Flowers in bloom and garden combos

Wow - today was the day that hubby and I were going to plant our annual wildlife foodplot, but we were quickly rained out. We had looked at the doplar radar and rain seemed a fair distance away. Wrong! Plans changed and soon I found myself at an antique shop, miles from home, and what would I be looking for other than something garden related. I ended up buying 3 garden books that kept me entertained until I discovered from one of the books that I needed a small tea pot to make a bird house that might just attract a wren, or a ? Wouldn't you know, I came home with 3 book and 3 teapots. Found teapots at two other antique spots. What fun! Anyhow hopefully this post can be all about gardening with lots of color. Let me share some color from my garden taken this eve. The Asiatic's in the first photo are bulbs bought on clearance last year for a song. Well - almost a song. Very inexpensive and well worth the wait. The picture doesn't do them justice. I've got them a little crowded. But that seems to be what I do - crowd things in. The second picture is the only hollyhock that I have blooming - a single. The plant must be at least 15 feet tall. At least the wind hasn't taken it down yet. The 3rd picture has the red Knockouts in it - gosh everyone should have a few Knockouts. The #4 photo I wanted you to see my circle of ground cover under the large cypress trees. Guess what the ground cover is............... #5 photo has a combo mix that will be prettier when it all blooms or some people would think it might be a little too color mixed up. Anyhow - Give feedback and let's see your flowers, your gardens, your trees??

brenda

Beautiful pics. You must work hard to have such beautiful gardens. We were hot and dry today. Suppose to storm tonight.

Thanks greenbrain - you give me encouragement.... I looked a little closer at your name as I had always given it a quick glance and read greenbriar. Oh gee! ~ I'm a better gardener than I am reader. Anyhoooo - Just got the rows in my main Wetland Garden laid off and four rows, coming and going to the Wetland Garden cultivated with Alice (AC-B tractor), thought the rains were going around us, but when I came to the house for seed and planting gear - the big rain drops started. Now - they have stopped - just maybe, I'll chance it, and try getting it planted ahead of whatever rains the day holds in store. Will see.......... I don't have enough seed to plant it twice - big gamble..........

This is last years Wetland Garden (closest to the wetland) - and I'm always excited to get it planted and growing. It's probably my favorite - all annuals (mostly saved seed).

If you look back a year, we had a nice chat on this forum last year. Something about your post sounded familiar, so I looked at threads you started and found it right away. I'll post a link for you later to refresh your memory. Typing on my smartphone right now.

Yah - my memory could use refreshing...............

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1367423/

Here you go Brenda.

Thanks - Oh yes - I remember.

How about that Grandmother in Tennessee? Older people are such special people - full of such knowledge. I have a great admiration for them. Both my maternal and paternal grandmother lived to be 98. Such an age.......... You can only wonder what all their challenges were during their lifetime. Well - I'm off track. sorry

I did get my Wetland Garden planted this morn. Started at daybreak making the rows. Got the rows made, then went to plant and got rained out by a short light shower. Went back about and hour later - took me about 4 hours to get the planting done, but got-r-done. Finished up with lots of different kinds of pumpkins on the back side (mostly saved seed).

On the front side I have buckwheat, calendula, crimson clover, balsam, zinnia (of course-lots), feathered celosia, grested celosia. Texas sage, mixed cosmos. I usually plant broomcorn to back the garden, but I didn't this year.

Keep gardening & biking....

Grandma still around with her 96th birthday on Aug. 28; God willing. My mom turns 78 next month. Thanks for asking.

Morning all. I LOVE the pictures. Wow beautiful gardens.

Here is one spring garden of mine that I love, working on getting the summer garden to be full and blooming, a ways to go tho.

Very very pretty Joyce. Thanks for the pix. Tell me what the orange is in the background? I thought lily - I thought poppy, but I cannot make it out. Yes - I enjoy the pictures that we post. Good way to get ideas for companion planting. Your peony is lush and beautiful too. Lilac - maybe Miss Kim? My sis has a Miss Kim and when it blooms, it looks a lot like yours.

