celosia

Finally have got them all

planted out into my mailbox spot. I do think I mis-timed the seedlings this year, the plants are small but already forming buds. Maybe I should pinch their heads off and see if they grow taller before making flowers again?

They share the space with blooming dianthus

small but lovely- I was going to divide it this spring and found it wasn't making offshoots yet so hastily replanted-

and one borage plant, grown huge! I have found that borage doesn't just deter squirrels and chipmunks- the dogs don't seem to like its smell, either. Since I planted the borage, dogs out on walks just pass by my mailbox spot. They don't pause to sniff, pee and scuff around anymore. Fine by me!

The celosia are definitely fertile- I found lots of volunteer seedlings both in this area and through the garden where seed must have carried through in the compost. I dug up some of the bigger ones and replanted them in the deck box

that used to have cilantro

(last batch of it eaten in a salad, before it bolted)

whose stems are still in there- I didn't uproot them. If as I expect, these late-grown celosia volunteers stay small, they might look nice flowering in this box.

They recovered pretty well from the rough transplant.

When I was plucking the volunteers out of the garden, this one almost snuck its way into favor- an opportunistic tree seedling.

green in winter

Well there is something to be said for dianthus. When everything else is dull brown and dormant, this plant is a fresh green spot. I think I will divide it in spring to have more around.

echeveria and others

Echeveria got the neem oil treatment, too. It recovered better.

I separated out all the younger plants. This central one with the flowering stalk (I think of it as the 'mother plant') is the only one I saved indoors as safekeeping, in case the others don't make it overwintering outside.

Here it is regrown after I potted it up again alone, with its naked stalk buried again:

The young ones outside in the mailbox spot now. They've been there over two months, and are still doing fine! (Also in this picture: pink coleus, sunpatiens, dianthus and flowering purslane).

Others that I had put there in spring did a second and third round of flowering.

Pink crowns all.

more yard plants

Dianthus is my favorite plant in the mailbox spot right now. It never stops blooming (so far). I've started deadheading it every now and then, to keep tidy and encourage more blooms. This isn't the best picture, but it's also got that nice blue contrast in the foliage. I found out I was right in my guess that the flowers look like carnations- the plants are related. Another one I want to multiply.

Sunpatiens I'm not so thrilled with. It is a slow grower. The one in the sun is doing a little better than the one in the shade spot.

I planted out my flowering purslane next to it.

Gladiolas are really coming up now! Very straight. On that side of the house I've also got fancy daylilies and some other kind of asian lily, I forget the name now. Where's the plant label... ?

When I planted out my latest batch of hostas, I split some in half. I did it kind of roughly, with the side of a hand trowel, and then worried some would wilt and die because broke apart without roots. But so far not a single leaf has withered.

The sedums I planted around tree stump in the front are doing pretty well. In spite of kids stepping over them all the time, and squirrels digging around them.

I didn't want to have the stump ground out. At least not yet. The kids like jumping onto and off of it so much. Eventually I think the sedums will grow tall enough to soften the edges of this a bit, but now it gets lots of looks from people walking by. I wonder if some passerby think the foliage is the tree trying to regrow? I think it's funny.

flowers!

Dianthus is really showing off. Its flowers remind me of chrysanthemums.

Next to it, the geranuium doesn't have buds yet, but the greenery is looking healthy and increasing.

Lilac buds getting ready!

Peony buds fattening up- and already some interested ants are approaching.

And inside- african violet is fully open. But the other plant (purple flowers) still not budding yet.

in the front

There are more new plants; these I put out in the front yard.

Around the mailbox I put a little Geranium (the greenhouse person told me it would have pink or purple flowers but couldn't give me a variety name- I picked it up off an outside table it wasn't actually marked for sale yet).

And this 'sugar plum' Dianthus. Another with blue-green leaves.

While at the greenhouse I found a lot of different echeverias. I didn't realize there were so many kinds. I'm starting to become interested in all the variety of succulents- some have the most curious leaf shapes. But I resist buying them because I know I don't have sunny enough windows to keep them thru the winter, and not all are cold hardy. I did find two that looked very like my own wedding-day echeveria, both which are noted to be cold hardy. So I took my least-favorite pot of these and planted them out in the mailbox space as well. Just to see how they do. The other echeveria pots are now staying outside day and night, and they're doing fine with it. (I'm still shuffling in-and-out the pepper plant, geranium tree, mint and crassula.

Near my porch I planted a peony. I did not get this for the flowers- in fact I find it unattractive when peonies bloom because they always fall over and I don't like to be troubled staking up flower stalks. I like peony for its foliage. I think I will just use them as cutting flowers- the kids can enjoy them in the house for a short time, and I will enjoy the plant bareheaded outside.

This purchase was a spontaneous one- Rhubarb! Greenhouse employee told me this variety does better in our soil and climate than the one I had before- which struggled with summer heat. I have put it near the house where I hope it gets enough sun but is easy to remember regular watering if it needs that.

And last of all (except for the annuals): daylilies. These are 'jersey earlybird cardinal'. I was surprised when I dug into the spot against driveway and house wall, to plant them. It wasn't heavy reddish clay like around most of the yard, but loose dark rich-looking soil. Someone must have ammended the soil for a particular plant here before. I wonder what it was.