It's Bloomin' Tuesday and time once again to highlight a few blossoms in our garden. Most of our visiting family members have left, so it's much quieter around here. You can almost hear the flowers blooming. Our beauticious perennial hibiscus is finally strutting her stuff. She usually makes her appearance the end of July, but like all my plants this year she is making her grand entrance a few weeks late.
When you have this perennial hibiscus, named "Luna Pink Swirl," gracing your yard you can pretend that you're living in the tropics even though you reside smack dab in the middle of the US of A. Its beautiful bloom is as big as a salad plate, and it adds a dramatic punch of color to any yard. When I catch a glimpse of it I feel like throwing a lei around my neck and doing the hula!
This hibiscus may look like a temperamental hot house plant, but she's as hardy as they come. In late fall I trim her down to several inches above the ground and by late Spring she's sending up shoots once again. So lovely...
This year I bought some variegated impatiens to plant around one of our locust trees. This variegated variety was new to our nurseries. I love how they filled in around the base of the tree and gave the area a whimsical feel with their little striped faces.
My last feature is a favorite rose of mine. I must admit our relationship was not always this congenial. I originally planted this rose in a little rose bed in our yard. After the first year it was more dead than alive, so I dug it up and replanted it in a corner of the yard thinking the move would finish her off. The next year she looked much better. Unfortunately, I didn't like where I had planted her. She was in the midst of ground cover and looked out of place as the only taller plant in the area, so I decided to remove her altogether. I hacked away at the plant and roots and disposed of the plant. Apparently I didn't get all the roots dug up, because the next Spring she burst onto the scene with vigor. For several years I tried to remove this plant by hacking away at the top of the bush and the roots. Each time she came back the next year healthy as a horse. I finally gave up and bent my measly little will to her much stronger one. She is currently the best looking rose I have in my yard, and she is proof positive that adversity can make one stronger...
When you have this perennial hibiscus, named "Luna Pink Swirl," gracing your yard you can pretend that you're living in the tropics even though you reside smack dab in the middle of the US of A. Its beautiful bloom is as big as a salad plate, and it adds a dramatic punch of color to any yard. When I catch a glimpse of it I feel like throwing a lei around my neck and doing the hula!
This hibiscus may look like a temperamental hot house plant, but she's as hardy as they come. In late fall I trim her down to several inches above the ground and by late Spring she's sending up shoots once again. So lovely...
This year I bought some variegated impatiens to plant around one of our locust trees. This variegated variety was new to our nurseries. I love how they filled in around the base of the tree and gave the area a whimsical feel with their little striped faces.
My last feature is a favorite rose of mine. I must admit our relationship was not always this congenial. I originally planted this rose in a little rose bed in our yard. After the first year it was more dead than alive, so I dug it up and replanted it in a corner of the yard thinking the move would finish her off. The next year she looked much better. Unfortunately, I didn't like where I had planted her. She was in the midst of ground cover and looked out of place as the only taller plant in the area, so I decided to remove her altogether. I hacked away at the plant and roots and disposed of the plant. Apparently I didn't get all the roots dug up, because the next Spring she burst onto the scene with vigor. For several years I tried to remove this plant by hacking away at the top of the bush and the roots. Each time she came back the next year healthy as a horse. I finally gave up and bent my measly little will to her much stronger one. She is currently the best looking rose I have in my yard, and she is proof positive that adversity can make one stronger...
