Thursday, May 19, 2011

Cottage Flora Thursday - Fertilizer Friday

Hope all of you buddies out there in blogland are having a good day.

I'll be joining Tracie at Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Flora Thursday and Tootsie at Tootsie Time for Fertilizer. Ya'll go check out these blogs and see their pretties and check out the other partiers.



I have a few things to share today.

I was dancing the happy dance this morning when I found this Rose of Sharon blooming. I've been watching these buds form but I really didn't expect this. The plant is still a baby and is only about 15" tall but let me tell ya this plant is loaded with buds. Last year when I planted this tiny thing it was only about 3" tall. I didn't hold out much hope but boy was I wrong.

And also this morning I found this one spreading its wings. I'm so glad to see that it opened up more than the last little thing that bloomed. I would love to start a garden with just bulbs and have a lot of iris in it. That is a dream right now though.

Love that the shasta are really yielding me lovely blooms. They last a long time and the plants are loaded with buds and every day I see more buds forming. I'm pleased with the Shasta Daisy but I didn't realize how big these plants would be.

The pentas are awesome after shooting them with MG Bloom Burst.






I need to know why my Sarah Bernhardt peony still has no buds. This is the third year for it. I feel like ripping it right out of the garden. But I won't. Maybe it isn't happy where it is. It receives more than 8 hours of sun. The soil is good. I enhance the soil every year with fresh MG Garden Soil and I fertilize regularly. Any ideas?


Last weekend I worked my hiney off weeding this big garden. As you can see I have a lot of vacant spaces. The plants that occupied this space last year are no shows this year. I have given them ample time and now I'm needing to fill this space in. This garden is part shade. The front side gets more sun than the back. I live in Zone 8. Do yo have any ideas on what would look good in the back? It was a beautiful space with the dahlias and milkweed and okra hibuscus and a few others last year. I suppose these probably weren't the right plants for this space either since I didn't realize the amount of sun this part of the garden receives.


Inside I'm a furniture mover. I'm thinking I need to do the same thing in the gardens sometimes. I don't usually move plants around but I'm thinking maybe I need to move things around. Do ya'll do that? I'm afraid I will lose plants.

I'm wishing for rain. Rain come... I'm watering the gardens regularly now. Our grounds are so dry. Way too dry for one of the rainest cities in the US. I'll take thunderstorms - anything.

Prayers for the flood victims. And for the economy. Fuel prices.....trickle down effect... everything cost more.



Have a good weekend whatever you find yourself doing.

18 comments:

Darla said...

Your flowers look lovely. My Althea-Rose of Sharon is loaded too girl! I move plants whenever I feel like it, in the late afternoon though. Butterfly Bush root very easily...just take a cutting of a soft green piece and place in moist soil in the shade, in a few weeks you should have roots.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Gorgeous flowers, I love the detail of them! yep the cost of everything....

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

You have a lot of nice blooms!
Peonies do take a few years to get settled. Or, it could be planted too deep. That happened with one my mom had. We got under it with a potato fork, loosened it up and "lifted" it with out disturbing all of the roots. Put more soil in and then next year it bloomed.
As for moving plants. Go for it. Just don't do it on a hot dry windy day.

Shannon said...

Beautiful flowers! I have been wanting to try some Peonies but have been too afraid because I've heard they have to be planted just right to produce flowers.

Paula said...

I saw your link and thougth I get to go to Becca's house! These things look great - thanks for sharing such fun pix - Paula in Idaho

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Becca, LOVE your Rose of Sharon... Did you video your happy dance for us to see????? ha ha

Looks like you have some room for more flowers... And I'm sure you will choose some gorgeous ones...

Everything looks SO pretty.
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

Beautiful blooms you have there. Lots of color too.

imac said...

A flora - bunda of beauty.

Anne said...

Hi Becca! You've got some lovely blooms there, esp love pentas! I've heard that peonies sometimes don't bloom for the first few years, maybe that's what's going on with yours?Thanks for visiting me!

Connie said...

Wow, for such young plants, your Rose of Sharon is doing fantastic! All your blooms are so gorgeous, Becca. I hope you have a nice weekend! :)

HolleyGarden said...

Very nice looking blooms. Wish I could make it rain - here as well as for you. I know nothing of peonies. I say give it more time? As for part shade plants - love gardenias, hydrangeas, clethra, ferns, azaleas (especially native ones). Good luck on filling it up! It'll be a fun project.

Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads said...

Your Rose of Sharon bloom is gorgeous. We have several of them but no blossoms yet. I love to sit on the front porch and watch the hummingbirds come to them!

One said...

Lovely flowers. I hope you get rain. I was wishing for rain too a few weeks ago and rain did arrive every day. :)

Stephanie said...

My rose of sharon did not bloom for such a long time! How did you do that. Becca you are incredible!

Enjoy the weekend and all these pretty blooms in your garden :-D

Anonymous said...

We got a long ways to go before any of our flowers get big enough to bloom. You must live close to the tropics or perhaps somewhere south of Georgia.

Your flowers are beautiful and the photography is cool...

Sandy aka Doris the Great said...

Things look very pretty in your garden.

deb said...

Your garden is looking great!
Have a great weekend!
*hugs*deb

Fishtail Cottage said...

Becca - everything is sure looking beautiful! Thanks so much for linking up to Cottage Flora Thursday's xoxo, tracie

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