Blue Picotee Morning Glory

 
Although Blue Picotee Morning Glories are not as deep of blue as it was advertised they still are a lovely bloom.

I have them growing in a large planter and winding along an old section of picket fencing.
When they first started growing I wondered what in the world was wrong with the leaves.
They are a lighter lime green in color but  look at how crinkly the leaves are.

Thinking there had to be something wrong with them I  planted some more seeds and they came up with the same crinkling in the leaves. So it must be a characteristic of this Morning Glory. It makes the vines look very strange. LOL!

Happy Gardening,
Lona

Technorati Tags: Morning Glory,Blue Picotee

As August Comes to a Close

 

Well August is just about gone and I do not know where it went.  Fall is closing in fast on us and the cooler nights and mornings here now are a hint. We will get our one more hot spell and then summer heat will be hopefully gone for the year.
In the garden early Fall blooming flowers are opening and I for one have been rethinking on what to add to the garden next Spring that will make the garden have more in bloom at this time next year. I have lists stuck in the garden journal to remind me. Not that I am forgetful mind you. LOL!
Just efficient. I know your not buying that one and neither am I. LOL!

Autumn Joy clematis is full of buds and will soon be blooming with a riot of small white blooms.

And the Toad Lilies are starting to bloom in the Shade bed.
I have never grown them before this year so I am surprised at all the buds running up and down the stems.

They are cute and unusual little blooms.

Double Delight

More of the roses are blooming with the cooler weather and I love seeing the roses.

Iceberg

 
This Bright Eyes or Polka Dot phlox has been a real trooper in the garden for holding onto its blooms. Some of the other phlox are getting smaller blooms where they have been deadheaded. I have declared defeat on the issue with getting rid of the powdery mildew from some of the phlox this summer.

The Bronze Potato vine is blooming but the poor thing is really getting chewed up now.

In the Woodland bed the Centaurea  or Knapweed is blooming in the sunny area.

And the Pokeberries along the woods are starting to get ripe.
As soon as the berries ripen they are eaten.

  My Fantasia clematis had died out to the ground  this summer and I was so sad about it because it had bloomed so well this late spring. I thought the brown leaved vine  was a goner but all at once it started growing from the ground over again and has now gotten a new bloom. So I am glad it was not lost.
I think everything is being chewed on at this time of the year.
This has been a trying year in the garden and I have been wanting to through my hands up and forget this year.
Even my beloved impatiens have done poorly. This has been the worst year for container plantings that I can remember.
Most of my window boxes and planters have geraniums and petunias included in them and even these old standbys have just not grown well this summer. I am going to pull everything out and get on with putting fall flowers in the window boxes.

The Bluebirds fledglings have left the box and they all will be leaving. They never hang around here for the winter.

A war is waging here with me against the Squirrels. The little varmints are digging up the new Irises that were planted.
I replant them and they dig them up again. Grrr!
I keep telling them that Squirrel hunting season starts in September so they had better watch it. LOL!
I do not think they are taking my advice or warnings.

I hope everyone along the eastern coastline and gardening bloggers came through hurricane Irene and the tropical storm without any losses.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

Technorati Tags: Roses,Toad Lily,Butterfly,Pokeberry,Clematis

Pink Flamingo Grandiflora Rose

 

The roses are getting a new flush of blooms now and they are so welcome. Granted the stems are looking terrible this year between fighting the very wet year we had and into a major heat wave. Black spot has been a problem this year on roses in my garden that had not had any problem before.

This  new Pink Flamingo Grandiflora rose has came through it all unscathed except for an Japanese beetle or two wanting to eat it a bloom. Its leaves are still beautiful and not touched by  mildew or black spot.

Pink Flamingo also keeps it color in the blooms as they age.
The form of the blooms are between a modern rose and a romantica style.

With blooms measuring 4 to 4 1/2 inches and the bush can reach to 5 feet in height and could be a good rose for containers with a little trimming.

 
It is hardy to zone 6 through zone 9 so I am pushing the zones here in my zone 5b area by keeping it mulched in this winter.
It is wonderful as a cut flower and the only downfall about the rose that I can find is that it has no fragrance.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and join in “Flaunting Your Flowers” before they are gone over at “Tootsie Time” with Glenda.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

Technorati Tags: Pink Flamingo Rose

A Surprise Bloom

 

While cleaning out one of the flower beds I discovered a surprise flower blooming in one of the flowerbeds.

In the corner bed I have Purple Clustered Bellflowers, campanula glomerata, growing that blooms in June. They reach between 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and are hardy in zones 4 to 8. The blooms do not last for a very long period but they are pretty while in bloom. I have them mixed in with Snow Drift white achillea.

 

These campanula’s have grown now for many years in this bed and tend to spread and reseed there even in the hard clay soil.

