Ligularia -- The Rocket

Here is my one barely surviving Ligularia in June of 2006. It lived through that year, but never got very big.

It languished for a couple more years --until, I dug it up and put it in a plastic container so I could give it the attention it needed. It's a thirsty plant, requiring daily watering.

Each fall I buried the pot up against the house foundation
to protect it from Michigan's brutal winters.

It really took off this spring and I have been eagerly awaiting some of its tall yellow spiky flowers.

And here they are rising high above the 'Olina' lilies.

From another angle: I had forgotten that these flowers open from the bottom up. By the time the top is yellow, the bottom is dying. That's annoying, but I still love them.


Here is a healthy foliage shot:
Update: 7/11/10 4:00 P.M. - I just went out and took a picture. The one above is from two days ago.

You can see how the Ligularia has opened more in the past two days.

This last picture is a note to myself:


Self, I do not like the bold 'Charm Bracelet' daylily next to the more refined 'Capuchinos'. I think 'Charm Bracelet' would look more charming under the Ligularia. In fact, those two yellows together would make a mighty fine combination. I will probably be hauling out the shovel and wheelbarrow this weekend!

Out Pops ' Vivaldi'

'Vivaldi' is a pretty pink Asiatic hybrid that I planted in 2003. She is the one next to the white trumpet (Easter) lilies that I showed you a few days ago.
Look how pink the Drumstick Allium is since I posted their last pic. I must say I get a lot of enjoyment from the little drumsticks.

I see no sign of the big yellow calla lilies yet, so I doubt that they will bloom while I still have any white lilies left. Darn!

My lavender has also burst into color.


I think the deck containers will be putting out some color soon. This corner is full of green.
I am expecting loads of bright colors in the near future. You can see a few dahlia buds. There are about 5 pots of dahlias all across both sides of the back. They should shoot up another 3 feet or so very quickly and cover the entire railing, then explode with yellow daisy-like flowers. They will be the background for orange cannas and purple 'Rembrandt' dahlias. That's the plan, anyway.....
I do have a large container of calla lilies blooming on the deck.

These are the same flower as the spotted leaves that should be blooming next to the white Easter lily.

Responding to a few Comments

Every now and then I like to share some comments in a blog post. My feeling is that not very many people go back to a post and click on comments to see if their question is answered. So I like to answer questions or comment on comments that I think may be of interest to others. So that is what today's post will be.


Jody from the Daily Fiber asked a question that I bet many of you are wondering:
Zoey! How is it that your gardens are still so green and vibrant? Isn't Michigan experiencing this damnable heat wave too!!! Everything looks so serene and cool at your place. Your lilies have real Ooooooh factor! Are you planning to grow any climbers on your lovely arbor?

Well, Jody, Yes, we are getting that heat wave--we have all been complaining for the past 4 days--most of us in the north do not like days over 80 degrees! Luckily we got quite a bit of rain last week and most of my gardens are in shaded areas. We are getting a bit of rain today, too. It's still way too hot and humid!!!

The last question is the one I think many wonder about...it's unusual to have arbors and not grow anything up them!

I am trying to grow mandevilla up the arbor by the Tango lilies.

It's starting to take off,
but since it's shaded there doesn't seem to be many flowers. I am still hoping to get something that looks nice before the end of my gardening season. I have tried for years to get something to grow up the big arbor, but nothing seems to want that rocky area for its home!

Corner Gardener, Sue, has a good eye: ...I see you also grow globe thistles...
Yes, I do Sue. I love Globe Thistles. Here they are just beginning to show some color.
Very soon they will bloom in cool blue spheres.

and for Tracy, who says:... I just want to sit at your table with a nice cool drink and enjoy the scenery!

Do you take sugar in your iced tea?

Hope you are all staying cool,

Zoey

For Amanda--Same views a Few Feet Apart

I got an email from Amanda T.who said she was a bit confused as to where all my different Tango lilies are located. I can understand that, Amanda. It so difficult to know where all my flowers are as I have quite a few arbors (3) and garden areas (about 12).

So Today I am going to show you a number of pics I took about an hour ago, which should help you to visualize where everything is. All of the photos are taken facing my biggest arbor, which I call the "main arbor". This first pic is with me standing just behind the area I showed a few days ago where I dug out the creeping phlox and replanted it with Lamb's Ear. You cannot see the Lamb's Ear, but it is just beyond the purple lavender in the front.

