Zinnia Season Begins! June 27, 2015

Celosia June 27, 2015

 These are young Celosia plants.  I grew them from seed that Brenda Cornett gave me.  I planted some seed in the Star Garden, the Orchard, and the Vegetable Garden.

Montbretia June 27, 2015

 Bright orange flowers!  Montbretia's small bulbs multiply very quickly.  I read about these bulbs in Scott Ogdens southern bulb book.  They don't thrive in dry soil.  The bulbs survive and return the next year, but they don't flower.  I finally moved them to another spot and they are very happy in their new location.  The greenery dies back after they bloom.

 Hank the neighbor dog.

Spider Lilies June 27, 2015

 The greenery of these bulbs is so healthy looking and pretty.  I dug up these bulbs from the house on Nixon Lake Road.  They die back after the first freeze and come back in the early spring.  Many spider lily varieties like wet conditions such as pond edges, but this one seems happy in average conditions.  I will be able to divide the clumps next year, they multiply really quickly.

My Four Thousand Dollar Sculpture June 20, 2015

We drank these two bottles of Petrus wine on my dad's 70th birthday.  They cost $2000 each.  He kept them all this time, and he gave them to me a few months ago.  I varnished them so the labels wouldn't wash away.

Pineapple Lily June 20, 2015

Pineapple Lilies are so named because the flowers look exactly like the fruit.  The flower below is just a bud - how cute is that?  Eucomis comosa, or pineapple lily has a huge bulb.  I couldn't believe it when I received the bulbs in the mail!  There are several varieties ranging from this color to dark pink.  They can accept some shade or protection from the afternoon shade.

Above, the flowers open from the bottom up.

Red Shrimp Plant June 20, 2015

I dug up two clumps of shrimp plant from the house on Nixon Lake Road.  They limped through their first summer, which was last summer, and this summer thanks to the rain they look healthy.  They tend to get taller and leggier.  And the clumps get bigger each year.

Above, I planted them in a bed where we have a ship's porthole hanging from a tripod. My sister picked it up at a garage sale and gave it to me many years later when she couldn't figure out what to do with it.

Above and below, it is easy to see how it got its name.