One of These Flowers Doesn't Belong!

All of the following flowers are blooming in my garden now. Can you guess which one doesn't belong?

First is Lychnis coronaria, also called rose campion. It was a passalong plant from a fellow garden blogger, Eve of Sunny Side Up. It has neon pink flowers and fuzzy silver leaves. Passalong plants are special, because they always remind me of friends who gave them to me.

Next is Asclepias tuberosa, also called butterfly weed. It has been slow to establish, but it looks good this year. I am hoping it will live up to its common name!

This lavender version of crepe myrtle was suppose to be miniature, growing to three feet. Ha! It is about six feet and would be much larger if I didn't keep it pruned. I love its pastel blossoms.

Bees love caryopteris! This soft, mounding shrub is also known as blue mist spirea.

Another shrub with lovely flowers is butterfly rose, Rosa mutabilis. The flowers change colors as they mature from rose to peach to crimson.

This purple verbena was growing on the property when we moved here in 1985 and has bloomed every year since. It's a classic!

Another classic planted by the original owner of my house is the common day lily. Did you know the flower pods are edible? They are delicious raw or stir fried in olive oil.

Gardenia 'August Beauty' has a wonderful smell and will bloom for two to three months.

Calibrachoa 'Apricot Punch' is also called superbell. The flowers look like miniature petunias. This annual will bloom non-stop till hard frost.

Buddleia, or butterfly bush, has just begun to bloom. Butterflies really do love this plant.

And finally, here is a a brightly colored chrysanthemum.

Which one doesn't belong? The chrysanthemum! It was in full bloom when it was given to me last November. It is supposed to be a fall bloomer. What provoked it to start blooming now, I do not know, but it doesn't seem to mind the hot temperatures we are experiencing this week. I plan to cut it back after the blooms fade. Hopefully it will bloom again when cool weather and football season arrives. Or could I hope there is a new variety that blooms all summer and into fall?

One of the fun (and sometimes not-fun!) aspects of gardening is the unpredictability of plants. We may think we have it all planned, but in the end the plants have the final say. 

May Blessings

Chilly temperatures returned this week, and for a few days I could imagine it was early spring again. I enjoyed being in the garden and found myself tinkering around, planting and weeding and moving rocks. Nothing like fresh, cool air to invigorate the body and soul!

When I am outside, I am deeply aware of my blessings. Here are a few scenes from the garden this week:Top: A view of the garden next to the patio. 2nd photo: Light shines through the autumn sage and blue salvia growing near the parking court in front of the house. 3rd row: 'Anthony Waterer' spirea; Autumn fern growing in front of a late blooming azalea. 4th row: French hibiscus; Hosta 'Francis Williams'.Hydrangeas are beginning to bloom. Long ago in another life, I did not like hydrangeas. The large heads of macrophylla especially repulsed me. What was I thinking?

When we moved here in 1985, the property contained many oakleaf hydrangeas, which are native to Aabama. I grew to love them, but I still turned away from other hydrangeas. Then I discovered lace caps, such as 'Lady in Red' and 'Mariesii variegated'. These also are within the macrophylla species, but their flattened clusters of flowers and loose, billowy form seemed more graceful and suited to my woodland setting than the mopheads.

Then a few years ago I took a garden tour and came across a wooded hillside with an understory of mopheads. Great colorful bouquets of flowers — pastel pinks, deep purple, lavender, blue, fuchsia — billowed around the trees, like the ruffled party dresses of antebellum beauties. I was completely, hopelessly enchanted, and I have loved them ever since.

I can't replicate what I saw on the garden tour, but I have started a hydrangea walk leading from the Lady Garden up to the Front Garden. Here are some of the hydrangeas along the hydrangea walk and in other parts of the garden:1st row: Masja ; Endless Summer. 2nd row: Annabelle; Oak Hill. 3rd row: Lady in Red, growing in different areas. Pink comes from soil with a higher pH; blue comes from more acidic soil. 4th row: Mariesii Variegated; Oakleaf hydrangea 'Snowflake'.

And, finally, a quick peek into the Woodland Garden, where the combination of Heuchera 'Tiramisu' and Japanese maple 'Waterfall' caught my eye:May you be blessed with good health, good friends, and flowers for the soul. Happy Gardening!  Deborah 

You may also enjoy Snowflakes in July.