What Do You Get After Two Inches of Rain in Two Hours?

Hopefully, rain lilies. This is Zephyranthes sp. 'Labuffarosa'

Garden Crossings Delivers

Just wanted to, once again, share the love for Garden Crossings. They send you the best plants with the best packing method of anyone I've dealt with in the mail order plant business.

Know, too, that many of the plants in my order were on sale. Ever ordered sale plants from other mail order places, only to receive the tiniest, sickliest, most pathetic sticks you've ever seen, usually tossed into the box carelessly? Yeah, me too. Well, not from GC. Here are a few photos:

Garden Crossings Savings

Just placed a small-ish order with Garden Crossings. I've had a discount card sitting on my desk for awhile, begging to be used. (Use the code SAVENOW at checkout and receive $25 off a $99 order, or $15 off a $75 order, thru July 31!)

I've had my eye on a couple of types of golden barberry, both of which are carried by GC. There's the dwarf low-growing beret-type 'Maria' and the upright pillar-type 'Talago'. I wanted both of these, but the Talago was sold out, so I'm at least getting two of the dwarves to flank the variegated yucca at the end of our sidewalk. I've tried regular barberries there, but they keep burning up. Hopefully the goldies will last longer.

I also ordered a gorgeous new Aquilegia called 'Blackcurrant Ice' (shown at right), a couple of Heucheras ('Miracle' and 'Tiramasu') plus an interesting Brunnera called 'King's Ransom' that looks to be a cross between 'Hadspen Cream' and 'Jack Frost'. I hope it at least has the heat tolerance of Jack Frost...every Hadspen Cream I've had has melted during our intense Texas summer, never to be seen again, while the Jack Frosts have held up surprisingly well...when given adequate water, of course.

I also got an Echinacea 'Mac 'n' Cheese'. Didn't see the accompanying bright red 'Tomato Soup' variety in their catalog, or I would've gotten that too.

Lovely Lily

I planted this lily about three years ago and it hasn't bloomed until now. Gorgeous, yes? If memory serves (which it usually doesn't these days), I think this was a freebie/extra bulb from somewhere.

What I do know is that it is a very fragrant Oriental lily called 'Stargazer'.

Going Dutch

I'm always a little embarrassed to admit when I've ordered from Dutch Gardens. In my book, they're about one step above Spring Hill Nurseries as far as plant quality and reliable customer service...and that's not too good. But gosh, the pictures in their catalogs are intoxicating.

I figured I couldn't go too wrong with daylilies and gladiolus - two of the toughest plants in existence. Here's what my order looked like; these should be arriving in about a month:



Gladiolus 'Black Surprise'


Gladiolus 'Dandy'


Daylily 'Thundering Ovation'


Daylily 'Lori Goldston'

Flower Seeds - Old and New

I was going through my collection of flower seeds and was truly amazed at how old some of them were. Sunflower seeds from 2001, marigold seeds harvested from plants I had...gosh, I can't remember when. Maybe from before I was married, even. I ended up pitching most of the old seeds, as they probably weren't viable anyway, but I decided to try the sunflower and marigold just for the heck of it. The datura was also harvested from a plant and is only a couple of years old. The rest of the list is brand-spanking new seed from either Burpee or Select Seeds. Seeds were started yesterday, 2/14.



Sunflower 'Sunspot'


Marigold 'Jaguar'


Datura 'Double Purple'


Ornamental Millet 'Jester'


Scabiosa 'Beaujolais'


Scabiosa 'Dark Knight'


Maltese Cross


Gentian Blue Sage 'Cambridge Blue'


Amaranth 'Oeschberg'


Gomphrena 'Fireworks'


Coreopsis 'Mardi Gras'


Calendula 'Oktoberfest'

Easy to Grow? Let's Hope So...

I am trying a new bulb company this year, Easy to Grow Bulbs. They come highly recommended by Garden Watchdog reviewers.

My order is supposed to arrive Wednesday. I'm taking Friday off to celebrate my 46th birthday by playing in the dirt...teehee!

Here's what I'm getting:
Anemone Lord Lieutenant
Dutch Iris Bronze Beauty
Lily, Trumpet Black Dragon
Tulip Saxatilis
Tulip Clusiana Cynthia
Iris Pallida Variegata

Of course, I also put in a hefty order with my own Master Gardener's association for our annual bulb sale. From what I can remember, my order includes Tulip Clusiana Lady Jane, Leucojum aestivum Gravetye Giant, and my favorite, the lovely and incredibly fragrant Narcissus Thalia (pictured above). We already have a nice bunch of Thalia in a street-side berm in our front yard, and I had to have more. Few daffodils (and tulips) will naturalize in North Texas. Thalia is one of them.

September Should Be Busy

I've got several plant orders scheduled for early- and mid-September. Much as my darling husband hates to hear it, it's nice to have the plant-buying bug back again!

