hydrangeas – Fine for Friday

Summer Doldrums II 25 July 2025

It is hot! I have said it before and I will say it again for several more weeks. I am now having to irrigate regularly and spend time watering the containers. It is mundane task but the flowers continue to be beautiful.

This summer there has been an abundance of butterflies and pollinators. There has also been some unusual type of insects that I have spotted.

If you happen to be viewing this today and you enjoy gardens, you should be aware that I will be joining the SixonSaturday group tomorrow. For more photos of private gardens, come spend some time there. It will be worth your while. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has changed its foliage to late summer bronze. This four season native is a favorite of mine.

The Stag beetle is a large beetle. It feeds on decaying wood but here it is just laying on the concrete of my driveway. It must have lost its way. It is a mean looking specimen.

The imperial moth is a looker. The host plants are pines, maple, oak, Sweetgum and sassafras. There are plenty of each of these around me. I cannot ever remember having seen this moth before.

The knockout roses are beginning their second flush of the year. There will be another in the fall. These may have been stimulated by a layer of compost laid on the ground under them a few weeks ago.

The ginger lily (Curcuma sp) has these exotic pineapple like blooms. I don’t notice a fragrance but I love the color.

The Katy Road Roses are blooming well into the summer. Another name for them is Carefree Beauty. You may remember that in years past they were weakened by sawfly attacks. This year I have managed to control that with Neem oil applications. The reward is continued blooms.

Watering and deadheading are my main tasks for this time of year. It is too hot for much else.

Happy Gardening!

June Heat 6 June 2025

It is heating up. Slowly but surely, as the days continue to lengthen and the sun moves to the north, it is hotter. It’s been gradual but consistent. The rainfall has also been steady so the garden is in great shape.

I have been able to tend the garden regularly and I am very pleased with its progress. My blueberries really started to produce this past week and I have made some blueberry ice cream. Yum!

I will be joining the SixonSaturday group again tomorrow. It is fun. Just take 6 photos and link the post or blog where they are located to the group. Here is the website hosted by Jim Stephens https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The Vitex Agnus-castus or Chaste tree is in full bloom this week. It was a struggle to plant it a few years back since it was in a 15 gallon container. It was worth it.

This Rose of Sharon is a beauty of an heirloom plant. I have another with a white throat. The shrub survives a long time and is often found in old country cemeteries and abandoned farm properties.

I apologize that this is a little out of focus. This Tradescantia is a reliable perennial. It dies back over winter but reliable returns each spring and grows all summer with these delicate blooms.

The Knockouts need weekly Neem applications to keep the sawfly larvae at bay. I recently put a new layer of compost around them and I am being rewarded with the second blooming of the year. There will likely be a third bloom in the fall.

All the daylilies are doing so well this year. I am showing this representative which will be nameless.

This Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ steals the show for me today. It will be a large plant of 8 to 10 feet in height so it may need some pruning at times in its present location.

Hope you are able to enjoy some gardening! It makes you happy!!

The Last Fall Colors

Frost is expected this coming week. There are still a few blooming plants but for the less hardy plants, the season is over. The garden needs the rest. It is the end of a glorious season. I am grateful.

The tender plants are placed in their shelter. The falling leaves are being chopped by the lawn mower and placed in the compost bin. The bulbs will be planted next week. The seeds for next season will soon be purchased. Holiday decorating is in progress. It is Thanksgiving this week.

This may be my last post for this year on the Six on Saturday group today. I will resume again when the spring blooms emerge in February. If you have time, come visit the group and see the posting of gardeners from around the world. If you wish, post to a blog or social media and leave a link. Here is the site hosted by Jim Stephens https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

I am featuring the persimmon again. It bore fruit this fall and is now bearing gorgeous leaf color.

The Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has a grand display of color as usual. The bloom heads certainly add to the display.

The indoor Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera sp) is blooming abundantly just in time for Thanksgiving. These blooms are a pink shade.

The two ferns (Dryopteris sp and Adiantum sp) have performed marvelously this fall after the intense summer heat passed. Sorry that the maidenhair photo didn’t turn out as well as it looked.

The hardy mum also wins a beauty contest this fall.

Happy gardening! To my American friends Happy Thanksgiving!

Its Labor Day Weekend

I am out of town this week but I took the liberty of taking some photos last week. It has cooled down a little. It is feeling more like fall. It seems that summer has hurried by but that may only been another illusion of mine.

We have had an irrigation problem at the Corner Garden. I will show you a photo that I took illustrating the source.

Come take a stroll with me through the garden. We can sit in the shade whenever you like. I might even be able to provide you with a glass of “sweet tea”. It will be refreshing. If you are able, come join us Saturday morning when Jim Stephens hosts us at this website https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. This will allow you to join the Six on Saturday crowd as we tour gardens throughout the world.

The Stokesia is blooming again. It is feeling the cooler temps that are approaching.

The Blackberry lily continues to produce some beautiful blooms.

The crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia sp) is blooming madly. Less prolific this year but still awe inspiring.

The Gomphrena “strawberry fields” has been outstanding this year.

The Encore Azalea (this one may be “Autumn Royalty” is nicely blooming. This variety has 3 blooming periods a year although this has been this year’s first blooming.

The Limelight hydrangea is in its first year and has been blooming for 3 months now. This cultivar is “Bobo”

I mentioned an irrigation issue and here it is. This is at the Corner Garden and we will need some professional help here. Keep you posted.

Happy Gardening everyone!!

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!!