A Phantastic Phlox

This cultivar of Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' was in a goodie bag I received at a gardeners' event many years ago. My first experience with phlox was a garden phlox, 'Miss Lingard'. She died from a severe powdery mildew attack which almost wiped out my woodland phlox too. I was not looking forward to another powdery mildew magnet.

But here it is, many years later and a transplant last year, and Jeana is loving life. No powdery mildew in sight. While looking up the correct spelling of Jeana, I read that it is very resistant to powdery mildew. I also read that its very small flowers are irresistable to butterflies, and I can attest to that.

I had forgotten that I moved Jeana last year. After my sewer line replacement bed was replanted, I did not label the plants or locations that were moved there, thinking I could remember. This past spring, I noticed a few weed leaves comming up, and though they were odd since they formed quite a nice neat clump, and there were no other weeds in the heavily-mulched bed. Not recognizing the leaves, I let them grow a bit to later realize they were my phlox. It was Jeana that I moved during the previous year from an increasingly shady spot where it did not do well, to this full sun area.

I am happy to report that Jeana never looked so good! Advice: label your plants, or at leat photo catalog your beds which I do to show approximate locations.

August Bloom Day

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
What's blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month

I scrounged through my phjotos I have saved for Instagram postings, and took a few tonight before the sun went down. The 15th sneaked up on me this month.

Interesting story on this. If you snoop through past years of posts, you know I like growing different dwarf sunflowers. The last cultivar tried had some seeds I saved for the birds. I planted a few the following year, and saved these seeds and planted this year. The blooms are a nice manageable size, but they are not very drawf, stading at about 5-feet (1.5 m) tall, and do not match the original hybrid. I like the flowers though.

Tithonia is new to me this year. I am impressed by the pollinators that constantly visit it, and it's preference for poor soil, and a hot dry environment.

Cutleaf rudbeckia last week, Now, after some rain storms, it's falling over but still blooming up a storm.

This is the only ruby red zinnia 'Cherry Queen' I photographed so far. Hummingbirds stop by, but I don't really know how much they get out of the flower. Beautiful color.

Just starting to bloom now, the cardinal flower lobelia was labed as 'Blue Lobelia' at the spring plant swap. Oops.

Late summer blooming garden phlox. Another pollinator love.

Find more ther garden bloggers' blooms on May Dream Gardens.

July Bloom Day

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
What's blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month

I wanted to wait until dark when the moonflowers open before taking the last shots for this July. These are some of the blooms at this time of year.

Datura arrayed along the entry to the house where I enjoy the intoxicating fragrance every summer evening. They reseed themselves every year.

Rudbeckia hita native loves the sun. They last about two years, but easily reseed.

Rudbeckia laciniata picked up at a plant swap, it grows 6 feet (2 m) tall and easily falls over. Thanks to Janet, Queen of Seaford in identifying for me.

I thought a closeup of the balloon flower would be interesting. Platycodon grandiflorus reseeds but they're difficult to move because of their deep tap root.

Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' giveaway at the Washington DC Garden Bloggers Fling. Pollinators love it as much as I do.

When echinacea purpurea is planted in part shade, it gows 5 feet tall (1.5 m).

Echinops ritro is about ready to bloom and inviting all the bumbles to it.


Will it go round in circles? Watch bees on coneflowers go around the ring of pollen on the flower.

Find more ther garden bloggers' blooms on May Dream Gardens.

Free Fling Phlox

Say that fast three times. This is my Garden Bloggers Fling phlox blooming now. At least I believe I got if form the 2017 Capital Fling. My other established phlox, a Carolina phlox Miss Lingard (Phlox maculata) blooms in late spring and is finished for the year. I don't know what type this is, but I know what type it isn't.

I believe I received this one at the Garden Bloggers Fling held in summer 2017. It was planted and bloomed a wee bit last year. In the fall, I placed a blank marker next to it while it overwintered so I would remember it was there. I have a history of pulling out or planting on top of new plants previously planted when I cannot remember anything growing there. Space around this yard can be a premium. Well, I didn't remember.

This spring, it began growing -- this little plant next to a marker. It looked like a goldenrod weed or other prevalent weed in our area, but it had a marker. Thinking it might be the ever elusive red lobelia that was known to roam the area, I resisted the temptation to pull it out in April.

It grew very upright and about 3-feet tall (90 cm). Yup. That proves it must be a weed because I had nothing growing in that area which would grow so tall. Then it bloomed last week. A wind storm blew it over, so I stood it upright again for its photography session.

Individual flowers in the cluster are smaller than the Carolina phlox, looking a lilac or buddleia. This year it produced three stalks, each with a pink or light magenta bloom on the end. Small skipper-like butterflies love it. A few lower side shoots without blooms may help it to develop into something larger next year. One can hope. It grows in mostly sun, but under the morning shade of a small redbud tree. And one can label the markers placed next to plants in the fall.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with organic amendments & mulch   • Damp soil at base of small hillside   • Mostly sun but some shade during mornings   • Small amount of fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease

And Into Adulthood

From season to season, year to year, I wish some of my garden inhabitants would pick up the pace and grow a little faster. I often imagine what they would look like when fully grown after initially placing them in their 'permanent' new homes. In reality, I only imagine the feeling or ambience each would create, and not the actual visual.