From Digging Dog Nursery:
Eupatorium rugosum Chocolate
Helictotrichon sempervirens Sapphire Fountain
Origanum Rosenkuppel
Panicum virgatum Heavy Metal
Penstemon mexicali Sunburst Ruby
Penstemon Thorn
Salvia argentea

From EasytoGrowBulbs.com
Anemone Lord Lieutenant
Dutch Iris Bronze Beauty
Lily, Trumpet Black Dragon
Tulip Saxatilis
Tulip Clusiana Cynthia
Iris Pallida Variegata

From Bluestone Perennials
BULB Allium Schubertii
BULB Dracunculus Vulgaris
VERONICA teucrium Royal Blue
ARTEMISIA Schmidtiana Silver Mound
EUPHORBIA Tasmanian Tiger
PENSTEMON heterophyllus ELECTRIC BLUE
PENSTEMON mexicale x Red Rocks
AGASTACHE Black Adder
AGASTACHE Tutti Frutti
ECHINACEA purpurea Coconut Lime
ECHINACEA purpurea Pink Double Delight
CHRYSANTHEMUM superbum Crazy Daisy
LIATRIS Spicata Kobold
SEDUM Lynda Windsor
VERONICA Fairytale

Zephranthes Labuffarosa

Can I Regrow My Memory from Seed?

I don't often grow flowers from seed -- vegetables, yes, but not flowers -- so I can't really use that as an excuse as to why I keep forgetting what flower seeds I did start this year. Thank goodness the flowers themselves are reminding me!

This is Scabiosa 'Dark Knight'
Gorgeous isn't it? At first I thought it was Rudbekia 'Green Wizard', but the petal-less heads suddenly open into these deep purple/black flowers. Got these seeds from Select Seeds if anyone is interested. (And behind the Scabiosa is a 'Black Pearl' ornamental purple pepper that reseeded on its own from last year's planting.)


Coreopsis 'Mardi Gras'
I ordered these seeds from Burpee a couple of years ago and didn't do anything with them until this past spring. Isn't this unusual? I love it and will start more next season.


Calendula 'Oktoberfest'
I know, I know...more yellow flowers. *sigh* The picture doesn't do this justice, though, as the undersides of the flower petals are a deep red. Lovely.


Cleome
And then there are the Cleomes that have sprung up all over the yard - including through cracks in the driveway. Whoever said Cleome reseeds readily wasn't kidding.


Ah yes...I do like to grow veggies from seed. I've never started more tomatoes and peppers in mid-summer before, but lots of Texas gardeners do it. And, since I've got two plots at the Community Garden in need of filling out -- as I mentioned before, there's been a ban on growing squash family veggies this year-- more toms and pepps were called for. It'll be a good experiment for me personally as a veggie gardener, anyhow.

For those not familiar with the unique North Texas climate, we actually have two summer growing seasons here; tomatoes shut down through July and August, but new plants put in during that time will produce through November in most cases.

I've also started some winter squash (Delicata and Spaghetti) along with some watermelon and cantaloupe for growing around my own yard, although it might be too late for the latter two at this point. We'll see. Again, it's all an experiment at this point. There's also some basil and dill thrown in there for good herbal measure.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day: June

Yey, I made it this month!

The daylilies, as is usual this time of year, are cranking. Really nice to have that consistent splash of color in the front yard. The glads are about done, but gosh they're pretty. All of the yellow flowers in my aforementioned post are still blooming too...except that yellow squash I talked about has already succumbed to vine borers. Drat those things...!

The Heat Is On

June has definitely brought summer to North Central Texas, along with lots of wind. The last week has seen my crank-out patio awning tucked safely away due to continuous gustiness. The wind doesn't seem to stop me from cooking steaks on the charcoal grill, however, albiet cautiously. Strangely we've not been under wind advisories.

Some spider-related news: I always try to park in the furthest of our uncovered parking lots at work. The five minute slightly uphill stroll is usually a pleasant way to start the day. But imagine my surprise yesterday when I stepped out of my vehicle and was confronted by one of these. He was really quite large, leggy and beautiful; unfortunately the photo I took with my phone-cam was pretty crappy. No one else was around to see him and I was glad, as most people's reflex would have been to stomp on him.

The Front Yard No-Grass Garden Project looks better every year. One of these days I'll have the whole thing filled in. I was pleased that the Bear's Breeches decided to finally bloom this year, after three seasons of patient waiting.





Our 12-year-old collie Alf had a seizure the other night and I fear his days are numbered. He still seems to have the energy to go digging and skulking behind the sumac shrub in the back corner of our yard, pretending he's a jungle dog, however.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

I hope this finds all of my fellow gardeners well and in full enjoyment of the summer weather.

In an unconscious overcompensation for an abundance of purple flowers being featured in my garden for the past few years, I've apparently shifted into a yellow phase, as evidenced below...and this is just what's blooming now. There are also yellow yarrow, esperanza, and snapdragons gearing up for a second round of flowers.


Coneflower 'Coconut Lime'


To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what this is. Looks like a type of scabiosa or double coreopsis to me...neither of which I remember planting. Help, anyone?


Tropical Hibiscus


Ornamental Peppers


Yellow Shrimp Plant


Due to the infestation of squash bugs, we've been forbidden from growing cucurbits in the Plano Community Garden this year. So...I'm growing them at home. This is a yellow squash variety called 'Gentry' - apparently bred for Southern gardeners.



More to come...I got a new digital camera (an Olympus Stylus 840!) and am still learning how to best use it.

A Little Bit of Louisiana

Yes my gardening friends, it's time for the annual Louisiana Iris parade! The first two shown here didn't bloom for me last year, so I'm doubly tickled by their presence.

Byron Bay

Red Echo

Billy

Festivals Acadian

Fiesta Gal

Frank Chowning

More on the way..!