Summer 30 June 2023

It is hot this week! It is very hot this week! The county warned of poor air quality. Temperatures will be near 40 degrees C both today and tomorrow. The forecast is for some increased rain probability over the next week and that will lower the temps down a little perhaps to as low as 35 degrees.

The garden is at a maximum. The plants are green and lush. The blooms are abundant. The butterflies, pollinators and birds are very busy.

Here are my efforts for this week.

The crocosmia photo is a little blown out but you can see that this cultivar is aptly named. The foliage is gladiolus like and it does want to lay down from rainfall or the wind. The plant is a little agressive and I have to pull up plants on the advancing edge of the thicket.

The ruellia does have a beautiful color. It is another plant that minds its manners the best if kept in a container.

The Stokes aster is in its glory. It is doing so nicely with a little shade at mid day and with the backdrop of the Southern Shield ferns.

The coleus are in a container in the shade garden. They do get enough morning sun to thrive. They did not like the coolness of the spring but they are thriving now.

The limelight hydrangeas are a showstopper. They are a very popular shrub in our area now. They are not afraid of the sun like other hydrangeas. This is the original and they are tall. Smaller varieties are now available like ‘Little Lime’ and ‘Hobo’ which are smaller and can be grown in front of other shrubs.

As promised last week, here come the Shasta daisies. This cultivar is ‘Becky’ I think. You can see that there are a lot more buds waiting to open this week. This daisy always puts on a good show.

One more photo for you today.

This is the ongoing project of the propagation of limelight hydrangeas from cuttings that began in March. 5 hydrangeas are progressing well. It may be these will be used to replace some of the azaleas that suffered damage from the December deep freeze.

Every Saturday, Jim Stephens is hosting Six on Saturday. Join us and see gardens from all around the world. Sip on your coffee or other beverage and enjoy. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Happy Gardening!!