dianthus – Page 17 – variegatagal

Sowing that I forgot to mention

The weekend prior to the previous posting, I actually was able to get seeds sown into the beds. I dumped all of the Wildseed Farms mix into B5, and scattered White Cosmos, Cornflower and Damascena seeds in S1 and B3. I also got a new gaura, Passionate Blush, planted in B4. We saw some rain last Thursday night, after tornadoes ripped thru parts of the DFW area. Luckily, the seeds weren’t scattered about by the strong winds. This morning, I saw some seedlings sprouting in S1, most likely Cosmos seedlings.

I also managed to do a little trimming on the salvia that got too leggy in the back beds. I especially took some cuttings of the purple salvia, and am looking forward to getting it to root. The white salvia cuttings I took earlier this month have finally shown some rootstock. I plan on transplanting them into soil very shortly. No root stock on the salvia chamaedryoides yet.

I have to mention that the dianthus chinensis in all the beds are putting on a brilliant display…tons and tons of flowers.

Gardening accomplished this weekend

I was able to persuade DH to extract 3 volunteer nandinas from the front flower bed (F2) for transplant in the back beds. I discovered that most of these offshoots seem to have sprouted from buried trunks and stems from the parent, since we required shears and clippers to sever them. Luckily these volunteers had small but developing root stock, so I am hoping they will thrive in their current locations (B1 and B5). I also have to mention that I removed the 1 surviving nandina in S1 for transplant into B5, where I hope it will enjoy more sun.

In its place, I finally planted the new Azalea Gumpo White. I hope that its position next to the patio will give it sufficient protection against summer; I usually dump water into this part of the bed, especially when the dogs’ feeding bowls are set outdoors. I also had to get the purple salvia I purchased last week into the ground, after I discovered its mauled remains scattered in the backyard. Sadly, it met a deadly fate when Dash tore through the S1 bed a couple of days ago. I’m hoping it may have enough root stock left to make a comeback.

Speaking of mauled plants, I also had to set one of the ajugas into S1 after I discovered the half-torn pot lying strewn in the bed. I suspect that strong winds or a rambunctious pup may have knocked it off its brick wall perch. It seems to be blooming quietly and happily next to the replanted ring of tulips.

B5 also required a little fixing; I discovered a crushed dianthus and uprooted lilies and muscari, which I had to reset into the ground. B5 is in serious need of ground raising and leveling; I hope to get some gardening soil into it next week.

The soil will also be useful when I start broadcasting seed into the back beds. I have packets of cosmos, bachelor buttons, nigella, and a wildflower mix that are begging to be sown right now!

More spring gardening buys

I stopped by Lowe’s and Cristina’s again for lunch today. At Lowe’s, I finally caved in and purchased a $2 quart of Azalea Gumpo White. Interestingly, the red azaleas are all in fierce bloom at the moment. I also spotted some Salvia greggii purples among the Hot Lips salvia; I picked up 1 pot of the purple. (I saw a curious microphylla-looking salvia labeled Crimson Sundae with rose-pink flowers also, but haven’t had much luck finding it on the net.) It was a long line at the Lowe’s checkout stand, but I managed to walk out with 2 plants and 2 bags each of the following: landscape soil, compost and red mulch. At Cristina’s, I picked up an 18 count flat of Dianthus mixed, making sure to collect some scarlets, reds, and whites this time. They did have a somewhat bigger selection of Salvia greggiis in 2″ pots, but whites were absent from the mix. Looking forward to planting this weekend.

Dianthus love

I have to express my affection for dianthus, those hardy china pinks that have thrived in my garden through frosty winters and fiery summers while producing a non-stop show. This year the survivors have grown to lofty heights of 8-10 inches tall and are still bursting with color. Typically the china pinks (dianthus chinensis) are listed as annuals/biennials, but here in my Texas garden, they have suffered months and years of neglect and abuse and still put on a show. Nailing down particular species and cultivars have been challenging though. It appears most of my nursery purchases have been of dianthus chinensis, dianthus hybrida, dianthus x Telstar, or dianthus chinensis x barbatus. No single publication tends to agree what the formal scientific names are, but at least pictures and descriptions have been somewhat helpful. I found a good resource on a local Texas wholesaler’s site (Creation Colors) supplying good descriptions of some of the cultivars available in the nursery trade.

Early spring gardening

After our meal at New San Dor on Sunday, hubby was persuaded to do some lawn work. We stopped by Lowe’s to pick up a bag of weed-and-feed to treat the henbit weed infestation that has covered most of our front lawn. To my surprise, he fired up the lawn mower (which started on the first pull) and proceeded to scalp the lawn. Meanwhile, I busied myself on getting the plants that had been hardening off on the porch into the flower beds.

I am looking forward to purchasing another flat of dianthus; the 18-count flat that I got from Cristina’s are filling the front borders of B4 and B5. I had 2 or 3 leftovers that I proceeded to locate in B1 and B2…but there are still many more holes left to fill. I also grabbed the 3 Lowe’s ajuga and set them in B3, along with one of the Sooner ajugas. I’m concerned that the Chocolate Chip ajugas look dissimilar: the Lowe’s-purchased ajuga are darker and smaller-leafed, while the Sooner ajuga have longer, bronze leaves. Both were flowering blue however.

I situated the Oriental Limelight artemisia in B2 and B4, both centered in the bed…I noticed these specimens were busting out of their pots. I wonder how invasive they will be. Do they pose a threat to my lilies and daylilies? We’ll see as summer draws near.

Finally, I got the Hosta sunk into the ground next to the Hot Lips salvia in S1. I also planted the heuchera next to it. I’m hoping the newly pruned salvia will branch out and offer some shade to its new neighbors when the summer heat arrives.