Fall Tower of Sunflower

Dwarf sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are always found in my summer garden, because, well, I have a very small house on a very small property. In addition, tall sunflowers are too overwhelming and gangly for my taste (although I have admired a tight grouping of them.)

Just about every winter, I comb through the garden catalogs searching out the shorties to try during the upcoming summer. Altogether I have tried about a half dozen varieties [posted 2009.08.25]. Last year, I never ordered any and can't remember what the reason was.

With no seed for the summer, I made a panic purchase at the local home improvement store when the tulips were blooming. Burpee's Big Blush came home and a spot was reserved along the front driveway. But, I could not find the seed when it came time to plant. "Did I really purchase them?" I wondered. I instead planted the same variety as before that I found in my tin of leftover seed, Waooh [posted 2010.09.02].

I eventually stumbled across the seeds I bought earlier in spring. The summer sunflowers were done blooming for the season in August. After they were ripped out, I thought, "Why not plant some more? Time to start another experiment." So a second crop of dwarf sunflowers (actually 3 seeds) were planted in the same spot; one came up.

I have good results to report from last week. With the frost holding off, one tower began its run. One could guess the dwarf varieties could do this since their growing season is a little shorter than the tall ones. A 40-inch high (1 m) stalk with all sorts of side flowers is blooming. Big Blush flowers are not unique, but the size of the side flowers and their associated stems is, resulting in great cut flowers from one plant.

Was this an anomaly? If not, this could become a habit from now on - something to replace the old sunflowers once they finish their summer blooming. On a second note, the Waooh sunflower seeds were harvested and are most appreciated by chickadees.

For The Record:   • Fertile soil & organic amendments   • Full sun   • No fertilizer   • Chomping pests during summer germination Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: Mexican zinnia, zinnia, sunflower, echinacea, pineapple sage   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 1 tomato

October 2012 Bloom Day

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

Gosh, everything seems to be red, yellow, orange this time of year (or brown.) And gosh, I haven't participated in a Gardnen Bloggers Bloom Day since April. So, here are a few noteworthy stragglers hanging on as fall is teetering on the first frost.

Note the sunflower beginning to bloom. There is a story here that I will tell in a future post. You can find other garden bloggers' bloom days at the blog May Dreams Gardens.

Acidanthera		Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird'
Castor Plant (Ricinus communis)		Zinnia elegans 'Canary Bird'

Zinnia augustifolia
Zinnia agustifolia with dwarf sunflower
Salvia elegans 'Pineapple Sage'

Radishes Forever

Why is there another post about my radishes?
  a. There is a radish fetish
  b. These are special radishes
  c. Getting old and senile, forgetting radishes were
      previously posted
  d. All of the above

Here's the story. You may have previously read about my problems with radishes [posted 2012.05.29], and my good fortune this year. I had the best radish crop yet this past spring.

However, some of the plants did not produce anything, so I let them grow and flower. The blooms attracted a small army of bees over a long period into summer.

I thought these scrawny plants would never die. They formed an ugly border for months in the front yard cottage garden for all the neighborhood to notice. Cool weather radishes appear to be rather tough and hold up to droughts and summer heat. Finally the flowers turned to plump seed pods in the middle of July.

I harvested the seeds and planted them in early September for a fall harvest - first time I planted for a fall crop of anything. Only about half the seeds germinated, either because I went on vacation just as they needed water to sprout, or many of the seeds were not pollinated. My new fall crop was pulled up (30 days just like on seed packets) just as the first frost is predicted. View one, along with some of their Hungarian buddies.

Pineapple Rag

So I found myself in Delaplane Virginia for the annual spring strawberry festival. Disappointed that the strawberries bering sold were Driscoll's imported from California (and higher priced than the same in the grocery stores), I headed for the craft booths. I wandered down Booth Row and through the endless assortment of hummingbird and butterfly stained glass, country dolls, soap, and banners (I am probably insulting some readers here), and found a corner vendor selling plants.

