Tag Archives: flowerstagram

Take 3: Blackfoot Daisy

Included in my recent plant haul from shades of green Frisco were two Blackfoot daisies, melampodium leucanthemum.

I’ve grown Blackfoot daisies in my backyard garden for at least 2 years that I’ve counted. I know they have been in my front yard garden in its early days.

Talk about prolific bloomer. The blackfoot daisies put out a massive display of blooms during the summer heat, when other plants are faltering.

It makes an excellent border plant simply because of this display as it waterfalls over the garden edging.

My biggest challenge is getting it to return in the spring. I have bought and planted as many as four specimens in my big flower bed and it never seems to come back.

This year I am amending the soil to add perlite, sand and gravel in hopes of coaxing it back to life the following spring. Wishing me luck for these new specimens.

Shade Improvements on the Growbag Garden

With June around the corner and triple digit temperatures looming, I decided to reconfigure the trellis next to the grow bag garden into a roof for shade cloth.

I had been looking to repurpose an old bedsheet abused by a half dozen cats into sun protection for my veggies. I hastily installed it before the next storm rolled in.

It surprisingly withstood high winds that knocked down a portion of the side yard fence.

I promptly trashed the bedsheet as it got weighed down and ripped to shreds by the excessive rain we experienced throughout the week. After shopping for a substitute on Amazon, I erected a 3×6 foot section of 40% shade cloth over the cattle panel, and attached it with carabiners.

Looking forward to seeing if it endures bad storms and offers the right amount of shade for my veggies

Another Salvia

I’m a very devoted fan of all types of salvia. But when I spotted this “new-to-my-garden” salvia at Painted Flower Farm, I knew it was going into my garden. Now I just find a spot for them.

The brilliant red blooms of salvia blepharophylla are eye-catching.

Plant Haul Rundown

From Painted Flower Farm:

  • Echinacea purpurea
  • Echinacea paradoxa var neglecta
  • Monarda Jacob Cline
  • Salvia blepharophylla

From Etsy Gingersgreenhouse:

  • African Blue Basil
  • Variegated African Blue Basil
  • Variegated Peppermint
  • Pepper Marusha Variegated
  • Pepper Candy Cane Red
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Foxley thyme
  • Nepeta Chartreuse on the Loose
  • Buddleia Butterfly Gold
  • Golden Pineapple Sage

From Etsy Upperplacegardens:

  • Variegated Turks Cap

From Shades of Green Celina:

  • Creeping Germander
  • Oregano Kent Beauty

Variegated Turks Caps

My wishlist item has arrived, one of several purchases I recently ordered off Etsy.

Colors are stunning. I’m excited to place these variegated Turks Caps somewhere soon. I’m considering training them into tree form.

Packed well for shipping
Variegated Turks Cap already budded

The challenge now is determining if I should pot these or squeezing them into a flower beds, if I have room.