You’ll see Hartlage Wine Calycanthus foliage to the right of the tree petunia flower. To the upper left of the tree petunia flower, in the shadows, is a Lenten Rose that self-sowed.
This picture was taken in early October. Petunia flowers start to fade when the days begin to get shorter. Hence, while there are flowers, the petunia patch looks pretty beat up.
You can see the buds of the Cornell Pink Rhododendron. I can’t wait for them to beckon spring again.
I find garden novelties, such as tree petunia flowers, the most exciting parts of the garden.
The white, reliable blooms of PeeGee Hydrangea slowly become pink as fall progresses. Other features of PeeGee Hydrangeas include a course habit and yellowing leaves as the temperature grows colder.
Prune PeeGee hydrangeas whenever you see fit, for they bloom on the current season’s growth.
PeeGee Hydrangeas are there every year; no matter how cold the winter, how wet the spring, or how dry the summer.
This is the same Hydrangea on May 15, while the picture at the top of the page is from September 8.
I cut back my PG Hydrangeas heavily every winter. Last year, I removed the top three feet of the main trunk, and the plant loved it.
Meadow Rue – Thalictrum rochebrunianum
On the extreme left of the photo at the top of the page is a Meadow Rue that self-sowed a few years ago. I tie it to the downspout by mid-summer to prevent thunderstorms from knocking it over.
Dawn Redwood – Metasequoia glyptostroboides
At the back right of the photo, in the shadows, is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) planted in the early 2000s. It was 6 feet tall when planted, and now it towers over the house’s roof.
My son learned to climb in that tree.
Dawn Redwood makes a great gift if you know anyone with children with a large yard. The child will enjoy climbing it by the time they become a teenager.
In front of the PeeGee Hydrangea is a bed of petunias. I planted Wave Petunias three years ago, and for the past two years, the petunias self-sowed. Last year, the flowers had more pink. However, this year, they’re showing more white.
I enjoy creating landscapes with staggered blooms to create multi-season interest. However, if Mother Nature wants to help with some self-sown meadow rue or petunias, that’s okay too!
I’m not sure how that post spiraled so out of control. Despite that, my work is done if you appreciate the PeeGee Hydrangea at the top of the page.
Last week, I woke early and headed out to hone my photography skills.
While I would like to put all of my award-winning photos in one post, I realized a picture truly is worth a thousand words and decided to break up the posts.
Click on a photo to open a larger version.
Patriotic Lambsquarters
I love how this lambsquarters frames the American flag. I should feel guilty for not weeding my gardens, but I don’t. The weeds keep coming, and all we can do is our best.
Last year, when I walked Lafayette Square in Washington D.C., the wax begonias were thriving in the summer heat. The memory motivated me to plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia this year.
Wax begonias are easy to grow and provide interest from the moment they’re planted until first frost.
Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia
Here are my Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia in early September. We’ve had a damp and humid summer, and they’re holding up admirably.
The begonias at the back of the bed, where the sun doesn’t dry off morning dew, have some leaves that melted from the damp conditions.
Where to Plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia
Wax Begonias tolerate a wide range of light and soil conditions. They can be planted almost anywhere in the landscape, from full sun to shade, average to damp soil.
Wax begonias prefer moist soil. If they dry out, some leaves may wither and turn brown.
The Begonia Cocktail Series has other flower colors, including white, pink and red. Foliage colors range from green to bronze.
Plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonias to illuminate your landscape with maximum results and minimum care.
If soil and light conditions are right, Petunias self-seed readily. The secret is to avoid accidentally weeding tiny petunia seedlings in late spring.
Self-seeded petunias germinate around Memorial Day here in USDA Hardiness Zone 6. Right when spring rains start to dry out and the air temperature is on the rise.
Petunia seedlings outgrow weeds in late spring. The seedlings become established before summer annual weeds, such as crabgrass and lamb’s quarters.
Here’s the original planting from three years ago. Note how the flowers are the same color before (below) and different colors after (above).
I added five additional Wave Petunias this year. The Wave Petunias are the purply-lavender flowers on the bottom right.
If you’re letting your petunias self-sew, be patient. Initially, the tiny seedlings seem to take forever.
However, you’ll begin seeing flowers in a few weeks, and the fun begins.
Self-Sown Petunia Flower Variations
I enjoy the variation of colors and shapes of self-sewn petunias more than planting one cultivar. Note the pinks, whites, and a gradient from pink to white.
White with a touch of lavender and rounded petals.
A bold lavender pink. Note the white center.
Deep red with pointy petals and a lighter-colored center.
Lavender-to-white gradient with a white center and pointed petals.
Lavender-to-white gradient with a white center and rounded petals.
Tips for Self-Seeding Petunias
I haven’t mulched my gardens for a few years. The lack of mulch may be why petunia seedlings thrive.
I can’t say if petunias will self-sow if you mulch around the plants.
