August Blooms part two, into Sept possibly

coming from here
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/885266/

Sally, you caught all three, leaf hopper, honey bee, and crab spider. Good job!

Stormyla, I pull mine up. I've only had them 2 years and last year there was a pretty big discussion on wheather to pull them or not and in the end I pulled mine. I know some people overwinter theirs quite well with a heavy layer of mulch.

you passed the eyesight test--the crab spider is hiding pretty well.
I was just out there looking for some hing new and exciting for a picture--along comes a hummer, at waist level, visiting my Coral Nymph Salvia coccinea, and the Salvia farinacea. He didn't make a peep. One year I heard the tiny twitterings andwatched one checking out all the catnip. I have big old red cannas that are probably a big flag getting the hummer in my garden. I don't think I got the hummer in a picture. Have to recharge batteries B4 I can DL the pix and zoom in to see if I got really lucky and have a hummer in focus anywhere in the shot.
This is my Coral Nymph that self sows. OOh, I should take a chunk of happy's Forest Fire back there and see what I get next year!

Sally very pretty Coral Nymph.
I usually hate taking pictures of my pond with the pool mess behind it but the blue water is certainly a nice backdrop for these water lotus pictures.

Taking flower pictures has been a good education on watching the background in my pix--and in what a slob I have been in my yard!!
I overwintered some old red cannas with mulch . They came up great and way out grew the ones I rescued from Lowes Clearance last fall and overwintered in pots and boxes but the rescues suffered from spending all last summer on a table probably. I might put my specials in a coldframe this year

Ha, Sally I have become a master of cropping and shooting at angles. Don't want the neighbors houses or the mess behind the barn in my pictures if I can help it.

Roses America

Holly, that lotus is gorgeous. I was really hoping I'd have one single with the two I got but it was a bargain for unlabeled and I ended up with two exactly alike.

I just planted America earlier this year. I hope it eventually will have such pretty blooms on it.

Clematis, Snow Queen

Hart your Lotus are really beautiful. Is this your first year for them? I was wondering about seed collecting?
I am very, very pleased with my America Roses, I'm sure you will do well with them as I haven't done anything other than stick them in the ground and water. LOL

Morning glory

One more clematis picture. Not sure on the ID for this one.

I think you can collect the seeds once the pods dry. I was planning to try and I'll be glad to save you some. I might be able to divide the roots in late winter too. I can't see now how large they might be.

Yes, this is my first year with the lotus. I sure have been enjoying them.

If you want to get some more at reasonable prices, the guy I got mine from is matherfish over at the American Ponders forum. He usually sells them a little bit later too. I really can't manage getting lotus in February when most people are selling them unpotted because I have no way of keeping the small roots warm enough for months.

I bought mine from the Texas Waterlily Co-op last Feb. and had containers full of water all over the place. Mine are a hardy variety so I expect to overwinter them in the birdbath pond. Hopefully they will do well.

How deep is it? You're supposed to sink them to the bottom for winter to give them more cold protection.

I tried to order the one remaining lotus they had at Texas Waterlilies. They forgot to put it in my box and by the time the box finally got here, it was too late for them to divide them. I was not a happy camper because the only reason I ordered anything was to get the darned lotus. In addition, some of the waterlilies I ordered were mere slivers of plants and of course didn't make it. They did send generous replacements.

But the bottom line is it's too cold in my house at night in February and March for such small, tender plants. The ones I got from matherfish were very good size and I think I ordered them in April or May, larger than anything I got from Texas Waterlilies. You should check out the plant sale and trade section of that forum. Lots of hobbyists selling plants at very reasonable prices. Matherfish by the way does sell named, labeled ones. If I buy again, that's what I'm going to get.

Thanks Hart, I'll be checking them out. The Birdbath pond is 3ft deep. It's not big only about 5ft across and with the pedestal in the middle you don't have a lot of pond space, but it is pretty deep.

I don't think I'm able to picture this at all. What is a birdbath pond? It should be plenty deep enough if it's in the ground. If it's not, I think you'd have to worry about your lotus freezing.

Oh Hart, LOL My Birdbath Pond,
It is an Antique cement birdbath with a hole that runs thru it. We were helping friends move and they weren't going to take it with them so I brought it home. My son Josh made me a concrete well approx 3 ft deep and 5 ft wide. He poured it with a pedestal in the center to sit my birdbath on. We put a pump in the bottom of the well and ran flexible pipe thru the well pedestal and the birdbath pedestal. The fountain is just enough to break the surface not disturb the birds and then the water runs over the edge and back into the well. I put a piece of driftwood in the bowl for the birds to perch on.
Here is a bare bones picture.

A little more dressed.

This is a winter shot. I put a small pond heater in it in the winter. So I don't think I would have any trouble overwintering them.

No, especially with a heater. I think they only need to be 18-24 inches down anyway. Do you have the lotus in there now? I've been told not to have the lotuses in running water. They are getting a certain amount of water movement in my pond but they're not anywhere where the water falls onto them.