This pic is about 10 feet back -- just behind the original 'Capuchino' Tango lilies--the white ones, not the yellow ones.

Walk about 2 feet back and you are behind my new 'Olina' Tango lilies.

The next pic is just 12 inches further back, but I have the camera pointed slightly to the left and it shows more of the orange 'Ditch' lilies that are on the opposite side of the Tango lilies. The camera is pointed toward what I refer to as the "Woodland" gardens, because they are in the wooded part of my property.

The next picture is about six feet to the right of the 'Olina' Tango lilies. You can see the smaller arbor in this shot, but not the main (biggest) arbor. As you can see, I have the orange 'Ditch' lilies planted on this side, too.





In this last pic, I am standing about a foot in front of the orange ditch lilies above. It shows both arbors. They are about 25 feet apart??? I am not good with distances, so that is just a guess.

You can actually see all three of my arbors in this shot. The one in the background is way back next to my rockwall garden.

I hope this helps you, Amanda. If anyone else is confused about anything, please feel free to leave a comment or send me a personal email.

Thanks for stopping by.

What's Blooming Tuesday? Easter Lilies,Drumstick Allium, & Marguerite Daisies

Looking at the same plant from the opposite direction, you can see the drumstick allium beginning to turn pink.
You can also see some big spotted calla leaves. Soon some bright yellow calla trumpet-shaped lilies should appear. They will look very nice with the yellow throats of the white liles. You can also see some pink lily buds on the right side. . . This should end up to be a nice little floral vignette, which was a total accident. I didn't plan it all. Earlier in the season, I just stuck a big container in this spot to fill up space. As I look at this picture as I am writing this, I think that this pot is loaded with pink starburst dahlias! I hope they all bloom before the white lilies die out.

Last year I moved some Marguerite daisies in this area. They just started blooming this week.

I am disappointed as I thought the clumps would be much wider. You can see the top of the cage I placed around them because I expected a huge mass that would cover the cage completely. Maybe next year.
Here are the Margeurites looking toward the milk can:


In back of the Margeurite's I have tons of the old orange ditch lilies. I know a lot of people hate these, but I like mine. They came from my Mom's yard and she got them from my Aunt Mary's yard in Sault Ste. Marie, MI (probably 30 years ago). You can't toss out family history!
The creeping Jenny is really taking off in the old milk can container.


Same container - opposite direction.


I have finally remembered to link to Jean's What's Blooming Tuesday? meme. Take a trip over to Jean's to see her gorgeous bloomers as well as the other participants. I have to get to work, so I won't be able to check them all out until later this afternoon. But you all go and have fun while I am working! :)

More Lilies, a Wally World Bargain, & a CC Disappointment

I went for my after-work garden stroll and was all excited to see another new Tango lily has opened. This one is yellow...........hmmm....I don't remember ordering any yellow Tangos. I think this is 'Capuchino' but for some reason these petals are yellow instead of the white they should be. That's fine with me because I have enough of the white -- I only ordered more because they were part of the collection.

I am still waiting for the 'dot com' (pink) and the Kentucky (orange) to open.

A lot more of my tall Asiatic orange and red lilies have opened. I really like these together. You can see the Tango 'Capuchinos' in the back. If you enlarge this pic, you should be able to see the yellow petals in the front and the older ones that are white in the back.

For the past few weeks I have been admiring some of the bold bracelets that one of our young dining room hostesses has been wearing. Every time I mention how much I like a piece, she tells me she got it at Wally's World.

So this weekend I went to WW and wandered through the jewelry department. I found three really fun bracelets and I only paid $13.00!

$13.00 total for all three! I wore the orange one yesterday to our BBQ party.
It was a good match to my big bold Coldwater Creek orange necklace. I am going to check out WW more often. I have a ton of necklaces, but very few fun bracelets. I have a small wristful of gold bracelets, but sometimes I want funky and fun--especially in the summer.

I am slightly miffed at Coldwater Creek. I have mentioned before that I order just about all my clothing from CC--hardly a week goes by that I don't get a delivery at work.Two weeks ago I ordered these:
Yes, they are ants--big black heavy metal ants. I ordered 8 of them.

