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Saturday, August 13, 2011

A Photo Ramble



I share the trumpet creeper with my neighbor who loves the flowers as much as I do. I prune it heavily in winter to keep it from taking over the garden.


I grew these zinnia marylandica from seed. They withstand heat and humidity more than the old fashioned varieties but I've noticed the butterflies seem to ignore them.


Zinnia marylandica Double Cherry fades to pale pink as it ages.


Zinnia marylandica Double Fire needs less water than the Double Cherry.


'Susanna Mitchell' marguerites grow in a pot next to the 'Pilgrim' oregano. I love how their foliage complements each other.


'Ava' agastache grows in a very large pot near my kitchen window. A favorite of hummingbirds, placing the pot near my window gives me a front row seat for the action. This type of agastache would die in my clay soil but it's quite happy in its pot.


Basil and pink pentas, a butterfly favorite


Tropical milkweed, just waiting for monarchs


'Rotkugel' oregano and a dwarf solidago


This oregano self-seeds, which I appreciate. It's an excellent filler and is much loved by the bees.


The heliopsis has been blooming non-stop since June. Pink phlox, milkweed, and a 'Little Henry' sweetspire grow near by.


I ordered a bare root New York Ironweed and planted it in this spot last fall. Oops! It looks like they sent me a Veronicastrum virginicum instead, commonly known as Culver's Root. Excellent surprise!


The caryopteris is getting ready to bloom


Red calibrachoa grows alongside 'Sunshine Superman' coreopsis.


'Sunshine Superman' coreopsis is a tough plant that can survive neglect, heat, and drought, but will look a lot better if you give it some love and organic liquid fish head fertilizer. It thrives in pots, thanks to the excellent drainage.


The epimediums are getting a head start into fall.


Mystery tomato! The other mystery tomato grew big grape tomatoes but I have no idea what kind these are. It's the size of a tennis ball.


The purple and blues of rue, lavender, and a 'Monch' aster look great together. I should have cut the aster back a bit to thicken it up but I couldn't remember what it was until I saw a picture of it on someone's blog, so I just let it go wild. It's a bit sprawly but now that I know what it is, I'll know what to do next spring.


The Rose of Sharon is massive and shields the back of the house from the afternoon sun. By next year, it will probably reach the second floor. Aster divarcatus grows in complete shade under the shrub. More agastache grows in pots on the patio.


The kalimeris has been blooming since early June! It grows well in dryish, lightly shaded conditions.

12 comments:

  1. That is one big Rose of Sharon! It is gorgeous! I love how you have incorporated herbs into your garden beds. The basil and pentas is a great combination!

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  2. WOW!! That's a lot of plants. Thanks for the tips on the zinnias. I have the same issue with the pentas. The pink and red varieties seem to do better and require less water.

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  3. Interesting about the new zinnias and the butterflies. I guess they know best. About your Ironweed (or lack of) I just discovered it is a native for us here in Texas and I saw it all along the way on our trip to Minnesota. I am so impressed with it. I have one I am torturing in a pot, waiting for the heat to die down to plant in the garden.

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  4. Just got around to visit your blog for the first time. I am so happy to see that you are gardening organically, too! I love that you plant with having the birds and insects in mind. I assume, that the bees go wild over the oreganos in bloom. In my garden I have to admit that so far I mainly planted for visual appeal only, but this is going to change slowly. I just planted some salvias 'Black & Blue', which attract hummingbirds and bought some blue/violet penstemons, which the bees love. A start is made!
    Christina

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  5. It all looks so lush and summery and well tended! The heliopsis looks so happy and sunny, I love it.

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  6. I have oregano in several spots in the garden and vegetable garden. The bees love it, love it! Your garden looks lovely with so many wonderful bloomers.

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  7. Wow wow wow, beautiful flowers. Love the trumpet vine, I have been trying to grow one for the past 5 years and it's no bigger today then when I planted it!!!
    Love the milkweed, of course I love all your plants but I truly miss seeing milkweed.

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  8. Hooray for a mystery tomato! We have one like that too, and I think it grew up to be an Early Girl. I love the trumpet creeper flowers. The colors are so vibrant, just like the colors of the zinnias, actually. Beautiful blooms!

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  9. Ale jeszcze kolorowe w Twoim ogrodzie, a róża przy wyjściu do domu niedługo zarośnie dom :-). Pozdrawiam

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  10. Oh my, that Rose of Sharon is enormous! It probably creates it's weather under there ;) I'm going to have to check out that oregano. Our bees are going bonkers for the oregano we have in the herb garden, but making it very clear we didn't plant enough!

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  11. Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
    My,my just look at that little mystery tomato go! We were away on the weekend and I have yet to get a second to check on my tomatoes. I hope I have a few as big as a tennis ball!
    I have always wanted a trumpet vine. I just love the flowers. I used to have a caryopteris, but it died during a cold Canadian winter. It is a favourite late summer plant of mine.

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