Back in the Garden for Wednesday.....With Some New Plants

 

How could I not buy this plant ?

One of the common names is

Flowering Maple.

The Abutilon "Bella Select Mix",

 is in the mallow family.

 

 

The leaves remind me of a maple tree.

It is also heat tolerant...

A good thing,

 because our summers can be brutal.

 

 

 Coleus are often referred as "eye dazzlers"

 

Looks like something has found the foliage tasty.

It is no wonder, with all the rain we've had.

 

 

It takes nightly trips, with a flashlight,

 to hunt down the garden snails.

 

The variegated English Ivy,

 I planted last year,

 is now trailing over the retaining wall.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the sampling of plants today.

 

It's a lovely spot to enjoy... with a cup of tea.

And today it was served with

 freshly baked lemon pound cake.

 

Remember, you are always welcome.

Meggie Mac

What's in the Garden.... for Wednesday

 

How cool is this...

The ladybug,

 taking no notice of me,

was carefully grooming the leaves of the Dusty Miller.

 

I love gardening.

Not just the blooms

I actually like the digging in the soil.

 

 

And....

 dreaming of what plants compliment each other.

 

As I started editing my photos,

 I realized I couldn't show everything in one post.

The Bungalow Garden is in the beginning of its' 3rd year.

 

Even though the house is about 85 years old,

there were no flowers, a sprinkling of sad shrubs,

and one red rose bush.

 

 

I've carried and laid all but the heaviest of stones.

 

So I'll begin today, by showing you a few flowers and plants.

I'll try to continue each week, posting some projects and what is blooming.

 

 

Pink Pentas will offer blooms most of the summer,

attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

 

 

Can you believe these creamy white chrysanthemums are

blooming this time of year. They will repeat blooms in the fall, too.

 

 

Okay...are you ready for this name.

Echeveria gibbiflora  'Tahiti'

To me it's a beautiful succulent,

 with fleshy upcurving leaves and crinkly edges.

 

 

How about this beauty.

It was one of those "impulse purchases" near the check-out counter.

You know what I mean.

 

In searching today, I found it is called "Easter Cactus".

 

 And true to it's name, it was blooming at Easter.

Funny thing, I bought it a year ago at Christmas time,

 thinking it was a Christmas Cactus.

 

 

So I will leave you here....

where you are always

welcome.

Meggie Mac

Summer Orange Fading....for a Wednesday Garden Update

 

Because our temperatures are changing to Autumn,

I wanted to post some of the last of what I call

"summer orange".

 

The Caesalpinia pulcherrima loves our very hot summers.

I can already see the seed pods forming,

 so these blooms are coming to an end until next year.

 

You may refer to the plant as

"Pride of Barbados" or "Mexican Bird of Paradise"

 

 

Portulaca is another flowering plant

 I can count on for the hottest days of summer.

It, too, is beginning to fade with the cooler night temperatures

 

 

As you might remember, this year I bought my first Satsuma Orange Tree.

 

 

And, much to my surprise,

the small tree gifted me with about a dozen oranges.

 

So move over Summer Orange....

and make room for chrysanthemums and

 pumpkins !

Meggie

Lemons and Tomatoes...for a Wednesday Garden Update

 

The dream of growing my own citrus fruit... 

It seems I will be getting my wish

 from these unopened blooms, that will grow my first lemons.

 

 

 

In fact, some have already opened.

The name is Meyer Lemon Tree......

 and you may click HERE to read about them.

 

 

 

Just look....tiny lemons have begun to form

Let's do the  math....

I paid $35.00 for the tree. At 50 cents per lemon (store bought)

It will need to produce 70 lemons to pay for the tree. 

With the tree blooming twice a year,

I think it's an achievable goal.

 

My Early Girl Tomatoes

Because they produce fruit in about 50 days,

 I always plant at least 2 or 3 plants.

 

Do you grow Early Girl Tomatoes?

Click HERE

to read about them.

It just may convince you to give them a try.

 

 

If they continue to grow at this pace,

 I will be  enjoying fresh sliced tomatoes in less than a month.

 

Meggie Mac

 

Roses in February...A Gardening Update

 

I'm going to call this the Heritage Red

Rose, for lack of information on the bush.