Brenda you are right all way around. Orange are poppies my Mom started for me, peonies front and back, iris, and yes a Miss Kim dwarf lilac....rofl. Glad it wasn't Mr Kim BIG lilac. Great bloomer and smells wonderful.

Now look what a little time does....same bed not so pretty, looks like a big mess, now we have had huge amounts of rain, but EVERY afternoon those coneflowers wilt like that and then perk back up later, look really sad! I am working on this time period since nothing is in bloom yet. There are lilies Asiatic and daylilies in that bed but not started blooming yet.

Happ, look for early flowering daylilies. I have one blooming now that I planted last year. If I can find the tag I'll get it's name for you.

I'm working on pics of my stuff. Problem is the light is too strong and washes everything out in the pics.

Joyce - I see what you say with blooming comparison of then and now. No matter how hard we try, we never can accomplish all. My thoughts - have you ever had larkspur (picture 1,2,&3). They are annuals of course, but once you plant a few seed, they will probably grow and seed themselves here and there. I have never found them to be a problem. My penstemon bloomed for the longest time and it's about done. My other thought was maybe just the right clematis? That means a support..... You probably have a few ideas up your sleeve for the color prior to Asiatics and daylilies beautifying the area. Or maybe even take a drive and see what might be blooming somewhere else when you need bloom then?? Your bed (with both pictures) is loaded with a lot of good stuff. I wondered if your bed is in pretty moist area (not just because of recent rains) - if it is - that just might be why the coneflower frowns now and again? I was going to suggest red hot pokers - they are nice and spiky, but they don't like a lot of moist. Mine are finishing up now. Liatris is a fun spiky plant - I have planted several of them via bulb. Only thing, they are just now getting ready to bloom- below that is them the purple spike in picture #5. I like yucca, just don't have mine mingled in where they would really show up, but they are blooming now #4. I need to move a few of mine around or make notes to move them around llater, where they would show up better next year.

It is dry here and HOT today. The temp gauge said mid 90's. So here I sit at the computer.

My Yellow Happy Return Daylily and Stella's are blooming like crazy now and the road side daylily is getting going, too. So - Pepper - are you talking about an earlier blooming daylily other than the repeat bloomers I mentioned above?

Yes Pepper - would love to see your pictures - hope you can figure out the light problem.

brenda

This is the daylily I had blooming. None of my others have opened up yet so it's an early one.

The light problem is the time of the day I manage to get out. Afternoon and evening light is too strong right now.

Here is one combo I have going. OSO Easy Paprika rose and Walker's Low Catmint.

Wow both of you what beautiful pics! And thank you both for taking the time to help me. I need all I can get. My phone takes bad photos at the best time and I am always out in the harshes light.

I am zone 5 so even tho I have 'early' daylilies they are not as early as your earlies...rofl. Altho I only live about 45 minutes from you Pepper the weather can be extremely different.

Love that larkspur, especially with that poppy oh my.
Pepper I have Walker's in that flower bed, just down the side that you can't see. It has been blooming forever. Great color and it is planted by Stella deOro.
Duhhh didn't think about driving around in my area and see what is blooming... need to do that.

Currently there is a birch tree the birds planted for me in that bed and I messed up and let it grow, so it is shallow rooted and sucks the moisture out and of course does shade the garden a little bit. Worse it is causing the peonies to start to die, they can't compete with the tree roots. DH wants to cut it out because it throws seeds all over the driveway. So as much as I hate to lose a tree it isn't in the best spot.

Pepper - Enjoyed the photo's. Looks like your lillies are all about to POP, too. Tell me about OSO Easy Paprika rose? Will it stand up to the Knock-outs? (tough as nails & rebloom?) I had a note to look for the Walker's Low catmint - yours looks really healthy. I may have to find one one of these days and give it a try.

