cannas Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Drought tolerant plants are beautiful summer bloomers…

The scorching heat has the humans in the garden working really hard to keep plants hydrated in this terrible drought. And for the most part, all the extra hand-watering (prompted by water restrictions and astronomical water bills) is paying off.
Yesterday was Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, the monthly communal gathering of garden bloggers around the globe and the brain child of Carol of May Dreams Gardens . To celebrate, there were many happy plants showing off in my garden.

This stunning Blackberry lily above, Belamcanda chinensis, is in full bloom. In spite of its name, it is neither a blackberry or a lily. It’s actually in the iris family. It is hardy in zones 5-10 and is a native to Japan and China. This is the first bloom of this plant for me and I’m going to have to have some more. The stalks hold many blooms, and the flowers are about an inch across.

My carefully-planted zinnias did come up – unfortunately they did not come up in the neat little circle of space in which I planted them! They’re coming up in the middle of many neat clusters of other, existing plants! It’s ok – they make me happy.
The double purple Datura is coming into its own this year for the first time. It’s swirling multi-colored blooms look so exotic.
One of our favorite native drought-tolerant plants here in Central Texas, the Blackfoot Daisy, loves the heat and all the abuse we can give it. We’re being very giving this year.
The monstrous Coral Trumpet vine is in full bloom. It wants to grow everywhere, and in spite of the fact that I have to prune it as it pops up 100 feet away from the main plant, it’s beautiful climbing up the fence.
The cannas are all blooming. The grasshoppers are having lunch on the bottom leaves, but they haven’t done too much damage.
This Clematis (I can’t remember the variety) with its bell-shaped flowers looks delicate, but in its 2nd year, it’s holding its own.
The Moy Grande hibiscus with it’s paper-plate-sized blooms has at least a few blooms every day.
The Plumerias in pots on the back patio have been in bloom for a long time. I am actually going to have to water them just a little less. I forget that they can tolerate this heat better than some plants in pots.
This plant – the Medusa hair in my garden statue’s head – was give to me by Lancashire Rose of Rock Rose. I can’t remember its name, either. Giving it a little spritz of water this week I discovered the sweetest little bloom. What a lovely reward. She looked quite different here in last year’s snow.
There are even surprised in the cutting garden. The Larkspur, (seeds given to my by Zanthan Gardens, two years ago) has bloomed profusely for two long springs. And today there is yet another bloom, coming up with the cosmos, just in time to surprise me for bloom day.

Gardening continues, in spite of the heat. Now that my post is up, I can’t wait to to see what’s blooming in other gardens around the world.

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day~

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:23-06:00July 16th, 2011|blackberry lily, blackfoot daisies, Blog, cannas, clematis, coral trumpet vine, datura, day lilies, GBBD, larkspur, Moy Grande hibiscus, plumeria, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Cannas and Coneflowers…

Time flies when it’s gardening season. It’s already time for Garden Bloggers Bloom day, hosted each month on the 15th by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Many plants are coming into their own in the garden right now. Foliage is filling out and becoming lush and new blooms are popping out to surprise me every day.

Unless of course the deer eat them! In my new garden bed, the deer have tromped around, but only ate the potato vines. I deliberately planted the bed with plants that deer typically shun. Except, apparently for Klondyke Cosmos. I was so pleased with my idea – planting this tangerine orange wispy flower grown from seed next to a vibrant purple salvia and some Mexican Feather Grass. I went out this morning to capture a photo of this little vignette, only to find…no vignette. The two blooms that popped up yesterday had been eaten off. So, you will just have to imagine what I imagined when I planted it all.

The Purple Cone Flowers above are some of my very favorite summer bloomers, and this year I have dozens and dozens of volunteers coming up so I will be transplanting lots of them into other beds.

But, I didn’t let the deer spoil my day. Many other blooms in the garden were happy to pose for pictures today.

These photos are of my King Humbert Orange Cannas. I love the hot yellow and tangerine against the lime green leaves.

This is a Mexican Bird of Paradise Tree — perfect for our hot,dry weather. Mine gets next to no water (especially in this drought) and yet it still blooms like crazy all summer long.
These Blackfoot Daisies are tough as nails — even though they look so delicate.
Coral Trumpet Vine is taking over my fence and sprouting up in 3 different nearby beds. But it’s stunning all over the fence – if it would just mind its manners!
Verbena thrives in these warm, sunny days, and it’s making a beautiful purple velvet carpet in my new bed.
Some of the combinations I planned for the new front bed are starting to fill in and look like I intended them to. These yellow Zexmenia are bright and cheerful next to the hot pink Salvia Greggii.
These Shasta Daisies are bursting with blooms in the cutting garden. But I love seeing them there so much that I don’t want to cut them!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:07-05:00May 16th, 2011|Bird of Paradise, Blog, cannas, Coneflower, coral trumpet vine, deer, GBBD, Prairie Verbena, purples. salvia, salvia greggii, Sharing Nature's Garden, shasta daisy|0 Comments

bloom day a day late…

I’ve failed for Bloom Day — I missed it by a day and I didn’t get everything that was blooming. But it’s a long list and much of it has been posted lately, so I’m giving you the short and sweet edition.

The Butterflies are out in full force these days, so I try to keep lots of water (shallow) available for them. Like the birds and the deer, they get thirsty in these 100+ degree days, too.
Grandpa Ott Morning Glory.
My transplanted ditch lily, brought back to me in a bucket from Wisconsin from my good garden-blogging friend, Lori, at the Gardener of Good and Evil.
My Tropical Punch Canna.
Another Morning Glory.
This isn’t technically a bloom yet, it’s going to be beautiful when this Little Gem Magnolia blooms while we are gone next week.

