Fertilizer Friday: What's Still Blooming Here

Fertilizer Friday again.  Hard to believe another week has passed; I don't know where the time goes.  Thank goodness Tootsie has Flaunt Your Flowers every week or I'd forget what day we're on.  There's going to be a lot of pictures of Ernie the Urn today; I'm so impressed with those Supertunia Bubblegum flowers.  There's a sweet potato vine in there somewhere, but the petunias have been giving the sweet potato a run for it's money.  A neighbor stopped in the other day and said I should trim the flowers back so the urn was visible.  I told him to trim his cornfield back so we could see the soil.  He wasn't amused.

Ernie's Supertunia 'Bubblegum' petunias keep going strong. 

 I ran around the yard taking pictures last night just before supper and 'ran' was the operative word.  The temperatures have cooled down a bit, but the mosquitoes haven't given up for the season.  They're just as ravenous as ever.

Ernie from the sweet potato side.

I keep hoping no big ol' thunderstorms come to hammer Ernie to bits.  I have to rig up something to cover him in the event of storms and/or frost. 

I have the same petunias planted in the ground in front of Ernie and in the pots in the background.  I can see why this plant is a Proven Winner.  It's proven itself to me.

Here it is in Carl's wrought iron planter in a much smaller planter mixed in with a darker color Wave petunia. 

And here's two more of them planted in the ground by the White Lady...she must have fertilizer in that jug she's watering them with.

Ernie really steals the show in the driveway, though.  He's the Center of Attention.  I'm going to have to think of something pretty for the winter season for him.  Last year I stuck a bunch of pine branches in and it looked silly since I never got around to putting anything else in there with the pine branches.  Any ideas for winter decorations in the Big Guy?  We never had any color in this part of the yard before. 

The planter on the end of the driveway is doing really well.  This bed has only a few inches of soil because the culvert for our yard is right underneath.  I stuck the planter there as an afterthought and so far, it's working out.  It hasn't even been blown into the driveway by any west winds---yet.  The 'Denver Daisy' rudbeckias are very strong growers, this is the first year for them.

The lightshade planters are still growing strong, too.  I have a variety homegrown petunias in them.   They are almost as tall as the Jester millet and the calla lilies.

Let's see what else is going on around here:  the Naked Ladies (oooo-la-la) ok, 'Surprise Lilies' aka lycoris squamigera, are popping up all over the place.  Whatever name they go by they're always a surprise.

A random hibiscus.  This poor guy is planted in the Formal Garden in the bed I'm going to eliminate.  Time to find him a new home.

Speaking of the Formal Garden renovations, ah, well, let's not talk about them.  They're still not done.

'Kyushu' hydrangea and a rock.  I like the hydrangea very much, but have to learn how to prune it correctly.  Anyone else out there own one?  Do you leave the dried flower heads on for winter interest or do you cut it back when the flowers start to fade?  Pruning is an acquired talent, isn't it?

'Autumn Joy' sedum is starting to turn pink and pretty soon the miscanthus will send up it's flower heads.  The rocks look good in all seasons, can't beat rocks for seasonal interest.  That is, if you love rocks like I do, lol.

This is the newest planters we bought this year and they're sporting another type of Proven Winner, I think this one is 'Raspberry Blast'.  This one hasn't been growing as long as the 'Bubblegum' in Ernie, and is in more shade, so it's hard to say what the result would be in identical growing conditions.

I forget the name of this hydrangea, but the dark leaves really set off the snow white blooms. 

The walkway between the Pachyberm and the house is getting narrower as the plants get bigger.

Carl did some repairs to the Ball Fountain and it is running more smoothly now.  He built this several years ago and has been constantly tweaking it ever since.  The balls are quite heavy and sit on top of water and spin--when it works right.  Sometimes it just sits and drips, but that's ok, too.  The butterflies come in for drinks on the wet rocks and if I was a better photographer, I'd show you some, lol.

 Another urn full of portulaca, I wonder if it will flower til frost, or should I deadhead or trim it? Anyone know?

 Riverbed still winding through the yard. 

 The echinaceas are fading in color, but the bees and butterflies don't seem to mind.

 I know I have an abundance of yellow in the gardens, probably too much, but they are cheery. 

 Here's one that's not yellow, that's a welcome change of pace.

 Pink Diamond hydrangea planted on the Pachyberm, I didn't know they liked so much sunlight.

 Red 'Avalanche' petunias weren't supposed to be planted on the hill, I wanted them for the pots, but then the name tags got mixed up, so I have them in both places.

 Salvia farinacea 'Victoria' I started two flats from seed and they are very shy to flower this summer.  I wish they were doing better because blue goes so well with yellow and well, everything!

 Speaking of blue, that's a blue Castor Bean.  They are finally starting to get a little taller now, though they should be over 7'.  This was a weird growing season for them. 

 More random petunias in a planter out front with a curly sedge, 'Red Rooster' in the middle.  I love that grass and wish it would overwinter here.  I wonder if I brought it in the house?

 Rocks, rocks and

more rocks.  The trick is to have so many rocks that it looks like your garden is full of plants.  And if some of the plants are conifers, then they really fill up an area and things look even better, so my lesson for the day is: 

You can never have too many rocks.

And a few random statues tossed in here and there.  I don't have as many statues as I have rocks, though, that would be a scary sight.  (And winter storage would be a real problem, lol)

I wanted the 'Avalanche' petunias to do just that, avalanche down the rocks.  They're starting to, a little. 

There's always next year to try to get things right.

Red celosia 'Fresh Look' is living up to its name too, in front of the sedums here.

The sweet potato vine planted on the hill is taking over the rocks.  (No room for weeds, either.)

I had to get the sprinkler out yesterday afternoon to water for the first time this month.  We've been so blessed with an abundance of rain this year up til now.  How do you like my homemade rainbow?  (I checked, there is no pot of gold at the end.)

'Blue Shag' dwarf white pine and........anyone, anyone??? Oh, very good!  Rocks.

More yellow--'Yellow Ribbon' arborvitae surrounded by rudbeckia 'Goldstrum' with a yellow juniper in the foreground. 

The water is finally down to the normal pond level for the season.  We like to have a little sandy beach to walk on.

Someone warned me that the rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' would take over if left to it's own devices and I guess they were right.  I can think of worse invaders than them, though.

Melampodium 'Melanie' is another annual I planted, and yes, it's yellow.  Well, maybe next year I'll think ahead a little more.  I wish it came in another color besides yellow since it's form is wonderful.

I started about 100 plants of melampodium this Spring and they all survived. 

We pulled out about a hundred or so rudbeckias as they started to mildew a few weeks ago and now the second flush of seedlings is starting to flower.  These are all self-sown just as the earlier ones were.

My talent at butterfly photography is really, really not good.......see those two blobs in the blue sky?  There they are, Butterflies! (Sorry.)

 

Finally, The End.  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I'm off to see what's blooming at Tootsie's!