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| Solidago sphacelata 'Golden Fleece' |
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| 'Autumn Joy' sedum and Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha 'Bicolor') |
This poor sedum is struggling to survive the thug of a salvia above it. I love Mexican bush sage but this one has taken over almost the entire 8- by 8-foot square bed!
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| Hummer and Mexican bush sage |
Besides not liking how big this salvia got, I'm not that enthused with the color. A few years back I had an intensely brilliant deep purple one that I loved and that stayed in bounds. Alas, it succumbed to a freeze.
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| 'Fireworks' cuphea and sulphur butterfly |
This 'Fireworks' cuphea is a bit of a miracle. Most cupheas don't survive winters here. After a freeze last winter I cut it back instead of pulling it out and there you go - it came back. Granted, only one out of three did. But still I'm glad one did.
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| Echeveria 'Topsy Turvy' |
Nice little blooms but I wish the plants wouldn't elongate like that. They always do that when about to bloom. They're supposed to not do that if you keep them in bright light but if I gave it full sun, it would fry here. Bright light on the west coast is way different I think.
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| Moonflower vine |
I'm finally getting some blooms on my moonflower vine (I planted the seeds pretty late). These vines put on lots of green growth at first. I wonder if that's because I had sweet peas planted here previously and they added lots of nitrogen to the soil??
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| Hydrangea paniculata Mystical Flame |
I'm thrilled to see multiple blooms on this little Mystical Flame hydrangea this year. It's its first year for blooming. I got it as a 4-inch baby in 2010. I almost ripped it out in 2011 during our extreme drought when I was against all water loving plants. But because it never really flagged, and because it was half hidden behind a large tree, I let it be. The blooms are supposed to turn burgundy red after this creamy stage. I should have taken a long shot of it because it's only about a foot tall and wide right now. Mature height should be 4 feet.
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| 'FIreworks' Pennisetum setaceum |
I'm always enchanted by 'Fireworks' pennisetum when it's young, but it always looks like any other purple fountain grass by the time it blooms. Maybe a few more green stems but ...
I hope you visit Carol's blog to see links to more GBBD posts. Fall is almost here, yay!!
This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.
I love the 'Golden Fleece' goldenrod with the nasella. I saw some nasella at a nursery the other day, but in a fit of parsimony, I didn't buy it. I wish I had now!
ReplyDeleteI've found you have to be careful with nassella since it can reseed. But here it only reseeds where it's extremely well drained, like the cracks in our driveway!
DeleteAutumn joy and Salvia go really well together. I am sure the hummingbirds are grateful as they set off on their long fall journey. I have that echeveria but had no idea it was called topsy turvy. Such a weird little plant with all those plantlets along the stem. I just don't know what to do with it. It did flower while I was gone which was a disappointment. Happy bloom day.
ReplyDeleteI have that Mexican bush sage, too, and I have mixed feelings about it. Love the moonflower. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blooms plus bird and butterfly - great post for Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteLea
Lea's Menagerie
I love Salvia leucantha~it's certainly an annual here and I begged for 'Midnight' that was in the compost pile at a local igc~it has blooms on it now...Will let you know how the color turns out...It may be a keeper (I will try cuttings). Goldenrod and Mexican feather grass sure look good together...that's a great idea. Thanks! xogail
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that Golden Fleece is short for you, it and Solar Cascade are way above their advertised heights. Perhaps next year I will cut them back early to see if it makes them shorter. I see a lot of the Mexican Bush Sage when I visit San Francisco, it is lovely but sad that it is a thug. I don't generally appreciate Sulfur butterflies because the cats like my cabbage plants, but they look great with red flowers. Does the Moonflower smell wonderful?
ReplyDeleteHannah, I never cut the goldenrod back. Not sure if that's why it stays short. But it's definitely the size I wanted there. I just need to cut the black-eyed Susans back to give it some room! Not all Mexican bush sages are thugs. But this particular one certainly is!
DeleteCindy T. came to visit, and she and I talked about 'Fireworks.' I love it too, but all of them have turned purple except one planted in partial shade. It grew large, but it won't bloom of course. However, it has stayed that gorgeous color. Glad your hydrangea is finally blooming. I used to have the Mexican sage that was brilliantly colored. Eventually, it died completely. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about the part shade, Dee. I might try that grass in part shade next year. I don't really care that much about it blooming.
DeleteThat is a huge Sage! I thought it was a butterfly bush at first:) I understand your not liking its size, but the hummers would no doubt be disappointed if you took it out. Congrats on your hydrangea! I have one that I thought I killed in 2010 or 11, but this year it's finally putting out some foliage. Sometimes it pays to have patience. Happy Bloom Day!
ReplyDeleteJean, I think 'Fireworks' pennisetum needs cooler temperatures to show its true colors (or allegedly true). Here on my corner of Katy, I've noticed that the paler colors are more prominent when the temperatures drop.
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your garden Jean. I found the intense purple Mexican sage down in Texas a few weeks ago. I like it better too, but I also must replace it periodically. Hugs from Oklahoma.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteThanks to CTG I just found your blog and love it! I'm looking forward to browsing through your past posts. Your garden is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you Stepn!
DeleteAhhh, the moonflower vine...mine was a chlorotic yellow which I attributed to lack of nitrogen although I did fertilize it. Yours is glorious green. What is your general soil pH? Now I hope that is not too personal a question. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, Layanee. My guess is the soil pH there is fairly neutral. Last winter and spring I grew sweet peas there so my guess is they fixed nitrogen in the soil.
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