Why To Plant Lantana

Lantana is an under-appreciated plant where I live.  They are so prevalent and easy that "real" gardeners neglect them.  Don't fall into this trap!  If you live in the Deep South there is no better plant for butterflies and hummingbirds.  They come back every year from the roots, they bloom from early summer all the way till first frost, and they are absolutely maintenance free.  They seem to get no diseases and are nearly unkillable.  Also, they don't spread all over and take over an area - at least they never have for me.  The types I plant are the bushy type rather than the trailing types, but either works well.  Butterflies of all types are seen visiting this plant and hummingbirds also pass by frequently.  They have a citrus smell if you brush or bruise the leaves.  This first picture I have is of the old orange variety that I don't know the name of.  It gets pretty big and I cut it back occasionally to keep it smaller and to encourage more flowers.

This is a picture showing more of the bush.

This last picture is of the popular "Ham and Eggs" variety.  It grows just like the orange, but is more pink and yellow than orange. 

Don't think that lantanas don't have some drawbacks.  The black berries/seeds they produce are said to be poisonous.  Be sure to keep them away from children.  The leaves also cause itching on some people, so try not to rub against them if they irritate you.  Some people claim lantanas look weedy, but so does butterfly weed.  I like them and will always have some around to feed my favorite flying insects.

Lilliput Zinnias

Zinnias of nearly every sort are favorites of butterflies.  They are also among the easiest and most carefree of all annuals to grow.  They are easily grown from seed and tolerant of most soils and conditions.  They prefer full sun and well-drained soil, but give them this and they will thrive.  The flowers come in all colors.  Butterflies of all types and stripes seem to love them.  My only problem is that many zinnias get too tall and flop over in a most ungraceful way.  I've planted this variety called Lilliput this year because it's supposed to be a shorter grower that doesn't flop as bad.  Another variety that is gaining huge popularity is the Profusion series.  Give them a try too.

Hydrangea Season

This time of year it's hydrangea season in the South.  They are in full bloom all over and stealing the show from most other performers.  They come in various shades of blue, pink, and white, all of which have lush, tropical-looking foliage. 

This is the old fashioned type.  It came with my house, so I'm not sure about the variety.  I'm fairly certain that it's the common Nikko Blue.  This one is blue since I added aluminum sulfate to the soil to make it more acid.

This pink one is the same variety as the above, but the soil is not as acid, so it turns out pinik.

This last is just a picture of the whole plant before the blooms really started going.  One thing to watch out for in hydrangeas is wilting if they don't get enough moisture.  This is especially more of a problem if the plant is in too sunny of a spot.  Drought is not a condition they tolerate well.  They really do prefer at least partial shade.  Hydrangeas are a really good plant to put in areas where roses won't grow.  They are bushy, green, and lush shrubs for shady areas.  They bloom longer than most azaleas.  The only "problem" is that they lose all their leaves in the winter. 

Remember, the time to prune hydrangeas is after they finish blooming.  Pruning in winter will cause cutting off of the flower buds for the next season.  I learned this the hard way and lost a whole year of bloom one time. 

Chicago Apache

This is Chicago Apache, of the reddest of the red daylilies.  It's a favorite of mine.  Such a prolific bloomer and such deep colors.  As with all dark daylilies, it looks best in the morning before the sun has faded some of its color.  This one stays in bloom for me at least a month with many blooms.  A great performer and a wonderful daylily.

A Few Un-named Daylilies

I have tons of daylilies planted around my yard.  They don't add much during most of the year, but when they are in bloom I love them.  Many of them are unidentified varieties.  This doesn't seem to bother them as much as it does me.  Here are a few pics of some of them.  This first red one looks better in the morning before the sun has faded the blooms.

This second one is an old-fashioned orange daylily that you see quite commonly.

This third one is a wine-colored flower that is one of my most prolific bloomers.  It too looks better before the sun fades it.

This unusual bloom is one of my favorites.  I don't know what type it is, but the blooms are quite striking.

Don't hesitate to plant some daylilies.  They are among the easiest of all perennials to grow, needing almost no care.  They will grow almost anywhere in almost any soil.  You don't have to buy expensive named varieties to have some good ones.  Plus, they multiply so well, that in three years you will have more than you want to pass around.

