Blooming Again

We all want continually blooming gardens and this is an achievable goal if we plan ahead.  Deadheading is of course one way to insure rebloom but using the correct plants is also part of the solution.

Blue Paradise Phlox

Snapdragon La Bella (grown from seed and planted in the spring) is coming up behind the daylilies that have been cut down.  Snapdragons will take the cooler weather and even a light frost, 

Pink Gaura is also coming up behind the Dark Ruby daylilies that have been cut.

Gaura is not always a perennial in my area but the white one came back this year.

Coleus Sedona is coming back from being ravaged by insects.

Pulmonaria Raspberry Splash

Gaura is coming up between the Pulmonaria, daylilies have been cut down behind.

Pink Meidiland is beginning to bloom again.

Phlox Shockwave

New and just planted already has been whipped around by a storm.

This was an unnamed phlox from Home Depot.  The tag purposefully had the name cut, wonder why!  I bought two of them to fit between the foliage of daylilies that have been trimmed.  The phlox is tall enough that it will come up through the foliage next year.

I am hoping it might be Peppermint Twist which I have been looking for the past two years!

On my weekend trip to Wisconsin I went back to Northwind Perennial Farm and picked up a few plants that were on sale.  I am adding another Amsonia Northwind Select to my front pathway border.  If they get as big as the ones I saw on their farm I am in trouble.

This is a Molina Moor Grass that will be planted in back of the daylilies out in front.  When the daylilies are cut down the grass will show for a fall display.

I should cut some of the Amaranthus in the south side raised bed.  It can be put in containers either fresh or dried.

Daylily Amelia was cut down and behind it is Sedum Autumn Fire which does not flop.  I replaced Autumn Joy in this location because it was very messy looking all over the ground.  Autumn Fire is not quite as showy in regard to color but it will stand through the fall and winter.

Arnie's Choice Daylilies beginning to sprout after being cut down a couple of weeks ago.  Plumbago is spreading underneath.  In another week all of those brown stalks can be easily removed.  I think I will put some small cabbages in this area for the fall, must be careful of all the bulbs underneath.

Miscanthus Little Kitten comes up late at first hidden by bulb foliage and then daylilies.  It will eventually put forth long fuzzy seed heads for a fall display.

The Becky Shasta Daisies have been cut to the ground and behind them Boltonia Pink Beauty is getting ready to bloom.

At the edge of Miscanthus Udine on the south side raised bed Purple Dome Aster will be blooming for the fall.

Eupatorium Chocolate is at the end of the zinnias on the hot south side but it will put on a show of cloudy white flowers in the fall.

This is Sandra Elizabeth my latest blooming daylily.  It has taken the place of earlier blooming Hyperion and Red Magic.  Underneath them Vera Jameson Sedum is getting ready to bloom.

Vera Jameson Sedum

Around The Garden

It is that terrible time of the summer when our plants are bitten up, wilting, brown spots and general disarray in the garden.  I have had terrible rose problems this summer with midges and Japanese Beetles and am looking for a single rose that is fit to show.

All The Rage

The phlox has mottled leaves but it ready to rebloom again.

I have begun cutting down the daylilies that have already bloomed so that other plantings can peek through.

The vegetable garden seems to have done well this year, huge tomato plants but I am not sure the yield will be that great.  The Fanfare cucumber has been just great, no disease and wonderful tasting cucumbers.

Fanfare Bush Cucumber

I have lots of miniature eggplant and now need to make a delectable recipe out of them along with the multitude of hot peppers.

Hansel Eggplant

I have to give the Gardener's Supply double decker tomato cages a thumbs up for holding up the Super Beefsteak and the Big Boy tomatoes.

Super Beefsteak Tomato

Nasturtiums supposedly keep aphids away from the vegetable garden, don't know, but I haven't seen any!

Blue Sunshine Geranium has been a winner all summer.

The coleus border, Indian Summer, with black sweet potato vine has done well all summer.  However, the sweet potato vine is a mound and not trailing, never had one like this!

This is Kim's Knee High and it has been my best Echinacea, blooming all summer never losing color.

