Enjoying the Blossoms Before They're Gone

It was a really busy August, especially the second half and now,  here it is almost the second half of September! I didn't mean to stay away so long.

My garden is a mess and today was the day I was finally going to get some serious work done. But no. It's raining, darn it.

Such a weird summer. No long stretches of sunshine like we typically get from July through September. Fortunately with the cooler temperatures the flowers lasted longer and who knows, maybe I saved a few bucks on the water bill. 

Here's a look at what's happening.

My sister gave me a division of this Campanula. It started blooming in June and has been going nonstop since. It's a new favorite. Here is info on it.

Campanula 'Samantha'

This Rhodochiton overwintered on my patio and is has also been blooming nonstop.

Rhodochiton 'Purple Bells'

Another annual I plan to overwinter, is this Lavatera from Annie's Annuals. It's in the same pot as the pink flower behind it which, believe it or not, is a Black Eyed Susan Vine, both from Annie's.

Lavatera assurgentiflora  "Island Mallow" and Thunbergia alata 'Raspberry Smoothie'

The Lavatera has been a shy bloomer but that's okay.  I still like it. The Thunbergia vine has been threatening to swallow the house! I really love how the flowers start out a deeper pink and fade to pale pink. 

Thunbergia alata 'Raspberry Smoothie'

A few years ago I thought I dug out all of the Japanese Anemone but I didn't. Now I'm glad.

Anemone japonica 'Prinz Heinrich'

'Spider Woman' Dahlia has really impressed me. Pretty blooms and easy to grow.

Dahlia 'Spider Woman'

While my favorite Coreopsis is cherry-red 'Mercury Rising', C. 'Cosmic Evolution' is nice too. My only complaint is that it grows much taller and flops. 

Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution'

On an earlier post, I reported that Hibiscus x 'Almost Eden's Baby Pink' was blooming but after looking at the photos on Almost Eden's website, I'm convinced that what I have is Hibiscus 'Lufkin Red.' This means I'll have to reorder 'AE's Baby Pink' next spring. I'm not complaining. This plant is a winner. It's been pushing out blooms since June! And can have too many Hibiscus?

Hibiscus laevis 'Lufkin Red'

'Torchy's' flowers were semi-torched by the recent 90 degree weather but it has recovered.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Torchy'

 

This canna was all but dead after the winter of 2013. Slowly the tiny subterranean parts that were still alive have finally recovered. Fortunately the Actaea isn't too concerned about being elbowed.

Actaea ramosa 'Atropurpurea' and healthy canna

With the cooler weather, the Silene has been blooming much longer than it typically does. It looks right at home, skirting the Colchicum. 

Colchicum var. 'Giant' with Silene schafta

I moved 'Princess Diana' Clematis last winter. It was a huge root ball and took some serious doing. The first flush of blooms this spring was fairly underwhelming. I cut it back, fertilized and now it's just starting its second flush. I'm glad it has recovered. I love this plant.

Clematis viticella 'Princess Diana'

And I love this Clematis my friend Deborah Hardwick sent me.

Clematis crispa seedling

I cut back Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma' because it was huge. I love these fragrant white flowers and so do the bees. 

Rosa 'Darlow's Enigma'

More blossoms:

Impatiens sodenii 'Flash'

Lewisia cotyledon

 And now for the Fuchsias!

Fuchsia 'Fuchsiade 88'

There is something so sweet about these small, purple blossoms.

Fuchsia 'Fuchsiade 88'

Fuchsia lycioides with its tiniest of flowers

Fuchsia 'Golden Herald'

Fuchsia 'Golden Herald'

'Lena' has whitefly but doesn't seem to mind terribly.

Fuchsia 'Lena'

Fuchsia 'Nettala'

I purchased Fuchsia glazinova a few years ago and trained it into a single trunk. It's over seven feet tall!

Fuchsia glazinova

Fuchsia glazinova

Fuchsia glazinova

'Flash' is planted in the ground but is almost five feet tall in its second year. I LOVE that plant!

