Five Little Vincas All in a Row

This is a continuation of an exciting story about a "make over" of an overgrown flowerbed surrounding the waterfall in our courtyard (if you would like to read the fascinating details from the beginning before reading this post, you can click here: Dog Days of Summer).  

The following pictures show the flowerbed before I cleaned it out ...

It was a tangled mass of lantana plants that had taken on the characteristics of kudzu and was strangling everything in sight.

In an attempt to make it look like someone lives in our house, and to make the flowerbed less "snaky," I pulled up the unsightly lantana plants and transplanted them to a flowerbed in our backyard where they have plenty of growing room.  Although less "snaky" looking, I thought the flowerbed looked rather empty without the lantana, and, well ... boring, for lack of a better word.

     

I decided it needed some color, but it had to be plants that could tolerate our soon-to-be 100-plus degree temperatures ... and zinnias were the first thing that came to mind.  Since Home Depot is close by, I decided I would begin my zinnia quest there.  Unfortunately, there were no zinnias to be found, but as I walked down one of the aisles, I could have sworn that I heard someone, or some thing, calling my name.  And then I saw them ... five of the prettiest little red Vinca plants you've ever seen ... all in a row ... and practically quivering with excitement, as if they had been waiting for me to come along and take them home with me.  And, of course, I did!

Their tag promises that they can withstand six hours or more of sun ...

So, hopefully, they will do well in their new home ...

 

 

 

I wish they were bigger, but at least they add a little color to the flowerbed, and, who knows ... perhaps in a couple of weeks I'll write a post beginning with the words, "Remember the little red Vincas planted all in a row?  Well, look at them now!"

[Above photo is of some vinca I planted in the same flowerbed five years ago]

Dog Days of Summer

Even though we're just a few days into summer, according to the calendar, anyway, our Mississippi thermometers have been registering in the upper 90s, with heat indexes rising above the 100-degree mark.  

The sultry "Dog Days of Summer," which normally occur in July and August, have already taken a toll on the flowers I planted around our waterfall in the Spring.

I planted lavender Lantana, and they were pretty at first, as you can see in the bottom left of the picture below ... (notice the little plant on the right of the path beside the "Peace" sign, too).

But the lantana quickly became "leggy," and literally took over the flowerbed, strangling the variegated liriope that were scattered amongst them.

Then, they quit blooming, and the flowerbed became a tangled mass and looked "snaky" and neglected.

Everything looked faded and tired, and when I looked at them, they made ME feel faded and tired, too (like these Snapdragons planted in our courtyard) ... not a pretty sight, huh?

Poor Snaps!

Ahhh ... that's better!  I need to get another Hosta to fill in that empty space.

Remember the little lantana plant beside the "Peace Sign?"

Well, needless to say, it grew, too ... almost covering the sign and stepping stones.

This pale yellow lantana plant is a remnant from last summer.  I was so pleased to see it when it first appeared, but, it, too, quickly took on the personality of kudzu and began to cover up the stone path leading to the waterfall ...

 

We've had an occasional snake check out our pond, and not being able to see where we're stepping is just not an option, especially when our grandchildren are visiting.  So, over the weekend, I decided enough is enough!

I pulled up the lavender lantana ...

  

And could actually see the liriope ...

And my Peace Sign ...

Then I cut back the yellow lantana ...

And now we can walk up to the waterfall, without worrying about undesirable critters lurking under overgrown flowers.

  

I think it looks much better now, but I'm not sure I like the mostly "green" look.  Actually, it's kind of boring. The only color I have left is the yellow lantana and some gold lantana planted in the urn.

I thought about replacing it, but it has lots of buds on it and will bloom again soon ...

At least it looks like someone lives here now, instead of looking so wild and bedraggled.  I may add some zinnias for color, if I can find some (like the ones shown in my header picture above, which was taken a couple of summers ago). 

Oh, and in case you're wondering about the lantana that I pulled up ... well, it appears to be happy in its new home -- a flowerbed in our backyard.  It will have room to roam and, hopefully, will bloom again.

And speaking of blooming ... remember our "happy little tomato patch" that I wrote about a few weeks ago?  If you missed that story, you can click here to read about them.

The plants are thriving and we have 13 little green tomatoes!

I'm going to go in search of zinnias later today ... or some other colorful, heat-tolerant flowers, and will post "after" pictures if my search is successful.

I hope you are enjoying the first days of summer where you live.  Hopefully, it's not as hot as it is here in Mississippi!

To be continued ...
  

It's Gonna be a Long, Hot Summer

It seems that our long-awaited Spring didn't last as long as I had hoped (but then, it never does). Our April temperatures have been hovering in the mid-to-upper 80s, heralding a long, hot summer ahead for Mississippi.

In anticipation of the summer heat and humidity, I visited a nursery in Jackson yesterday and bought a few heat-resistant plants for our courtyard. I came home and planted them, and was so pleased with the results of my hard work that I decided to capture some pictures of the flowers in all their glory, before the heat starts taking its toll on them.

I have always loved Impatiens, but have never had a yard shady enough for them. This Spring, I was delighted to hear about a new type of Impatiens called Sunpatiens, which are supposed to thrive in hot, sunny conditions. I planted several of them in the area of the courtyard that gets sun most of the day, and hope they will be happy in their new home. I'm trying to think positive about them surviving the summer, but I can already tell that they are going to need watering twice a day. Time will tell, I guess.

My Snapdragons are still doing well, and I mixed some of the Sunpatiens in with them.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you'd like to get a closer look ...

I bought two Yellow Lantana plants for my urns ...

And a large Surfina Wild Plum Petunia plant that will, hopefully, cascade over the waterfall.

Harry the Heron seems to approve ...

Another new addition is this bright cobalt planter and Asparagus Fern ...

I love Asparagus Ferns, and have several scattered around the courtyard. They are perennials and thrive during our hot Mississippi summers.

The jury is still out on the Sunpatiens, though. I'll let you know the verdict.

Out with the Old, In with the New!

This is a follow up to my story yesterday about the toll the extreme summer heat has taken on some of the flowers in our courtyard. If you would like to read that post you can click here. And now for "the rest of the story."

You may recall that my red Verbena was languishing on what I call "death row" (a place where my plants go when they are scraggly, faded, and sad looking).

I couldn't stand to watch their suffering any longer, and bought some "Chapel Hill Gold" Lantana plants to replace the Verbena.

Late yesterday afternoon some dark clouds started rolling in and I took advantage of the sun screen and went out to plant the Lantana.

It was painful to have to pull up the Verbena plants. They had been so pretty and had really struggled to be "good flowers," but they were no match for our sizzling Mississippi temperatures hovering close to the 100-degree mark for several days in a row. Perhaps they will be given a "new lease on life" when they reach the landfill.

I would like to think of them reviving themselves and standing tall and proud, their bold red blossoms beautifying their final resting place. Sorry, I tend to get emotional about losing my "death row" plants.

Oh, well ... as they say, "Out with the old, in with the new!"

And here are the Lantanas in their new home. Is it my imagination, or is that a welcoming smile on Harry the Heron's face? And look at that frog beside the pond in the background on the left. I think he looks kind of happy to see some new flowers, too!

Remember the pink Verbena (from yesterday's post) that was languishing away in the urn?

I had a couple of Lantanas left, so I "recycled" the pink Verbena, too.

I love it when a plan comes together, and I'm very pleased with my new flower bed. I just hope the Lantana remembers the "Promised Performance" pledge on their tags ...

... Because I surely don't want them to end up "you know where."

And to give them a little extra "encouragement," I couldn't resist adding this little sign.