I walked all around my garden beds this morning, inspecting the cause and effect of the recent rains. So many things are just jumping up and down in the garden, saying, “look at ME, look at ME!”
So I thought I’d share my observations with you today.
Fellow Austin garden blogger Lori, of The Gardener of Good and Evil, just posted lovely photos of all her blooming Datura plants. She has six of them and I can’t imagine how huge they must be.
The recent rains have brought dozens of buds to my two plants (one planted, one volunteer), so I thought I would share the promise of blooms.
This is a Mealy Blue Sage that has been sad and pasty-colored all through this hot summer, bu today it is a vibrant blue-purple color. It clearly likes temperatures that are only in the 90s and it loves the rain.
The Verbena is always more colorful after a nice rain.
The trailing Lantana and the Blackfoot Daisy are checking out each other’s neighborhoods!
This Cape Honeysuckle that I insist on keeping in a pot for orange on the deck (which isn’t really the best way to try to grow it!) LOVES the rain and just explodes with color afterward.
This is my mutant Brugmansia – German Double Pink. I can only report that from the order I placed, since I have yet to see it bloom and some critter has been EATING the leaves all the way up the stem. I hope it survives. I haven’t seen anyone on it.
And, of course, I have lots of WEEDS who are saying “look at ME, look at ME, too.” But I’ll spare you the pictures of those!
It’s obvious that your plants are singing with relief and joy that they have had rain! I can’t believe the bloom on your datura…it will be wonderful.
It is amazing what a nice soaking will do. Your datura is promising big things. Looking forward to pics of those huge, white flowers.
Diana, Those Datura are exciting! After seeing yours and Lori’s photos, I’m thinking I might just have to get me one…by the way, I have 3 Brugmansias that look EXACTLY like yours. A tall stem with leaves on the top only, cause something keeps eating the bottom ones…and not a bloom in sight. They might come out and a Datura go in this year.
Robin at Getting Grounded
Gail – it will be wonderful and I will have to make sure I sit out there in the evening to smell them, too!
Pam – I saw a hummingbird go into one the other day, so they must be tasty as well as pretty and aromatic.
Robin – You are welcome to a TON of my seeds. The pods are opening so they are ready now – you can email me at dianakirby@austin.rr.com if you want to come see them and get some seeds….
WOW, your daturas look spectacular. Two of mine in the front yard are slowly being engulfed by the purple potato vine, which has been rambling over everything in sight (I should take a picture of the one in the front…it came in a 4″ pot a few months ago and has to be at LEAST 5’x5′ by now! I should cut it back, but morbid curiosity stops me).
Judging from all the comments on our daturas, I’m going to have to start saving some seeds for everyone! Now I just need to figure out a trick that doesn’t involve tying a paper bag over the nearly-ripe seedheads, since all of mine are in the front yard and the house next door is up for sale…
As for the brugmansia, I tried one last year, but I think it was in too much shade, and it barely bloomed and didn’t come back this year. The ones I’ve seen for sale look like yours, a tall stem without lower leaves. It seems like the only Austin garden blogger who’s had luck with brugmansia is Libby.
It’s great how this rain has renewed our gardening enthusiasm, isn’t it? 🙂
Is anything happening with that brugmansia, Diana? Mine has little buds – and a few less worms after I found them. It was gorgeous last fall.
The Cape Honeysuckle looks wonderful, but after reading about how invasive their roots can be, your yard is probably safer with the orange flower in that pot!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Lori – thanks for the comments on the Datura. FYI – I cut off the seed pods sometimes before they turn brown and spread. They look so nasty and they don’t need to reseed with 10 million seeds! A few hundred will suffice! The jury is still out on the Brugmansia, but I saw another post tonight of someone’s trees and it was stunning. I’m gonna keep trying!
Annie – nothing new on the Brugs. One large yellowing leaf. I think I am going to feed it some plant food for tropicals and see if I can’t give it a boost. We have so much summer left, surely it can’t hurt it since it’s still in the upper 90s!
I asked Libby about her brugmansia, and she said that it's a heavy feeder & she feeds it biweekly. Maybe yours wants more fertilizer to bloom?