Phlowers – Wordless Wednesday/Garden Reds
Tag: dragon wing begonia
Plants – Garden Diary 2014/Potting Up
I’ve begun potting up plants for my 2014 garden. These plantlets, Witch Doctor Coleus and Dragon Wing Begonia will grow together and fill out over the next few months.
The coleus has an excellent root system and should have no problem adapting to the soil. The begonia is a little fussier about rooting in water, hopefully, it also will feel more at home in the soil.
My first step was to cover the bottom of the pot with a coffee filter. This keeps dirt from spilling out but allows water to run through the drainage hole.
The plants look terrific together. The chartreuse and maroon coloring of the coleus will enhance the pink of the dragon wing begonia. The coleus will grow upright and the dragon wing begonia will spill over the sides of the front porch flowerpot.
The last step, before watering and placing the pot in a location that receives bright morning sun, was to pinch out the growing tips of the coleus. This will cause the plant to send out more side shoots and give me a bushier and heartier plant in the Spring.
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Plants – Flower Garden Update/August 2012
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.
