Saturday, August 1, 2009

Lots of Color On The First of August


This beauty is Seashore Mallow, Kosteletzkya virginica. I have it growing in the garden at the back of my yard. It is a salt tolerant native. This time of year it has lots of blooms all over the plant. As many of you know, photos are better in either early morning or late afternoon or cloudy days. This Mallow closes in the afternoon, which doesn't make for good pictures!! The butterflies love this flower, so it helps attract more activity in the garden.

Another plant, many of you have is Lantana camara 'Miss Huff'. I have a couple of them. One is up by the backdoor to the garage. Not only do the butterflies love it, but I keep seeing a few of the hummingbirds checking out each and every bloom!


Do you ever have a plant that you plant one year, it doesn't do well, and you forget about it, then a couple years later you find you have about a dozen of them growing all over the garden? Well that is what happened with my Cardinal lobelia. I swear it died!! I chose it because again- salt tolerant and could handle wet feet. I am happy to have it. This is another one that the hummers love.


Out front, on the bank of the ditch I have Stringy Stonecrop, Sedum sarmentosum and reseeding itself within this Stonecrop is a bunch of Forget-me-nots. I like the contrast of the blue and yellow.



Guess what is happening tonight??
Yep-- another round of blooms from the Epis.
There are five blooms about to open.

Couldn't resist adding this --- the perfume is filling the air!


18 comments:

  1. That shade of pink on the mallow is wonderful. Like my primrose when its in bloom.
    I was surprised to see forget-me-nots in bloom right now. Is that normal? I don't have any here but I thought they bloomed in the spring at my last house.
    I was glad to learn of the red cardinal lobelia. I plant 1st for the hummingbirds and butterflys and only knew of the blue lobelia. Another one for my list!

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  2. I was just walking around the garden and admiring the Miss Huff. It is such a workhorse! Supposedly it is hardy here. Does yours come back each year? I hope mine does but just in case I take cuttings. It's so easy to do. Love that cardinal flower came back. It's such a pretty red.

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  3. Hello Janet ! I love your pictures but especially of the lobelia .. I have grown that one and Queen Victoria with the very dark foliage .. I have found it hard to get a good detailed picture of them .. but WOW ! on yours .. that was perfect girl !
    Joy

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  4. You have some of my favorites -- I have a lot of Seashore Mallow too and I love it. Cardinal Flower grows wild here which is a good thing because I cannot cultivate it! I have to just let it come and go as it will, but it's always fun to see where it will pop up.

    The Epi is gorgeous -- I wish I could smell the perfume!

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  5. Hi Colleen, the Forget-me-nots are the annuals-- they reseed and reseed all summer long. The one I have that is the perennial bloomed late spring. I have the blue lobelia, it just isn't open yet. Kind of a spreader...I pull out a lot of the blue.

    Good morning Tina, Yes my Miss Huff comes back each year. Wish some of the others did as well. Had one called Samantha which was a yellow bloom with variegated foliage--really nice. The Cardinal lobelia is a great red.

    Hi Joy!! I love the Queen Victoria, a friend has one. That will be one for my next garden. I took a number of pictures before I got a good one!

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  6. Hi sweetbay- isn't the seashore mallow a nice one? I guess my Cardinal lobelia is wild..who knows.
    I get sad when the Epi blooms because it is gone by morning.

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  7. 'Miss Huff'!??! I've got to send my friend Trace over. She'll love that!
    What kind of camera are you using?
    K.

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  8. - Got the camera info off Picasa. LOVE the colors in "MIss Huff"!!!

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  9. Hi Janet. Your lovely sister sent me over to see the Miss Huff Lantana (our cat is called Huffle). Love your flower pix, by the way!

    Trace

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  10. Hi Janet~~ Love the mallow. And your lantana looks gorgeous. I'm growing the 'Fantasy' cultivar this year. More pinky-red but equally bright and cheery. It's not August already, is it? LOL

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  11. Hey there AoF, glad you got the info off of Picasa. Your camera is way better than mine. I get some good shots with mine, but I have a neighbor whose camera is AMAZING! (She is the one who takes the pictures of the osprey).

    Hi Tracey, thanks for visiting. Glad you like the lantana. Huffle is a cute name for a cat.

    Hi Grace! isn't the mallow great? and it is a native, bonus! I will have to look for Fantasy, at least here Miss Huff is a perennial. Yes, August...amazing isn't it? time= zoom.

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  12. Hey Ginger, thanks! Sometimes you just get lucky!!

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  13. I do love an unexpected volunteer plant, especially when you thought you had lost it for good and then it shows up again. They are a little scary when you get a dozen, though. But that Cardinal lobelia is fantastic, I can't see having too many of those.

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  14. Hi Megan, I am glad the lobelia is in the garden. I also have a Blue Lobelia-- will be posting more about these later as more bloom.

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  15. I love your lobelia! Mine died, but didn't seed itself. I did forget about my forget me nots, that I had planted in the side garden. For some reason I have a bunch of them in my bed in the front that was just started last year. There must have been seeds in the compost I put on it.

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  16. I forgot to comment on your lovely night blooming flower. Those things look fun to grow.

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  17. Hi Sue, you forgot your forget-me-nots? Kind of funny. My forget-me-nots reseed all over the place. The Epi (night bloomer) is great-- especially when it blooms!

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