These pretty begonias will be planted alongside of them. I usually plant in pink color schemes in the front, this year I’ve decided on sunshine yellows and purple.
The torenia has a pool of rainwater in the center.
Torenia is also known as the wishbone flower. I shook away the water from this blossom so the wishbone would be visible.
Here’s a combination of color you don’t often see in gardens or arrangements…crimson and coral, beautiful in the morning sunlight. The flowers in the photo are Tuberous Begonias and Impatiens.
I was on a daytrip this past Saturday and browsed a bit in a well-known chain store. Oh my! Off in one corner of the store were pallets of perennials and houseplants that appeared to be delivered, if not that day, within a day or two prior. Some still had the protective plastic netting stretched around the pallet. The houseplants were a good price, and one, a begonia, was unique to what I usually see in these stores. Into my shopping cart they went.
The begonia and asparagus fern placed in an antique planter make a beautiful centerpiece on my dining room table. Combined, they cost about the same as a bouquet of cut flowers. They will last much longer, and in the long-run be more economical than buying fresh flowers weekly. Well, it sounds like good logic anyway! 🙂
I also bought three packages of spring perennials. They were reasonably priced and the packets seemed very fresh. My three choices netted me eight plants: 1 clematis, 2 bleeding hearts, 5 columbines.
I hadn’t intended planting a clematis this year, but I fell in love with the way this one was determined to grow and thrust its way right through the plastic of the packaging. That’s my kind of plant!
Instead of waiting to plant them outside when the soil warms up to 50 degrees, I planted them in pots and placed them under lights in the cool of the basement. Since they had already put out green shoots within the confines of bag, I knew they’d be better off in the soil. Happy gardening!
I love this new begonia I recently purchased. The leaves remind me of angel wings, and I am quite taken with the delicate pink of its flower. I took cuttings of the stems as soon as I brought the begonia home from the nursery. Taking the cutting didn’t harm the plant in any way, in fact, it did it good, it is already sending out new shoots from the hard pruning. O Happy Day!
My late-summer flower garden is thriving. The Rudbeckia is full of blossoms. I don’t deadhead these flowers. They do not produce more blooms if I do so, and then I would deprive the finches of their treat. These flowers produce hundreds of seeds and are a favorite of the goldfinches. I often see the small birds hanging upside down on the seed heads, feasting on the bounty.
The Coral Nymph Salvia is a beautiful plant. It almost becomes shrub-like as the season progresses. I do deadhead the spent flower stalks of this plant, and it keeps producing until cold weather. It is a favorite of hummingbirds.
This Salvia self-seeded last summer, grew in a crack between the sidewalk and front porch steps, and is thriving. I will save seeds from this plant this fall. It has a resilience and determination I admire.
The Popsock Cosmos I grew this year is a bit taller than I had thought it would be, but is still a welcome addition to the front garden.
These cheerful petunias I bought on a whim this spring have been fantastic. I love the bright color and the abundance of blooms they have given me.
The coleus plants in the front garden are outstanding. I will soon let them begin to flower for next year’s seed harvest.
The asters I grew by winter-sowing are beautiful. They come in a variety of purple, lavender and pink shades. I am really pleased with this plant.
The Bonariensis Verbena is often perennial. This patch grew tall and broad this year and is constantly attracting butterflies. Last year it also self-seeded, and I have several new patches of this great plant.
Dahlias grown from seed and sun-loving impatiens (a Mother’s Day gift) are all doing well.
Here is one of my mistakes, although I love the lilypad-like foliage. I planted nasturtium in fertilized soil, and the foliage is abundant, but the flowers non-existent. They prefer to grow in poor soil.
Both varieties of Fuschia are doing well, as are both varieties of the Dragon-wing Begonias.
Last but not least is my Lady In Red Salvia, a great hummingbird flower. I love the little hover-fly sipping nectar that I captured in the photograph below.
MINDING MY P'S WITH Q 