Some of those plants are now in their adulthood. Consider the phlox divaricata or woodland phlox. This was a plant sale purchase at a local botanic garden. It is now in its year five and as vibrant as ever. I wrote about its three-year birthday in 2016. [posted 29.04.2016] In fact, it is now getting to a point where I don't want it to spread any more. Some pieces have ended up in neighbor's yards and at the local plant swap.

As another example, take my 'dwarf' Snow azaleas. Please. They are beautiful, but I cannot label them dwarf any longer. They are part of the first attempt at landscaping after purchasing my abode in late 1980s. I killed one trying to move it. It was too close to the magnolia tree, and extracting its roots intertwined with the tree roots was like pulling a tooth - I dare not repeat with the other four plants so I left them and they seem to be happy for it.


Oh that red one - the one that looks like something from your LSD trip? That was in the yard when I bought this place. I just moved it down to the end of the yard with the new white azaleas so they all had some company and could get to know each other. Red has remained somewhat dwarf because I trim it back every so often. I hate those unnatural sickening colors.

Now I wait for the bearded iris and the daylilies that I have bred to bloom some year. I thought one or two of the seven iris would flower out this year, but looks like another year's wait.

Leap Year

Sleep
The woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) was purchased at the annual spring garden sale at the local botanical garden, Green Spring. I do like to grow natives and feel a bit of guilt because I do not exclusively limit my garden to them. This one was sold in the native plant vendor section. It did not have much of a label, except for "Woodland Phlox".

My newfound native came with a small cluster of flowers on a thin but upright stalk. It was planted in a lightly shaded bed with shade compatriots tradescantia, hosta, and astilbe and hydrangea, in the forefront front of them all. The internet says to expect a height of 12-inches (30 cm). The plant stopped blooming in summer and did not do anything for the rest of the year. Early morning sun bathed the area, but for most of the day it received dappled shade under an ever increasing neighbor's maple tree to the south.

Creep
Last year, it started to spread. There was an upright section that produced clusters of spring blooms, and a horizontal section that spread out flat to the ground. But it did have several flower stalks clustered together, indicating that it was growing.

It survived that nasty winter. Natives can survive beasts and weather in the wild, but sometimes do not survive me.

Leap
All those horizontal sections running along the surface of the ground last year produced dozens of flower stalks this year. The result is a mound of light blue, slightly fragrant flower clusters. If memory serves me, I was able to enjoy these flowers for over a month.

This wildflower phlox is native to woodlands of the eastern United States, north from Quebec, south to Texas. Yes, I know Quebec is Canada. Woodland phlox likes moist, fertile, loose soil. I have one out of three with my Virginia clay -- moist clay.

Common cultivars are 'Blue Moon' most resembling my plant, and 'Clouds of Perfume.' The flowers have nectar in the base of the long tubes, so insects need long tongues to get to it. Butterflies and hummingbirds are supposed like them best. I like them second best. They bloom at a place in the yard where hydrangea, hosta, and astilbe are still getting ready for their show to come later.

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with mulch and organic amendments   • Mostly shade   • Very little fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: azalea, viburnum, dutch iris, coreopsis

April 2016 Bloom Day

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
What's blooming in the garden on the 15th of the month

Leave the office early on a sunny Friday afternoon. Rush home to beat the rush hour traffic. Test out the new nuclear powered camera for the first time on the blog. See what's in the zone 7a garden.

I still have the simple rustic Canon Elph that I used for nine years -- for all blog photos up to now -- except for a few iPad and iPhone photos. But the new Canon T5i, well, there are as many settings as the space shuttle. Let's try figuring this contraption out to get closer than the old camera did. One photo was taken with a lens attachment that did not produce a clear image. Put that attachment in the closet or sell it.

My, I have a lot of white photos. I just realized that after looking at what I shot this afternoon. But the white is not all in one place except on my blog. The sun is setting, on another Bloom Day.

Maybe a new camera will help me take photos like A Tidewater Gardener, you think? Nah, no way.

Cornus florida

Azalea 'Snow'

Spirea prunifolia (Bridal Wreath)

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Shasta'
Looking better now -- years after I severely pruned it and almost lost it

Pieris japonica cultivar

Phlox divaricata -- this is its third year and its leaping!

Tulip 'Princess Irene' not looking good in its second year

Narcissus poeticus -- the late fragrant daffodil even the ant appreciates

For other garden bloggers bloom day photos, check out our host at blog May Dreams Gardens.

June 2015 Bloom Day

Lots of things are popping out of the gardens - 'Never Looked So Good' should be the theme applied to many garden inhabitants this month. Onion and green beans comprise the bounty to date, and go well together in a three bean salad. Fresh basil and oregano work wonders on a grilled pizza. More hot weather is on the way, though.

