One Word Wednesday

Busy...

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Today I am Thankful for the afternoon rain we have been receiving.

Cottage Flora Thursday and FF

These memes that I participate in are making it challenging to find something different blooming every week. It's also making me look at my gardens with a more critical eye. Linking up to http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/ and http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/

The next three photos are part of my full sun flower garden. The little porch to the right goes into the side of the house. Directly behind where I stood to take this photo and to the right is the front porch. The driveway in the background goes to the apartment attached to our home.

I took a few steps forward along our front driveway just past the wheelbarrow planter in the above photo.

I continued up the driveway a few more steps, turned to the right and zoomed in a little. See the lattice in the back to the left? Across the apartment drive is the new woody meadow area we are slowly working on. It started out as my 'scrap garden'. You know, where you toss all the left over seeds and plants that were growing where they weren't supposed to.

Of course these photos are not uploaded in the order I wanted them to be. Not blogger's fault, mine. In the garden strip by the roadside I have planted this newly acquired Ruellia tweediana--Desert Petunia or Mexican Petunia. I do have the popular purple ones, when I saw this pink one in the ICU at Lowe's for a $1.50 I had to save it. Yes, they spread around a bit, I find it easy to pull up and pass a long. They require little, if any care once established.

At the other end of our half circle drive is my mostly shade garden where I have this Rudbeckia beginning to bloom, thanks Ms. Doris. She is nearly 5 ft. tall. Do you know her first name?

Okay, back to the full sun garden. It is quite chaotic, if you look closely you can find some real treasures in there. Malvaviscus penduliflorus--Turk's Cap, Cardinal's Hat or Sleeping Hibicus as it never fully opens. It can grow up to 10 ft tall, tolerates just about any soil, hardy in zones 9-11

In my zone 8 it dies back in the winter but recovers quickly, drought resistant. Can be grown in more shade although it will become leggy and more vine like.

I had one Cleome return this year and have watched it like a hawk, waiting on those seeds!

The next two photos are of some little starts that I was blessed to receive from http://flowerladymusings.blogspot.com/ I wanted to show her their progress.

Keep your comments to yourself about the beautiful containers they are housed in right now, :)

I need a refresher on their names, Mom of Millions? Moses in a Basket? A Bromeliad? The leafier plant to the right is a Chinese Lantern I started from seed. It's struggling.

I am not normally this chatty in my posts. Hope I didn't lose your attention.

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Today I am Thankful for the 60% chance of rain we have today and tomorrow.

Bloomin' Tuesday...

It's time to join Jean at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com for Bloomin' Tuesday! My plants are alive, the blooms are few due to the heat. It is very challenging to keep everything watered. We did receive about one tenth of an inch of rain last evening and it was just beautiful falling from the sky.

Ipomoea 'Blackie'

Daylily

White Zinnia in the mist of Blue Bedder Salvia and Purple Coneflowers

Hibiscus with a guest. Thanks for the seed Dirt Princess.

I normally cut the first flowering stalks out of my Dusty Miller in order to get much bushier plants.

If you purchase black oil sunflower seeds to feed the birds, every now and then this happens!

Thanks for all of the nice comments about my veggies in yesterday's post. We do have an area where we 'try' to grow veggies. I did however plant the onions in my full sun flower garden and now that area has been replanted with Bell Peppers. Also in the full sun flower garden are hot Rooster Spur Peppers and hot Datil Peppers.

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Today I am Thankful that the majority of my plants are alive!

Veggie Victory!

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Today I am Thankful for veggies in the garden!

GBB, CFT and FF

Please join GBBD over at http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/ on the 15th of every month. I am also using this post for Cottage Flora Thursday at http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/ and FF at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/ There are a lot of beautiful blooms, plants and ideas at these parties! Not going to complain about how hot and dry it is in North Florida, it is however, 79F - 21.1 C at 4:30 in the a.m. Broke the record again yesterday....102F - 38.8C ......

On the other side of the Brugmansia that I showed yesterday are yellow blooms. Will see if they stay yellow.

Zinnia - Red Spider reseeded from last year, in the most random places.

Double Day Lily--not my favorite..

Hydrangea-- Mophead is still showing off...just can't help but think of grandparents when I see the blue ones.

The Torenia--Wishbone, are back. Everywhere again!

Salvia--Black and Blue

The next two photos are of Clematis that bloomed their petals off early spring. Here they are trying to bloom again despite the heat.

Dianthus

Echinacea-Purple Coneflower--I don't have any of the newer fancy ones, yet. These are from my mother's garden.

Pentas

Here's the Crape Myrtle I mentioned yesterday.

Jacobina

I will be taking cuttings from these heat tolerant plants !

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Today I am Thankful for the A/C .

Bloomin' Tuesday...

Hot, hot, hot I say! The temperature in my car read 107 yesterday!! Where, oh where is the rain? The plants and flowers are slow growing and the blooms are here and there.
On with the photos for Bloomin' Tuesday at http://msgreenthumbjean.blogspot.com

Brugmansia--Angel Trumpet

Trailing Petunias from seed.

Welcome Back David...Tall Phlox

Monarda--Bee Balm

Container of Red Petunias in the shade of the Crape Myrtle Tree, which is blooming...geez why didn't I take a photo of it?

I believe this to be an Anisacanthus, Hummingbird Bush. I cannot however find an exact match of the foliage on any of the images I googled.

It was a cutting from Ms. Doris and was planted in the ground for two years growing only about 8 inches tall. Early this spring I planted it in a container and located it in an area that receives more sun. Do you know this plant?

Michelle, need some Monarda? :)

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Today I am Thankful for the Deans.