FIRST FLOWERS OF LATE SUMMER 2015

We came from here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1401367/#new

Boogie Nights dahlia

thanks for the thread... and the flashback!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaCnWNFbgug
Beautiful flower!
(Check out the awesome synthesizer ! we just watched part of a documentary all about synthesizers. )

My first flower of late summer would be Chelone/Turtlehead 'Hot Lips'
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Chelone-lyonii-Hot-Lips
I only have two stems, not a big clump like that picture. But they are a lovely dark green with intense pinkish purple blooms.

Yeah I've been lazy about getting pics but I haven't had that many new things blooming either. My chelone is just starting to sprout open. Same with my physostegia.

Thanks for the flashback to your high school years ;-P I wonder what hippie Sally G looked like....

#1 - Monarda punctata, growing from seeds sowed this spring.

#2 - Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' with some hardy Begonia on its left

#3 - I love this Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant) I got from Sequoia at last fall's swap...growing with Lobelia siphilitica (both blue and white)

#4 - I took this photo to show the purple bloom on the lower left, which emerged from the end of a stem from the Pontederia cordata (Pickerel Weed) growing in a floating pond planter. Most of its stems broke - I think because a raccoon stepped in the middle of it in the hopes of catching a fish dinner - but by propping them up on the pond edge, I'm getting some flowers anyway.

#5 - Spigelia marilandica is getting another round of blooms! What a nice surprise. This is the first year I'm growing it and I didn't expect it to bloom again this year.

This message was edited Aug 28, 2015 8:15 PM

nice pics Muddy!

Thanks!

Oh wow, your S. marilandica is blooming again!! I need to go and check on mine. :)

Neat looking Monarda!

Is it blooming again, ssg? I noticed that mine started growing fresh green foliage maybe a month ago, and the flower buds started appearing a few weeks ago. Mine is growing in part-sun/part-shade.

Muddy, I forgot to check! All of the beds needed a nice long drink of water. I'm still not done watering the shrubs. I'll be out there tonight moving the hose around until I fall asleep.

That Chelone is really a nice looking plant. The foliage is a great dark green. I don't know why I don't have it yet.
My Spigelia has been blooming again also!
Here are a few blooms from my father's yard. His wife is an avid gardener.

1. Obediant Plant - It's beautiful. Too bad it's such a spreader.
2. Some Veronica
3. I forgot what this is. I was with her when she bought it at Rare Find. Anyone recognize it?
4. Here is the whole shrub growing in their vegetable patch.
5. Cinquefoil and dianthus

Since it's a bit slow here, I'll add a few more pics from my father's yard.

1. This sedum looks great, doesn't it? The shape is perfect. Mine tend to flop even though I pinch them back.
2. Ageratum - she has a bunch of self sowers and they are well developed.
3. The snapdragons are repeating a little. This one is cute.
4. Geranium
5. White Buddleia

They have lovely plants; they're all so healthy-looking!

Very healthy looking and pretty, too!!!!

Beautiful pictures, Loretta!

This butterfly was not at all scared of me.

I like this combo of variegated liriope and ajuga.

This is the giant rudbeckia that I'm offering at the swap.

Beautiful, Loretta and Terri.
Terri, yes those two look fab together, prefect blend of contrast and compliment. The giant Rudbeckia I got from ( edited- somebody?) has put out two sturdy offshoots. It's an amazing robust plant for what it has done since being one little shoot in a cup!

This message was edited Aug 30, 2015 7:18 PM

Sally, I think someone else offered R. laciniata at the spring swap. I haven't done anything with mine for a few years and will be digging out the volunteers for the first time this fall.

Nice pics, ssg; that's an awesome patch of Rudbeckia! I like your swallowtail friend, too : - )

I would like to have a clump of regular, pink/purple Cone Flowers.
None of them have ever made it in my A/C bed. Don't know why???
I have oodles of seeds from it--should I try WS'ing? Just throw them in the bed?

Never saw any of these clearanced at the HD.

Thanks--Gita

Good catches, SSG! I finally have a monarch but I can't get close.But I did find a caterpillar and an egg! So more to come! Hopefully they finish growing up before it gets cold.
I do like the liriope and ajuga very much! I use to have a patch of ajuga Chocolate Chip and blue spruce sedum which I loved but I could never replicate it again. Chocolate Chip won't stay around for me.

Loretta, last year I started a thread here in the Mid Atlantic Forum called "Plant It and They Will Come" where we talk Monarch and Swallowtail and pollinators of all sorts and the plants they love in our Mid Atlantic gardens. We did a group buy on host and nectar plants and we raised 400+ Monarchs and other cats!

We are now on Part 7. Come and join us and tell us what's attracting what in your neck of the woods!

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1403607/

Judy

Loretta, that NOID plant in your first set is really cool. Please do let me know when you find the name for it. I wouldn't mind having that in my garden.

Muddy, that M. punctata is very pretty too. I might have to WS some of those myself.