The herb table was most interesting. I picked up a Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) and chatted with the owner who pointed out its virtues and its growing requirements. So it will grow into a small bush, cuttings can be taken, and it will die in the fall.

It was planted in my hillside, side south-facing garden and pretty much forgotten about. Once in a while, I picked off a leaf to enjoy the pineapple scent. And, I was fond of picking one off for any visitors (on a garden 'tour' before dinner) to enjoy. Internet indications are that it makes good tea and pina colada garnishments.

Leaves were always light chartreuse and stood out next to the castor and rosemary plants. Its color seemed to be a theme in the back yard without trying (St. John's Wort, hostas, coleus.) And then this month, it began blooming.

To say the red on the Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is brilliant is an understatement. Only two other plants have this red intensity at this time of year - cosmos and crocosmia, and my crocosmia died years ago. The 18-inch high (50 cm) plant filled in without trimming. The square stems and blooms are a giveaway as a mint family member. In fact, I noticed the flowers look like salvia, which (wow) is in the botanical name.

Indications on internet sites are that the plant dies down at frost, but the root clump remains viable over winter to my zone (7A). Since I have enough going on bringing plants indoors during the fall, I think I will test out this overwinter theory and just mulch the roots for the winter.

I am please with the outcome of this purchase. And will even look at pineapple sage recipes if it comes back next year. Pineapple sage salsa anyone?

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with some organic amendments   • Full sun   • No fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, sage, aster   • Harvested: 2 tomatoes, 1 radish

On Deck

Come on up the stairs for dinner on the deck. That's my second year of container gardening in the corner. I started one last year after seeing all the great containers that bloggers were posting on their blogs. This year's looks better, and I even added a second container full of sweet potato vines.

That's 'Red Star Cordyline' (Dracena) in the center. I brought it indoors last winter, kept it alive, and used it to center the container again this year. Simple cream petunias and red Calibrachoa work with the color scheme, with the calibrachoa spilling over the edges. In the summer, these needed watering every other day.

Just drop in and have a seat. Every chair rocks a little. Go ahead and put your legs up while I fix a snack on the grille.
Haven't seen you in a while, and never saw you decked
out in brown before - very appropriate for this time of year.
And, pardon me, but my have you grown, (especially
around the bottom.)

September Lilies

With a lull in the garden, there are a few individual specimens of note at this time of year that do not have much story associated with them. But, I want to record these here for future reference.

The rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) are in their second year. First found on a visit to the Dallas Arboretum, planted and reported last year [posted 2011.09.15], they survived the winter, and multiplied somewhat. I find that they only begin blooming in late summer and fall here, and they really do come out after rain. They seem to bloom in cycles - about every two weeks for a week with some precipitation.

These are the white variety, as some can be pink or pale cream-yellow. My leaves are not as substantial and grass-like as those in Dallas, - but are almost invisible during the summer. Flowers remind me of crocus when they pop out, and close up at night.

The belamcamda lily (Iris domestica) was started indoors from seeds obtained at the February seed exchange [posted 2012.02.12]. Three plants germinated; only one survived. When transplanted outdoors, additional seeds were planted in the garden with no results. I wish there were others to keep this lonely one company.

The 24-inch high plant (60 cm) successfully produced a number of blossoms with associated seed pods. The expectation is that they will open to reveal clusters resembling blackberries (it is also know as the blackberry lily.)

The perennial plant originates in China, and was formerly known as Belamcanda chinensis, but like many other plants, DNA sequencing indicates it to belong elsewhere in the plant kingdom - in the iris family. It was renamed. Current ongoing research centers on its possible use as a treatment of prostate cancer.

For The Record:   • No fertilizer   • Full sun   • No serious pests/disease Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, cosmos, zepharanthes,     coconut lime echinacea

So This Is Invasive

When looking into the information about my cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) this summer, [posted 2012.07.07] I ran across several sources that label it as an invasive species, especially on the U.S. west coast. According to the USDA Invasive and Noxious Plants List, California brands it as a noxious weed. Now I know why. The tall plant has some rather voluminous, nasty looking (although not very sharp) cauldrons of seeds. They dried during the summer and broke open, spewing thousands of silky, airy, floating seeds to populate my neighbors' yards. I can't wait until they find artichokes growing in their lawn next year.