No they are in my box pond this year. They were supost to go in the bathtub water feature but it still isn't all put together. Just one of those little jobs that didn't get done this summer.

Hollyann, you have the best yard ornaments!!!! I keep showing DSO all of your photos and keep hoping he'll get the hint!!

Oh Thank You Stormyla, I'm really lucky in that my guys can pretty much put together anything I can think up. That always helps. As we get these projects done I get to fill them up with new plants. I need a lot more plants. LOL
There is a new thread with my Gazebo project, You have probably seen it in some of the pictures I have posted.

I agree with Stormy about your water gardens and ornaments Holly. Wow, you are keeping yourself and the men in your family plenty busy building things. You go girl!

What is the dark maroon plant growing beside the birdbath pond? I had several large pieces of it growing in one of my beds, and John pulled it this week saying that it was a weed. I really liked it too. Oh well.

Thanks for sharing all of your goodies everyone.

Ruby

Here you go Ruby. I love it, it adds some nice color to the flower beds and the birds love the seed heads in the fall. I don't think of it as a weed but I have heard some people do, mostly I think because it spreads so easily. My patch reseeds it's self every year. You will find it coming up all over the place but it's very easy to weed out what you don't want. If you would like more just let me know I'll save you some seeds.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/276/
Sorry can't find a picture with it flowering

THAT'S the plant that pops up in my front yard every spring/summer...I too love the color and refuse to pull it!! I did try once to move one...it didn't take too kindly to being moved :(

Chantell, They need to be moved when they are very small.
I remember reading a comment on them that said the flowers were insignificant. But I don't agree with that comment, maybe if you are looking at just one plant all by its self but a mass of them look very pretty when in bloom. They get spikes of purple flowers and the finches just love the seed heads. I always let mine go to seed.
I can't seem to find good pictures of them in bloom. This old one is the best I could come up with.

That's the plant I bought one year thinking it was a really nice Coleus. Planted it in a pot with other flowers to be kept near my front door.
Well--you know what happened!!!!! It grew and grew and spread and spread-----I called it my "Monster Coleus".....

Never again! I guess if you have the space--it is nice......I just wanted the dark color in my pot....:o((

Holly you've got a BIG bunch....very nice...I love the color!! I've finally got pics to share but too late to upload...hopefully by Sunday...ugh

Thank you for the education Holly. Hmmm......I suppose I was attracted to it because I love Coleus too. I have decided to pot some up if any more appears. Yours are beautiful Holly and I love your Monstor Coleus story Gita.

Ruby

For those who have the "Monstor Coleus" I wonder if it would reseed in my zone? I think is is pretty and if I do a coleus bed it would be a nice addition.

heavenly blue MG and a wild, quarter size, MG in the same blue tone

not really a good photo, but I'm excited they are starting to bloom... they are a bit short, I hope they come back taller next year:

Casa Blanca Lily

Wind, That is a beautiful MG, Looks great against your white posts.
Took this one yesterday.

Holly and wind..........

Do you harvest the seeds of your MG or do you just let them be ????

That is what I hate the most......After my Grandpa Otts has climbed 12 feet up to somewhere--HOW am I supposed to harvest seeds??? Even if I try--SOOOO many will fall into my flower bed and then come up next year. I DO NOT want any more!!!!! Too much trouble....Too many volunteers the following year!!!!! AAAAGGGHHHH..............

My Grandpa Otts is, once again climbing the House! I am thinking to just sever the main stem of it and let it all die back!!!! DON'T want any more of it!!!!!! I don't care HOW beautiful it is!!!! As for the others.....they are NOT in areas where they would self-seed......
Conclusion---Morning Glories are NOT meant to grow in anyone's Garden if they have ONLY Flower Beds and NO "woodland" areas wher it could grow--and no one would care!!!! Like--up a dead tree....

I am, once again, collecting seeds from my "Broken Colors" 4 O'Clocks. Ran out of these to share from last year! Maybe I should put less seeds in each baggie?? I was being too generous...... New to seed trading. Live and learn.

Gita

Gita, Yes I do harvest my seeds. Most of them are in places that I can reach but every now and then I have to get out a ladder. LOL
My problem is I collect seeds from one area so I only know that they are a seed from a specific area and not necessarily which MG seed. I end up with more bags of mixed seeds than I do named seeds.
Might as well post a pic of my Coleus.

ladyg- I think they would reseed. Mine did...yes I got that too from the swap action last year. I am getting whiffs of Datura thru the window tonight.

Folks, you really inspired me with all of those photos of gorgeous daylilies. Today, I went to the Daylily Societys annual sale. Made quite a haul. Then, the ladies informed me that every year the "hardy Plant Society" holds their sale every year on the same day as them and they sent me off with directions and vendor recomendations. Did some significant damage their too. I never heard of "The Hardy Plant Society".