Tag: azaleas

Bring it on! More plants that love the heat

Today reached the hottest temperature in the Dallas area this year. So far. At 105 degrees (not including heat index) it was broiling hot out in the garden. I had made an error in putting out some ornamental peppers from the previous day into a planter trough, and all but one Purple Flash shriveled up in the heat. Haven’t I learned by now not to put seedlings out in summer?

As part of my morning gardening activity, I started watering and weeding the front bed. The azaleas had been looking mighty stressed all week, so I felt they deserved a good watering. Unfortunately, the weeding of the bed looked more like an all-day task, not something to embark upon during a work day. I did hack down the gaura by 2/3rds its original height. It had been slouching over all week, looking rather unattractive. As much as I hated cutting down the honeybee-magnet, it really needed an early summer shearing.

The blooming pineapple mints in the herb bed border also got a much-deserved haircut. I don’t know how readily they reseed, but I wasn’t interested in finding out. All the herbs, for the most part, are thriving in this heat. Even the frail little coconut thyme is looking healthy. Of course, the courtyard beds receive a dose of heavy watering every other day–the potted plants get water every day. The ginger mint is also blooming, but in a way I can’t describe: the inflorescence work their way up the stems, not something I’ve seen before. Is this typical of ginger mint?

7/8/2011 Ginger Mint Blooming

That’s a Calico ornamental pepper seedling and the chinese eggplant in the background. Sadly, the eggplant flower disappeared, so that means no fruit yet. Hard to believe that the 2 ginger mint plants started from one specimen; I’m thinking of evicting 2 pineapple mints and moving them into the cinder block wall.

Among the losses, I counted the variegated felicia as another goner. While weeding the border between the herb and blue bed I stumbled upon its skeletal remains. All I have left now of the variegated felicia are 2 cuttings that have barely taken root. I’m seriously considering a liquid root fertilizer to speed up the process. But perhaps they just aren’t designed to tolerate this weather, despite being in a somewhat protected spot. The regular daisy is blooming sporadically but seems to like that spot it currently resides in.

Ugh bugs!

Slaving away in the high 90s…it might as well have been 100 degrees in the shade. This was a searingly long hot day to be working in the garden, but worked (and sweated aplenty) I did. I managed to plant many that had been waiting quite a while for their new homes: both Dixie Chip ajuga, variegated geranium, 3 more Origami Red columbines, all 6 of the red spider lily bulbs, 8 Lanai Purple Star verbena, 2 Calico ornamental peppers. I also transplanted a few of the Navona lily bulbs closer to the back wall, relocated the 2 Charmed Wine oxalis, tore out 3 of the under-performing azaleas (Delaware, Macrantha and Crimson), and cleaned out much of the dead/dying pansies. I also gave the red and white dianthus in the lily bed a good haircut, while pulling out as much of the weeds as I could. After intermittent breaks and drives to the local Home Depots, I also picked up another bag of compost and MiracleGro garden soil, and 3 bags of cedar mulch. The cedar went to the lily bed and part of the purple bed, including my delicate geranium. I hope to use some of it to protect the hostas in front.

Of course, some of the gardening had to be interrupted by some unwelcome guests. Wooly aphids and nest-building wasps caused me a great deal of stress–especially after I came close to smashing into the wasp nest while moving the lilies. Of course, I just had to take the soap to the wooly critters–but the wasps did send me running after I tried (and failed) to jar both nest and wasps in one fell swoop. Luckily, my man fetched a wasp killer from the grocery store–thereby ending the rampage.

Coconut thyme! and other plantings

A Tuesday herb sale at Calloway’s yielded a pot of Coconut thyme. This thyme has a lighter texture and stringy habit compared to the upright lemon variegated or the lime thyme I currently have. I took some rooted cuttings in hopes of having a 2nd planting soon. So far, the cuttings appear to be surviving in the bathroom nursery.

