August 20, 2011

It's Been So Long......

It's been so long since my last post that I barely remember the process and can't think of anything clever or amazing to share (not that I ever did), so I shall just jump in with something. That something is the first bloom on my Morning Glory 'Flying Saucers'. The vine covers an old bench that sits in the front yard and is one of the first things I see when stumbling into the kitchen for my morning coffee.

The Morning Glories started out with seeds planted in a container on May 22. Also planted Moonflowers, Star Gladiolus, Iron Cross Shamrocks and lettuce in containers.

It probably wasn't ideal to plant Star Gladiolus in a container, but it worked better than anticipated and produced about 3 dozen blooms. This was the first. The first bloom on any plant is always my favorite.

The Iron Cross Shamrock has been a container favorite this summer. The green clover-like foliage with purple cross-shaped markings intrigues me and the pink flowers are pretty. This "good luck plant" will be in my garden again next summer.

Back in early June, Debbie, passed along to me a flat of Oxalis plants. I forgot to ask her the name of them, but judging by the bright pink flowers they might be 'Rosea'.  Because she was generous in sharing so many plants I was able to give some to my gardening neighbors. Thanks, Deb! My plan is to surprise her with some of my Iron Cross Shamrocks next spring. Of course, it won't be a surprise if she reads this. 

Are you in the mood for wine? Then you're sure to enjoy this Oxalis 'Charmed Wine' as much as I do. They're really much prettier than how they appear in this photo. The photos are from earlier in the summer and the plants are bigger now and very impressive with the burgundy foliage and delicate white flowers. They are drought tolerant and require no deadheading which makes them a true Proven Winner. I bought them in 4" pots back in April at a greenhouse and grew them as houseplants until late in May. Plant stand, courtesy of neighborhood yard sale - $1.00.

The container grown lettuce has been eaten and I'm still waiting for a flower on the Moonflower vine. The book The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton turned me on to wanting my own plant.

Hey, it feels good to be back in blogland. Be looking for me to visit you soon. I've been having trouble leaving comments on some blogs where I used to comment on a regular basis. I need to check that out and get it corrected. Or maybe I'm just out of the club!