Where to Plant Petunias
Petunias like soil on the drier side, although once in bloom, I water and fertilize them regularly with bloom booster.
Although petunias like full sun, they tolerate less light. The petunias below are growing in partial shade.
I plant petunias and other annuals next to a walkway or seating area where they can be viewed often.
Can Petunia Self Seed in My Garden?
The first year my pansies self-sowed, I was unsure how they would do. They grew only because I didn’t weed for a few weeks, giving the seedlings a chance to grow.
Initially, I thought there weren’t enough seedlings to fill the space.
I also believed self-seeded petunias wouldn’t look as good as plants from the garden center.
I was wrong on both counts.
If, by chance, the petunias seedlings don’t make it, you can always fill in with some fresh plants from the garden center.
While some consider impatiens (Impatienswalleriana) old-fashioned; I consider them reliable, easy to grow and gorgeous.
Impatiens thrive in shady spots.
If you have a shady patio or deck pots of impatiens will brighten the space immediately. Once impatiens start blooming they don’t stop until frost.
I planted impatiens in pots around an outdoor outlet for screening. Eventually, I’ll figure out what to plant there permanently but for now, I’m using them as a filler.
By September these plants will be mounds eighteen inches tall and in need of light pruning to keep the branches from breaking. You won’t be able to see the outlet.
While the image above focuses on the outlet when you step back the outlet disappears. Sometimes we have to see the forest for the trees. The only person that will ever notice that outlet is me.
This picture of the impatiens gives a better feel of what’s going on. In another week my Stewartia pseudocamellia will be in full bloom! You can see the tight blooms to the left of the lamp post.
If you plant impatiens in pots water them daily during the heat of the summer. I water outdoor potted plants daily during the summer anyway.
Impatiens like wet soil and go limp the second they dry out. While you can plant impatiens in the garden I usually put them in pots.
A word of caution, deer love impatiens. If you’ve got deer plant them where the deer don’t roam or suffer the consequences. I have lost a pot of impatiens overnight to those beautiful creatures.
While I admit the salmon contrasts with the bright pink of my petunias I’m ok with that. This bed is half sun and half shade so we’ll see if my sun plants (Petunias) or shade plants (Impatiens) like the garden better.
Don’t overlook impatiens for a shady spot. They’re incredibly easy and reliable plants.
A couple of weeks ago I spotted a flower on one of my elephant ears, presently there are two flowers on all three of my elephant ears.
I’ve been growing these elephant ears for two years. They started as strangly plants I picked up on clearance at the grocery store and turned into green monsters.
I used a hand truck to bring the pots inside to overwinter. Near the end of winter, I almost abandoned the project because the plants weren’t looking good. I’m glad I didn’t. It’s such a pleasure to watch elephant ears grow.
Each plant is producing two blooms and then another leaf. The blooms are covered with wrapping when they emerge. On one of the plants, I had to carefully remove the covering and on another, I broke the flower thinking the covering was a stuck leaf.
The flowers aren’t showy but I’m thrilled to have them. To me the blooms are a sign of a happy elephant ear!
Besides the flowers and huge leaves, there’s another interesting thing about elephant ears. They literally dribble water from their leaves. In the picture below you can see the streams of water running down the leaf.
I water my elephant ears liberally once or twice a day. The wetter the soil, and hotter the temperature, the happier elephant ears are.
I’m looking forward to showing you elephant ear seeds if I get any. Meanwhile, if you recognize the species please let me know what I’ve got. There was no tag on the plants when I bought them but I knew they had to be elephant ears.
A couple of months ago I planted a few Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) on a whim. For this reason, within hours, possibly minutes, butterflies started gathering on the plants.
Consequently, this morning, as I topped off the bird baths I found two Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars.
Here’s the secret to attracting butterflies.
Choose plants butterflies like you’ll get butterflies. It’s that simple
Generally speaking, every time I’ve walked out the door and looked at the Swamp Milkweed there have been butterflies flitting around. It makes the yard an even more peaceful place to be.
Below is the grouping of Swamp Milkweed. It’s a spindly plant that grows 3-4 feet tall with small pink clusters of flowers. For this reason, it’s best for the back of the border or, obviously, wetland plantings.
A closeup of Swamp Milkweed flowers past their prime with some seedpods developing.
Here’s the picture from the top of the post. That’s a big, healthy Monarch Caterpillar.
Over the summer I planted a couple of Mandevilla Tropical Breeze ‘Velvet Red’ on a client’s property; moreover, the Mandevilla has bright red trumpet-shaped flowers which hummingbirds love. As a result, within minutes of planting a hummingbird was drinking nectar from the flowers.
Choose plants hummingbirds like you’ll get hummingbirds. It’s that simple.
I’d love to hear about any plants or methods, you’ve used to attract Monarch Butterflies, Monarch Caterpillars or other wildlife.