I deadheaded Sweet Lorraine Heliopsis and it has put forth a multitude of blooms.

Perilla is an annual in my area but it is a wonderful plant to grow, related to coleus but much stronger and taller.  It fills in my border along the fence with Sweet Lorraine Heliopsis.

Rudbeckia and Zahara Zinnia
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The south side is doing great this year with plants that welcome the heat and humidity.

Zahara Zinnias

Purslane has been a star this year in the heat, goes well with other tropicals.

Pennisetum is getting its fuzzy little flowers.

Henry's Garnet Sweetspire has been trimmed back and Limelight Hydrangea is ready to bloom.

Tidal Wave Petunia with Ninebark Summer Wine.  This is a spreading petunia like you have never seen, but does well in the landscape with some pruning.  I don't recommend it for containers unless you have a huge amount of room to let it trail many feet.

 Autumn Fern is new under the Chanticleer Pear with Lirope.

Heuchera with Japanese Painted Fern

Raspberry Ice Heuchera also under the Chanticleer Pear

Japanese Painted Fern with Lirope and Heuchera Flowers

Heuchera Vilosa Purpurea

Hydrangea Starlight Let's Dance

Lady Lucille is new this year and mid-season to late blooming.

Silom Space Age

Mid-Season

Unique Hydrangea is beginning to bloom.

It's been an unusual summer in that I didn't think I had much to show because of all the heat and the insect damage, but I guess I was wrong.  There is always so much more than what we see is going wrong with specific plants.

The Deadheads Are Alive And Well

Oh we all know who the deadheads are, we run around the garden clipping and cutting spent blooms and plants.  We also deadhead other peoples plants when we are visiting or walking by, even at the shopping mall, how could they let those dead blooms stay on their container plants?

I haven't been up to Wisconsin in two months and I am afraid my Knockout roses have been neglected.  I used the Bayer Systemic on them for Japanese Beetles and not one in sight.  In previous years they had just about been destroyed!  I can't figure out why I didn't have the same results at home.  Knockouts will produce new buds without deadheading but they look messy.

All the dead buds have been clipped off, fertilizer has been applied and it is ready to bloom again.  Do not use the five leaf method on this, just clip off the dead buds.

It is an action that is almost uncontrollable, we want growth to keep going, lengthening the season forever.  I have had a few questions lately on deadheading the hows and when and the difference between deadheading and rejuvenating.

Coreopsis Zagreb benefits from a shearing in the early spring to promote spreading and then again after bloom, clean up with pruning shears for stray spent flowers. 

Coreopsis Zagreb ready for rebloom

Dianthus Firewitch is certainly ready to be sheared back for rebloom before the fall coolness takes over.

Shearing does not mean taking away any of the lower growth but removing all of the spent flower stalks down to the bottom.

Shasta Snow Lady needs to be cut low if it going to rebloom, sometimes it does and sometimes I get just a couple of blooms.  However, it does form a lovely green mat going into the fall.

My May Night Salvia in Wisconsin has been let go or it would have rebloomed a couple of times by now.  I will cut it low down to the green stalk and expect some rebloom before fall.

The Walker's Low Nepeta can be sheared down low or can just be pruned taking off all of the spent flowers.  It will rebloom lightly before the fall.

Ater you have pruned your earlier phlox for reblooming you might want to have Phlox Eva Cullum which is a later blooming phlox.  It is not as mildew resistant as some of the new ones but I plant it in back of my Rainbow Knockout and also pick off the mildewed leaves.

David is also a later blooming phlox and taller than most.  I moved mine last fall and it is doing well but it sure doesn't look like my daughter's!  Mine will probably never be this full or tall because I have it in not quite full sun whereas hers gets a good dose of sun all day.

I have been taking care of my daughter's garden while she is away, but this is who I found patrolling when I arrived to photograph David.  It's convenient that rabbits play like they are a statue when threatened long enough for me to snap this picture!

Phlox David

Tetrena's Daughter is shown in the header, a mid-season to late bloomer approximately forty-eight inches tall.