Hot.

The woman on the tv this morning seemed surprised that it gets hot in mid June in NC. We are only a little over a week away from the official start of summer. I bet she'll be surprised when it's cold in February too. It's already 84 degrees. The humidity is in the mid-90's. The heat index today could reach as high as 105, in the shade.

Some plants love this heat. The squash are producing. By mid week, I'll be eating fresh squash every day. The double orange ditch lilies are making their show now.



So is this unidentified plant, again from a trade last fall.



Maltese Cross has done much better in its second year. Last year a few blooms sprawled across the ground. It looked more like a creeping verbena than an upright grower.



Salvia subrotunda is cracking color too. With a few dozen self sown plants, the display should be great this year. The goldfinches can hardly wait.



That large blooming spidery rudbeckia is impressive too. I'll have to save these seeds separately from the others I collect.



The biggest disappointment this year has been the meadow garden. The cosmos are blooming and more are coming, but there's been a real lull since the clover died. It's reseeded heavily, so there should be plenty next spring too. I've got an idea to make this bed more interesting using grasses. I just need to divide some of my existing plants. I'll wait until it cools down a bit in 6 months.



Scattered storms in the forecast too. We could use the rain.

Steamy Sunday

Another 1/2" of rain fell Saturday afternoon just as I was putting away the lawnmower. An hour later, the sun was out again.

The ditch lilies are still going strong by the front walk.



So are the rudbeckia in the perennial bed.



The first Four O'clock bloomed last night.



Monarda citriodora.



Black & Blue Salvia is blooming.



Three pink azaleas are way behind schedule.



The squash is right on time.



It's 72 degrees. The temperature is already starting to rise. By mid-afternoon, we'll be in the 90s.

Stunning.

Last night, I had guests over for drinks after dinner at the new sushi restaurant here in town. The food, as always, was excellent. The company was fantastic. We finished off the rest of the Washington Apple Martinis and took in the fragrances in the garden. The datura were still blooming this morning when I came home for "lunch".



The stunning part of the walk through the yard this morning uncovered this new daylily. It was another one brought to me by a customer at the store in exchange for something last year.



The butterfly bushes are just starting to break in the shrub island.



And the large rudbeckia that appeared last November stayed with me through the winter. It's blooming again now. The flowers are 6" across and when the petals are fully erect, it's something to behold.



It's 81 degrees and humid. The forecast shows another chance of rain this afternoon. The magnolias are blooming. The gardenias are budding again. There's squash and cucumbers forming in the upper potager. Life is good.

Three inches of rain

That's what some reports are saying fell during the wee hours of the morning. I don't know for sure, but the yard looks pretty beat up. The basement water feature is larger. I need to pick up a box fan today. I'll be pushing water towards the drain in the floor all morning.

In the garden, plants have flopped all over the place.





The tomatoes should have been staked a week ago. I'll be doing that as soon as the ground dries out enough to hold a stake. Each plant will be tied to a stake. It's too late to try any other method. I just hope I don't break them. I need to prune suckers too.



The gully refilled last night. From the looks of it, it overflowed.



The pussywillow cuttings I stuck into the moist soil this spring seem to enjoy the extra moisture.



Same with the cannas.



And the elephant ears are finally coming up.



Some rudbeckia made it without flopping.



Including a new brown/orange variety.



And I have squash blooms. There's one on just about all the plants. The sun is trying to poke through the clouds now, so hopefully the bees will come out to play.



It's 72 degrees. 80% chance of rain this afternoon with more thunderstorms likely. I guess there's no drought after all.

*sniff* *sniff* *sniff* AHHHHHH!!!

Datura





Two new unusual rudbeckia are blooming.



This one is the returning Cherry Brandy grown from seed last year.



The perennial bed has filled in. Yellow flowers poke up here and there among the green foliage. We've had plenty of rain lately, now we just need some more sun.



It's 72 degrees, humid, and cloudy. Upper 80s is the forecast for today. 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms after 1pm.

Yellow

All it took was a little sun.











Lots more to come in the next few weeks. Some rudbeckia are just starting to bud, other are still growing. Seedlings are popping up here and there since we've been receiving decent rainfall.



Moonshine Yarrow



It's 77 degrees and humid. 60% chance of storms this evening after 6pm. Rain possible all day Saturday.

Poppies and Rudbeckia

A new poppy opened yesterday near the mailbox. I like it.





Rudbeckia hirta.



Rudbeckia fulgida. These are coming earlier this year than last.



Gazania from seed.



Red Hot Pokers and Asiatic lilies by the street. The Stargazers have started to bud.



