Coneflower (sunrise, or sunburst?) Geranium Hibiscus Zinnias You can see I've got a lugustrom & a euyonymous needing some trimming in these too! I have to climb on the roof & hang over to trim the euyonymous! And those speedy little stinkers were at it again! [/img]
Re: More pictures I was wondering whether you did any planting especially with hummingbirds in mind WTxDaddy? They definitely love to visit. Ouch ,be careful!
Your garden is so full of colour WT. It must be a real pleasure to walk out and drink in all those wonderful blooms every day. :-D
planting Well, honestly, the black & blue salvia was one I liked before we moved here. I had it in pots before, then stuck it in the ground at this new house and was surprised it came back the next year - well, 3 of the 4 I planted came back. I had to replace one this year. I liked it because of the deep blue color of the flowers and it just turned out, the hummingbirds liked it. I have noticed the hummingbirds in the zinnias you see in the above photos. As a kid, my mother had us 4 boys plant zinnias from seed to get us involved in the gardening chores. They'd cross-pollinate and the next year, we'd get some interesting mixes. I like their hardiness and tolerance of hot, hot sun (we get a lot of that in West Texas!). I also like how they provide color all season. I put them in front because my shasta daisies and the rudbeckia tend to bloom for a while, then quit & although I like green as a color, I don't want it to be the only color I have in my yard. I do like the eye-appeal of the color, I must admit. From the street, the color in my yard does seem to jump out at you. I've been stopped in the grocery store and at public places by folks & asked, if I'm the man with all the flowers on 7th street. I have had people stop their cars and visit with me, when they see me in the front yard. I was thinning iris last Spring & a man saw me putting large bundles of iris into a wheelbarrow & he stopped to ask, if I was throwing them away. I explained, I was not and then offered him some. I really didn't have room for them, but I was not going to destroy them! These were "heirloom" yellow irises - heirloom because their ancestors came from my wife's grandmother's garden, then to my mother-in-law's garden and I got them when my mother-in-law passed away. I gave clumps of it to my brother-in-law in Dallas & my sister-in-law in San Antonio. Anyway, I am known in town as the "flower man". I got invited to join the Master Gardeners group in the big city nearby (Lubbock), but declined because I don't think I'm experienced, knowledgable, or skilled enough for such a title. I'm getting excited about the next round - pansies! I'll start planting them in late September to get their root systems good & established before the first freeze around Nov. 1st.
Master Gardener Well, I also have to confess, the person who asked me to join later on came to me one day w/ a suspicious leaf she found growing in her garden. It was marijuana. She was an elected official at the time & waltzed into my office with it & asked, if it was pot. Funny thing - I'm a prosecutor. Not too many people walk into the DA's office toting a leaf of pot. No, we did not charge her - she was genuinely ignorant, albeit suspicious of what she possessed.
What a brave lady! Good of you to take it all in good humor. I think "Flower Man" is an adorable title, and well deserved, too.
Re: Master Gardener She must have winced in the instant she found out what it was and where she was currently standing. The expression on her face must have been interesting "Flower Man" is a fitting title WTXDaddy. Do you know when you reach 500 posts you get granted a user title? That would be a perfect choice when the time comes around.
Re: Master Gardener Couldn't agree more! I got awarded the title "Unstable Horsewhisperer" in a discussion forum. I found it very fitting. WTxDaddy, you mention "heirloom" plants. Have you got many of them? I like the title and I'm going to nick that, we have a few too.
heirlooms Well, in my former yard, there were several plants given to me by my mother: lilies & a few ponderosa pines - dug from her own yard. Since she passed away, those type things are precious, but I could ot dig up the pines, as they'd gotten too big, so they did not move to this "new" house with me. The iris I mentioned is here & reproducing like crazy. I've given several clumps away this year. Also, we have a pot with cactus & several cuttings from an original jade plant, which belonged to my wife's maternal grandmother. Those would qualify as "heirlooms", I reckon.
Yes, they would! We've got some peonies and iris from my husband's grandmother, and crocosmia from mine. I also treasure plants given to me by people who no longer garden for various reasons. Maybe I should make a "remembrance corner" somewhere.
A friend of mine gave me a piece of her grandmothers Peony (my avatar)as they had sold the family farm and she doesn't garden. I was honored to have it and it's one of my favorite plants. Does that count as an heirloom plant? LOL
Your yard is beautiful and I admire your mother for getting her sons involved in gardening! We don't have children but have planted flowers and gardens with our nieces and nephews, hoping to plant some good memories as well I think it is so great that people will take the time to compliment you on your flowers! I have tried to improve the flower beds at my office. A few weeks ago the Pepsi delivery man came upstairs to my office to ask me about the daylilies I had planted in front of my car! He liked them so much he asked for a few Needless to say that made my day! I also have some "heirloom" mini iris that were given to my grandmother by her mother-in-law on her 27th birthday. That was April 30, 1943! When I thinned them last year I planted some on my grandma's gravesite and my great grandma's as well. I figured she's the one that started them so she deserved some! Deanna :-D
idea That's a great idea Deanna! My mother-in-law's grave is just East of town in the town's cemetery. I've got these yellow iris multplying like weeds and was wondering what I could do with them. Pushing them all off on my wife's siblings wasn't working very well.
