I did something Daddy would have done today. I patiently detangled a vine that reached for support and found only more struggling vines to cling to. They were hanging down strangling each other.
Tangled and strangled
Instead of lazily chopping the tips off to begin again. I patiently and carefully teased them apart and guided them to the trellis. This is like parenting you see. When children grow up they reach for things beyond them.
Detangled
Sometimes they grab onto the wrong things for support, so a parent has to carefully undo their grasp from the wrong thing and attach it to the right thing. That way it can grow in the right direction and be supported.
I look forward to these fire-engine-red blooms every June.
Everything about this plant is beautiful, its straight bright green leaves, its yellow and red buds and its red blooms opening in a triangular pattern.
This Crocosmia/ Montbretia/Lucifer is scattered throughout my gardens.
The deer ignore every part of this plant. Oh, happy day! This is the easiest plant in my yard. It may need support as the blooms get heavy.
Montbretia ‘Lucifer’ /Crocosmia
No matter what is blooming around it, Lucifer steals the attention.
These are my last Lablab purpureus seeds. These plants have been a long time coming. I searched for them several springs before I ordered seeds off the internet that turned out to be a close cousin to Kudzu. I finally found a package in person at a reputable garden center from a trusted company. The common name is Hyacinth Bean ‘Ruby Moon.’
I am aware that flowers and leaves use the sun’s energy for photosynthesis and heat. I have seen fields of flowers turning their faces as the sun crosses the sky. I have never witnessed such an obvious example of this in seedlings until I witnessed it on this very day on the deck of my own house.
The first seeds went in the ground. Only one germinated. It seems to be waiting for something to happen. It is still a tiny, deformed sprout. I will allow it to continue its struggles.
Next, I soaked some more seeds and started them in small pots. These are now in a big pot climbing their trellis. I fear they will need more space eventually.
These last beans are my shot at getting a stand in the ground. I admit to hovering over this tiny, shallow terra cotta pot. It could dry out within hours. Because of this helicopter parenting, I noticed the leaves in the afternoon were flat like little umbrellas. Then at sunset they were tilted with their surface area facing west.
It amazes me how much information is programmed into a seed’s DNA. There are no mama plants ordering them to face east, stand up straight and bend west as the sun descends.
In the morning surface area faces east. Notice the shadows.Near noon the leaves are catching the sun overhead like two little green hands.In late afternoon, one leaf is horizontal west and the other in vertical west.
This is an adaptation called tropism that may have given the Lablabs an advantage over other vines…such as Kudzu perhaps?
June is daylily season here in North Carolina. I must work hard to have uneaten blooms. It is worth all the effort to see these beautiful faces. I say their names as I visit each plant to dead-head its withered blooms.
I will share a photo of each with its name. Trying to pick a favorite is difficult. There are qualities other than bloom color that make them desirable…stem strength and length, hardiness, colorfastness, color bleeding…
Here are the ones blooming this first week of June.
Mac the Knife- fire engine red with yellowSammy Russell – smallest bloom of all here, deep dull colorNutmeg Spice- looks different in different light, love the contrasting colors and how the pollen matches the throatPeacock Alley – sweet open blooms, white marginLavender Rainbow – Stop to see this one every time I pass. Outstanding large bloomsDixie Boy – happy little bright blooms with a hint of ruffled marginSabre Salina – Delicately beautufulBreed Apart – love this color combo and ruffled marginWhooperee – A favorite of the deer herd, big juicy blooms
I have forgotten the name of the next daylily so I will stop there. There will be many more.
ATTENTION LOCAL FOLLOWERS- I will be dividing and moving these as my hip allows. Write down your favorites and I will hold some for you.
All my preparations for me absence paid off. Only a few plants died and nothing was eaten. Hooray! I am very pleased to learn I can leave for a week without a disaster.
Most of the calla lilies are up and budding or blooming. I am still waiting for the yellow to show. Hot Chocolate is my most requested calla. It is tall and hardy. I love the clear spots on the leaves.
Another popular calla is Captain Romance. Its buds have an interesting gradation of color that is not as visible in the blooms.
Captain Romance is shorter than Hot Chocolate.
I will also show off the first hibiscus bloom.
This red flower has a beautiful back as well as face.
More blooms to come. I am tired of typing with a bandage in my fingertip.
I admit it. I cried. The herd is one step ahead of me. The Easter Lily buds were eaten along with Strutter’s Ball buds and even one Tiger Lily.
I will show you my “Moving Rings” method of protection. This requires proper timing. Too late is too late.
In early spring the rings are low. To protect the tender new shoots as they emerge. Deer do not like putting their head inside a ring.
As the bloom stalks rise, the ring must rise higher. I place a stake against the ring and hang it around the buds.
A lot of trouble you say? Yes it is. I was here before the deer. I would never have knowingly planted a “Deer Delicatesan” had I been aware of their presence.
I will be moving my favorites, like Nutmeg Spice (below) into the safety of the bunny yard without bunnies.
Nutmeg Spice
Poles and rings are everywhere. Not the scene I had envisioned. Ghetto Gardening is my name for it. I am not too proud to use junk to save my treasures.
We must all adapt as changes come.
FLOW
P.S. Local gardeners: I have been trying to hire a garden concierge to help care for my gardens. Hip surgery may be in my future.
If you know of a young, energetic, quick learner, please show them this blog.
Next week I will be leaving the garden again. It is much like leaving pets. I circle the yard thinking of the future. Will this pot be too small by next week? Will this stem need a stake as it grows? Will there be rain? The deer have all ready be-headed a daylily I failed to fence in. Some roses have black spot. Many amaryllis bulbs have not bloomed.
Which brought me to this morning’s epiphany.
I caught myself saying, “They are too tired to bloom.”
I am too tired to bloom, too.
My garden has good bones. My plants have been planted and cared for properly. It must survive my absence while I rest and recharge.
floweralley 