Wednesday, August 15, 2007

But Wait! There's More!

I hurriedly posted pictures late last night of blooms we've got here at Our Little Acre, and I missed some...

Dwarf Morning Glory (Convolvulus tricolor)
This is a robust annual, just like the vine, growing at about 12 inches tall and blooming profusely. The Gold Bugs have really done a number on the foliage though. They don't seem to bother the blooms.


Dahlia 'Hawaii' I really like this one when it first opens up, but then it gets ugly. It fades and even with faithful deadheading, subsequent blooms are much smaller.


Gazania (Gazania rigens) Planted from seed, these take awhile to reach bloom stage, but they're going strong now. I grow them every year and they never fail to amaze me with their coloration.


African Daisy (Osteospermum 'Orange Symphony') These I've grown (along with 'Lemon Symphony') from seed saved from blooms for several years now.


Zinnia (Zinnia elegans 'Whirligig Mix') This isn't supposed to look like this, but I kind of like it, especially in light of its name.


Bells of Ireland (Molluccella laevis) This one really surprised me. I've tried twice before to grow this annual from seed with no luck. When I saw these coming up, I couldn't remember what I planted and then I saw the bells. They aren't as tall as they're supposed to be, but at least they're green and they've got bells! Third time's a charm!


Obedient Plant (Physostegia sp.) I have to keep my eye on this one, especially as it's first coming up in the spring. It's one of those 'give it an inch, it will take a mile' kind of plants. I love it right before it's in full bloom when the spires are all standing at attention in identical uniforms.


Mexican Shell Flower (Tigridia pavonia) These are bulbs that I have to lift in the fall and I store in my basement over winter. There are several colors in this mix (red, white, yellow) and they're real conversation starters, with their spotted throats.


Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus gregarius)
I bought this a little over a year ago, and since it's a tropical, I needed to bring it inside in the fall. This is pretty much a no-care plant. As long as I throw a little water its way and make sure it gets at least bright indirect light, it's happy.


Bougainvillea
I bought this one in February 2006, while on a trip to Florida. I never knew what color it was until last week, when it bloomed for the first time. Just a few florets, but I was thrilled. The plant looks healthy and I probably was watering it too much. Apparently, they bloom better when you keep them on the dry side.


Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia sp.)
Last winter, several Dave's Garden gardeners shared some brug cuttings with me. I rooted the 'sticks' in water, then planted them and grew them under lights. When it warmed up enough, they went outside. They did better, but only when I put them in the ground did they really take off.

I will have to dig them up and repot them when fall comes so I can take them in for the winter and once again grow them under lights. They're really fast growers, so if I can keep them all alive over the winter, next year they should get very tall. I just love these and their lemony soapy scent.


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whoa!! How good is that 'Whirligig' Zinnia. Such incredible colours and complex shape it is entirely beautiful.

I'm a bit of a fan of the Ireland Bells as well though I've only ever seen pictures of them. Yours look great BTW.

Great contribution Kylee.

Alice said...

Kylee - I wish I could come and visit your garden. The beauty and range of flowers is so beautiful. I've long wanted to grow Brugmansia but fear that our frost will kill it, and our houses are not geared for overwintering plants inside. Never mind, I'll just keep enjoying yours. That pale pink is exquisite.

Shirley said...

Hello, Kylee

Beautiful blooms, stunning plants and photos! I just love the goldfish plant I’ve never seen it before :-)

Catherine said...

WOW!! Your flowers and photo's are just beautiful!! You have quite the variety of plants...I to would love to visit your garden in person...sure enjoyed this visit! The Zinnia~ whirligig..really neat, and love the chocolate morning glory the color and shape very pretty, two I wasn't familar with! Gorgeous..had a wonderful visit!!

Barbara said...

Oooh, so many nice blooms (some of them I didn't see before)!!! And now I finally get to know the English name for Physostegia, which I also have in pink and in white. I like this plant, it is an ideal plant for lazy gardeners as I am at the moment!!
Have a nie day!
Barbara

Connie said...

The dahlia is so pretty...too bad it doesn't stay that way. Also like the Gazania...hope to grow some next year.
I love my obedient plant for the simple reason that it comes into bloom in late summer when most other flowers are languishing! Mine is pink, too, but I started some white ones this spring which should bloom next year.

