There comes a time when those beautiful blooming annuals fade and die. This is particularly true in central Texas, when temperatures reach into the 80s and the soils become dry with lack of rain. For all the rain we received earlier on in the year there is little left in the ground.Even so I don't think I could garden without these short lived beauties. Rose campion, Lychnis coronaria, has become a favorite along with the feathery fronds of the multicolored Love in a mist, Nigella damascena, seen here with a single purple larkspur, against the backdrop of the stucco wall.
What came as a real surprise today was seeing a white rose campion. In fact 2 plants appeared this year. It has been a year for color changes with a grouping of purple poppies showing up. I'm still puzzled as to where they came from.
The white alliums, which I received from the International Bulb Company, burst out of their confining bracts this week. It will be interesting to see if they do well here. They have rather large tulip like foliage which may be a problem for the summer.
It is nice to have a little white mixed in with the purples and reds of the salvias and campions.
Along the back edge of the pool the ice plant, Deloperma cooperi, has spread to soften the edges of the pool coping. I love to see plants spilling over walls and pathways.
I like mixing in a few white blooms, too. That top photo is just gorgeous! The combo of colors, textures, and shapes is fantastic. Plus I love your stucco. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited--when I met with Diana to get the cast iron plants, I ended up buying an ice plant. Now I just need to figure out where to put it.
ReplyDeleteI've seen so many pretty alliums this year, on blogs. I don't think deer eat them...maybe they should be on my 'need' list.
ReplyDeleteI like white flowers mixed in the garden. They really show up in the shaded areas. And, I now have plenty of those.
~~Linda...
I have always admired the ice plant and yours looks so lovely & full. My shade prohibits them in my garden, but I enjoy seeing them in others.
ReplyDeleteOh Jenny it looks wonderful. I love the flowers against the stucco wall in the first photo.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is so full of color this time of year!
ReplyDeleteIris- Thank you Iris. I love nigella. The beautiful flowers in all colors and the feathery foliage. As well as that the dried seed heads are an extra bonus.
ReplyDeleteKatina- I wonder which one you bought. Delosperma is the easiest but there some lovely ones in yellow too.
PAtchwork- I don't know how they will work out as a perennial. Someone once said you couldn't grow them here and to be honest I have never seen anyone post about the. They are onions after all so they should be OK. This spot gets afternoon shade so that may help.
Bell- Yes, but think of the plants you can grow that I can't. I wish I had filtered shade. It is so much easier on the plants.
Jayne- They do show up nicely against the wall. Good to have a backdrop.
Sweet Bay- Yes, spring and fall are the peak flowering times but there is plenty more waiting in the wings. Purple cone flower, shasta daisy, day lilies and coreopsis still to come.
And I just love your flowers! I write down your ideas to try at home. And fabulous pictures, too!
ReplyDeleteLove those flowers, too. And I'm so excited to see the Rose Campion mature and blooming. I will have to move mine to be sure it has room to grow and show off for me some day! I can see why you love it.
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