Sunday, May 16, 2010

Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up

Daylilies

I'm a little late with my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post so I thought I'd combine it with my Foliage Follow-Up post. I'll start with the blooms. Above, just in time for my Bloom Day post, is my favorite yellow daylily (variety unknown). I like it because it's always the first daylily to bloom in my yard and because of the clear yellow color.

'Bush Champion' cucumber

Peaking out from the cucumber leaves is a shy flower, my latest veggie acquisition.

'Whirling Butterflies' gaura and bumblebee

Nasturtiums

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lady in Red'

Finally my 'Lady in Red' is starting to show a little pink. It'll get a bit darker than this but not pink-pink like other hydrangeas do.

Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’, Zagreb Tickseed

In my newest garden along the fence the still-baby plants are coming along (although a bit slowly for me). The 'Zagreb' coreopsis was planted because I wanted a fine textured plant through which you could see other plants like my agave and cactus.

Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’, Purple Dome New England Aster

Also in that same bed is this aster, 'Purple Dome', planted for its fall blooms. So why's it blooming now??

Thai (Siam Queen) basil blooms

I just love the blooms on this basil, even though I know I'm supposed to cut them off. I'll do it soon, I promise.

Also blooming in the garden right now are all the roses, various verbenas, 'Amazon Neon Duo' dianthus, ox-eye daisies, Dame's Rocket, other coreopsis, wild arugula, salvias, Confederate jasmine, and various peppers and tomatoes. Now on to some of the foliage.

'Alabama' coleus

Crassula lycopoidioides, “Watch Chain”, a plant native to Africa (and not cold hardy)

Echeveria ‘Topsy Turvy’

Gazania

I originally bought this gazania for its pretty yellow daisy-like flowers but the foliage intrigues me more (besides, it doesn't put on that many blooms at any one time).


Nasella tenuissima, Mexican Feather Grass or Ponytail Grass

I absolutely LOVE this grass, even though it has a tendency to seed here and there (wherever there's very good drainage and not very rich soil). Right now this plant is blooming, as you can tell by the blonde feathery tips.


My lettuce is getting ready to bolt. I knew this time would come and I'm somewhat sad to see the lettuce go. But I will definitely plant some more this fall.

Cryptomeria japonica 'Globosa Nana'

I bought this little shrub (it gets around 3 x 3 feet) last fall because the new growth was somewhat light yellow and I thought it looked very cool. So far the light yellow color hasn't shown up but I still think it's pretty. I haven't figured out where to put it yet so I planted it in a pot until the right place shows up in my mind.

Be sure to visit Carol's blog for more Bloom Day posts and Pam's blog for more Foliage Follow-Up posts. Thanks for hosting gals!

This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2009. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.

22 comments:

  1. Jean,
    Your photos are amazing! That yellow daylily is really pretty.

    I'm impressed your lettuce has lasted this long. Mine started getting too bitter a few weeks ago. Sugar snap peas are on their last leg now.

    Have a great week!

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  2. That Cryptomeria is very nice. I'm not familiar with it, but I love the texture. I also like gazania for its silver foliage. I have one of three that survived our winter freezes.

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  3. Nice contrast on flowers and foliage, Jean - I like nasturtiums - haven't done well with them here as yet, but will try again. Years ago it was a fun fad to float nasturtiums in flat flower bowls as table decor-

    The crassula is fascinating - how big is it?

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  4. Beautiful flowers and foliage, Jean ... love the nasturtium photo!

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  5. Your japonica is a pretty shrub, and light yellow tips will make it stand out even more. It's interesting how far ahead your garden is compared to mine, but then I guess I shouldn't be surprised. My lettuce is just starting to grow, and I haven't even planted cucumbers yet. I had planned to plant the rest of my vegetables this week, but it has rained for the past two days, so they're going to be even later now. Love the coleus! That is one plant I can't seem to get enough of the past few years.

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  6. Such wonderful pictures of both blossoms and foliage. I love that feather grass, too. I've installed it in several beds around my yard and it just seems to be doing especially well this year. Happy Bloom/Foliage Day!

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  7. Thank you everyone!

    Annie - my crassula is small, only about 5 inches tall and 3 inches wide. I don't know for sure but I think they don't get very tall, just wider.

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  8. While your daylily is lovely, it's your rock wall I'm coveting. The Aster is just surreal. Would this be considered remontant or just extremely early?
    Love the ponytail grass!

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  9. That is really strange about the 'Purple Dome' aster, but it is certainly beautiful! I also have a dwarf conifer currently residing in a pot while I figure out what to do with it. Your garden is looking lovely!

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  10. You certainly were busy photographing in the garden this week. Great shots. Your garden is liking spring.

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  11. I love the Thai Basil and can imagine the delicious fragrance ... you have inspired me to look for it this year. I have not grown that one in years. You have asters already! Your 'Whirling Butterflies' shot is great!

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  12. Stunning photography, Jean. I'm amazed that you have Asters blooming! Mine make a showing in September. I like to grow the Thai Basil in a container on the deck. Such pretty flowers and very fun to cook with, too.

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  13. Cucumbers already? Green with envy as mine are not yet planted! Great blooms as always, Jean. Love your Cryptomeria. Very cute.

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  14. I didn't get around to doing a GBBD post, but it's nice to see what's blooming in your garden, Jean.

    Luv that you included a cucumber flower.

    Asters blooming in May? I can't get them to bloom ever because the rabbits munch on them all summer long.

    donna

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  15. jean, Did you let the lettuce flower before pulling it out? I understand the flowers can be nice! Gardeners will look for flowers anywhere. gail

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  16. Gail, thanks for letting me know about the lettuce flowers. They haven't flowered yet, just gotten very tall. If they won't take too long to flower, I'll leave them so I can see the flowers. Otherwise, I need to remove them so I have room for my ghost pepper seedlings.

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  17. Jean, I love your fabulous blooms and foliage. Absolutely lovely. You and I grow many of the same stalwart beauties.~~Dee

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  18. Jean, whew, I was going to ask about the aster blooming now--didn't think it was typical even in your warmer climes. Aren't guara the best? Mine didn't overwinter, though they're supposedly hardy here... well, they were on sale and made a nice annual. I plan to get more!

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  19. stunning photos, honestly you get my vote for best (even if late!) alluring photos! Gorgeous!

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  20. Spectacular! And I like the idea of combining bloom & foliage. Somehow, my mid-months are packed and 2 long posts are one too many. Might borrow your idea.

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  21. Jean, I have asters blooming this month, too. Linda at Central Texas Gardener says it's not unusual for them to do so if we have long spells of cloudy weather. But it still seems odd!

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  22. Love that gazania foliage but experience has taught me that plants with a "z" in their name are not usually hardy in zone 4! Am not familiar with that particular Cryptomeria but what a beautiful color and form.

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