Tag Archives: dianthus
Summer rains bring summer blooms
Last week’s storms brought a flush of color to this week’s garden. Particularly the salvia greggii and the Desperado sage are looking colorful; nearly every specimen along the neighbor wall is in bloom (the whites have started to bud). I am concerned however with a Purple Pastel that has suffered from what looks like overwatering, perhaps due to poor drainage. The Hot Lips (salvia microphylla), while not in bloom, grows like a weed. All three specimens, front yard and courtyard, have tripled their original size.
The crape myrtles are still in bloom, though not crowned as heavily as they were before the rains. The daylilies in front are still blooming; along with the coreopsis, white coneflowers, the white gauras, vincas, kangaroo paw, Victoria salvias, and the Dahlberg daisies. Those daisies, incidentally, have also doubled in size since we first planted them…I can’t remember a day that I have NOT seen them covered with tiny yellow flowers.
The last of the Picasso calla blooms is receding, and I am unhappy that the Flames nor the Devil’s Wine have produced any blooms. The spotted foliage however towers over most of the plantings in the courtyard flower bed…perhaps due to less light. I plan to dig up the bulbs come winter and replant them in a better spot.
Other bloomers: catmint, oxalis, Imperial dark blue plumbago, angelonia, dianthus, verbena, ageratum, Prairie Sky Hosta, bicolor sage. Even the coleus are flowering (which need to be sheared off).
Casualty list: several of the purple/violet dianthus specimens have died off, most likely due to the extreme heat. Not such a great loss, since they were mostly considered annuals. However, I’m not pleased to see them so perishable after past successes with dianthus. Most of the viola are also gone, fried by the heat. The empty border they abandoned by the front door bed needs to be repopulated…I’m thinking of installing some variegated liriope (silver dragons or aztec grass).
On death’s door: my Tuscan Blue rosemary is down to half of its trunks…it doesn’t appear that it will hang on any longer. I need to transplant it immediately and amend the bed further to permit a larger specimen. Also included on this list is the aforementioned Purple pastel salvia.
On the rebound: the chocolate chip ajuga which long suffered in its planter box is now thriving in its part/full shade location in the courtyard bed. I also believe the japanese painted ferns are coming back, after causing a worry when they dropped all their old fronds. They have new fragile leaves on display. The purple loropetalum is also still putting out new branches and leaves, but I am concerned that it is not gaining as much bulk as I expect.
Hunting for summer blues
I rearranged the blue garden this past weekend, moving the Oertel’s Rose Common Yarrow and the 2 straggling Nepeta faassenii (catmints), to make room for some new tenants. I had found a white plumbago at the local Home Depot so I had to snatch it up to pair with the Imperial Dark Blue. Also I picked up two purple leafed Oxalis triangularis to add some drama to the bed, 4 Serena Angelonia (2 purple, 2 white) to give the bed some vertical lift. I had some leftover dianthus that hadn’t gotten planted from the last flat I bought; 3 picoteed purple dianthus for some contrast. I’m hard pressed however to find any blue flowered summer plants within the 1-2 foot range. I’m less inclined to plant annuals, but it seems that is all that manages to flourish in the heat right now. I’d like to find more Felicia daisies and/or these Tropical Breeze verbena.
We finally got around to visiting North Haven Gardens and discovered that it deserved its reputation for being a fantastic source of unusual and uncommon plants. They had a vast selection of plants, trees and shrubs, many of which I desired to take home. One particular eye-catcher that immediately made my wishlist was a dwarf variegated bamboo, Pleioblastus fortunei, which unfortunately they were out of stock on. Aside from the Angelonia that we purchased, we also picked up 2 Golden oregano and 1 Hot and Spicy Oregano, which was truly a surprising tongue-tickler.
High maintenance
The Frostproof Gardenia has demonstrated to be a very sensitive lady. If it weren’t for the intoxicating fragrance perfuming our front doorstep, I would have voted this plant off the frontyard and into a more sheltered spot, perhaps even indoors. What appeared to be transplant shock or overwatering (yellowing leaves) shows evidence of slowing down to a halt. Perhaps the shrub has dropped all the leaves it plans to drop. We did begin watering every other day and the regular black mulch was replaced by pine bark mulch. However, the aftereffects of its displeasure still lingers…the gardenia has a host of blooms but more than 50% are yellowed or browned upon opening. As I suspected, most recommendations point the finger at overhead watering. Also, much has been published about the need for acidity in the water and soil, so acidifiers are always cited as an amendment (corn meal anyone?).
With temperatures hitting 100 degrees this weekend, we will need to keep a close eye on the gardenia to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Worthwhile watching in the garden: the last Navona lilies are blooming, the first calla (a Picasso) put out a bloom, the only Fanal astilbe appears to put out sporadic blooms (though one Fanal I put into a pot, leafed out in the shade), the pruned yarrows are showing new buds, multiple coleus are also budding (need deadheading), the Dallas Stars daylilies are putting out their first buds, our lone Kangaroo Paw has put out some new “paws”.
Of concern: the Japanese painted ferns do not appear happy…something has changed their dispositions to where they are displaying some leaf curling/browning. They should be receiving a healthy amount of watering, but it may be that they dislike the Bayer systemic insecticide that was applied to them. The seedling dianthus may also be succumbing to excessive heat and sun. I am considering moving them to the corner garden for some part shade. The Hakonechloa in the front beds are showing some burning, which is likely to continue as the summer heats up.
Casualties: One lemon balm (potted), one dianthus. Both located in the patio garden.
The salvia bed has been planted. It’s just a matter of leveling the ground and perhaps getting them mulch (if/when funds permit). All cosmos seeds have been sown in the front yard tree ring. I need to get some vegetable and herb seeds started indoors asap!
Late spring flowers