Unknown said...

They hide when they know we're coming around to take tally, Kylee! (I missed some portulaca and another black hollyhock bloom myself.)

That brug is gorgeous. Are the flowers really as huge as they appear to be?

Anonymous said...

Great photos! That Angel's trumpet looks lit from within!

Robin's Nesting Place said...

Kylee, I am simply amazed by your assortment of plants. You are quite the gardener extraordinaire. I'm very impressed.

Unknown said...

Wonderful variety of unusual plants, Kylee. Truly inspiring, and I'm quite besotted by the Whirlygig zinnia. HOpe it comes back for you next year!

Gretchen said...

Beautiful flowers!

Anonymous said...

I loved the zinnia too, but what really struck me was the morning glory. Beautiful. Now, you aren't showing off, are you? If you are, you deserve to. Your gardens are beautiful and I am awed and inspired by the variety.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Kylee--Who cares if you aren't sticking to one-day thing?!?! I'm glad you didn't. Your Hawai'i dahlia is just plain drop-dead gorgeous! And I LOVE your Bells of Ireland (mine tend to be bug food). Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

kate said...

I really like the Mexican Shell flower and the Goldfish plant. The colours are stunning!

The picture of your Obedience Plant brought back memories of once trying to eradicate it from my front garden. What a chore that was ... it wasn't quite on par with Jodi's Goutweed problem, but close. Bits of it kept popping up everywhere. That was in a warmer climate than here, so I'm wondering if it would behave better here. I really like the flowers.

This summer, I've become a big fan of Gazania. They keep blooming with different variations ... this morning I discovered a bloom that looked much like yours does, but each petal had stripes of orange surrounding the deep pink. I should have photographed it when I saw it. By tonight, it had closed.

I am stunned by my Passion Flower vine and am curious to see if the other passion vine I have potted right beside it might start fruiting. It's a different variety though. The trick for me is trying to over-winter these vines. I managed successfully last winter.

The Bougainvillea is a lovely shade.I have one much the same colour and it looked great for much of the summer ... the bracts are starting to fall off though so I've been drying them to preserve the colours (and to pop them into collages).

Kylee Baumle said...

Thank you all for visiting yet again and first-timers, too!

I don't know that I'm all that special of a gardener; I do a lot of things wrong, I know! But most plants forgive me for it. LOL.

Yes, Kim, the brugs are just that big. And I've got more in bloom now, including a darker peach one. I wish you could smell them! It's heavenly, especially in the evening.

jodi, the only way that Whirligig is going to come back is if I plant a seed from it and I get real lucky! It's the only one that did that. The others are 'normal.'

Kate, you will likely get to take a picture of your gazania, because yes, they close, but they open back up in the mornings. They're not just one-day bloomers, so check it again! ;-)

Cindy, my Bells of Ireland is being munched on, too. I don't have an abundance of bells either. I'm just thrilled to have one or two of them, because I've never been able to get them past the 'thinking about it' stage of making bells before!

healingmagichands, now what makes you think I'm showing off? LOL. Kind of looks like it, doesn't it? But really, I didn't mean to. I think God is showing off. In my garden. ;-)

moonflower said...

BEE-utiful photos. We moved to a place that has a balcony facing east. Finally settled in a place where I can put my existing plants to and start new ones. I just started with grape tomatoes. My seedlings are about 3" high. I love the goldfish plant -- have two of my own that I looked hard to find when they were small -- wanted to see they go from babies to bushy. Before I moved, I saw one flower pop out. They remind me of guppies. Now that they've been out on my balcony, more goldfish are popping out. The leaves are even beautiful on this plant -- dark, shiny, study little leaves. The orange flowers stand out beautifully against the dark green leaves. The Angel's Trumpet reminds me of a narrow skirt with a big ruffle at the bottom. I also like the pattern in the center of the morning glory flower. Reminds me that I need to FIND(know I have 'em somewhere)my packet of Moonflower seeds and get them planted. Still waiting for my morning glory (star of Yelta?) seeds to sprout. I am determined to cover that balcony with growing things. Maybe the resident across the street will be able to see them and get some type of payback for the view he's giving me. He takes good care of his yard, so I have a nice view. Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Kylee. Nice work!

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