Saturday, April 17, 2010

Anticipation.

One of my favorite plants in the garden is the hardy hibiscus. I have added several over the past couple of years. The blooms are huge compared to the coreopsis, shastas, and other daisy shaped blooms. I like to mix them into borders. In the shrub island, I'm using them as fillers among the foliage. For me, they begin blooming in June, as pictured here.



But for now, the anticipation is the best part. I found several just starting to put out new growth. They're a bit early this year, probably from the heat of the past few weeks.

Red Texas Star



Turn of the Century



White Hibiscus. Never bloomed.



Luna Red



Pink Hibiscus, Disco Bell.



Unknown hibiscus, dark red, maybe.



Lord Baltimore



Other plants are returning too. I'd never grown brugmansia before last season, so I was excited to see them returning even after a hard winter for our zone.

Brugmansia



Joe Pye Weed, maybe. Could be milkweed, but I think that's further down the slope.



California Poppy. These seeds were scattered in the fall. A few germinated over the winter and this one has a bud. Can't wait to see the orange flowers in the backyard.



Another "large" bloomer, Miss Bateman clematis. This one is hidden behind the nandinas on the back of the house. I had a vision of it growing up the wire trellises I hung last spring. It prefers to sprawl across the ground. I keep picking it up. It falls down again.



It's 54 degrees. Yesterday, we had a splash of rain. Ok, it drizzled for all of 2 minutes. The smell of the rain on the asphalt in front of the store made me dizzy. People were saying we have another chance today, but I don't know where they're getting that information. My weather forecast says a 20% chance. More anticipation, I guess.

7 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Good morning Tom ~ I can feel your excitement all the way down here. I am amazed that you have several hibiscus up there and the brugmansia also, all out in your gardens, sending up new growth after a long winter. It is thrilling for me to watch your gardens come to life. You have done a fantastic job in such a short period of time.

Have a great weekend. We had a little rain last evening, it looks like we could get more today. I'll be working at my job, so no playing in the gardens for me today.

FlowerLady

sweetbay said...

The first photo is just spectacular. I love Hibisicus too; my new favorites are one I grew from seed (Anne Arundel was one parent) and Pineland Hibiscus.

Unknown said...

I had a nice white hibiscus for many years until my mother killed it! lol They are pretty.

Jennifer AKA keewee said...

I have one hibiscus in a pot I bring indoors during the winter. I have a lovely hot spot behind the carport. Perhaps I could grow a hardy one back there.

gld said...

Tom, I think you have just solved a mystery for me. I have something coming up near my malva moscheutos (swamp hibiscus)outside the kitchen and I had no idea what it was until I saw your seedling of the white that hasn't bloomed. It looks exactly like my seedling. I should have figured it out since another one developed nearby a couple of years ago.

I am not seeing any signs on my mature plants....may be too early.

I started all mine from seeds and they are various colors from white to fuschia.

Jean Campbell said...

You had a blossom on Sunny Knockout before me. Pink and Red KOs have bloomed here. All the yellows are waiting for something.

It is too dry to fertilize if that is what they're anticipating. I'm dragging hoses to keep transplants alive.

Anonymous said...

I have been debating on getting a hardy hibiscus, now I know I will. There is one growing in the ditch in front of our local Lowes, I might have to give it a new home.