Goodbye Shastas.

I pulled out most of the shasta daisies this morning. While I love the white flowers in bloom, I despise the way they flop and turn black as soon as the blooms are open. They wilt in the shade and fry in the sun. They don't belong in my garden. I left a few clumps that will eventually be removed when I've got something in mind to replace them.

In the perennial bed, I planted a few echinacea that were purchased from the clearance rack. Carla paid for them. I thinned out a few other plants and cut back the early spring bloomers. I missed the chance to collect seed from the Dame's Rocket. I'm sure they'll reseed all over.



Echinacea Harvest Moon and Summer Sky replaced the Shastas in the shrub island. The ground is so dry here. I filled the holes with water a couple of times and planted directly into the soppy mess. I'm counting on rain this weekend.



Carla came by to clean the boat. She's so funny. She noticed the crape myrtle was in full bloom. Across from it, I finally settled on a spot for the red flowering crabapple I picked up for $4.75 this past spring. I know, bad time to plant a tree. Probably too tight a space too.



The hibiscus are going strong. The Japanese Beetles are doing a real number on a few plants. This one is mostly untouched, until now that I've mentioned it.



Every morning, just as the sun appears through the trees out back, I notice this corner of the rose garden. Hybrid teas aren't for me, either. They've been given a reprieve until the fall. I plan to give them to Marty, a customer at the store. She's bringing me about 50 different daylilies. I'll probably put most of them in this bed. It's this corner that really makes me feel like I have a cottage garden in the backyard. I like the different plants, the heights, colors, textures. They just work together. Coreopsis Full Moon is a bright, butter yellow. The pink roses are smaller than normal and almost done. The agastache punctuates at the back. I had sunflowers blooming until the squirrels found them last night. Such is life.



The squash are done too. I'm thinking of planting another batch for a fall harvest. Maybe we'll get some rain before Labor Day. I've got the seeds. I just need to check the almanac for a good planting date. I'd really like to get a second round of beans too. I've only eaten a handful this year. It's been so hot and dry.



Speaking of hot and dry, today we're going to reach the mid 90s again. Tomorrow, 98. No rain to speak of in many many days. I've been watering, but I'm just trying to keep a few things alive. I don't really expect much growth. After such a wet winter, it's hard to imagine just how dry the soil has gotten. Even a foot down, the shovel stirs up dust.

It's 86 degrees already. Work this afternoon will be tedious at the store. I need another glass of water.

I like it.

Sunday evening, I pulled the first two countertops from the forms. They aren't perfect. Nothing in this house is. I'm okay with that. I really like the look and feel of them.





The small holes created by air pockets will be filled with Portland cement before sealing them. There aren't many. The majority are in the center of the larger of the two countertops. I need to adjust my technique for the remaining piece. It's the largest at 102" long.



It's 72 degrees. The high today will again reach into the mid/upper 90s as we officially roll into summer. I need to spend a couple hours this morning watering a few things in the backyard. The potager and the grasses I planted last week are in dire need of rain. I've lost one squash plant. I believe the wind storm was to blame.

10:04am - The watering has been done. I'll do more tomorrow morning. I'm going to have to do a rain dance soon. It won't be pretty. It's 79 degrees, clear, and sunny. Humid is an understatement.

The first Yvonne's salvia blooms of the year. It reached 57" tall by the end of 2009.



The first hibiscus bloom. I think I grew this one from seed.



Milkweed. Wintersown in 2008/9. I hope to create lots more from cuttings in a few weeks.



A combination I like.

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.

Miss Huff

Wintersown Miss Huff Lantana. I wasn't sure for a while that this was her. The plant kept getting taller and taller. It's about 3' now. I noticed the first bloom on the way to the grocery store last night.



Wintersown hibiscus. I collected these seeds from a pure white blooming plant in Delaware last summer. It was growing all alone in the middle of the highway.



Still waiting on the brugs. It's going to be spectacular thanks to all the rain we've been getting.



Showers on and off today. When not raining, it's sunny. Humidity is in the upper 90s with 81 degrees. Just rain already.

The other red hibiscus

I've long since lost the tag for this one. I purchased the plant last summer on clearance. I divided it over the winter, but only one survived. The blooms are 12" across. I need to give it more sun. The Japanese Beetles are doing a number on the leaves this year.



Speaking of sun, the gully receives a lot more early morning light.





This fall I will have to do something about the ivy, periwinkle, and trees from "heaven". I've tried RoundUp in the past to no avail.

Dreaming of spring

It's 25 degrees and sunny. Tonight, the forecast is calling for 30 degrees. Thursday night should be in the upper teens and windy. I'm boycotting winter today.

Azaleas on Azalea Drive


Petunias and Marigolds


Black Eyed Susans


Coreopsis 'Full Moon'


Rudbeckia 'Autumn Colors'


Hardy Hibiscus 'Turn of the Century'


The front bed in summer. A jumbled mess. I've already reworked the shrub layout and will continue the process in spring.


Three applications to fill out today. Seeds to mail for the swap. Trying to stay warm with a second cup of coffee and a two fires going.

105 days til last frost. Crap.