Last Lily
The lilies have finished their delightful blooms! On to the dalhias! I have one dahlia so far. It’s kind of a small lilac color. Not the dinner plate I was expecting, but the plant is tall!
As for the tomatoes, I’m getting one or two a day now. I’ve planted tomatoes for years. Every year I try to put in a different variety. A lot of times, they don’t make it in the Texas heat so I have little to report. This year most of my trials made it (all but the cupid and the yellow). I am pleased to report that I have a new favorite to add to my list: Wisconsin 55. Boy is it good. My very favorite all-around is the Celebrity variety, but the Wisconsin is giving it a run for the top spot. I’ll be planting this one again. Beautiful bush, beautiful tomatoes, but best of all, the *taste*. Just magnificent.
The sugary hybrid grape has been pretty good, but I don’t think it is better than the Juliet. The Juliet has been a very good producer for me here in Texas. It requires little care, the spider mites aren’t unduly attracted to it and it produces all through the summer. The sugary hybrid is doing okay thus far, but did attract more bugs. The Juliet is very viney and can get out of control, but it produces better in the heat than anything I’ve ever grown. It’s also quite large for a grape tomato.
The Siberians have done pretty well too and so far I’ve loved the flavor. They will likely make the grade for next year and also for a winter tomato I think!!! They are just bigger than a golf ball and full of flavor!!
There will be more–I haven’t had an Opalka ripen yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
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Such a pretty flower! It’s an Asiatic, right? I planted a few when we moved into our new home, and they came back for the first 3 or 4 years, and then no more. My neighbor has some blooming right now in her front yard and they’re a brilliant, brilliant orange. They’re really eye-catching.
My daylilies have started blooming. I’m always on the lookout for varieties that bloom later in the hopes that I’ll have something blooming throughout the summer, instead of everything being kaput by the Fourth of July.
Especially since my mom-in-law is coming in from Texas the end of next week. Hopefully, they will be blooming in full force while she’s here.
Comment by Trina — June 4, 2008 @ 11:21 am
You could try dalhias. This is my first year trying them. They’re not exactly daylilies though.
Yes, it’s an asiatic. I love it! I had some pretty ones. I figured they’d only last a few years–I have heard if you get a “mom” root, they will multiply, but it’s kind of luck of the draw. I’ve also heard to plant them fairly close together (not one here and another twenty feet away) and that helps them. We’ll see. I keep them watered after they bloom that the roots will be big and healthy for next year.
Roses bloom all year round. Some varieties anyway. Of course, they actually require more care than I prefer. This is highly annoying. I don’t have much time to spend on the flowers what with spider mites attacking the tomatoes (found more of the devils this morning–about a week after the last batch as expected. Damn things.)
Uh-oh, mom-in-law! You’re going to have to be on good behavior!!! Gonna be tough for you.
Comment by Maria — June 4, 2008 @ 11:25 am
Yeah, Dahlias are nice, too. My flowerbeds are pretty much filled up with daylilies now, though. And the other perennial flowers I have are Gladiolas (and in the spring Daffodils.) Boy, do the Glads ever come back–they multiply like rabbits–the last couple of years I’ve started yanking a bunch out because they’re taking over. Of course, I still leave some to bloom, but they just go crazy.
As for roses, there’s a shrub rose that has become extremely popular around here: the Knockout Rose. Even the landscapers are using them at like neighborhood & office park entries. They are prolific bloomers and they say they do not require all of that spraying etc like more traditional roses. But that means I’d have to create another flowerbed for them and I think my husband would shoot me if I did that.
Comment by Trina — June 4, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Oh, and about mom-in-law: no worries there. I could not have asked for a better one, she’s a wonderful person and I really enjoy her company.
Comment by Trina — June 4, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
You’ll still have to behave yourself.
They are making hardier roses. I don’t have room for any of them…either!
My mom used to grow glads. I used to be the one to sort through and pick out the small bulbs and try to find new places…and so I don’t grow glads and I don’t grow iris either. Although in Texas the Iris’ don’t spread as much, nor do they stay in bloom more than about a day. It’s too hot so they only do so-so here. In NM, they used to last quite a while. My gram had tons of them.
Fresias. Get those. They are wonderful. I’m going to create a small flower bed so that I can have more of those…I put in some tulips too this year.
I need more flowers like a hole in the head!
Comment by Maria — June 4, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Oh yeah–give the extra glad bulbs away via craigslist. Getting started with bulbs ain’t cheap and the neighbors/locals will thank you! I gave away my big pots this year that I no longer use. The lady that took them was very pleased and so was I.
Comment by Maria — June 4, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
I had no luck with tulips. I must’ve planted 50 bulbs…I think 4 came up the first year and a couple of years after that. Then this year just 2 but only one actually bloomed. Pffft…I just yanked ‘em up. I have a note on my calendar to plant more daffodil bulbs this fall.
We re-did a flowerbed alongside our garage recently and planted a perennial called Mexican Sage Bush (or something like that.) The foliage is a silvery gray and reminds me of the butterfly bush and the purple & white flowers are really cool, they’re panicle-like and velvety. They require nothing of me and are blooming like crazy, so I absolutely love them.
Believe me, I try to pawn off bulbs/rhizomes/even liriope on everyone I meet. We happen to live next to a large open area that has become overgrown and somewhat wooded (city owns it, long story), so I toss my bulbs, clippings etc over there. I use it like a big compost pile plus there’s always the chance that some bulb may actually grow.
Comment by Trina — June 4, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
You’re hilarious. I can just see it!!!!
Comment by Maria — June 4, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Yeah, tulips don’t do so great here either. BUT they were on SALE. 50 cents for a pot of six, 1 dollar for a pot of a gazzilion. So I bought about 3 pots. They bloomed wonderfully this year in my window. I put them outside. Maybe they will do well. I don’t know. I know most people complain that they don’t do well. I suspect it is the heat, but I blame a lot of things on the heat. Shrug. It cost me 2 bucks for 3 bins of flowers. Who could resist????
Comment by Maria — June 4, 2008 @ 1:45 pm