Thanks, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens for inviting us to share our garden beauties with on Bloom Day.

We’re headed to Indiana and Kentucky tomorrow, so look for some cooler posts from the Midwest if my new computer is set up.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:41-06:00July 16th, 2009|Blog, butterflies, cannas, GBBD, magnolia, Morning Glory, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

We’re back!

I’m back to blogging after a few weeks of taking care of family, and what to my wondering eyes should appear?

No, not eight tiny reindeer!

But a slew of new plants and blooms popping out in the garden — back after the winter’s hiatus to show off for me.

Above, a full 3 months ahead of schedule, I have a beautiful blooming Pride of Barbados. Our incredibly mild winter kept it from dying all the way back and so it got a big jump on growth. Which is great with me, because I just love those wispy, exotic blooms.

Caladiums are popping up in the shady beds in between other things.

This tiny Lobelia is a volunteer that decided to grow in the crack on the edge of the steps to the rock bed.
This is a salmon/pink Gladiola that is growing with a cluster of others behind the greenhouse and in the cutting flower bed. It’s the first one to open and I can wait to CUT it!
Here we have a cluster of Larkspur, given to me by MSS of Zanthan Gardens. In spite of my late planting of the seeds, they have proven to be winners and are so pretty — the first seeds to bloom in the cutting garden.
Here is a new bloom on my Carefree Beauty rose, also known as a Katy Road Rose.
Another shot of the amazing and HUGE display of Winecups in the rock path. They are growing so much that they have obliterated the entire pathway! I am happy to step out of their way and into the grass, though my DH thinks it’s quite foolish.
This Sago palm is very excited that it’s spring and that summer is on its way. This male is producing its cones, which are torpedo shaped and produce pollen. In the wild, the male pollen is spread by wind or insects to the female cycads, which produce a cabbage shaped reproductive organ with seeds that receive the pollen. Cool, huh?!

The Mexican Oregano is blooming profusely. It loves our sunny climate.
The black Elephant Ears are happy right now, but they may have to be babied some in the heat of the summer.
I love the orange bloom on this purple canna that showed up this week.
And these daylilies are lining one side of the pool bed with their deep, burgundy, velvety blooms.
Some Esperanza or Yellow Bells, have already been blooming around town, and mine have caught up. But it’s still pretty early for them.
My Rock Rose is showing her pretty flowers, too — next to the Indigo Spires Salvia.
These little Veronicas are growing nicely in their second year.

So, these are all my new friends that are back in the garden this year. So nice to be able to see them while walking around.

And my Mom is home and healing nicely ~~ thanks for your kind thoughts and prayers.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:45-06:00May 18th, 2009|Bird of Paradise, Blog, caladium, cannas, carefree beauty rose, elephant ears, esperanza, gladiola, larkspur, lobelia, Mexican Oregano, Sago, Sharing Nature's Garden, veronica, winecup|0 Comments

A little bit of this, a little bit of that…

See my little pretties? I visited some local nurseries to talk about donations for the Garden Bloggers’ Spring Fling and couldn’t help myself! Heck – I was at 3 nurseries today and they were full of eye candy! I bought a beautiful Texas Scarlett Japanese Quince at one, and three roses at another. Annie at the Transplantable Rose inspired me with her pots and talk of roses. I pulled one out when we moved in here – it was in the wrong place and not doing well. And then, last year, some construction required that we pull out a huge, lovely pink climber that I was in love with. It went high into our oak trees. So, I missing some roses and I decided to remedy that!

Because I don’t have a full sun spot for them, I was somewhat limited in what I could purchase, so I am now the proud mother of an Old Blush Climbing Rose, Mrs. B.R. Cant, 1901 and a Martha Gonzales that I’m going to put in a pot like Annie’s! The other two will enjoy a nice morning to early afternoon sunny spot on the east side of the house. They are all supposed to be sun/part shade, so we’ll see if that’s accurate. I will have to take a walk to see them, but I will have them and can cut them and bring them in the house. I’m psyched!

Can you see the numbers on this thermometer here today? I think it’s skewed a little, but suffice it to say, it was warm today.
My mahonia is now in full bloom. But still enjoying the cooler weather – it gets kind of hot here for them if they get any sun and I have one that may have to be moved this year.

WOW! See my garden. All the dead stuff is gone. Including any last dead tomato bits that might have been lingering and calling to the dogs! They scaled the fence again before the garden got cleaned out and ate something — who knows what — there were only leeks and parsley in there other than dead scraps and mulch. Tomorrow I’ll show you the rest of today’s progress (it got too dark and I couldn’t take a picture), but the fence is UP! And, if they can scale this fence, then I’ll quit blogging — they’ll be in the Guiness Book of World Records and I’ll be a rich woman!

These are the leeks I pulled from the garden today. I guess I will make some leek soup and then sautee the rest. I am assuming I can just freeze them sliced up and sauteed for use in soups and stews and sauces later on. There are far too many for me to use right now! But I want all the garden beds tilled and new garden soil brought in and it’s just better if it’s empty when you do that.
Here are a few other things peeking up in my beds these days. Above are some lovely red Daylilies and below are the shoots of a black Elephant Ear.
Below are some beautiful yellow and orange cannas…well, that’s what they WILL be in a few months!
And these are a few of the shoots in my cloche inside. These are tomatoes.
I planted nasturtiums, they got so tall so fast I took them out of the cloche, and they instantly started to dry out and die. Help! They are bumping against the top of the other cloche, and turn black when they do that, but they clearly aren’t ready to be out on their own. Or, maybe I needed to get them sopping wet…Any ideas?