The datura is off to a great start and has never looked so large this early. This is the second time I have grown this moonflower, and hope it does better than the first which was in a more shady spot.

'Night of Passion' is what I think this daylily is called, after viewing 100,000 photos online.

The hydrangea has never looked so good. Although I wrote about my Annabelle hydreangea, a fellow master gardener believes this one is not Annabelle because the blooms are too enormous and perfect. 'Incrediball' is probably the correct name. Ignore my sorry attempt at staking.

Even the hostas are getting in on the bloom fun.

Another bloomer that has never looked so good this year. After years of care, 'Miss Lingard' phlox is now an established perennial that needs no attention. How did I end up with so many whites? They do look cool in this hot summer weather.

Lychnis coronaria has so many names I am reluctant to call it anything but its formal name. When they are planted together, they look like a fun bunch. But pulling out their thousands of seedlings (as bad as cleome) is not fun.

Tradescantia was moved last fall to a shadier location, and it loves its new digs. Never blooming into the hot weather except for this year, it is yet another one that has never looked so good.

Finally, the first photo of phase 1 of my hell strip beautification attempt. It is surprising how many neighbors see this, but don't notice the larger cottage garden in the front yard. Thanks to Scott at Rhone Street Gardens blog for the inspiration to do this.

For other garden bloggers' bloom day photos, spring over to the blog May Dreams Gardens.

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: rudbeckia, phlox, poppy, geranium, datura, tradescantia, echinacea, phlox, lychnis, hydrangea, hosta,   • Harvested: green beans (bush) 1 onion

Wood Phlox Comes To Life

This is the newest rookie perennial in the garden. There was this plant sale at a local historic house museum last spring; who can resist a tent full of plants for sale, especially if they are for a good cause. (I don't remember the cause, but did purchase a plant.)

The wood phlox (Phlox divaricata) came in a 2-inch pot (5 cm) and was planted in a mostly shady spot. It was sold to me as a shade variety of the creeping phlox without as many blooms, and as a native.

The phlox did not do much all of last year after I assured it that I will care for it. But this spring it sprung forth a burst of new growth and is blooming. Note, it is not similar to the creeping phlox.

Flowers are larger, and more dispersed. The plant produces stems that are much more upright at about 10-inches in height (25 cm). These will probably turn into runners and spread. To me, wood phlox more accurately resembles an upright vinca minor. After reading that the flowers are fragrant, I had to shove my nose down to the ground and test this out. There is a slight fragrance.

The most impressive characteristic is its robust growth after being planted in heavy clay soil and after surviving Hell Winter. Although not covered with blossoms as thickly as the garden catalogs (what plant ever is,) it begins to fill in the front of a wide barren shady spot. And someone might even try some cuttings or divisions for another barren spot further down the yard that needs something to compliment the white dogwood, white azaleas, and white viburnum.

For The Record:   • New bed with heavy clay soil with some organic amendments   • Mostly light shade   • Small amount of fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: Dogwood, midseason tulips, wood phlox, poet     daffodils, leucojum, muscari

Phluffy White Phlox

The tall phlox is blooming for the first time. The flowers seem disproportionate to the plant size; like large white balls balanced atop a thin pole - way too big. Altogether, they are reminiscent of fluffy white clouds.

The phlox was purchased in the fall along with about a half dozen other perennials that were 40% off at the locally-owned nursery's end of year clearance. A tall plant was needed near the entrance to the side yard garden leading to the back yard and deck. A white color phlox and a 3-feet tall (90 cm) plant would be a great choice, providing a color that can be seen by guests as they walk along the side yard path to the deck at night, and enticing them with the fragrance. A supposedly tall red phlox 'Tenor' was planted about three years ago in the front garden, but it turned out to be a shocking fuchsia color, and shockingly short - growing only about 12-inches tall (30 cm) and hiding among the tall nicotiana foliage.

This spring, after researching my Carolina Phlox (Phlox maculate) 'Miss Lingard', I conclude that it is planted in just the right environment. It prefers soil that retains moisture but drains well, being at home in clay. It likes to be kept moist. It is attractive to butterflies and 'hummingbird moths' and offers possibilities of extended bloom times. The name comes from the Greek work for 'flame,' referring to many of its intense colors. A cautionary note pops up about mildew resistance.

Powdery mildew is a theme that runs through all literature on phlox, but some varieties are more resistant than others. So far my Miss Lingard is pest free. The three year old phuchsia phlox in the phront yard never gets mildew, although 'Tenor' was listed as a 'poorly resistat' variety in a North Carolina study.

Happy returns have made this purchase worthwhile. Several stalks shot up this spring and are now blooming, well ahead of summer bloom time. Miss Lingard held her own against a windy summer thunderstorm. And yes, the fragrance is there. Imagine the plant once it really starts to grow and fill in.

For The Record:   • Clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer   • Average water   • No pests Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: salvia, hydrangea, kniphofia, phlox, coreopsis, nicotiana, astilbe   • Planted: sunflowers