variegatagal – Page 95 – gardening in zone 8a tx

Francee hosta and veggie/herb garden look

Turns out those 99 cent hosta bulbs the man picked up from Calloway’s a few weeks ago were viable. What I originally thought were calla lily shoots were actually the Francee hostas coming up in one of my planter boxes. It’s only been 3 weeks and they are leafing out like gang busters.

Now I’ve got to make room for all the herbs and veggies currently taking up potting residence in the bed. I have a few extra herbs to pass along to friends, but all the rest needs to be rehomed before the summer heat is upon us.

Sunday flower run, don’t bake in the sun

Note to self: don’t cover tender young seedlings in microwaveable plastics under the hot May sun. So it was that I lost 3 batches of plants: Seabreeze salvia, Lime and Genovese basil, and all of my Stardust ice plants. Back to square one.

Sunday’s flower run included a 50% off all plants sale at the Lowes in Carrollton of Trinity Mills and Old Denton. The man decided to invest in 2 2.5 quart Stella d’Oro daylilies to add to the front flower bed. We also picked up a hot banana pepper (more than a foot tall), a habanero, a variegated oregano and a Chinese eggplant (Ping Tung cultivar). All of the herbs and vegetables by the way were Bonnie plant branded; they retailed for $3.70 but at 50% off they were a good deal. We also ran by Calloway’s in Lewisville to pick up our Spider Lily bulbs at 3 for $3. The bulbs were disappointingly tiny (what’s with all the tiny bulbs coming out of Calloway’s lately), and the man and I are still debating where to plant them. Somewhere where they’ll get summer shade but fall sun, says the checkstand lady.

I divided and moved the picoteed dianthus in the purple bed, planted the Confetti lantanas (x2) and dahlberg daisies (x4) in the front flower bed, and all the impatiens in the shade bed. A leftover from the purple bed, Super Parfait Raspberry dianthus, has been transplanted to the shade bed near the gate.

A pleasant surprise that I uncovered while weeding out the front flower bed: dozens of vinca and at least 3 impatiens seedlings. The impatiens seedlings, amusingly enough, are tucked under a layered branch of the Emerald Snow loropetalum. Like the numerous calla bulblets I uncovered and transplanted this week, the garden presents continue to appear as the weather continues to warm up. For example, one of the mums is displaying bulbs…of course, I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t lifted the sprawling Oertel’s Rose yarrow–which, incidentally, threatens to fill the entire bed!

Next lilies to bloom: Red Alert asiatic lilies! Interesting to note that they all appear to be opening at the same time!

May Saturday flower run

I was so stoked to visit my first Arboretum plant sale only to be disappointed when I got there. Many tables sat bare, and I perused a predictable selection of plants, from impatiens to pentas. I left with a couple of sweet potato vines, Illusion Emerald Lace and Illusion Midnight Lace. These were unusual in that the foliage was very fine and elongated unlike the palmate leaves of a typical sweet potato vine. I haven’t yet decided where to plant them but it’s most likely they will end up in a pot.

From there I headed out to Walton’s Garden Center and picked up 2 Dixie Chip ajugas. They’re the only place I’ve found in Dallas to carry them, and I was glad they still had them in stock on this repeat visit.

Then down on Gaston I stopped by Ruibal’s. I had spotted this garden center on the way home from a previous Arboretum visit. Turns out Ruibal’s is a small-scale Christina’s Flowers. They specialize in bedding and planter color; their flats of bright coleus, impatiens, snapdragons and pentas drew me in from the main street in the first place. They also had a small space on the side dedicated to some surefire perennials such as salvia and daylilies, and a surprising number of japanese maples in the rear. I picked up a couple of Regatta Midnight Blue Lobelias and 2 Confetti Lantanas ($1 each) during my visit.

I proceeded to Covington’s, while hitting a Lowes on the way. Still no luck finding my Tropical Breeze Purple White Verbena, but by sheer luck, I found Lanai Purple Star verbena at Covington’s. The lone specimen I found in their retail space rewarded me with a golf cart ride to their back lot where their greenhouses a big surprise: several flats of Purple Star. Giddy with excitement, I ended up purchasing a flat of 20 ($45 total).

I was mighty pleased with my haul, but now I have to add Lanai Purple Mosaic to my verbena wishlist.

The Rose Gardens at Farmers Branch part one

Banks upon banks of roses await you at this trial garden sharing a space with Gussie Field Watterworth Park. The roses here are grown without any special treatment so you can observe how they are traditionally cultivated (with a minimum of mulching and driplines), as close to your backyard setting as possible. What’s remarkable is that the garden borders a relatively busy street (Valley View Lane) and sits exposed to the elements 24/7. Therefore all of the cultivars you find here are guaranteed to endure the worst Texas weather. From miniatures to landscaping shrubs to climbers, you’ll find all manner of roses. The blooms in spring are guaranteed to be spectacular, but these roses bloom nearly year round–so you’ll always be met with beautiful swathes of colors and wonderful fragrances.

Because the garden sits adjacent to Gussie Field, there are plenty of benches and tables around, in case you want to bring a picnic lunch. Great for families too, since the park is kid-friendly (lots of slides and gyms) and shaded by a canopy of trees. Remember that the Rawhide Drive entrance is one way, and you can easily exit the park via William Dodson Pkwy on the other end of the park.

This is the northernmost of 4 rose gardens in Farmers Branch, all within walking distance of each other. The best part is that the garden is free and open to the public during normal park hours.

Salvia surprise

I went plant hunting at the Frisco Lowes and made an exciting find from my salvia wishlist: Sierra San Antonio! This was the salvia I hunted at NHG for…what amazing colors. The first bloom showed off a dark purple throat behind a pale gold tongue. The habit is strangely-tropical looking: the lanceate leaves are glossy and have veining similar to a microphylla. It’s actually a cross between greggii and microphylla, and the taxonomical name given is Salvia x jamensis. This specimen has a short woody trunk, but all the new stem growth is shiny like the leaves. I hope that it will endure the summer heat.