While cleaning this bed I spotted a white flower blooming there that I had not planted. Upon closer examination to get the identity of what this flower may be I was thrilled and surprised to see that it was a  white Clustered Bellflower blooming.

One of the seeds from the purple must have reverted back to a parent plant and created a white blooming plant for me. 

 
It will be nice having this new surprise white clustered bellflower blooming in amongst the Purple ones.
So now I have a free Campanula glomerata alba White Clustered Bellflower growing in the bed.
Our plants do give us some sweet surprises sometimes.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

 

Technorati Tags: Campanula,Clustered Bellflower

Dew Drops on Roses

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
We got some rain yesterday which was very welcome. This time of the year when I do not have to drag the hoses around it is always appreciated. Plus the rain barrel and cistern I use for overflow got some additional water from it.

The roses will welcome the deep soaking of rain.
Yesterday morning all the flowers in the garden were covered and glistening from drops of dew from the haze.

But the roses especially looked pretty.
Maybe the beetles are finally getting done feeding on them.

The tiny drops look like frost on Crimson Bouquet.

 

 

 

 

Even Yellow Mesa Gaillardia sparkles in the morning light.

This morning the air is cooler and it is giving us a hint of fall temperatures. The humidity has disappeared for a couple of days. Looks like it is going to be a nice week to work in the garden here.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

 

  

Technorati Tags: Roses,Gaillardia

Fertilizer Friday Blooms

 

I am joining in with our hostess Glenda at “Tootsie Time” for Fertilizer Friday with a few blooms.

 
New blooms today is the opening up of the ‘Queen Charlotte’ anemones or windflowers.
I have had this anemone for several years and it has spread by roots into a very large patch.
In fact i have had to pull some of it up that is trying to take over a nearby hydrangea bush.

I have also transplanted several of its shoots into the Woodland bed. This anemone is the first to bloom of the several anemones in my garden. I added  several varieties over the years to give me some late summer and fall blooms when other flowers are waning.

Also one of the Crinodonna lilies has started to bloom that I have tried for the first time this year.

 
The subtle pink blooms are very pretty unfolding in the evening shadows.

Many have asked about my Crape or Crepe Myrtle growing in Ohio. This one is hardy to zone 6. It is planted at the corner of my garage where it is sheltered from harsh winds and may get a touch of warmth from the garage to survive in my zone 5 garden. The bush was a gift from a cousin in Cleveland Tennessee where they grow everywhere. The first year I had it it died back to the ground and then started sprouting just a little the next spring. Since then it has grown huge and is now scraping against the garage so it will need a good trimming. As you can see it is not coming from just one or a few trunks where it can be trimmed up into a tree shape but from many braches coming from the ground.

It will be full of seeds for those of you who would want some.

 
Also in the garden some of the old faithful flowers blooming includes this ‘Almost Black’ rose. This rose bush is very slow in growing for me even with all of the attention my roses get.
The bloom is actually a darker red than this picture depicts it and the buds are so dark red that they are almost black, so hence the name.

Bell a’ Roma is still throwing on a bloom or two and I am still fighting a few Japanese Beetles for the blooms on all of my roses.

Its yellow and pink tinged edges open with a yellow center.

 
Blue Ice veronica is such a lovely colored blue that I had to show it one more time up close.

 
Bright Eyes or Polka Dot phlox is still blooming in
the middle bed.

Victoria Falls Snapdragons vines are blooming in one of the hanging baskets. This is the first year to try this plant from seeds. It has a lot of  vines coming from the plant but it is not loaded with blooms like I wanted to see from it. The little  trumpet blooms are pretty though with a pink-lavender cups with deep pink veining coming from the center. I am not sure I would try it again though unless it was cascading over a ledge somewhere.

Echinacea Raspberry Truffle’s blooms are starting to fade out now but this new Echinacea has been a favorite in my garden this summer.

The yellow Heleniums are still blooming.This one is in the Hippy bed where color is  definitely needed now.Its little blooms are growing on me.

 
This is the last of the Brachycome Swan River daisies that is still blooming. The others have given up. I did cut them back to see if they would start another flush but since I have never grown them before I do not know whether this works or not on them.

 
This Ostesopermum is getting a lot of growth now in the planter.

As is this pelargonium Red Horizon.

So there are a few new and some old blooms in the garden but many are waning now in the late summer heat. Watering from the rain barrel is ongoing now with the lack of rains here. We did get one little shower early this morning but the dog days of summer are here and summer is flying by way to fast.
Many of the children have gone back or are starting back to school now. I am certain summer vacation went too soon for them.

Everyone have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Happy Gardening,
Lona

Technorati Tags: Pelargoniums,Geraniums,Roses,Osteospermum,Daisy,Heleniums,Echinacea,Snapdragons,Phlox,Anemones,Crape Myrtle Bush