It's All About Small Stuff

Details are important. They often determine the quality of an object, a home, a relationship, one's life. In the end, I think it's all about the small stuff. This is true in a garden, too. Little elements can bring joy to a gardener, even when the over all vision for the garden is incomplete.

I like to look at photographs of my garden. I especially like close-up photography; it allows me to appreciate details in the garden my eyes may have missed. The patterns and colors could provide inspiration to any fashion designer. So, take a closer look at my garden with me, and enjoy!

Above is a gray hairstreak butterfly, a small and often overlooked beauty, on a zinnia. Fellow blogger, Donna of Garden's Eye View presented me with zinnia seeds as part of her Save the Bees project. They have grown well, and I appreciate how attractive they are to pollinators.

Dusty Miller, shown in the top photo below, grows in a planter in front of my house. Like zinnia, it is a commonly grown annual, but I love its fuzzy texture. Below the dusty miller are two varieties of crepe myrtle. Pure froth!Gardenia and Calla lily add creamy white notes to the garden, so welcome in the summer heat.

Below, clockwise from top left, are annuals with bright color: A pretty petunia that reseeded itself from last year's plant; Persian shield; Stromanthe sanguine 'Tristar'; Japanese bloodgrass.

Coneflowers produce abundant seeds for the birds:

A tiny ant explores the center of a 'Tropicana' canna lily bloom:Clockwise from upper left above: 'Tropicana' canna lily; Swiss chard, my new most favorite veggie; a marigold grows in my vegetable plot; portulaca - see another ant!

A balloon flower rejoices in a recent rain:

Spores cover the undersides of autumn fern:Above, clockwise from upper left: 'Moonbeam' coreopsis; Variegated liriope; Asclepsia tuberosa, also called butterfly weed; 'Annabelle' hydrangea.

I hope you have enjoyed this 'detailed' look at some plants featured in my summer garden. Have a great week!  Deborah

Pavonia Hastata, a Dark-Eyed Beauty

Say 'Pavonia hastata' a few times. For me, the words conjure up images of Spanish conquistadors and dark eyed maidens. A few years ago I bought a plant tagged 'perennial hibiscus'. The glossy, spear shaped leaves were intriguing, different from the common hibiscus plants that grow around here. Recently, thanks to fellow blogger Cat, The Whimsical Gardener, I learned its botanical name.

Pavonia hastata is a shrub that produces myriads of delicate pink blooms with deep burgundy centers. Hummingbirds love the flowers, as do bees and butterflies. Each bloom is about two inches across and lasts only a day, but with so many buds, it is always in bloom — in my garden from June till frost. It is native to South America and also grows in parts of Australia. It is evergreen in zones 9-13, but it is hardy, though deciduous, in my zone 7b garden. The shrub will grow about 3-4 feet tall, and I prune it to about one feet in late winter to prevent legginess. It also seems to bloom better when I do this. 

Pavonia hastata is also known as spearleaf swampmallow. It will grow in drier conditions, but with good soil, sunshine, and plenty of water it can become weedy, and, indeed I pull up unwanted seedlings every spring. They are easy to identify, and so far I haven't found them anywhere except in the area adjacent to the mother plant. I have planted several of the seedlings in a row, and now I have an attractive hedge along one side of the patio. 

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, the first day of summer according to the calendar. But we have been experiencing summer weather for many weeks now, and a lot of perennials stop flowering in the heat. I am grateful for Pavonia hastata. a dark-eyed beauty with pastel skirts, dancing in the summer breeze.