CC also has many unique items for entertaining. These ants are tablecloth weights! You set them around your outdoor tablecloth so it does not blow off the table. How clever is that? I had DH's birthday deck dinner (in August) all planned--right down to the red checkered tablecloth. I mean, really, could anything be more cute than big ants on a red-checkered tablecloth? I was going to use my black octagon dinner plates, red wine glasses and my vintage picnic basket with a huge floral arrangement with those red/black 'Olina' lilies at the back of the table. You all know how excited I get over a good tablescape...

Well, today I got an email that they had no more ants in stock, so I would not be getting them. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...............so much for my well-thought out plans. I guess there will be no ants at my deck dnner this year.

Tango lily 'Olina' made her Appearance on July 4th

Red with a near-black throat--gorgeous!

Just like almost everyone in the US this weekend, we have been busy with Independence Day celebrations. Last night we grilled and had my Mom & Dad over.

This afternoon we go to the inlaws.

I just finished my contributions:

A Tri-Pasta Italiano salad


and some blueberry/raspberry bites.
Yeah, I know the mini cheesecakes look a little bare. That was not the finished picture. I piped cheesecake filling in each shell, then topped it with a raspberry and more blueberries. If I were a good blogger, I would go take a pic of the finished product. They kept falling over on this tray so I put them back in their original holders and stuck them in the fridge until we get ready to go.

I hate toting food to potlucks--it's almost impossible to get to your destination and still have the food look good.

update: I just could not post without pulling them out of the refrigerator and getting a photo of the finished bites. The filling has lime juice in it, so I sprinkled a bit of lime zest over the top of them.

Earlier this morning I was working on a blue jean handbag for my mom. I was going along at a good pace until I got to the handle--ever try turning denim right side out? Trust me, it's impossible to get a nice thin strap when you have multiple seams. I wasted a couple of hours trying, then started over and decided to use seam binding. It's a tad too wide for my taste, but that is probably the way it's going to stay.

I have already put pockets in the lining

Now I need to make side gussets, sew the lining in and put a zipper on the top.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday! What is everybody doing? Is anyone just staying home like I wish I was today? :) It's already 85 degrees, so I opted out of going to the parade. What I would really like to do is stay home and eat leftovers from yesterday.

The Deck has No Blooms, but it's Not without Color!

The problem with planting only tropical plants is that you have no flower blooms until at least mid-July.

So yesterday I decided it was time to bring out the colorful deck rug

and one set of the quilts and pillows I made for the deck.
Even without flowers, this area is now quite colorful.


There is no rain in the forecast, so I can leave everything outside for at at least a few days. The only problem is that when I get home around 3:30 P.M., it's way too sunny (hot) to sit here. I may have to move this seating area to another part of the deck where I can use it Mon-Fri.

I was outside at 6:30 a.m. this morning (before I went to work) to plant some seeds I found on my kitchen desk. They should have been planted weeks ago, but I had forgotten about them.
I had two packets of these cool striped zinnias that I bought for 20 cents each. I put them in the two pots of dead dahlias that Breck's sent me and in front of this large container of cannas and dahlias. Oh, that teeny tiny Elephant Ears in the front is 'Hilo Beauty' that I got from Breck's this year. It's been a couple of months and it's still that tiny. I still cannot believe that this is what I received -- I have not even written them a letter of disappointment yet because I keep giving them the benefit of the doubt--thinking that surely they will take off in a spurt of growth soon!
I also had a packet of orange/yellow cosmos that was sent to me in the mail. I put them in two new containers of cannas that I bought at Home Depot in early June. The cannas are orange/yellow so they will look nice together should they bloom at the same time.

Jean's Foxglove & Asiatics Begin to Bloom

I have to show you the foxglove that Jean sent me. She sent me some seeds two years ago. I am a sad sower of seeds, but I did manage to get three of these to bloom, though they are way shorter than they should be. I attribute that to my
'have-shovel-will-move' gardening attitude. I moved them this spring and probably stunted their growth.

I am just happy they flowered and I am making sure to let them seed so I can get more of them. Thanks, again, Jean. It is fun to have something growing from your New York garden!

The bright magenta flower behind the foxglove is Lychnis Coronaria, also known as Rose Campion. Here is a better pic of it behind some silver artemesia:



Here is my first Tango lily --'Capuchino'. I planted 3 new varities this year and can't wait to see the colors.

I don't remember the name of this orange Asiatic, which looks similar to the Tangos.

Here is the Easter lily that once graced my dining table. This one is not an Asiatic. I love the big white trumpet buds. It's been coming back for quite a few years.