Going to try Winter Sowing for the first time this year on the advise of Speedie. Looking forward to it, will make the winter seem not quite as long and less gloomy. :)

Haha...WS last year did nothing for me in regards to the length and gloominess of winter. I got all of my WS done right before Christmas. I'm going to attack it from a different angle this year. Last year I made all these little pots from 16 or 20 oz soda bottles. It was VERY time consuming. This year I think I'm going to sow the seeds directly into a quart sized pot. By doing this, I won't have to transplant into a quart before feeding the seedlings to the wolves (the established plants) in the garden. I was so busy this spring and into mid summer that my WS bottles got completely neglected and started to fade. I potted most of the decent ones in quarts and they've really responded since. You've got to allow for root growth or you won't get a big enough plant to put out.

What are you going to use to create that greenhouse affect for the pots ? Going to place the pots in 1 gallon milk jugs ?

I'm not going to do the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect only helps to germinate them earlier than usual but after the temps start to warm it does nothing. All I know is that I put in a buttload of work to WS last winter and I'm going to do it in quart pots to save time. I'll sacrifice 3 week earlier germination that isn't a big deal anyway.

You could buy clear seed tray covers and put them over groups of pots until the seeds germinate. In addition to providing some greenhouse effect, it keeps critters from digging up the seeds.

True indeed. It might not matter if they're all behind chicken wire fence though. Everything in the new Loblolly bed will need to get caged so I'll probably set them in there. It will be a lot easier than wrapping 21 shrubs.

Berkheya purpurea 'Zulu Warrior'
Lobelia 'Sparkle Divine'
Begonia
Chelone 'Hot Lips'
Chelone glabra

Some berries:

Viburnum dilatatum 'Erie'
Viburnum nudum 'Brandywine' - not ripe yet but it's prettiest color IMO
Viburnum dilatatum 'Cardinal Candy'
Magnolia virginiana

Kalimeris incisa 'Blue Star' - showed it before but it's blooming it's face off right now
Fred Stone chysanthemum
NOID anemone
Japanese turtlehead - I think it needs more sun as this might be it's 3rd bloom of the season

wow Jeff, wow!!!

I haven't been thrilled about my own WS results

Yeah I'll have some WS starts for the swap. They're looking pretty sad but I'm sure someone will take them. I do like WS though but only if you're not in a hurry for the plants. If you're starting a new bed, that's great but there's no way you can plant a WS seedling in an established perennial bed without it getting taken over.

Gallon sized milk jugs make great WS containers.

I like the plastic covers more for the critter protection than for the greenhouse effect. I lost a lot of direct-sown seedlings to slugs (maybe even birds and voles?) this year.

Seq, I've tried 20 oz soda containers, but they were really frustrating to work with. They took forever to prep, didn't hold enough soil, dried out quickly, etc. The larger containers were so much easier.

Your viburnum berries look fabulous!

Thanks!

The 20oz bottle definitely took forever to prep but I didn't have any trouble with them drying out.

Re WS'ing....

Any of you try these high-domed containers that 2lbs. of grapes come in?
Or--the Artisan Salad mixes--still growing in their "bubbles".
Even the 2lb. strawberry containers work OK. Holes top and bottom.
Some stuff grew in these for me last winter. I just didn't water them enough...

Maybe i will sacrifice one of those shoe-size plastic containers. Just 99 cents.
Drill holes in bottom and sides for drainage and venting....

I have a slew of empty milk jugs--but I tried using them once, and it was very
inconvenient to peek inside to see how things are doing. Did not "hinge" well.

I really need to grow more perennials by WS'ing....
EG: Cone flowers, perennial Ageratum, Balloon flowers, Love Lies Bleeding Amaranth, etc...

g.

Not a flower--but a very impressive size Ornamental Pepper--"Black Pearl'.
The biggest I have ever seen--about 2'+ tall--growing in my small, clay window box.
by my unused side entrance.

1--In June--see it in the bottom WB on far right.

2--In July See it on the right rearing it's head?

3--August---Going bonkers....

4--September---"pearls" starting to ripen deeper down.

5--looking deeper into the plant...

Very nice Gita. I like the time lapse there.

1--Maya brug--1st day bloom--still yellowish

2--Maya-- bloom--2nd day--now milky white

3--Day #3---going into the apricot color phase.

4--Dr Seuss brug...finally blooming...

Thanks, jeff----


Now a total mystery!!!

1--This very odd Petunia grew in my S. bed.
The leaves are round and fuzzy/soft to the touch.

2--The blooms are either deep red/fuchsia--or just plain pink.

3--The stems grow very long and meander a bit. Like 12"-16" long.

4--It may be hard to see--but yesterday--I realized that this petunia stem
had climbed/meandered all the way to the top of my big Phlox bush.
Had to be at least 4' long.....
Try to follow the round leaves all the way to the base of the Phlox. See it?

5--Here I am holding up the long stem to the top of the Phlox so you can see
that it is still blooming away.

Never seen this before--have NO idea what it is--BUT--I have a suspicion
that I grew it from some seed I p/u at the Seed swap in the "up for grabs" box.
I vaguely remember thinking--"What a pretty bloom!"
I remember seeing the seedlings growing in my tray--and making a mental note
that it looked very different from the rest.
I planted it out in May along with my other seedlings and watched it grow really weird,

Any guesses?

Did you have petunias in your garden last year? They do volunteer.

Some petunias will volunteer from year to year in our area.