Tag Archives: pansies

Ye Olde Garden

Freeze alert

After deceptively mild weather for the Thanksgiving, it was evident that we were experiencing our last patches of warm weather before the cold front hit this weekend. My holiday shopping weekend was cut short by sudden drops in temperature, and I knew I would have to bring in my plants for the last time this year.

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (1) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (2)

I missed the opportunity to bring in the eggplant yesterday, so I had to rush it into the bathroom greenhouse to see if it could be rescued. I’m not sure if the fruit will make it. It’s pretty short for what I’m used to in Chinese eggplants.

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (3) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (4) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (5)

Outdoors, the damage from the overnight frosts has manifested into dead/wilted potato and basil plants. The traditional large leaf basils like Red Rubin and Genovese experienced the most damage. The lime, Pesto Perpetuo and Thai basil display browning less so. One of the Thai basil specimens appears to be laughing off the cold; but sooner or later, all the basils will be done.

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (6) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (7) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (8) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (9) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (12)

The succulent planter seems to be hanging on. Whereas the petunia/caladium planter bowl shows signs of receding.

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (10) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (11)

I found a surprise greeting me at one of the asters in the blue bed. A few blooms hid at the base of the plant, near the mulch line. I believe this one was Aster novi-belgii Believer.

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (13) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (14)

Pansies, violas, ornamental kale, petunias, miscellaneous herbs, foxtail ferns, loropetalum, are all still hanging in there. The dusty millers must be enjoying their new location and this cool weather; they have doubled in size since I moved them from the front flower bed. I guess they prefer the protection. I expected the lemon verbena to die back down since it’s considered an annual, but it seems to enduring in the mixed planter box along with the chives, golden oregano, and aster cuttings. (Those are the remaining vincas hanging over from a neighboring planter. And a Red Rubin basil hiding out as well!)

11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (15) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (16) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (17) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (18) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (19) 11/29/2011 Freeze Alert (20)

Ye Olde Garden

Late year, young plants…and the wand of precipitation

Rarely do I see more than two blooms on the Valentine dianthus. I’m looking forward to seeing more in spring.

10/26/2011 Twin Valentine Dianthus Blooms (1) 10/26/2011 Twin Valentine Dianthus Blooms (2)

The new dianthus plantings are calling the lily bed home. They will provide a vivid border early next year. Notice the oxalis triangulis and columbine sharing the bed? Both are same year plantings. The oxalis eked by this summer, just liked its purple siblings, giving rise to the occasional flower. The columbine is one of three surviving seedlings: 2 in the lily bed and one in the shade bed. I considered them delicate, but they persevered. Let’s hope the lily bed columbines are both red.

10/26/2011 Lily bed hosting new dianthus plantings 10/26/2011 Dianthus, oxalis, columbine, pansies

Here lies before you a broken wand. Early this week, we discovered that the hose had expanded, disallowing the detachment of the wand head. The trigger was destroyed by our forceful attempts to remove it. I finally managed to disconnect it peacefully this morning. Now the search begins for a new wand of destiny…

10/26/2011 The Wand of Precipitation destroyed

Ye Olde Garden

Before…

Last week while I toured the nursery centers in search of pots and plants, I happened to notice these ginger lilies beckoning to me from the 75% off clearance racks at Lowes.

10/22/2011 Alpinia zerumbet variegata

Speaking as a girl with a tasted for variegated plants, it was a deal that could not be denied. I brought home 3 2.25qt pots of variegated gingers: 1x Alpinia zerumbet variegata and 2x Stromanthe sanguinea tricolor.

10/22/2011 Stromanthe sanguinea tricolor

Not pictured here are two 4″ pots of purple curly-leafed ornamental kale that I picked up at Blooming Colors Nursery in Grapevine.

Tomorrow, I’ll post pics of the cleanup I performed on the gingers. I had to plant the last of the pansies flats before nightfall.

Ye Olde Garden

October Bed Works

My shopping spree carried over into Sunday, but I didn’t spend as much time as I did Saturday. After all, plants don’t plant themselves (at least, not very often in my own garden).

I did head out to Lowes and Home Depot again, looking for bargains. I ended up with 4 pots, a 9 pack of ornamental kale, and a bag of tulip bulbs, Happy Generation. I know, I know…I just can’t resist those bulbs. And where did I end up putting them? In the front yard bed. That gets a fair amount of water, on and off season. Ah well, I will content myself with tulips being annual…but I’m hoping for a decent show next spring.

So it ended up being sore work Sunday afternoon. Fifty pansies, 36 violas, 30 giant grape hyacinths (Bellevalia pycnantha according to my American Meadows order), 18 tulip bulbs, 6 fall crocuses (Wild Saffron), 9 mixed ornamental kale all found a home. I relocated the 2 Stella de Oro daylilies in the front door landing strip, along with 2 struggling Silver Dust dusty millers. I also tore out the 2 Confetti lantanas flanking the Autumn Monarch azalea (which happens to be blooming quite profusely at the moment) and took cuttings in hopes of overwintering them. Did I mention one of those Confettis had a root as long as I was tall–we’re talking at least 5 feet long! Last, but not least, I also relocated the Seabreeze salvia into the front flower bed.

Next, I spent the rest of the afternoon re-potting pepper plants and hostas. I managed to dig up the struggling remains of the Wide Brim hostas from the shade bed. They were unsuccessful in the bed due to the constant slug onslaught and too much sun exposure. I also got my Francee hosta roots transplanted into their own pots. The Gold Standard and the Minuteman hostas also moved into larger homes. In addition, nine pepper plants also received new homes; unfortunately I’m at a loss at identifying them at the moment. I think the doubled up pepper plants are the Thai chilis. I should have the Jupiter bells, banana peppers, and Fresno peppers surviving from the July starts.

Back and backsides are sore…it comes out of hunching over on uncomfortable bags of sand, while carefully replanting things. I’m still sore just thinking of it. But I have some basil to take indoors with me during the winter time: Pesto Perpetuo, lime basil and classic Genovese basil.

Hey, at least I’m in the spirit of autumn now. I’m referring to the pumpkin display decorating my front porch.

Why is it I can’t seem to successfully photograph the Moonglow salvia greggii’s true yellow color blooms?

Wishlist plant of the day: tricyrtis “Imperial Banner”.

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Ye Olde Garden

Eggplant be mine!

I took a snapshot of the soon-to-be eggplant. It’s less than an inch long at this time, but I’m looking forward to seeing it. Aside from the Thai chili peppers, this may be the only other fruit of this year from my amateur caretaking efforts at a vegetable garden.

10/16/2011 Eggplant be mine!

Afterwards, I went on a whirlwind tour of 4 garden centers: 2 Calloways, 1 Home Depot and Christina’s. It took half of my day and Dandy was a tired pup after the shopping trip. My list of purchases include: 1 bag of 10 Tulipa clusiana Tubergen’s Gem bulbs, 6 more bags of Scotts Garden Soil, 2 flats of violas, 2 flats of pansies, 2 4″ pots of dianthus and 1 4″ pot of red lantana. The following is a sneak peek of the new arrivals–really not much to see!

10/16/2011 The patio with new arrivals