Joyce - Thanks. The poppy is a reseeder and that was just what it did and still does. I bought a small poppy in a container years ago and it was referred to as an ice poppy. The larkspur and poppy and sometimes corn flower are all good buddies. As for your tree - that can always be an issue. At least it has pretty shape - straight up. Good luck. We have a couple of crabapples that are big and old, out by our front walk and DH wants to cut them down because of the crabapple mess they make when the cedar waxwings come feasting. The waxwing birds come and stay until all the tiny crabapples are gone (usually fall but sometimes late winter). I agree it is a mess, but I enjoy all the blooms from the trees in the spring, the umbrella shade it provides and watching the waxwings as they feast on the crabapples. Sounds like the birch has most negatives. Trees are sure easier to take out when they are small.......as fate will have it.

It's a super easy rose to maintain. As you see in my pic it's crowded with the mint and other lilies but it thrives. I even did a burn job this spring in there and the first growth died back but it came back better than ever. There are other colors in this series also.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=265916&isprofile=0&

http://www.djroger.com/oso_easy_rose.html

I also like the "Drift" series of landscape roses. I have Coral Drift and it blooms all summer long.

Pepper do you order from Moonshine Design Nursery too? That's where I got one of my Annabelle hydrangeas and my witch hazel. Very healthy stock.

I haven't heard of them til now so nope. lol. I'll have to look them up.

I've been scoping out the oso easy and the drift roses. Good suggestions..... For me - more roses would have to be carefree.

I have the double red, the double pink and single yellow Knock Outs. I love the single yellow Knock out for its fragrance. It's close to my back entrance to the house, so the fragrance is a real bonus. I see the Japanese Beetles are beginning to surface - they like the roses, tooooo. I've probably seen 6 in the last two days. We have been dealing with the 13 year cicada - and they have been a nuiasance, but they are about to wind down.

CICADAS on the tree trunk. Picture taken Sunday.

I have the double pink and sunny knockout roses. They are stars in my gardens too. I haven't seen the jbs yet, but I'll be on the lookout. My 4 o'clocks didn't come up. I'll try sowing them again. We had cicadas last year.

Some combo pictures. There are red double Knock Outs beside the garage in this one picture mingled in with other plants. They are a little smaller than norm, but our Feb 19th of a negative 15 was not normal either (my blame). The Knock Outs are just finishing up on one spurt of blooms. Then here is a couple other pictures, taken off both ends of the porch just after a quick shower a while ago. The negative 15 caused my very tall purple crepe myrtle, that shows in the center picture to die back to the ground. I need to have dear hubby take his chain saw to it as the branches are way bigger than me and my anvil loppers can handle.

Garden every chance you get - I do.

OMG Brenda what a beautiful landscape! The view is amazing. Gosh I have so much work to do....lol Really pretty.

Thanks happgarden

I'm heading out to do a planting out from the north window in the shade. I had hosta there last year and somehow??? they disappeared over winter. Suspecting voles? I'm probably wasting my time as I am planning on planting Texas sage (a sun loving plant), in a shady area. Reasoning - I have lots of volunteer Texas sage - and a grand daughter is here to help, so it won't be a waste of money. Plus it will be good exersize. Hope this works.....

#1 Trying something new with Japanese Forest Grass and some yellow mums. Guess I'll have to give them a year or so to really let the grass get established.

#2,3,4 - Other combo's in bloom

#5 An Asiatic that is about 5 foot tall. Taller than any other I have. Was supposed to be pink, but that didn't happen. Not sure what to plant with this Asiatic for a good combo???

I have that same asiatic lily and I love it. Just reminds me of old lace or old fashioned. Love it. Your plants are amazing, those Mums wowzer.

My daylilies are really late coming on. They are working on it but guess not enough sunlight to pop open yet.

MOST of the daylily that I have open now are roadside daylily. Tell me - do daylily revert back to the look of the orange roadside lily? They almost have to from what I have seen from some of what I have had over the years. Just not sure. Didn't think I could have ever have planted that many roadside daylily.

So happgarden - you have the same Asiatic as # 5 in my photo. I like your comment of it reminding you of old lace/old fashioned. Good way to describe it. What do you have yours planted with? Anything? I'm thinking blue larkspur might be a good additive - or ?

You didnt plant that many... Ditch Lilies multiply like "whodunnit?!?!?"

