Tag Archives: oxalis

Ye Olde Garden

Cooler climes, more flowers

With the 100 degree heat behind us, the garden is bouncing back with a show of color. Of particular note are the azaleas in the front yard, already bursting with reddish-orange flowers. In the previous two weeks, we’ve seen sporadic blooms from the Autumn Monarch, which this week is in full bloom. One of the short azaleas, an Autumn Ember is also in sporadic bloom at the moment. The front yard bed is flanked by foliage-heavy Cherry Brandy gaura which have been drooping over like tresses of hair, spotted with pink flowers. Either the lack of sun or nature is causing them to sprawl, unlike the Ballerina compact white gaura which have spray in an upright manner.

What the heat didn’t kill off–one Hot Lips salvia and both coneflower specimens–emerged stronger as we approach fall weather. The vinca have demonstrated to be a sturdy annual flower, blooming even in the blistering heat. With more agreeable temperatures they are blooming their heads off…literally! The cosmos, despite being neglected during the heatwave have also proven hardy, though not any prettier. I had to deadhead and trim much of the existing growth because it all looked rather ugly in bare tree ring.

Over the summer, we’ve had an opportunity to watch the Japanese ferns die, resurrect, die, then resurrect again in a never-ending battle against the heat. Today they are represented by two compact mounds of fronds, with hopefully more growth to come. It seems that this corner would have been ideal for the surviving Hakonechloa in the front flower bed, which has dried and blistered in the sun. We plan to move this lone specimen to join the other two in the corner bed. The Kangaroo paw, incidentally, is currently devoid of flowers, but the sword-like foliage is green and healthy.

Surprisingly enough, the scraggliest Emerald Snow loropetalum is the one I discovered with flowers this morning. White star florets have popped up all over this game little plant. It was a nurseryman who contended that the loropetalums planted in near-full shade would be unlikely to bloom.

In the courtyard, what isn’t overgrown weeds is either bouncing back or cut back. I had to take the shears to several basil specimens after discovering leaf damage on them. Some critter is feasting on them quite heartily. I left the Thai basil alone, as it seemed the only specimen virtually unaffected. The pepper plants that we had great hopes yielded disappointment this year. They either disliked the soil or the heat was too much, or their foliage had been decimated by critters. The three factors combined produced lanky, nearly bare plants. What fruit survived on them are drying and dropping off. Even the ornamental peppers planted in this herb garden shrank into ghosts, unlike their neighbors in the purple bed.

The purple bed is looking quite healthy despite some die-offs (dianthus, lavender and rosemary). The barren spaces have given the bicolor sage an opportunity to take root where it can, sending up shoots everywhere. They really are too much like weeds, nearly mindless if neglected. The loropetalum in this bed is regaining its purple colors, and with the deep purple salvia and ornamental peppers flanking it, the bed is starting to look it’s supposed to. I’d like to reorganize this bed if given a chance, bring one of the purple salvias next to the walkway and move some gaura specimens around.

The salvias along the neighbor’s house have been joined by another white salvia (after losing 1 to drowning and 2 purple pastels to the heat and an overzealous weed whacker). They too are displaying their colors, from my 2 ancient red specimens to the new Royal Raspberry, from the simple whites to the Desperado Sages with their neon pink blooms. Even the potted seedlings and cuttings are taking the opportunity to give the garden some color.

The blue garden is overrun with grass and weeds. The common yarrow which were pruned early summer have not flowered in at least a month that I’ve seen. The angelonia have bloomed constantly however. What surprised me are the oxalis, which have grown a few inches taller but managed to weather the heat–I was certain that this shade lover would surrender by the time August rolled around. The annual phlox and dianthus planted in the bed are gone, if not on their way out. However, I’ve been greatly pleased by the aster sitting in the corner which has bloomed non-stop ever since we got it. The lavender-blue blooms are a welcome sight by the fence door. Currently it is starting to sprawl, which might be tidied up a bit by some trimming. I also discovered an errant lime basil seedling in this bed, which has grown into a good-sized specimen. (How I do enjoy lime basil mayo!)

I am currently clearing out the inner courtyard corner bed of dead foliage to see what has survived the summer. The calla lilies, of which only the Picasso bloomed, are toppling over from dying leaves. I am happy to report that the yellow daylily plant which I thought had died from lack of exposure is bouncing back after its neighbors have been trimmed back. One gumpo azalea did not fare so well, having lost nearly 75% of its foliage to lack of resources. I am hoping it will survive another year.

The fiance has taken it upon himself to start transplanting the Indian hawthorne alongside the house to behind the chain link fence. He’s also potted up three myrtle seedlings in hopes of taking them with us when we move some day. At the moment the seedlings are looking very unhappy in their new homes.

It looks like the weekend might be filled with gardening if this cool weather holds.

Ye Olde Garden

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.

Ye Olde Garden

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.