Fuchsia 'Flash' with Lobelia cardinalis

Fuchsia 'Flash'

The Fuchsia below was an impulse purchase. At $4.00 for a one gallon I couldn't resist. The flowers are really big and the plant is healthy and vigorous. Sadly, the nursery label was incorrect so I'm going with Celia Smedly until I figure it out.

Fuchsia 'Celia Smedly' ?

The mild winter meant the typical die-back on hardy Fuchsia branches and stems didn't happen. This guy is really tall!

Fuchsia hatschbachii

Fuchsia hatschbachii making its way up the Arbutus enedo.

Fuchsia hatschbachii on the right with 'Baby Ann' photobombing on the left

Fuchsia 'Baby Ann' on the left

Fuchsia 'Baby Ann' with tiny F. lycioides trying to assert itself

And finally, try not to notice the bird poo on the leaves of  'Rosea'. The fountain bubbler is just out of view in the photo and is a bird magnet.

Fuchsia 'Rosea'

There are other Fuchsias in my garden, including several plantings of the species magellanica--can we every have too much hummingbird food--but this post has gone on long enough. 

Thanks for visiting!

Everything is Coming Up Roses

I get that many of you are not terribly fond of roses. After all, the plants can be fussy, the foliage is susceptible to all manner of leaf uglies and then there's those dang thorns. Ouch!

But what can I say? Despite all the reasons not to grow them, I love roses. I adore burying my nose in those velvety, fragrant petals or walking into a room and being greeted by their heavenly fragrance.

However, contrary to my typical nature, I don't obsess over the genus Rosa. I don't have an unquenchable need to crowd my garden's borders with every variety known to humankind and have a succession of blooms from March to November. Believe it or not, I'm really happy with the few that I already have. Here are photos of most of them. 

Rosa 'Cinco de Mayo' ... Unfortunately leaf miners found a place to play. 

Gertrude Jekyll 

'Knock Out' with Geranium 'Jolly Bee' 

Another shot of 'Knock Out' and surrounding plants.

'Sophie's Rose' 

'William Baffin' 

'Sea Foam' 

Another shot of 'Sea Foam' 

And one more. I love the touch of pink in the buds

'Carefree Delight' 

NOID ... a miniature my youngest daughter recently gave me. 

'Lyda' 

Not the best photo, but can you see the tiny crab spider?
I don't like crab spiders. They eat bees and that makes them bad! 

In other news, the garden is in full-on mode. Here are some random shots.

I purchased Centaurea atropurpurea last year. These are the very first blooms. I love it. 

It's only supposed to get about 2 and a half feet tall but mine is as tall as I am,
which isn't saying much--5 feet--but kind of tall for a front-of-the-border plant.

My winter-surviving artichokes are looking perfect. I'll be letting them bloom. 

Being a lover of pink flowers, I swoon over these seeded (by me) rosy-pink California poppies.

What pink garden would be complete without pink daylilies? 

This is a horrid photo of Campanula punctata 'Sarastro'.
My apologies.

While the larger-flowered Penstemons have died,
Penstemon x mexicale 'Sunburst Ruby' has done really well in my garden
for several years, as has it's brother P. x m. 'Minaret Purple'.
I don't know why I neglected to get a photo of him.

The much-maligned Puple Loosestrife (Lythrum saliciflorus)
has never made a nuisance of itself in my garden. 

Sanguisorba tenufolia 'Pink Elephant' is just starting to bloom.
It looks better than ever this year.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I succumbed to the appeal of the "It" plant, Digiplexis.
Another, maybe not quite so popular "It" plant is Gomphrena 'Fireworks.'
Several weeks ago, when my sister and I visited Al's Garden Center, I found it
and there went my final few dollars.

I'm in love with Fireweed. (Epilobium angustifolium). Up close or far away,
those blossoms are enchanting. 

On the foliage side of things, finally I'm seeing some girth develop on my Tetrapanax.

Darmera peltata is really going places. 

Oops, back to flowers: the recently-purchased Geranium 'Double Jewel' is blooming.
Such a perky little thing.

I'm a fragrance fanatic.
Lonicera japonica 'Purpurea' is in full optical and olfactory splendor

As is Hall's ... Lonicera japonica 'Halliana' 

Finally, I'll finish it off with some wide shots.

As always, thanks for visiting.