Tag Archives: lavender
Casualty list
All of my lavender plants are gone…the rosemary bush is on its final legs. Let this be a lesson: xeric plants that don’t like their feet wet MUST have a sandy soil mixture that doesn’t retain water. Perhaps I will need to consider older specimens in the future, as well bigger planters with sufficient drainage.
I noticed that my Devil’s Wine calla is dropping all of its leaves…I suppose that it’s done for it’s summer show. The other callas are following suit. Perhaps it is the planter environment, or perhaps they just don’t get enough sunlight to keep the greenery up. I generally have had longer foliage life when the callas are in a garden setting, but perhaps these callas are a little less hardy here in the south and less suited to a patio environment.
I’ve noticed that one of the ornamental pepper plants have ripening fruit. What started as a rich purple fruit has now ripened to burgundy-red color. With sporadic flowering of the neighboring dianthus, the colors stand out marvelously.
I am not sure why the potted salvia are looking thin and reedy, despite sufficient watering. I am wondering if their potted state just isn’t giving them enough room to grow and spread.
Lily withdrawals
To think I’ve gone a season without growing my own lilies! The arboretum visit was not enough! It makes me sad that I cannot enjoy the brilliant, oversized blooms any time soon. Ah…if only my cosmos seedlings will start giving me some blooms, I imagine I wouldn’t be so despondent from the lack of lilies.
I’m still scratching my head over the rosemary plant; it still has not stopped browning. I’m also fearful of losing my Coconut Ice lavender…I’ve been studiously ignoring the watering on both of these herb plants to make sure they aren’t suffering from root rot. But with the temperatures broiling outside, I’m not sure how often I should be attending to their water needs…I imagine it’s time to re-pot them and see if amending the soil will improve their chances.
I think the unkillable potato vine is killable. A purple potato vine that shared its new home with a caladium has dropped all its leaves. Not sure if it’s due to overwatering or lack of soil depth. This bears further investigation…
Drying the Rosemary
I’ve determined that the rosemary bush on my patio is getting way too much water, thus it has been slowly browning from bottom, working its way up. I’ve decided to hard prune the plant and remove it away from the sprinkler heads that water the rest of the patio garden. I’ve also removed the surviving lavender plants as well, to keep the rosemary company. They all still get morning sun, but hopefully they won’t have to suffer root rot due to over watering. I’m contemplating moving the rosemary to a larger pot and changing the soil medium into something that won’t retain moisture…perhaps some gravel and sand.
New callas of May
The callas are blooming. First up: Flame. These blooms display brilliant yellow, with a touch of orange or red. I am assuming that as the weeks go on, they will deepen in color per their namesake. As an aside, the single blooming purple flower of my Devil’s Wine calla has barely faded but held its true shape. It’s a testament to how long-lived these calla blooms are!
My Blossom Farm order came in last week, but 2 of the lavender plants I ordered do not appear to be faring very well. I’ve been keeping a close watch on them, but it appears the smallest of the 4 has given up the ghost. I’ve messaged Blossom Farm for assistance…perhaps they are not beyond rescue. I’m just glad that I have one each of the 2 larger specimens, Coconut Ice and White Provence.
I’m not too thrilled with the Bewitched Purple potato vine (which appears to be mislabeled) threatening to take over my planter. While the palmate shape of the leaves are attractive, they are much too large and overshadowing the neighboring plants. I intend to pull it out as soon as I can find a suitable replacement, preferably a petite-leaf purple potato vine, similar to the compact bright green potato vine (which may be a Sweetheart Light Green) in the other planter.
Today is an example of a perfect morning on the patio, cool weather and warm sun. I should invest in a folding patio set. Perhaps I can shop for one this holiday…if the fiance will let me out of bed this weekend. 😀
