WBIYG? (Summer doldrums edition...)

16 years ago

what's blooming in your garden? September is not a friendly flower month. i like to see what's going on in other people's flower garden this time of the year.

A few things in my garden are blooming nicely...

Glads are finally blooming...

'Mississippi Silver' crowder pea bloom... aren't they beautiful?

dahlia 'sunrise'... the only dahlia i've had good luck with this year. this one is blooming its head off, and no signs of the usual fungal issues for this time of year...

not a bloom, but it's what the boy and i made this morning. he's been asking for his own veg garden for months. while we were sweating, spreading mushroom compost, he said to me 'dad, this is how kids should be working, not sitting on their rumps in front of the idiot box.' (it's eerie hearing yourself echoed.)

confederate rose (h. mutabilis). starts off the morning white, then goes pink (like this), and tomorrow it'll be almost carmine. this is the first it's bloomed this year. should bloom until frost, and again in the spring. pretty plant, low water needs, almost full sun.

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Comments (31)

katkin_gw
16 years ago
Just lovely. I really wanted the double C. rose, but ended up with a single. They don't come true from seed, I guess. It has been so dry here my glad all dried up and didn't bloom, so it is nice to see yours. ;o) And it sounds like we'll have a new garden web member soon. That's a good thing!
manature
16 years ago
Great post, Ill! I was just thinking how blah I felt about the garden right now. Mine is all weeds and tired looking plants, and I know I should get out there and do stuff to perk it all up. Now that I've seen your gorgeous flowers, I feel sort of inspired. Kind of. A bit.

That glad is fantastic, and oh, how I love that confederate rose. I need one, too! That's on my list, now.

Your son's veggie garden is great! He will so enjoy his plants in his very own garden. You should be proud of him! (I'm sure you are!)

Thanks again for sharing the piccies.

Marcia
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It's been a while since I posted photos and now I know why...it takes me so much time to download them to the computer then upload them to Photobucket, etc...Photobucket doesn't like my browser so I had to try 3 different ones before it would work. I have enjoyed looking at everyone's beautiful photos. Here is my contribution of what's growing in my garden. "Seashell" rose Meyer lemon Gaillardia Tudor rose starry rosinweed April tomatoes Coleus Coleus Blooming pots begonia HD "Carnation" rose cuttings OK these are not "blooming" but it's the first time I have been successful with rose cuttings. Someday they'll be big enough to trade for other OGR's :) The photos below are not in MY garden but from Fenders Orchids near me where I began my love of orchids 2 weeks ago. I bought 3 there and some mail order from Orchids of Maui (not pictured). I never knew orchids had such FRAGRANCE. One of mine smells like sweet cloves and the other like roses. Thanks to linda_leaf for the heads up on Fenders in Venice and adding another dent in my garden budget. I only got to take a few photos before my camera battery died. Great place. They do their own hybrids and the lady that checked me out (Susan Fender?) had orchids with her name in them. Now that is a piece of eternity, a flower named after you.
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beth7happy
16 years ago
wonder how many pics are we allowed? I just get too excited! I'll only put in 4 of the 11 I just uploaded!

Jatropha

Zinnia

African Blue Basil

Duranta repens
cindeea
16 years ago
Great photos, Ill-Man. The glads are so sunny, aren't they. And that Crowder Pea is beautiful! Do you have any seeds to share?? I love the lil veggie garden you and your son are doing, together. It will create a long of fond memories for both of you. God Bless him for enjoying gardening. When I was little I would trade indoor chores with my brothers to play in the dirt and garden with my Dad. That's where I got the gardening bug from. Dear Old Dad!

I didn't venture much into the yard today, too blasted HOT. But MARCIA!!! Listen up girl, remember the butterfly I was trying to ID last week....it IS a Zebra Longwing!! I was adding some potting soil and watering a plumeria I repotted when he landed just an inch away from my foot. I was so excited. Of course, no camera was handy. I got to learn to leave that thing around my neck. He does have a more yellow than white alternating stripe with the black. I see how they get their name, his wings were really LONG! Then on a drive out to LaBelle to check out this lumber yard with Dennis, he is building me new dining room furniture-now, by the way....OK Don't everyone swoon at once...well the place is closed till Nov. On our way back there was a mess of vultures circling and diving over the road side. As we approached they all lifted off and we both said "WAIT A MINUTE, vultures do not have white tails"!! Among them was a bald eagle, he was sooo beautiful. This is the closest I have ever been to one. Den slowed down and he was just 2 feet above the windshield waiting for us to pass...COOL!
an_ill-mannered_ache
Original Author
16 years ago
marcia & katkin,
acc. to some posts on dave's garden, it's super easy to start from cuttings. i never find ANY plant super easy to start from cuttings (except african basil), but i'll try to root a bunch for the orlando swap. it grows like a weed.
an_ill-mannered_ache
Original Author
16 years ago
beth -- lovely pics. right now, so little is blooming that butterflies are the best thing in the garden.