It's 77 degrees. Rain last night, more this evening and Sunday. Storms possible.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

And I'm off from work. I have to go meet my sister again today, but this morning, I'll be in the yard in half an hour. I've got some plants to move, rooted cuttings to plant, and I want to do some general cleanup.

In the 10 day forecast, there's still no freezing temperatures. I'm not about to believe that our last freezing day will be March 9. It's a really nice thought, but I know better.

It's currently 45 degrees and clear. Last night it rained, and then rained some more. The clocks need to all be set forward an hour. Welcome to Daylight Savings Time. It'll be nice to have the extra hour in the evenings.

10:54am - I've gotten a few things done.

I stuck some cuttings. Left to right, top to bottom: unknown spirea, unknown spirea, yellow knockout, burning bush, burning bush, row 2; unknown spirea, unknown spirea, yellow knockout, white spirea, burning bush. The lower tray: top row, Carla's current fig, possibly a Celeste or Brown Turkey. Bottom row: black missions from Carla's former house. I don't label when I do things like this because they're more likely to die. I've put them on the seed rack by the woodpile on the shady side. The leftover fig cuttings were stuck here and there in the yard.



I planted out eight quarts of wintersown dianthus "Depford Pink". They're along the top of the wall below the lavender and knockout roses.



Blue Spruce sedum was divided and planted along the top of the wall below the butterfly garden. That's where I have the 200 daffodils.



To delineate the end of the butterfly garden, I moved the three clearance cotoneaster plants from the upper meadow to the front slope. Beyond this, I'll let the vinca, violets, and whatever else run wild. Maybe.



A few feet from the edge of the "lawn" at the top of the same slope, parallel to the street, I planted six rooted gardenias. I also moved an Endless Summer Hydrangea to the very end of the line.



Forty-eight wintersown Rudbeckia hirta were planted in various spots in the yard. They're still tiny, but I know lots of the plants will survive. Mother Nature will cull the weak ones. I may have to intervene at some point.



Eight calla lilies, purchased for 25 cents a piece went into the perennial bed near the ever blooming camellia. It's drier here in the winter than elsewhere, so they might return. I had them in a yard in Charlotte on Country Club Drive when I rented a house there.



I also pruned the neighbor's rose bush, planted out a couple of Arizona Cypress "Carolina Sapphire". These trees reach 30-40' tall and 20' wide. They have a bluish color and grow almost as fast as Leyland Cypress. They were developed by Clemson University for use on the East Coast. In front of these, I moved two rooted cuttings of Elaeagnus. They're really well rooted, so I expect them to thrive in the full sun. I've sort of left a path to the stream back there. I know in the next few years, things will grow in and block it. I'm okay with that.

I moved some sedum from last year's clearance sale to the front slope, now known as the Butterfly garden. In the next couple of weeks, I'll be rooting more of it and the Blue Spruce. The dry soil should work well. I've got a few overwintered cuttings of a taller sedum that I need to plant today. I don't know. Somewhere. Why?

It's 52 degrees. I've got a few more things to do and about an hour and a half to get them all done. I have to be in Cheraw at 3pm. The third cup of coffee is cooling off.

12:12pm - I'm going to stop for the day. I planted some rosemary in the bed at the end of the driveway on the sunny side.



Along the bottom of the retaining wall next to the driveway, I divided and planted Coreopsis Full Moon. I moved these from the perennial bed. I pulled back the leaves and cut back the dead foliage from Coreopsis "Moonbeam". There are Stella D'Oro daylilies and orange ditch lilies in this bed all along the wall. I planted out 12 more wintersown Rudbeckia containers here too. Let's see if all this yellow and orange clashes with the blues and pinks above them in the front beds this summer.



Five butterfly bushes were transplanted to the butterfly garden. I placed them at the top of the slope. Between them, I planted 6 overwintered clumps of tall sedum. Milkweed, lantana, and other butterfly plants will be scattered through this bed.



I've got a follower in the yard. This robin went everywhere I did, plucking earthworms from the dirt I was disturbing. It came within 6 feet of me several times.



On the agenda for my next day off, the front bed. The pansies will be done in a couple more months. Heucheras are putting out new foliage and the Japanese Maple will be leafing out soon. I've already installed penny priced nandinas, rooted gardenias, and tea olives. For summer color, I'm going to plant echinacea and shasta daisies to brighten up this bed. It gets a little sun in the mornings and evenings, so these two should do okay. I may root some more Montauk Daisies for late summer blooms.



It's 54 degrees and sunny. I need lunch and a shower.