Sundry delights

Imagine my excitement when I saw this beginning of a flower stalk on a Foxglove plant. It's the only one on several plants grown from seeds. I thought they preferred cooler temps and would have been done by now - not just getting started.

'Blush Noisette' (1814) blooms in large clusters, and this is one of them. This bush hasn't looked good this spring, and I was beginning to dislike it. The truth is my watering system had again been attacked by squirrels, and it was simply in need of water. Now it's beginning to look better. Roses do like their water.

This daylily is called 'Frilly Bliss', is quite large and has Unusual Form. Why would anyone think that?

'Souvenir de la Malmaison' and friend

Orange isn't my thing, and I don't know this one's name, but I really have taken a liking to it waving in the breeze on its tall, thin scapes. I bought a box of them at Sam's some years ago, then was disappointed that the color turned out as it did. I'm not disappointed anymore. They add so much fun to the garden.

Such a bright lime yellow! And a big bloomer as well. I ordered it from a less than upstanding online nursery before I knew anything about daylilies and didn't make note of the name. It won't be long before I can divide it, and then I'll have TWO!!

'All American Magic' was a much deeper wine color than the camera was able to capture but, apparently, just for this one cool day. Since then it's been lavender/pink (lighter than this photo) but beautiful nonetheless and a nice cluster bloomer.

'All American Magic'

'Becky Lynn' - I love her color which the camera was really not able to capture. This color is nice but not as nice as the real thing.

The box label showed a pink daylily, so I was disappointed again when the flowers were gold. Well, it didn't take me long to recognize how much they popped in the midst of foliage and pink blooms. I love them, and naturally I want more.

'Clotilde Soupert' (1889, polyantha) - she's a bloom machine! Her flowers are a scant 2" in diameter, but they have a ton of petals. In other parts of the country they say she balls a lot but hardly at all here. She blooms in clusters of about ten flowers and has a lovely fragrance. Very healthy, too, maybe because one of her parents was a Tea Rose.

Looks like something from a creature feature, doesn't it? It's today's photo of yesterday's flowers. They don't get their name for no reason - "day" lilies. Today a stunning flower, tomorrow a star of scary movies. It's name is 'Blueberry Frost'.

Here's the real 'Blueberry Frost', bluer than this in real life but not really "blue", if you know what I mean. Maybe in someone else's soil she's bluer. She's planted in front of 'Le Vesuve'.

'Bermuda's Anna Olivier'

Here's all of 'Le Vesuve' (6' wide by about 4.5' tall) with her sidekicks 'Bluberry Frost' daylilies, and way over on the left is 'Pearl Harbor' daylily.

Don't they look like sweet buddies? 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Le Vesuve'.

Here's 'Blueberry Frost' again.

And again.

I managed to get one plant of Zinnia 'Purity' seeds to survive infancy and grow in the garden. Now it's about 3' tall and the blooms have changed from slightly more than single to this big one, probably 4" in diameter.

The previous flower is in the background of this photo. Doing the seeds and seeing the seedlings grow into mature - and different looking plants has been an enjoyable education.

A cluster of 'Souv de la Malmaison' in the front garden

I think this is 'Chaleur'.

These are two flowers of 'Bow Bells', David Austin's rose from 1991. This rose steals my heart every time I look at her. She's in almost complete shade due to summertime sun-shift, and she doesn't seem to mind a bit - yet. So healthy, too.

Is over-exposure possible for 'Souv de la Malmaison'? Personally, I can't can't get enough of her.

These are the biggest leaves I've ever seen on my 'Aaron' caladiums. They're huge.

Catch ya later!