SUMMER BLUES

Blue plumbago, Plumbago auriculata,  is one of my favorite summer plants. This tender perennial is native to South Africa dying back to the ground every winter. In fact I want it to die back so that it has to start from scratch every year.  That way it stays manageable until the end of the year. It waits for all those spring bloomers to leave the garden before it begins growing back and flowers constantly throughout the summer and fall.
It is a happy companion for this Yucca rostrata. For those of you wondering why I haven't trimmed up the grass skirt.... probably not going to happen.

Bearing a similar name, Leadwort plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, also has blue flowers but its growing habit is quite different. It makes a great ground cover blooming from May to October and disappearing over the winter. Never fear its roots with be spreading underground during the winter and it is necessary to keep it in check.

I am only just becoming to appreciate how well scabiosa does during our hot summers. It has been flowering non-stop since spring and shows no signs of letting up. I have one plant that is 4 years old and ready to be divided in the spring. I picked up another 3 plants this spring and all are doing well despite the heat and humidity.

Ruellia! Don't let its self seeding nature prevent you from having this plant in your garden. When little else blooming ruellia will, pumping out new flowers every day. Just make sure you cut off the seed heads as soon as the flowers finish blooming. I have two kinds, both the dwarf and taller variety. They both require a little work to keep them under control but their bloom more than make up for that.

Yes, I have the summer blues and they are good ones.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY JULY 2014

I am pleased to be able to add my garden photographs to the July Garden Bloggers' Bloom day. We usually find ourselves on the road at this point in the summer but this year the future naming ceremony of our 6th grandchild is keeping us home.
Although the heat of summer is upon us and we have not been blessed with any rain for weeks, a few plants struggle to keep up with the conditions while others make their debut.
The Echinopsis is blooming for the third time this year and there are still more blooms appearing on the plant. They have been coming in two by two. They open during the night and are gone by lunch time but this one opened this week and deserved to be on bloom day.

I am lucky that these three blooms opened yesterday. They are a little tougher than the echinopsis and remain open for three days. I am not sure of the name so if anyone knows please share.

For the hardy water lilies, Nymphaea 'Colorado' heat means nothing as they bathe all day long. They are morning bloomers.

The skullcaps have been blooming all summer. Some have already been cut back to bring them back into bloom for the fall. Others will get a trim at the end of the month.

I cut back the chocolate daisy, Berlandiera lyrata,  a few weeks ago and it is back in bloom. Another morning bloomer.

I have no idea why this has been such a good year for the Texas clematis. The blooms may be tinier but they keep on coming.

Zinnias are popping up everywhere. One of my favorites is the spider zinnia, Zinnia tenuifolia 'Red Spider' It's seeds survive in the ground through the winter but they don't germinate until the ground has really warmed up.

The pale blue Plumbago auriculata, just now beginning to bloom. It will bloom until frost.

Of course Morning Glory always finds a place to grow. This one round by the water barrels.

And Blackfoot daisy, Melampodium leucanthum with its faintly almond fragrance.

Gaura still struggling to put out tiny blooms.

Finally the ever returning Ruellia pop up wherever a spot of color is needed.

I hope you are having a wonderful bloom day and if you are stop by Maydreams to share your blooms.

WHO LIKES THIS KIND OF HEAT?

Today is another stinker. A couple of hours outside in the morning and then I'm holed up in the house for the rest of the day.

But there are a few plants in my garden that seem unaffected by such temperatures. Let's see who is not afraid of the heat.

This gomphrena may be called 'fireworks' but it will be around long after July 4th.

Chocolate may melt in the sun but chocolate daisy, Berlandiera lyrata, shows up every morning.

This is their time of year. Scutellaria wrightii is a native so why not.

"All I want is the sun, forget the water",  says the Ruellia.

"And my petals are made of paper" says the statice. Not much to dry out there.

"I don't even show up until the heat of summer is turned on full", says the plumbago.

The most prolific of all is the blanket flower, Gaillardia pulchella. It just enjoys every season.

Texas lantana will sneak up on every patch of bare ground.

As will the narrow leaf zinnia. The mild winter has meant a proliferation of seedlings.

"With my feet in the water I have the best spot of all" says Helvola.
Let's see what we all look like at the end of the summer!

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY JUNE 2010

Summer is well and truly underway in every part of the USA and the northern hemisphere. We are all invited to share our garden blooms with gardeners everywhere, as part of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol, at May Dreams Gardens.

Sometime back in the year 2001, at a Newcomers' garden club meeting, I took some cuttings from the above plant. Photographs showed a beautiful stand of pink blooms among green foliage.

For the last nine years I have tried to rid my garden of this plant. It spreads by underground runners and pops up all over the place. It is rather smelly when you rupture the stems. One runner finally made its way into the corner of the front garden. It is rather a no man's land where I just allow columbines to grow. However, this plant was softening the corner so I let it stay. Lo and behold it has flowered and I remembered why I was so taken with the plant when I saw its photo. I would love an identity if anyone can help me out.

The pink rose, Felicia responded to recent rains by growing a long stem clustered with pink fragrant roses.

Verbena bonariensis along the edge of the dry creek.

In the background a glimpse of the Texas fish hook cactus which bloomed especially for bloom day. Another plant responding to the recent rains.

Along with rain lilies and

Texas sage, Leucophyllum frutescens, our barometer bush.

Gazanias and native cosmos are reliable bloomers in any heat.

As are the rudbeckias. Behind is the snapdragon vine, Maurandella antirrhiniflora.

This delicate vine resembles the snapdragon in looks only. It produces a mass of flowers in late summer, dying back to the ground in winter.

The garden snapdragon, is a very late bloomer this year.

Lurking behind the blanket flowers is the red spider zinnia, Zinnia tenuifolia.

I couldn't be without the zinnias, especially the narrow leaf zinnia, Zinnia linearis, seen here in the orange and white forms.

Gomphrena globosa returns from seed for another year. This plant is a favorite of the hispid cotton rats. They will sit and pick at the seeds for hours on end leaving behind a mass of snowy litter.

This little plant is Texas tough. Ruellia, the Mexican wild petunia took root in a crack along the wall. Cut it back and it will bloom on and on into the fall.

HAPPY JULY BLOOM DAY GARDENERS.