Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy hibiscus are among the most exotic and flashy of all plants. They have huge leaves and plate sized flowers. The above variety is called Luna Swirl.  Hardy hibiscuses are not be be confused with the tropical type.  Hardy's die back to the ground after a freeze, but they will always come back from the roots the next year.  They can take really harsh winters and in fact many great varieties were developed in Nebraska. 

Here is a whole bush shot of Luna Swirl as it's blooming in my yard right now.  Once the plant dies back in winter, it is fairly slow to come back in the spring, so don't be too quick to write it off when warm weather returns.  It will come back and start blooming in early summer.  This plant prefers a moist area and even does well in swampy soil.  Makes a great plant for a low-lying area in your yard.  It definitely prefers full sun.

This is another variety that I have.  It's called Lord Baltimore and it makes huge, deep red blooms.  Notice that the leaves are eaten with insect damage.  I prefer not to spray insecticides in my yard so the hibiscus sawflies are quick to get a snack.  I just let them eat because I don't want to kill the butterflies and bees by spraying.  If you want a taste of the tropics, you couldn't do better than to try out a hardy hibiscus or two. 

Dabbling in Daylilies

I'm offering a few pictures of my daylilies today.  They are really blooming up a storm right now.  My offers of today are three very deep colored ones.  I don't know the name of this first one.  I just call it my wine-colored daylily because it's the color of red wine.  It looks much better in the morning before the sun has washed out the deep coloration.

This next daylily is Dominic.  It's a very dark reddish-black color with a deep yellow throat.  Quite a striking combination.  Best in partial shade where the colors aren't washed out by the sun. 

Below are a couple pictures of a deep red daylily with a golden yellow throat.  This is a prolific bloomer for me.  Plant in part shade to keep the color from washing out in the sun.  It's called Chicago Apache.

The Most Fragrant Flower of All?

Gardenias are right at the top when you talk about fragrant flowers.  They are such beautiful, white blooms that have a wafting fragrance that can pervade a whole yard.  They like acidic soil, full sun, and moderate moisture. 

Unfortunately, there are plenty of pests that also love gardenias.  Foremost among them is the pesky whitefly.  I seldom spray any of my flowers with insecticide because of all the beneficial insects around my yard.  However, I make an exception for gardenias when the whiteflies just get too numerous.  Besides, I never see butterflies or bees coming to gardenias, so I don't feel as guilty spraying this plant.  This year, over half of my biggest, best gardenia bush mysteriously died.  I can't figure out the cause, but it has distressed me greatly.  I've cut off all the dead branches and am really hoping that it comes back in full force over the next year.  No full bush pictures because the plant looks so terrible.

Shasta!

Let me preface this entry by saying that Shasta daisies are among my favorite flowers.  My problem with them has always been that they don't really thrive down here in the Deep South where the temperatures are so hot and the humidity so high.  Another problem is that they tend to get tall and floppy for me, which I hate.  I researched long and hard to find the perfect Shasta, and I finally hit the jackpot with the variety called "Becky."  As you can see in the picture above, the blooms are perfect daisy form with perfect white petals surrounding a butter yellow center. 

Here's another single bloom for you to really see the form. 

This variety gets about 30" tall at the most, the plant has a nice rounded form, and it doesn't flop to the ground.  The flowers are perfectly cuttable and make wonderful bouquets - especially if mixed with some purple coneflowers.  The plant slowly spreads and you can get new babies after a couple of years.  I intend to get some more to spread around my yard in the coming year.  Nothing spreads cheer like a daisy, so go ahead and plant you some.  Give Becky a try, especially if you live in the South.  I can vouch for this variety doing well.

Autumn Joy in Summer Time

Sunflowers are among the easiest to grow of all flowers. You just plop the seeds into the ground, cover them up, water, and watch them perform. They want full sun, but that's about it. They tolerate drought very well and bloom like crazy. Birds and bees love them. People also love them if you plant the right type! I don't plant them for us to eat, but I love seeing the birds and bees come and dine. I didn't have to plant any sunflowers this year because my forest of them came up voluntarily from plants I had last year. This variety is called Autumn Joy. It is a multi-headed type that comes in many shades of color. I love them!

Here are a few pictures of individual blooms so you can see the variety that they come in.

 

Below is an overall shot of my sunflower forest.

Pink Hydrangeas

I've already had other entries telling about hydrangeas.  However, this pink one I have is just coming into its own.  My daughter, Rhonda, sent these pictures to me at work.  This plant is absolutely gorgeous and I'm greatly anticipating seeing it when I get home.  Above is a whole bush shot that really shows off the rounded profile of the plant's growth and the large size of the blooms.  The plants with strap-like leaves growing on the left of the hydrangea are hedychiums (or "butterfly gingers.)"  Both plants enjoy the same conditions - part shade and plenty of water - so I think they are natural companions.

Here is a close-up of the blooms.  Such healthy little blooms that make up the flower-head.  I don't know how blue these blooms will get with more soil acidity.  This plant was simply labeled "pink" at the nursery, so I assumed that it would stay pink no matter the acidity.  However, the lavender tinge that some of the blooms have makes me think otherwise.

Beautiful Blooms of Gold

The David Austin rose Golden Celebration makes such beautiful blooms that they are breathtaking.  These roses aren't the most carefree of plants in my hot and humid climate, but to me they are worth it.  Count on this rose getting at least some blackspot and not looking lush during the summer period.  I do little to no spraying on my roses, but I have a high tolerance for blackspot as long as the rose is strong enough to recover from it.  Given good mulch and adequate water, my DA roses have been able to overcome bouts of blackspot and make wonderful spring and fall bloom flushes.  The full, huge, and immensely fragrant blooms justify the pickiness of the plants.  Golden Celebration has only been with me for two years and it's promising to become a nice climbing rose for me like Gertrude Jekyll has.  Abraham Darby  has become more of a large bush and has resisted my efforts to make it into a climber.  If you can't resist the magnificent David Austin blooms, go ahead and plant you some of them.  However, beware of the fact that they are prima donna plants and may misbehave at times.

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.