i accidentally posted the re above without finishing it -- the confederate rose is supposed to be really easy to root. i'm going to try & bring a bunch of rooted cuttings to the orlando sway.

cindee -- cowpeas are super productive. i've gotten pounds of peas in the freezer, and lots dried for next year & to give away...
gardencpa
16 years ago
I got to see that garden in person today. What a treat! I also got to meet an unusual woman in a car who accused me of leaving trash on her porch and I got to see a professor get a bit feisty. I also got to bring home some goodies (thanks again ill-man) but by the time I got done with dinner and messing with my ill-found wealth it was too dark to take pictures. My young garden assistant gave me a hand but I had to drag her out of a book to do it. I also had to take two showers today. It was certainly a hot one. My garden is starting to look more like a garden.
beth7happy
16 years ago
that glad is gorgeous. and crowder pea, too! are they easy to grow? -the crowder peas.. What's the boy planting in his veggie patch??
cindeea
16 years ago
Oh Bethie, that dragon is awesome!! I have tons of them and some are just huge. I can't manage to find them perching on anything, though. I still have your framed photo of the lovely gulf frit butterfly you gave me in my Secret Santa package, on my living room entertainment center. During the swap, everyone who went into the living room picked it up and admired your handy work. Oh and did I tell you, my best friends Mom, who I framed one of your other prints for at Christmas, she was so thrilled! She has it on her fireplace mantle!

Ill-Man, can I buy these peas in the grocery store? Or can I send you a SASBE for some?
manature
16 years ago
Beth, your photos are great! LOVE the duranta. I have the gold mound duranta planted as a backdrop for my coleus, but it doesn't bloom. I need one like yours! Just beautiful. Love your flutterby's and the dragonfly, too.

Oh, Ciiiiiiinnnndeeeeeee....far be it from me to say I told you so, BUT! Told ya, told ya, told ya! Hehehehehehehe. Aren't zebra longwings just the prettiest things. Slow moving, flying down low, and always kind enough to give you a good look. Not like sulphurs and some of the other rapid fliers. Gaaaah. I guess I'll have to take a fly swatter out and whack 'em dead so I can see what they are!!! (JUST KIDDING, FOLKS!)

Ill, I'll be in the front row when you unload your confederate rose cuttings. I had one and it was stunning, but it died over the winter and never came back. (I think I didn't give it enough TLC while it was settling in.) I want to see if I can do better next time. Lukas had some gorgeous ones last summer, but they were BIG BUCKS...like 49.95 a plant, I think. eeek.

Garadencpa, it sounds like you had a great time today!

You guys are all making me feel like getting back outside next week. I've been so busy painting & decorating my bedroom and bath that I've not even tried to see if I can handle the heat better right now. And today, I spent all day working in my studio...it has been used as a giant walk-in closet for the last year. No kidding...you couldn't step into the room farther than about one foot. I cleaned it all out! Of course, now the GUEST ROOM looks like a closet! But I emptied the studio out, shampooed the rug, set up my painting table again, and tomorrow, I'll start bringing things back in and organizing them. A lot of stuff will get thrown away or recycled or given to Good Will, as it will NOT all fit in there properly. Anyway...MONDAY sounds like a good day to try a bit of gardening again.

Thanks for all the inspiration!!

Marcia
cindeea
16 years ago
Marcia, I was amazed at how lazy and slow this fellow moved along. I am so po'd I didn't have my camera. Now if I could just figure what is making him come visit my gardens I will be happy. I have only seen him flying by, or like today, slowly moving along blades of grass after the guys mowed.

I hope you will post before and after pics on the conversations page on your bedroom re-do. I love seeing what other people do with their living spaces inside as well as out.
ginibee
16 years ago
Ill, I sure don't see any doldrums in your garden with those beautiful blooms. That is a beautiful glad and like everyone else, I love the double CR.

Beth, your beauties posed just perfectly for you and that dragonfly is so pretty. I have the smaller red and blue bodied ones, but haven't seen that green one. I can never get close enough for a picture.

Okay, I'm going out with camera today to see what I can capture.

Ginny
beth7happy
16 years ago
Couple more:

and a volunteer:
manature
16 years ago
Beth, if I'm not mistaken, that's a spicebush swallowtail, isn't it? LOVELY! And your volunteer is so cheery and happy, smiling at the sun!

Cindee, you have passionvine in your yard, doncha? That's what zebra longwings lay on. Plus they nectar at just about every kind of flower. They are the most fun of all the butterflies to me, and I hope you soon have lots of them. The sight of 15 or 20 of them eclosing at one time is just fantastic. They literally covered my passionvines at my other house, and sometimes would come out of the chyrsalis and climb right up on ME to dry their wings. I found myself the launch pad for the first flight of many of them! I'll send ya some photos of the bedroom. It's not nearly exciting enough for a whole post, but we like it a lot. Mark is almost finished building our new six foot tall, 8 foot wide bookcase headboard. Hopefully, I'll be able to paint it this week! Then I'll be pretty much done!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Now it's back to work for me!

