End of Summer Planter

The end of summer was in the air today. When I ate breakfast out on the patio this morning, the thermometer read a comfortable 70 degrees, and the rest of the day was milder than our usual August, with refreshing breezes and a high only into the 80s. I know well we are likely to have another month of summer weather, but I am so happy to feel fall approaching. Autumn is a wonderful time in the garden here, barely edged out by spring for my favors.

Inspired by the cool temperature, at breakfast Lou was grumping about a neglected flower bed beside our drive. Over the summer I had let it become overcome with weeds, and he thought today would be the perfect day for me to fix it. I had to agree. 

It is a raised bed, about three by five feet, bordered with rock. One sees it when driving around the side of the house to the back parking area. It contains some blue fescue, veronica, sedum, salvia and until today, dead lavender and assorted weeds. I pulled the weeds and said goodbye forever to the lavender. I have finally accepted that I will never grow lavender in my climate, not even in a raised bed with good drainage.

Without the lavender and weeds there were some bare spots in the planter. A quick trip to the nursery produced colocasia, vinca, and lantana to fill the gaps. The final results won't win any awards, but it provides a nice punch of color to that side of the house. The color should last till frost, at least three months.

Happy gardening to all, and best wishes for wonderful weather!   Deborah

Hydrangea 'Limelight': Midsummer's beauty

As the seasons turn, different plants take center stage in my garden. Midsummer can be tough here in the Deep South, but while many plants are retreating from the heat, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' becomes a garden stand out.

Limelight's cone shaped blooms open creamy white to chartreuse. A feature of my hydrangea walk, Limelight is also visible from the kitchen and from the patio.I love the blooms that glow in the golden sunshine of late afternoon. Six to twelve inches long, the flower heads are held upright on sturdy stems. The blooms will persist well into autumn, and as that season advances many of the blooms will take on multiple shades of pink, mingling beautifully with other blooms that still retain their green tints. The color, unlike many hydrangeas, is not dependent on soil pH.

Limelight is a large shrub. Mine is about four years old, and I prune it every year. The last two years it easily grew to eight feet tall and wide after pruning. I wonder just how large it would grow if I didn't cut it back! (A dwarf form, Little Lime, will grow up to five feet.) The blooms form on new wood, so pruning should be done in late fall through early spring. It isn't necessary to prune it every year, but pruning Limelight a third to a half will result in larger blooms.

Limelight likes good loamy soil, but it is adaptable. In spring I fertilize with an organic slow-release fertilizer. Then in midsummer I give it a shot of fish emulsion, one quarter cup per five gallons of water combined with epsom salts, one cup per five gallons of water, as a natural pick-me-up. 

Mine gets morning sun and filtered afternoon shade. I think in cooler climates it would do fine in full sun. Limelight tolerates hot, humid conditions, but it will wilt in intense heat and drought. Sometimes I do give it extra water, as I do all my hydrangeas; but generally, I consider this midsummer beauty an easy care shrub.