Yep, ditch lilies will take over your yard if you allow it. They plant it in the ditches and "wild" areas around here. I don't complain when they're blooming then I complain after that because I want more natives. lol

With that lily I would do some light blue/purple and red. I think I see reddish colors in there. Make it Americana style.

I have LOTS of day lilies but never had any revert back to ditch lilies. Ditch lilies multiply FAST and extremely hard to get rid of. I thought all day lilies would be like ditch lilies when I first started gardening multiplying at an unbelievable rate but nope...lol A friend wanted some to put around her mail box so I told her she dig as many as she wanted next to my DH's building. It looked as if she took them all, not one stalk was visable. DH came in and said but I like those. Told him not to worry in a month he wouldn't know they were ever touched. Think you could put their roots in a blender and throw them on the ground and the ground would explode in them....lol

I have the name of that lily somewhere. My antique looking lily is currently in a bed of purple cone flowers. Not that I wanted that the cone flowers took over. I planted the top hat cone flower not knowing a few would be top hat and that every seed after that 100 to 1 would revert back to old fashioned cone flower. That is a flower bed I need to regain control of.

Larkspur would be very pretty I think.

Interesting on the roadside lillies. Guess I was desperate for daylily when I got planting them. Good thing I have wide open spaces. At least I have LOTS of orange color right now.

Loved the comment about putting the roots in a blender. Wonder if that could work for anything? Wishful thinking.

Yes - larkspur!

I like ditch lilies and we have them all over the property. The only thing is they spread sort of fast and can over run things. I like the beautiful orange bloom and the foliage is just like any day lily. Betty posted a picture with them down the side of her driveway and look beautiful.

Boy - have I been crazy busy today. From the weather forecast, I expected rain most anytime this afternoon, so I just keep going trying to catch up on all sorts of gardening things. I had bought some clearance red Asiatic lilies, a Wallflower that is setting seeds and a purple penstemon. The Wallflower was not clearance, but I felt it was a bargain since it is setting seeds. These I had not planned on, so I was not sure where to plant them. Ended up putting all 13 of the red Asiatic's together in a spot where there is normally no color. That should spiff things up next year. I headed to the ponds island with the Wallflower and the purple penstemon. Planted them rather close together after adding a nice portion of compost to the holes first. While on the ponds island, I dug a yellow mum that was hiding under some tall shasta dasies and I also dug up a couple of purple asters that just are not happy campers on the island. I moved the mum and asters to end rows in my veggie garden. I think I'm running out of places to plant, if that's possible. Now this is really crazy - on the way to the island (crossing the bridge), I thought I saw something out of the ordinary moving in the water. As I approached the water action quit, but there lay some of my long coneflower stems. When I got to the island, I noticed the coneflowers had been eaten off and so had the coropsis. I'm think it is a muskrat and him and I are going to go round and round. I didn't plant them for him to eat off. Never a DULL moment around here.

Sounds beautiful Brenda. Love the sound of the bridge and the island....wow on the muskrat battle. I battled a vole one year and he about devastated a huge patch of beautiful daylilies. I couldnt do much since I have dogs cats and chickens. Either the cat or the dog got him which was fine with me.

I have an orange bird of paradise a friend brought back to me from FL one year. Probably had it 25 years and something came and bit the leaves off the other day....very odd.

Beautiful weather here so I was like a crazy woman weeding the west side of the house, no shade over there so I have to hit it first thing in the morning. Got most of it done. Then pulled more weeds...lol Then decided to take the original tags from daylilies and make metal tags for the plants. Trying to do the lilies also. Seems I have way more tags for lilies than I have lilies :(

I love lilies and I always buy them at home depot marked down after they stop blooming. I can wait until the next year when they are cheap.

Oh NO, on your 25 year old bird of paradise leaf issue. I can only imagine how much you enjoy it to have kept it for that long. Hope you find the culprit and it doesn't happen again.

I have not had as much luck at Home Depot with clearance plants, as I have at Lowe's. Talking about a crazy woman - that's me when I go clearance looking for plants. Some of what I buy make it and some don't. I'm about to get wise on which to look for and which to leave alone.