It was here when I purchased my 87 year old Bungalow.

 

 

The gardener who planted it, must have known the best spot for survival all these years.

It is on the south side of my Studio, protecting it from the harsh winter winds.

 

2017 will be the beginning of my second full year here at The Bungalow.

The only plants in the back garden were the rose bush, a very old and large pecan tree, and a few scattered crepe myrtles.

Needless to say, it has been slow going with renovation projects going on in the house,

 and at the same time, trying to garden. 

 

Just a reminder to some....

I still have an office in the city, where I travel to for several days a week.

 

 

What's even better than red roses,

are the red of my strawberries.

 

Yes, strawberries in February.

I guess tucking the plants in the greenhouse

has really paid off !

 

 

 

From the very start, I realized there was a water run-off issue....

hence the walkways and retaining walls....

two of them to be exact.

I've laid all the brick and stones myself,

including the retaining walls.

I'm not an expert in laying stone, but I do understand how to reroute water.

 

 

The walkway to The Studio.

 

 

Laugh if you like....

I'm trying to construct raised vegetable boxes,

 without the aid of a carpenter.

The local lumber company makes the first cut for free.

One cedar box is made from (2) 1x8x8's, with two free cuts.

 

 

This one I completed a couple of weeks ago.

 

 

 

Already doing well are my multiplying onions.

 Have you ever planted any?

 

When needed, you pull the entire bunch....

save one onion,

 replant,

and it goes on to make another bunch.

 

Happy Gardening !

Meggie Mac

Down My Garden Path Wednesday....Calla Lily and Mutiplying Onions

 

Would you be surprised to learn that Calla Lilies are not true lilies?

 

The flower was first cataloged in the mid 1700's.

 To find out why the name is so misleading,

 click HERE 

to read it's history.

 

 

Elegant comes to mind,

when describing the bloom.

For centuries, the Calla Lily has been

 a much sought after flower.

It is often used in bridal bouquets.

 

 

I have a habit of buying plants on a whim.

Because of this habit, I have what I call "a holding bed".

It is a small area where I place them,

 until I find the perfect spot for a permanent planting.

 

As you can see,

 I never did get around to planting my calla lilies.

They decided to bloom anyway !

 

 

The daylilies have been spectacular this year.

 This one, a real eye catching color, is dark maroon.

 

For a closer look, click on each photo

All of them are tagged,

 but unfortunately I have covered the tags with mulch.

So, until Autumn when they die back,

 I will call this one "Orange Sherbet".

 

 

Apparently I have found the perfect spot for coleus to show off.

 

 

It has finally warmed up enough for the tomatoes to grow.

This was taken after a rain shower.

 

 

The vegetable garden has produced a bumper crop

 of red and yellow onions.

 

 

Finally....the multiplying onions.

Have you ever grown them?

 

 

Adding the fork, in the photo, gives you some idea of their size.

 The golden pear shape tomatoes are a great addition for salads.

 

See how the onions separate?

The idea is to save some for replanting.

 Each replant can grow multiple onions to harvest.

Meggie Mac

 

"No Occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth,

and no culture comparable to the garden."

Thomas Jefferson

 

Down My Garden Path Wednesday.....Cleomes Mixed with Purple Verbenas

 

Have you ever tried growing Cleomes ?

 

There are many good reasons to give them a try.

The flowers are quite showy, as they grow through-out the summer,

 to 8" size balls of blossoms. 

They seem to be quite at home with shrubs and perennials.

 

And, the best news is......

 Humming Birds love them. 

 

Click on the photo

Another flower that does well in my Texas Flower Garden, is the verbena.

With purple being one of my favorite colors, I always include several of these plants.

 

 

What I like about them is their ability to grow,

 trailing and intertwining, in the nearby plants.

 

 

Blue Daze is another plant

 that looks so nice grown near Artemisia.

 

 

Even though my purple salvia has taken a beating from the recent hard rains,

you can see how beautiful it is mixed with the gray-green color of Artemisia.

 

If you enjoyed my Garden Path post today,

look for updates next Wednesday....

Meggie Mac

 

"Give me odorous at sunrise

a garden of beautiful flowers

where I can walk undisturbed."

Walt Whitman