Potting Perennial Plants in a President Election Year!

It has been a LIFETIME...different election in my dear USA.... The ending of my Obama Era....  So I discover a 4-inch pot with a bulb like protrusion... spikey long standup leaves.... and it has LUCIFER as it's name....  just at Westlake Hardware store....

 CROCOSMIA 'Lucifer'

.. . . .  is a beautiful member if the iris family that displays elegant, arching sprays of showy, scarlet red, tubular flowers in early to midsummer. It is a tall plant that bears neat clumps of long, sword-like leaves of bright green. 

All montbretias grow from corms, which can be dug up and stored overwinter where plants are marginally hardy, and grow best in sites with full to part sun and average, well drained soil. Lucifer's flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and will brighten any large, sunny border. 

These perennials are most impressive when planted in large clumps.

 So, I filled a pretty potted plant.... placed it in my front yard amidst the ducklings.... and Ah-haaaaa

Today's Perennial Planting... Lysimachia and Aquilegias

     Looking closely.... The Aquilegia Origami stands tall-center, and to the left is the (just about trailing over the plant)... Lysimachia.... Next is the...... and the the right hand side of the pot is an ever favorite annual sweet potato plant.

This old, old, old, shall I say ancient Chickasha planter... I spray painted it antique rustic bronze today.....

     I am on a learning Curve... to say the least.   Lysimachia is pronounced.... "lie-sih-MAK-ee-ah"  As ai googled a bit, I found it the be nicknamed.... creeping Jenny!
      A really pretty ground cover plant ( I bought along with colorful annuals for a different potted container)

      In caring for this plant, it grows in a moist, but well drained soil, rich in organic matter.   Soil should NOT dry out in summer.   FULL SUN or partial shade... but color is best in sun. 

Golden creeping Jenny  (Perennial)

Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’

     This pretty green plan can be planted to spill over stone walls.  It is interesting if selected for hanging baskets.... but probably too aggressive a spreader for the border front of flower bed.. or areas adjacent to lawns.   

     Called a "Moneywort" . . .  this is a low-growing, creeping ground cover which forms a leafy mat of 2-4 inches tall.  It will root where leaf noted come in contact with the soil!!!

     It thrives in damp soils which will often kill off other types of ground covers!   This plant features rounded, slightly ruffled, yellow leaves.  Profuse, cup-shaped bright flowers (up to 3/4" across) that appear in early summer....  Tolerates limited foot traffic.

      

Columbine ~ Granny's Bonnet  (Perennial)

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Now... my friends, just how do you say Aquilegias?  

It's   "ak-will-EE-zsah"

 .

 . . . The "Origami Mix" is a compact hybrid columbine...eye-catching flower that offers large starry, spurred soft pink and white flowers in profusion. It blooms more heavily for longer than others and will even flower in the first year from seed.

 

     I waited a bit late in buying this plant on 4-2-16 -- and deciding where to plant this perennial -- 4-20-16.   Thus I decided to put all of my plants into containers for THIS ONE YEAR...... hmnnn.....

     In spring it puts forth open mounds of three parted, soft green, lobed leaves. By late spring to early summer it bears erect stems of upward facing or nodding large spurred flowers with pink outer petals and white spurred inner petals. Pretty golden stamens extend from the center of each flower.

     Grow columbine in full sun to partial shade and fertile well-drained soil that’s evenly moist. The more sunlight the more important it is the soil has available moisture. They can be short-lived, but self-sow gently to replace themselves; though the seedlings do not come true to seed. Deadhead spent flowers immediately if you don’t want new plants to seed in.

More stories to tell  ya .. later!

Beverly

Monring dew on a rose

I come to the Garden alone, 

while the dew is still on the roses.... 

... Beautiful.....

Living Life Well on Today...

Beverly  

Luvin My Hosta's

Shady-Luvin. . the perennial

HOSTA

 Above, this was my first peep.......oh My Lord..... I thought I'd lost my Hosta.  This is on the West side of the little shed....
I've got to clean it up along with the big, bloomin white and lavendar Beaded Iris Plant that sits behind it.

Then here below.... are the first little peep at the hosta sitting almost under the  Beaded Iris -- it's on the East Side of the shed....

Growing beautifully!

I might divide out a few of the Beaded Iris plants so as NOT to overshadow.

This is the second year . . . the rebirth of two Shade-Luvin Hosta plants located on the sides of our work shed!

How My Beaded Iris Blooms . . .

 Oh.... the magestically tall ~ Peach colored Beaded Iris....

~ I'd say you can never kill/destroy/rid one's self of

the lovely, delicate Iris 

The tall, beautiful iris, named after the Greek goddess who rode rainbows, comes in many magical colors.

Every gardener wants this perennial. Despite its divine origins, it is hardy, reliable, and easy to grow. Irises also attract butterflies and hummingbirds and make lovely cut flowers.

There are some 300 species in the genus Iris. The most familiar irises are the tall (at least 28 inches) bearded irises (Iris germanica).

The distinctive flowers have three large outer petals called “falls” and three inner upright petals called “standards.” The falls may have beards or crests. Bearded iris are so-called because they have soft hairs along the center of the falls. In crested iris, the hairs form a comb or ridge.

Most irises flower in early summer. Some, mostly bearded hybrids, are remontant, flowering again later in the summer.

Caring for my Beaded Iris

Apply a thin layer of compost around the base of plants each spring, leaving the rhizome (fleshy root) exposed. As flowers fade, cut back the flower stalks to the base of the plant. 

To encourage a second bloom on reblooming varieties, promptly remove faded flowers and maintain consistent watering throughout the summer. 

In autumn, trim away dead foliage and prune back healthy leaves to a height of 4 to 5 inches. 

Once the soil has frozen, apply a layer of mulch to help prevent roots from heaving out of the soil during alternate freezing and thawing. If heaving occurs, don't try to force plants back into the soil. Instead, cover rhizomes and exposed roots with soil. 

Divide bearded iris every 4 to 5 years, preferably in late summer. Each division should have one or two leaf fans. Older rhizomes that have few white feeding roots should be discarded

Site Selection

       Select a site with full sun and well-drained soil.

Planting Instructions

       Plant bearded iris in mid summer to early fall, spacing plants 1 to 2 feet apart, depending on variety. Excellent soil drainage is a must. 

...

How My Garden Grows . . .

...Today..... at the BK backyard puttering and pondering....

(three  "coleus" and a sweet potato vine... all annuals)

Above picture.... is a "Aquilegia Origami"  potted perennial

hmmmmnnnn

Into which pot did I place the Perennial Purple Heart ..???  I bought two of them?  Oh... Found it.... in picture below.... easily planted with three coleus/annual!

"Setcreasea pallida 'Purple Heart' 'Purple Heart' is a trailing, tender perennial with purple stems and violet-purple leaves that produces pink flowers in summer. This plant is mainly grown for its foliage (leaves can reach 7 inches in length); best color is achieved in bright sunlight and a dry, cramped root zone."