The Autumn Embers and Monarch are currently in full bloom. Since we cleaned up the front bed, they are front-and-center the main attraction in the bed, along with the white-flowering loropetalum. Our late bloomer, Autumn Twist is laden with buds but has yet to make a bloom. Given that we’ve only seen two seasons of color last year from this particular specimen, we’re hoping for a good spring show. My guess is that it’s just not as vigorous as the red- or scarlet-flowering azaleas.

Even the Hot Shot azalea sitting in the lily bed is ahead of the Autumn Twist, already boasting some open blooms. The shrub itself has reverted back to a mostly-green foliage, though still a darker shade than all the rest of the azaleas. Of the bargain-priced azaleas, the Macrantha orange has the best foliage, looking completely lush and full despite coming out of a harsh winter season. It sits directly under a crape myrtle, but I can’t imagine what other factors have caused it to appear so vigorous. The Delaware Valley White and the Crimson azaleas are about as spindly-looking as the medium-height Encores in the front bed, and while I anticipate them to flower well this year, I expect them to also look fuller due to early-season feeding.

The hunny got some mulching done, raked up the remaining leaves in the back yard,  planted the white gauras to flank the Midnight Blue Rose, and got the newest oxalis plants into the lily bed. He also managed to redo the border on the rosemary topiary, though I’m not sure if any of the work is justified given the health of the plant. He also made the observation that the japanese painted fern in back of the shade garden looks particularly vigorous, counting out 2-3 more fronds than last we saw it. I’m still concerned that the other painted fern hasn’t made a showing yet.

This Ecosense brand spray from Ortho appears to be working on my hostas. Barely any nibbles since I last sprayed them heavily. Of course, I have yet to put down some bug killer around the base of the plants. If the weather continues to stay dry this weekend, I plan on getting that done.

I have to mark the passing of my red salvia plant. It did not survive whatever caused it damage (possibly weed killer). I plan on replacing it and the soil it sits in with last year’s cutting, which hopefully will grow up fast to fill the void. The other red salvia seems to be hanging in there, though looking a little better than its sibling.

End of winter review

2/21/2011 Lily Bulbs Sprouting in FebruaryFrom Walton’s, I purchased a 3-foot rosemary topiary and 4 Ice Follies daffodil bulbs. From Home Depot, 2 red amaryllis bulbs. I would have purchased some caladium bulbs, but Calloway’s offered only some small bulbs of the kind a desired. I was tempted to pick up some other flower bulbs, but was unsure that they would produce this year.

As part of this weekend’s activities, I raked and cleared some debris from the courtyard and front flower beds. I also took some time to cut back the salvia wall, taking care to mulch where necessary. The weeds had rampaged much of the fall and I hoped the mulch would suppress some of it. I still need to move the white salvia over one foot, and add another.

In the flower bed, I sheared back all of the dianthus, trimming off much of the frost-bitten tops. I also cleared some debris, revealing some more early lily/daylily starts. I’ve had to cut down the dead gumpo azaleas and have been contemplating fertilizing and mulching the remaining specimens.

In the front beds, I’ve had to clear many leaves, though the gardenia bed proved extremely labor-intensive. Even today, another blanket of leaves has settled in the bed. I’ve decided to hold off on any more clearing until we are well into March.

I am concerned however that the Foxtail ferns may have succumbed to the frost, though some digging in the area unearthed some live root stock (which I took to make a planting out of). Unlike the other ferns in the bed, there is a distinct mound where each foxtail lay buried. I had hoped to find some new growth after I trimmed off the tops, but had no such luck. I await the warmer weather to stimulate the ferns back into green. Meanwhile, I planted the 4 daffodils in a row behind the planting astilbe. They were showing some live growth, and I am hoping that they will take off in a few weeks.

Next on the list to be planted are the red amaryllis and the rosemary. Meanwhile, I am thinking of expanding our grow light room to include bulbs and more seeds.