I can see why this is considered an invasive in some parts with a seed dispersal system like this. One hopes for my sake that they do not easily germinate next year.

The cardoon plants were cut down after they went to seed last month. I was thinking it was an annual, and began planning for what could take its place next year. But after my week long vacation trip, I came home to find the darn thing is growing again! No, it is NOT an annual. I need to add its move to the fall chores list, since I will not keep it in its present location. One good point: I have lots of contributions for the annual gardeners seed exchange that I attend in late January.

Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, canna, mexican zinnia, zinnia, acidanthera, coneflower   • Harvested: 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber

One Potato, Too

I, too have one sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas,) in a pot. I've seen a lot of them growing around, mostly in pots. I was awed by the trials at the Dallas Arbotetum [posted 03.10.2010], and thought that if they survive the heat in Dallas, they would surely like the hot dry conditions on my east facing deck.

This year, I have two planters on the deck, one of them a first-timer. So on a lazy day at Home Depot, I picked up a few items to plop in - some mini yellow zinnias and a sweet potato vine. To say the vine took over is an understatement. I daily pinch off a few leaves to allow the zinnias to poke through for a little sun. But both plants appear to cozily get along in their asymmetrical arrangement.

I liked the vine color, with new leaves starting maroon gradually turning green. Gives a bit of interest since I don't have any 'thrill' included (Thrill, fill, spill.) And the 'fill' zinnias are well behaved and seem to be overwhelmed and surprised. I thought I had the colors looking good, and then yesterday: a shocker. There was a flower on the potato vine. I turned around the planter and snapped a photo for proof.

I have never seen one blooming. After an excited check on the internet, with thoughts of naming a one-of-a-kind plant that I discovered, it turns out that sweet potato vines do indeed bloom. They are related to the morning glory family (are very distant to the potato), and are a tropical plant originating in Venezuela or Central America.

The tuberous potatoes are edible but according to sources, most have a poor flavor or even a bitter taste. They don't grow from seed like morning glories, but from cuttings. Looks like the other cuttings I take from outdoor plants will have new company this winter.

Now there are a few more blooms, and I can find several buds. Trouble is, the bloom color throws off the careful planning for the planter color scheme.

For The Record:   • Rich potting soil   • Full sun   • Small amount of slow-release fertilizer   • Requires water and easily wilts in hot dry weather   • No serious disease but some holes eaten in leaves Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, cosmos, zinnia, canna, mexican zinnia, acidanthera, rudbeckia, salvia, nicotiana, asters   • Harvested: 2 peppers

August 2012 Flowers In The House

Came home from work today and needed to brighten up the kitchen countertop. The town where the office is was dead today, probably because everyone is away on their Labor Day vacation. I brought in a few of the Canary zinnias and mixed in a few sulphureus cosmos. Some sweet potato vine leaves add a base.

The drying herbs were brought in a few weeks ago. Looks like these coriander from the cilantro herbs are about ready to move into the spice rack, or plant in the garden for a fall harvest.

Christmas In August

In November of last year, I fretted over planting an amarylis bulb right before Thanksgiving. I started up a bunch of paper whites about the same period during the previous year, resulting in Christmas and New Years blooms. However, I was worried about starting the amaryllis at this time - too late since they take a lot longer to get their butts in gear. Thanksgiving, I thought, was too late. Christmas was without bloom, but at my New Years open house, the amaryllis (Hippeastrum) was in in full glory.

I know something about bulbs, and how they need their foliage to redevelop the bulb package for next year's bloom. Armed with that fact and the techniques found on the Internet about getting an amaryllis to bloom again, I placed my new 4-leaf foliage plant on the outdoors deck in the early spring after the blooms had faded and withheld water.

