I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
It seems that Florida is really getting the rain and flooding while we up here in Ohio are parched. If we could only get this weather to spread out and skip the extremes we could all have a lovely summer.
The Japanese Beetles have arrived with a vengeance and are eating every bloom they can find. I cannot knock them off fast enough and squash the little monsters. I will be glad when they are gone because the roses are getting ready to put on another flush of blooms and I do not want them to be meals for the beetles.
The plants are not doing as well now and are getting stressed out with just the watering from the hose and watering cans. I can understand it because these hot days in the nineties are making me welt too.
All we can do is try to keep the gardens watered as best we can and expect some losses but my how the farmers are hurting because the fields are dry and cracking now.
So in this dry weather what do I do? I buy some clearance plants and plant them and then have to try to keep them going. Santa Rosa Gardens was having such a great sale online on perennials that I took the chance. The plants they sent were very healthy specimens so I think they will be alright but may not grow as well as they might have if we could get some rain.
Dwarf Forever Pink Hydrangea
The rain barrel and backup cistern has been in use a lot already this spring and summer and stand the chance of running dry this year. What a difference from last year when I only used them to water a few times and neither went dry.
Enough about the weather!!! The lilies, hydrangeas and coneflowers are what are stealing the show in the garden now.
Some of my Asiatic lilies are just about finished now but the daylilies are taking their place.
Some of the tall phlox are starting to bud now also.
This is ‘Katherine’ phlox who looks a lot like ‘Franz Schulbert’. In fact I cannot tell them apart. LOL! It is all in where you buy them I guess.
This Dianthus ‘Fire Witch’ is looking a little stressed out but has great neon pink blooms. I got this plant free this spring with an order of plants from New Garden Plants.
The Old Fashioned Sweetpeas are finishing up their blooms.
I have "’Becky’ Shasta daisies stuck all around in the garden beds here. Mainly because they do not mind my hard clay soil, bloom for a long period, and spread fast. So I am always dividing them and adding them to bare spots in the garden where only weeds grow. Does that make them a weed? LOL!
I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe week.
Happy Gardening,
Lona
14 comments:
Lona, the dry weather is a very big problem. And we have wet weather! I love the color of your phlox katherine!
Here in Arkansas it is very dry and we have grasshoppers eating every thing.
What beautiful Sweetpeas! One doesn't often see them here in the South. I feel like there is often an imbalance in the weather lately - one area of the country drowns while the other is parched.
I've actually managed to kill several 'Becky' Shasta daisies - they apparently don't like my front garden, which can get rather soggy in spring. It's rather frustrating to kill something that is supposed to be easy to grow :) Now they are much happier in a better drained area!
Lona,
Your hydrangeas are gorgeous! I suppose that they would not be hardy in zone 5 as I have never seen these varieties. My Becky's spread like crazy also and then I will notice a whole patch has died out, so I too and constantly moving them around.
My roses are in a state of rest but I have found the beetles on a few petals that were still blooming, ugh!
Eileen
We have something eating away at my hibiscus .....almost nothing left. Gonna be a rough summer if this is what June is like. Hope you all get some rain.
I like Santa Rosa Gardens too.
I think they're only a weed if you want them to be. :)
Lona, I am interested in knowning more about your rain barrel and back up cistern. Do you have time to help me? If so we could exchange a few emails. (grace@gracepete.com). Thanks!
Hi Lona,
We are having lots of hot days, too, and have not had enough rain, but we have had some.
I don't think we get those nasty beetles, either.
I have been continuing to buy plants, too, but not as many as usual because I have been in the process of paying off the loan from remodeling our kitchen.
Your blooms are looking well cared for. I love that last hydrangea. I hope you get some rain soon.
Even if you are dry, it is at least not as dry and humid as our dry season, which is now getting scary. Fortunately, June is already rainy season in our big city where i work, although rains havent arrived in our provincial area. That last photo is my favorite, very enchanting.
Colours really get into your garden, and they blend well....
I love the sweet peas .. I will try to huff and puff the rain your way..
every thing is so pretty except them beetles yuck!
hugs, Cherry
I almost didn't read this post because of the picture of those horrible beetles :) I have been looking at them all over my garden. Makes me sick to plant these beautiful flowers just for the beetles lunch.
On to the rest of your pictures...I love that orange daylily. Tell me...is it striped or is that the way the sun is hitting it? Either way it is lovely....as are the rest of your blooms.
Our lawns are crisp and things drying up. We are getting desperate for rain.The farmers are beginning to worry around here.
Have a great evening...stay cool,
Balisha
Sorry for the excessive heat! We're cheering because we're finally getting some sun and temps up to the 70's. A couple of days ago it was 49 degrees at noon, and grey and rainy. Welcome to Alaska, I mean, Spokane :-)
Sasta daisy like a weed in your garden? Lona you have a garden that's beyond amazing! ;-) Over here, I can only think of having them for a period of time. Btw, I love the hydrangeas as well :-D
Lona, You may be able to answer this question. I have a Hydrangea blooming at this time with 4 different colored blooms.. all on the same plant. There is one purple, one pink, one lavender, one yellow-pink. I thought at first, they were simply in the middle of a color change, but they have held fast to these colors. My question, WHAT kind of Hydrangea is this??
Post a Comment