Marcia
cindeea
16 years ago
Marcia, I do hope the long wings come back. I've never really seen them on my pasion vines. Just gulf frits. I've had Gulf Frits emerge and sit on me to dry their wings, too Marcia. That always makes me feel special.

Today tried to get some critter pics. No where near as impressive as Beth's photos.
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JoanM
16 years ago
I can't take pictures right now because it is raining :->

Ahhh... Don't you just love the sound of rain on a Sunday afternoon? I think I'll go push all my plants out from under the cover of the patio.
the_musicman
16 years ago
Here's some of the colors about me this September...

Rudbeckia hirta

Oxalis latifolia

Purslane

Liriope

Clematis henryi

Cactus flower, not sure as to the species...

Bacopa monnieri in the bog garden

Red Ruffle Azalea
manature
16 years ago
Beautiful photos, Cindee and Musicman. Musicman, I especially like your clematis! I'm so amazed that it is doing well for you.

Thanks for sharing, guys!

Marcia
annafl
16 years ago
Omg, love the flowers and the beautiful creatures! Inspired me to go out with my camera in search of a couple of photos. My garden is more about foliage than flowers, and is very, very tired with the drought, but here are a few things.

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my shrimp plants with foliage background

mussaenda is new this year

and of course my precious, lovely water lilies that are always in bloom.

Ill, you are so wonderful to take the time to make a garden for your little boy. As a little girl, I had gardens all the time and cherished them. He will always have fond memories of your work together. Great bonding. Enjoy these precious times.

Anna
AmberSky
16 years ago
Lets see if these slide shows work. I actually have a lot going on right now. Weeds are a problem, but other than that, this is one of my favorite times in the garden.
AmberSky
16 years ago
Another slide show.
AmberSky
16 years ago
And a third!
an_ill-mannered_ache
Original Author
16 years ago
ambersky! the pics in the first show are lovely (i really need to embrace tropical -- amazing blooms), but i couldn't get #2 and #3 to run...

anna -- really effective use of shrimp plants. i have the peaches and cream version, but they don't look nearly as good as your yellows. and, even with the drought, your garden is lush & sophisticated.

musicman -- great pics. the one that made me think the most, tho, was the one of the liriope. photos make you stop and consider the beauty of what has become banal.

gardencpa -- let's say that i'm only somewhat glad, in retrospect, that the shovel was out of reach. what an insulting kook -- she actually got in her car, drove 1/4 block, to yell at my guest for something she had absolutely no connection to. and then to lecture ME about keeping the neighborhood beautiful... i might go find that shovel yet... grrrr. i'm still stewing about that. next time, i'm calling the cops. she needs to be institutionalized. southern gothic.
beth7happy
16 years ago
Cindee..love your beauties! Doggone...i STILL can't get my blue/purple passion to get going. Now it looks like it's got some sort of mold on it...tiny black dots everywhere, but...it's putting out some tendril... I just dunno. Cute lil lizard! :)
MM-what a great show of color! Nothing at all boring about that! Guess we're not so much in the doldrums, really, are we! Cactus flower is outstanding!
Anna, WOW - it's like a botanical park! Lovely!
oh gosh, Amber! so many neat plants! You're the same zone as I am, but it looks much more tropical! I LOVE that blue sky flower. All the photos are inspiring, but dangerous, too. Sometimes the obsessive-com. takes over: if I see it, I WANT it.....
AmberSky
16 years ago
I have the same problem, which is why my garden is so crowded.

Thank you for your kind works.

Ill, I have no idea why the second two would not run for you, they run from here fine. But here is a link to my photo bucket page.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click me!
cindeea
16 years ago
(((((AMBER))) After years of you describing everything with out pics or with someone elses photos, you finally throw us into a fabulous tour!! Simply wonderful, m'dear. the slide shows (I got them all with no probs) just sucked me in! Very pretty!

Beth, cut back some of the leaves, give it plenty of water and stick it in the shade and forget about it for awhile. You will be surprised!
linda_leaf _z10a_southwest_fl
16 years ago
I waited for three years for this stanhopea orchid to bloom. It is unusual in that the flowers come through the bottom of the pot. They are very thick and waxy looking and smell like vanilla cookies. There are at least three more sprays of flowers poking through the basket today. Happy Day!

Linda Leaf
cindeea
16 years ago
Oh YUMMY, Linda, that is beautiful! It looks like it is just flying in the sky. How do you have the orchid supported? I love it.
AmberSky
16 years ago
Linda, that is so cool!
annafl
16 years ago
Linda, that stanhopea is Marvelous!!!

Anna
linda_leaf _z10a_southwest_fl
16 years ago
Cindee,
All my orchids are in hanging pots or baskets. I had my DH hold up the orchid and I got down on the ground to take the picture of the flowers. Orchids are fun, easy plants that don't take much care, but when they finally bloom...WOW!
Linda Leaf