Those of you who are familiar with plant-speak know that a "sport" is the part of a plant that does something different from the rest of the plant. Sports aren't all that common but do occur randomly when a plant feels like being weird. Thus is the case with my 'Sayonara' Dahlia. Check it out.
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| The flower on the left is a sport. |
I've had this particular Dahlia for two summers now. All of the buds have opened to the velvety, crimson-red flower on the right above. And then...
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| This! |
I don't like it nearly as well but I think it's cute and unique so it can stay. I'll let you know if there are any more sports.
Speaking of Dahlias, September is Dahlia time! Here are a few of mine.
One of these days I'm going to research why the rulers of the Dahlia kingdom chose to call this hunky gorgeous flower 'Junkyard Dog'.
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| Junkyard Dog |
The plant is probably six feet tall and loaded all summer with bee-filled, six-inch blossoms. I don't understand why it's so happy when all my other Dahlias are mediocre at best.
The Dahlia below waited over a year before deciding to bloom. Of course I can't remember its name. I did a quick Google search and it might be 'Rothsay Reveller'.
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| Dahlia 'Rothsay Reveller' maybe... |
I just bought the Dahlia below at the Big Box. Of course the tag was useless. So, another NOID. But it's a pretty NOID and I'm hoping it's hardy.
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| NOID ~~ No ID Dahlia |
Another (impulsive) purchase is this lovely pink Dahlia (below) with another useless tag. I don't have either of these Dahlias planted yet but they'll get placed in the perennial border for a bit of contrast from all the other stuff.
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| Dahlia NOID |
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| Dahlia 'Mz Bee Haven' |
In other news, I'm really loving my paniculata Hydrangeas right now. The first one below is 'Limelight.' I used to have one years ago but because I was so terrible with my watering, it bit the dust. I'm better about it now and it shows. I purchased it last fall and although it's only about four feet tall, its flowers are so cool.
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| Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' |
And here is H. p. 'Pinky Winky' still all white which is fine with me.
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| H. p. 'Pinky Winky' |
I cut this plant all the way to the ground in late winter and it shot up to five feet with these amazing flower panicles.
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| A wide shot of the area |
Another late-summer bloomer are the herbaceous Hibiscus!
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| Hibiscus moscheutos 'Torchy' |
This spring, I purchased this Chilopsis linearis 'Lucretia Hamilton' from High Country Gardens. It was a tiny thing and I had my doubts about its survival. But with ample TLC it has doubled in size and is now actually putting out a few blooms! Aren't they pretty? Of course now to get it through the winter...
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Chilopsis linearis 'Lucretia Hamilton'
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And then there's the similarly formed flowers of
Rehmannia elata.
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| Rehmannia elata |
Finally, my 'Avant Garde' Clematis is blooming. It was worth the wait!
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| Clematis 'Avant Garde' |
And the below Clematis from
Deborah Hardwick (a master Clemat-ician) is blooming. What an honor it is to have two of her beautiful creations.
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| Clematis 'Burford Bell' x crispa |
A second blooming on...
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| Clematis 'Inspiration' |
A second blooming on this milkweed...
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| Asclepias speciosa |
I posted in spring about this seedling Love-Lies-Bleeding. It is over five feet tall now!
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| Love-Lies-Bleeding |
My Hesperaloe decided to bloom finally...
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| Hesperaloe parviflora |
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| Red-flowered Four O'Clocks |
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| Sedums! |
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| Ninebark and Variegated Porcelain Vine |
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| Farfugium japonicum 'Crispatum' |
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| Falopia japonica variegata |
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| More Sedums! |
And finally, we have a few adorable critters running around. Here's the daddy or the mama--I'm not sure which--filling its cheeks with cracked corn we left out for it.
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| Look at those fat cheeks! |
