The Lovely Tuberose

Polianthes tuberosa is the Latin name of this lovely flower that comes from a bulb. It is a relatively little-known summer bulb that produces these lovely spikes of flower in mid-summer. What is especially attractive about these flowers is the heady, gardenia-like fragrance that they put out. Last year while ordering some bulbs, I had to order a few extras in order to make it to a minimum order from a certain company. On a whim, I ordered these. When they came in, I stuck them in a dry corner of my yard, watered them in, and forgot about them. The three bulbs put out delightfully fragrant flower stalks around July and August. I loved them and expected them to be only a temporary pleasure for just that year. Much to my surprise, this year I have about 12 new plants and they are all healthy. They must like where I have them! The type I have is a double variety called "The Pearl." I hear that the single flowered type is even more fragrant than this one - but that's hard to imagine! For any fragrant garden in the South, give this a try, especially considering what time of year they bloom. Also, these would look perfect in a moon garden. They can also be grown in the North if dug up for the winter to protect from freeze.

Caladium Collage

While we were gone on vacation, several inches of much needed rain indundated out area. The caladiums were very thankful for this and subsequently are putting on a show. This is a little corner that is filled with these colorfully leaved beauties.

Caladiums are much better in the Deep South than hostas. They take heat very well and love our humidity. They cannot take a freeze and die as soon as one comes. They will come back if the ground does not freeze. Do not make the mistake of planting them before it is very warm or they may rot in the ground and not come up. They come in many shades of white, pink, and red. Add them to any shade garden for a great filler or even as a specimen. They can be grown as an annual up North.

Sensation Cosmos

I planted some Sensation Cosmos seeds late just because I needed some color in my late-season bed. They are just starting to bloom and I like them. This is a tall growing cosmos that can get 4-5 feet tall. They grow well in the heat of summer down here and can take a moderate amount of drought once established. The butterflies visit them on occasion too, which is a plus for me.

Autumn in the Summer

This has got to be one of my favorite photos that I've ever taken. Look at how beautiful these sunflower blooms are against the dark background. This is just how the picture came out with no doctoring of the photo at all. We just got back from 2 weeks of vacation in Tennessee and Virginia, and these babies were just posing for me when I got home this evening. I don't think I'll ever go a year without planting easy care sunflowers again. The birds appreciate my efforts too.

Moonflower

Moonflowers are so romantic looking. They come out in the evening and also have a charming fragrance. They look wonderful climbing a chain-link fence and are very easy to grow. Just put some seeds in the ground once there is no danger of a freeze, water, and watch them grow. They are in the morning glory family, but bloom in the evening. Because of this, they make nice companion vines to morning glories. Mine would be doing better this year, but this drought we are having is taking a toll on the moonflowers. They really need full sun to thrive, so don't try them under a tree.

The Joy of Sunflowers

I don't know why it took me so long to get on the sunflower bandwagon. Probably because I don't like the ones with one huge flower head that droops over and nearly falls down. I've recently realized that there are tons of different types of sunflowers. This one above is called Autumn Joy. It makes a number of branches with numerous smaller flowers like the one above. They're beautiful and they really attract birds, which is the main reason I want them. They are thriving in our heat and drought down here in Louisiana. Another thing I love about them is their fast rate of growth. I'll definitely be planting this one again.

Bennary's Giant Red Zinnias

This is a new zinnia that I'm trying this year. This one gets to be pretty large with quite large blooms.

Here's a close-up of one the blooms. It doesn't get any more attractive than this.

That's My Girl!

This is my baby girl, Ali, watering some plants in one of my beds. She's got an early start to loving flowers and plants. This was taken on 7/2/09, not the date on the picture.

Deep Red Zinnias

My daughter, Rhonda, took these pictures for me the other day and they look wonderful.

This is a red Bennary's Giant zinnia. Zinnias are a wonderful drought tolerant plant, so they are perfect for growing this time of year. You can even plant them in the middle of the summer down South. They love the heat. This variety is bright red and the plants get about 3 feet tall.

This is just another picture of the zinnia blooming right by a patch of Telstar Picotee dianthus. It's amazing that these dianthus have thrived in the heat. I think they will make it through the summer and really have a coming out party this fall.

Becky Shasta Daisy

This is my first ever shasta daisy to bloom. It is the variety known as Becky. This is purported to be one of the few shastas that do well in the deep South. Judging by the health of mine, this report must be true. I think this is a wonderful cottage garden plant. It's so cheerful looking! Mine is quite a sturdy plant that is not too tall and floppy. I hope it takes over this whole corner that I have it planted in. The date on the picture is wrong - it was actually taken on 6/30/09.