Sounds like you are going to have the names of your daylilies readily available with your tags. A good idea.

Wet here and expecting more rain, so what do I do but go out while it is sprinkling and take these pictures (me and the dog). Getting lots of blooms right now.

keep gardening~~~even in the rain

Love the combinations, what is the purple bloom in the 4th picture?
Think I need more white in the garden. Shasta daisies I love but don't know how well they are surviving here. Think I have better luck with white swan coneflower.


Suppose to hit 96 today....geehz, gonna be a warm one. Think I will run out and water before things heat up.

Thanks Joyce. The purple bloom in the 4th picture is verbena bonariensis, but since I never can pronounce bonariensis I just call it tall vervain verbena. It seeds itself generously. Some people think it is a little too generous with seeds, so I have read - but I have no problem with it.

Gee, I wonder if it that much difference in our zones. I don't do well with white swan coneflower, or maybe I just haven't given it the right spot. I'm lucky to get a bloom or two. I have exceeding good luck with these tall white daisies. So well with the daisies, that I moved the ones in the #3 photo (way in the back) to this spot early this spring - and they just took off.

Did you get remnants of storm Bill that came up from TX. We got hit late afternoon yesteerday. Flooding in the area and some tarnado activity in the tri-state area. I'll not need to water for a long while. We have had about 6 inches of rain in the last 10 days. I imagine my Wetland Garden was under water.

That heat is a bummer. I can attest to that. A couple days ago our temp was up in the mid/low 90's and I had sweat dripping off my hair/nose. Trying to weed and stay ahead of all the rain. Not ready for the weeds to take over.

keep gardening - however you do it~~

Things really heated up!! Sun shining which felt good but the winds were really strong and felt like a furnace blasting, thought I would dump mulch in the shade but..lol I did hit the jackpot yesterday, went to home depot to get mulch I bought on sale when low and behold there on the clearance rack were daylilies 2.00 a pot and getting ready to bloom...very strange but I grab 3 of each one I don't have....lol then right next to them were big pots of daisies so here I go again, 2.00 so I had to try it again. lol One pot of hens and chicks all in the big black pots. Spent 22.00 but walked off with a ton of flowers and none look bad. Still kinda of confused about why they were on clearance. Still surprised. Now I have to get busy...

Cloudy today but still hot but at least the winds is blowing a little. Looks like it could pour but so far nothing.

I found a video on you-tube about designing a garden it was put out by the BBC, Alan Titchmarsh. Only problem for some reason on my computer it is pix elated but thats ok, I use to watch him and his gardening group on tv when we had satellite and then for some reason they took it off the air. Your gardens and borders from what I have seen are beautiful but my look disarrayed but I think this video may help me pull it together. This help explain why I loved my spring garden but not so much later. Homework homework...lol Found it when I was helping a friend try to find something to replace the roses who have that rose disease.

You did hit the jackpot on the plants. What fun! It's that time of year when - if we are at the right place at the right time we can really get a good plant bargain.

I checked out the video you spoke of that was on You-Tube. Thanks for that info, I will be sure and watch more of this guys garden videos. They are way out of my league, but who knows - I'm sure to learn something.

I have more garden areas blooming, so more pictures to share. Check out all my roadside daylilies we discussed earlier - Hum.. . . . Glad I have lots of wide open spaces.

He has a whole series apparently, I watched just one about how to draw up a design. I could never afford to buy all those plants at once but he gave me some ideas.

Your gardens are amazing and I love the color combinations. I have the orange daylilies in different spots around the property and all in bloom. I got 3 1/2 inches of rain and some small hail, you can't even walk across the yard it just has water standing everywhere. I had to move a spuria iris because it just had standing water for at least 3 weeks now. I don't know if it is going to make it or not.

Thank you for posting pictures, it helps me to get ideas on what I need to do. I took more pics but on DH's phone and he is using his phone...lol

Gonna be upper 90's tomorrow and will be humid to say the least. Probably won't get any thing done outside. Oh well.