In late June, my garden has exploded with some of the most spectacular floral sights.
In the cover photo above, this is my million dollar flower. It's called a Cape Daisy, from South Africa. It grew very fast and easy once temperatures became hot. I am especially fond of this flower for the tiger striped pattern.
The center is inky black, and the pollen on the stamens contrast it deeply as it turns white. It sprouts one flower per plant, so planting lots of seeds is smart.
Mock Orange
This native tree flower, the Mock Orange, has popped recently. A very cheerful, happy flower with the cream colored stamens and pistol in the center. Reputed to have a similar appearance and scent to an orange flower, but I cannot detect any scent.
Nasturtiums
The nasturtiums are going crazy. They love the hot sun and wet, rich garden soil.
I appreciate these plants because they distract the slugs and other insects that devour tender crops I grow nearby. The leaves are incredibly helpful at shading the soil, which keeps the soil wet longer on hot days. These plants come in a variety of warm toned flower colors, and various shades of variegated or solid leaf tones.
Dianthus
The dianthus is a carnation type flower. Some consider it a cheap flower because it lacks scent, but I enjoy the bold white and red contrasted bouquets. To me they seem very royal with the proud stems and bladed leaves.
Santa Barbara Daisies
Penny sized flowers that dance over a padded mound of greens is how I would describe these pink and white flowers. The golden center likely glows at the bees like a flashing jackpot sign.
Ideally, would like to grow these inside the lawn grass to fill in bare spots and to repair the soil, but the flowers stand a bit too high, some as tall as 8 inches. If I can find a daisy similar to these to grow inside the lawn, I'll be really happy if they spread.
Lady Lavender
This is one of my bonsai trees. It's in great health this year, with each branch pushing out a long flower stem.
Pineapple Sage
I was not even expecting any flowers from this plant, so I was super surprised to find these sexy purple flowers bubbling off the stems this year.
This plant propagates so easily from cuttings, I have managed to make dozens from a single original plant. This is another plant I grow to help shade the soil and to deter pests. The scented leaves are slightly soft and fuzzy, yet juicy and peppery spicy when eaten.
Iris
Mom purchased dozens of these Iris bulbs, so I planted them along the fences, where I knew they would look best in the background because they stand very tall when fully mature. They look really good under the dappled shade.
Tiger Lilly
Tiger Lily has always been my favorite flower.
This year I had about ten plants spring up with flowers, many with multiple buds. They are more orange than last year, but I still think that in past years my original set of bulbs (I those died out) were unbeatable in full color.
Still, I love the shape and rougey red contrast on these seductive flowers.
Wild Chicory
Simply magical. This plant mesmerizes me.
It grows up looking like the most god-awful monster sized dandelion plant in the world. The entire plant might look like it's been thrashed and beaten by the sun, yet it puts out flowers that I could lie and say were groomed by a florist's refrigerator to preserve the color vibrancy and moisturized petals.
Amazingly enough, the plant and flowers do moisturize and cool the air nearby. This is due to the deep taproot that feeds water up and out into the leaves and flowers.
Shasta Daisy
A few years ago I thought this flower plant died, baked to hell in my flower pot during the scorching heat of summer. It didn't grow back the next year.
This year it grew back. The lady who sold it to me told me it was a fool proof plant that is hard to kill, and it reseeds itself easily. I think it was the seeds that were dormant in the soil that might have rekindled the magic.
Planted behind my garden bed, I think the muddy soil back there might have been the secret sauce to restore this plant to new life.
Shasta Daisies are identifiable by the big round white flowers, and the dark green leaves have spiney textured edges that are not sharp. Some people dislike the earthy scent, so it is best grown as a flower to enjoy from afar.
Coreopsis
The golden glow of these flowers enjoy competing with the yellow sunshine.
It was recommended to me in a garden book to grow these at the base of a tree, and I think that is a smart idea. The roots do well in poor soils where it competes with thick tree roots. It creates an idea setting where the plant will not become waterlogged, and the tree overhead will protect it from sunburn on hot days.
Borage
Borage is the sniper of pests in my garden.
With these fierce indigo blue flowers, they are the closest thing to a carnivorous plant that I grow. Instead, this plant attracts nectar loving insects and birds which act as predators to pests.
Soft to the touch, yet to slugs and snails the furry lancelets are prickly and sharp deterrents. You can also smell the greens, which is a scent that confuses the ants who like to transport aphids onto neighbor plants. Grow it near any kind of brassicas to allow natural predators to keep the aphid population down.
Fuchsia
English Thyme
This is what has been growing on my thyme tree cluster.
The leaves and flowers have the wonderful savory scent I love to put on fresh baked bread or biscuits. The flowers are a magnet for morning and evening bumble bees.
Salsify
Lucky! Sometimes you get a seed that literally blows in from a neighbor's yard. Seeds arrive in the form of a cotton parachute, much like a dandelion.
It does grow in the wild, but more likely somebody nearby purchased a lovely Salsify plant for their garden. When it goes to seed, it will likely plant itself into a neighboring space, like mine. 🤩
Thankfully, this tall plant grew up right next to the fence where it can be properly appreciated. It is so tall, proud, and spectacular, it should be planted alone, so it won't feel a bit jealous of the others stealing the spotlight.
#daisy #fuchsia #coreopsis #chicory #mock-orange #nasturtium #dianthus #lavender #thyme #sage #iris #lily #tigerlily #borage #salsify
Post Beneficiaries:
This is my way of thanking each of you for your friendship and support. By sharing my talents on Hive, I can also share to help with your needs.
Let my success also grant you some happiness too.