Beauty in the Buff

This is a cluster of blooms on my little Buff Beauty rose.  It's such a small plant that it isn't making a great impression yet, but I expect great things from this rose.  It's a hybrid musk rose that I planted last October after seeing it thrive at the American Rose Society gardens in Shreveport, LA.  I've also seen some wonderful pictures of this rose on various rose blogs on the internet.  It's a sprawling, spreading, semi-climber that tolerates more shade than most roses and has a wonderful fragrance.  I also love the buff/apricot color.  It's still young, but I have yet to see any disease show up.  It is supposed to have a large spring flush of blooms, sporadic summer bloom, and another nice flush in the fall.  I intend to really showcase this rose in the future if it performs as expected.

Arizona Sun Gaillardia

Last year I planted some gaillardias from seed.  They didn't do much besides survive.  This year they took off and they are such bright colored beauties.  Such cheerful little mounding plants.  They love well drained, sunny spots and are great drought survivors.  I really recommend that you just get plants rather than trying to grow them from seed. 

This is a close-up of one of the blooms.  These plants slowly spread and are fairly reliable to return each year for at least several years.  They don't get very tall and have a pretty long bloom time.

European Charm

I've been in Europe for the past two weeks with basically no internet access.  Took pictures of some of the fabulous flowers that I saw.  I don't know the names of most of these, so help identifying them would be greatly appreciated.  I know what these first ones are - they are Paulownia trees.  These are all over France and they were in full bloom while I was there.  Just beautiful.  There were many different shades.  I'm surprised that more of these aren't planted in the US.  These particular ones look like crape myrtle trees.

These large flower beds were all over Paris as well. 

These alpine wildflowers were growing in the rocks in Switzerland.  I love them, but have no idea what they are called.

Next up, me standing next to a rock garden on a slope below a house in Gimmelwald, Switzerland.  What great use of space. 

I'm convinced that in Switzerland all you have to do to have a nice flower garden is just quit mowing your yard.  For instance, this unmown lot in Interlaken, Switzerland, was covered in beautiful daisies.

These pots full of pansies were all over the streets of Bacharach, Germany.  Europe must be paradise for pansies.

I really didn't get good pictures of many of the flowers, but seeing them in person was a joy I'll never forget.  There was even a big rose show going on in the Pope's Palace in Avignon, France, while I was there.  I wish more of our cities were as well landscaped as those in Europe.  It would bring joy to so many people.

Super Dorothy

My grandmother passed away earlier this week and it totally put me out of the mood to post.  Her name was Dorothy, so it's quite amazing that my rambling rose Super Dorothy came into full bloom this very week.  Such a nice show to cheer me up with the passing of my Maw-maw. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get any close-up pictures of the huge clusters of bloom, but I did get some nice whole bush shots that I'm sharing. 

I've had this rose for several years now and it's finally reached the "leap" stage and put on its best show.  Ramblers typically flush after ever-bloomers have finished their first flush.  They bloom only once, but it's quite a show.  This rose has never shown even one speck of blackspot or mildew despite no spraying at all.  It's also very easy to train because the canes are very limber with reasonably few thorns.  These make nice roses for arbors.  Everyone should make room for at least one member of the rambler family. 

Don't you think this would look nice in a cottage garden setting?  Maybe growing on a white picket fence or climbing up the side of a gazebo.  It doesn't have any fragrance.  However, unlike other roses, bees seem to love this one. 

Early Sunrise

I planted some Early Sunrise coreopsis seeds last year since I'm wanting to get more perennials going.  These were planted in an old wheelbarrow that hardly ever got watered.  They did not get much attention at all and never even got large enough to flower.  Early this spring, I transplanted them to a good spot in my butterfly garden where they get better care.  They have really taken off and have begun to bloom with these bright, long-stemmed pom-poms.  Coreopsis are a nice perennial and they last quite a while as a cut flower.  This variety does not get very tall (about 20") and forms a nice mound.  They are supposed to slowly spread and need dividing about every three years.  Here's a picture of one of the plants:

Coreopsis are renowned for taking heat and drought well.  They bloom for a long time, especially if deadheaded.  You can also cut them back occasionally to keep them bushy and florific.  Here's a picture of a bloom up-close.  They rather look like marigolds, but don't have the smell.  Aren't they cheerful looking?