The foliage did not get any prettier. I left it lie dormant for another month, and then planted it in the vegetable garden. The hope was that it would grow foliage during the summer and replenish the bulb in time for another Christmas bloom this year (after a fall dormancy.)

Leaves began growing again. Then, the darn thing started blooming in the garden last week! And, it's got two small side shoots - cute new baby amaryllis plants. Quite a surprise! A few notes about this South African native: First, the flower stalks are easily knocked down by wind and just plain rain, which makes the flowers too heavy for their stalks. I am now using a support. Second, the flowers are lasting a very long time! Third, I believe the flower color is a more vibrant red than when it bloomed indoors. Is that possible?

So now what? The plans need to be modified. When the flowers die down, I will let the foliage continue into the fall. Hopefully, that will also die down in time. Then, after digging it up, it will be planted indoors at the beginning of November for another Christmas bloom. Fingers crossed. Stay tuned.

For The Record:   • Good garden soil   • Mostly full sun   • Small amount of fertilizer   • No serious pests/disease   • Leaves have some light colored spots Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia, zinnia, cosmos, zephyranthes,     belacamda, nicotiana   • Harvested: 5 hungarian peppers, 8 cucumbers, lots of tomatoes

A Budding Buddleia

Woah. I knew nothing about buddleia until I found one growing in the monarda order received from High Country Gardens. The story started in early February after it began springing up ahead of the new monarda clump planted in the fall, as detailed in my [09.03.2012] post entitled "Name That Plant."

Growth was fast with a number of vertical stalks reaching toward the sky. In their comments, Janet and eu.phorbia were spot on in identifying the mystery plant from the few leaves displayed in my pictures. Once I was convinced it was buddleia, it was moved to an area where it could spread its wings. I have seen some sprawling specimens that were out of control. After its first season of growth, this one is about 4-feet high (1.2 m).

Not wanting a sparse wild plant, I began strategically trimming it several times to encourage some branching and infill. It worked, sort of, but the trimming also delayed flowering so I did not know its color until last month. It still looks a little gangly.

So where are the butterflies? None here. They sure like my zinnias, though. I did not know the buddleia flowers were fragrant (to humans).

I discovered that the plant keeps on blooming since I have been trimming the dead blooms off. I also discovered that this is important to keep the plant from becoming an invasive. King County Washington outlines its Class B Noxious Weed classification.

"It can grow in very challenging conditions, such as cracks in the pavement and along railroads. Invasion of butterfly bush along riversides is especially problematic, because it forms dense thickets, crowds out native vegetation, and disrupts natural succession patterns. A study at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania found that a single flower spike produced 40,000 seeds. The germination rate of several cultivars was 80 percent or higher. Seeds remain viable in the soil for 3 to 5 years. Butterfly bush can re-sprout from the rootstock after it can been damaged or cut down to its base, and the cut stems can grow into new plants."

For The Record:   • Heavy clay soil with gypsum & organic amendments   • Partial sun   • No serious pests/disease   • Mildly sweet smelling blooms   • Continuous blooming Garden Calendar:   • Blooming: pink cosmos, mexican zinnia. zinnia, cleome, rudbeckia, rose, green coneflower, green nicotiana   • Harvested: 1 pepper, 12 tomatoes, 5 cucumbers

July 2012 Flowers In The House

In July we hosted Dinner on (the) Deck. It was a hot evening, and the garden was melting. A few greens and cool colors were used on the table to chill down my guests without turning the garden hose on them. White buddleia adds some sweetness. Coconut Lime echinacea join a few purple coneflower seed heads with loosetrife greenery.

Dinner consisted of spiedies, chopped Mediterranean salad, and grilled vegetables with seasoned potatoes. A guest brought homemade pickles. Raspberry sorbet with fresh berries and a Ghirardelli raspberry chocolate wafer topped off dessert. Better living through food.

Visit and bring your vase to Flowers In The House at Jane's blog Small But Charming.