One of my happy surprises this Spring was the newfound success of some of the plants I began last year. Each plant has a different story with the same theme: last year’s lack of success turned into this spring’s beauty.
Hollyhock
First, there’s my hollyhock. It’s a flower I have long admired and wanted to grow. I hardly ever see it here in Georgia, so I wasn’t sure if it would ever succeed. Some varieties take two years before they bloom. I found a variety which only took one year–supposedly.
I began them from seed last Spring and planted the seedlings along our back wall. No flowers all summer long. To my surprise, though, the plants survived the winter, even with one almost-bloom being bit by frost. And, now, this May they began to bloom! The individual flowers are beautiful and the eight foot plants are spectacular!
Calibrachoa
Next up, calibrachoa. This flower looks like a small petunia and comes in a variety of colors. Somehow I got the impression that it was indestructible, but it didn’t bloom well for me last summer. It perked up in the Fall and survived our mild winter. Finally, in the early spring it put on a brilliant show along with my pansies and Johnny-jump-ups.
My conclusion is that calibrachoa prefers cooler weather… Or perhaps it needs more water. I’m not sure. That’s a question for further research. All I know is that it flourished in the early spring and now it’s beginning to look shriveled and dry. Ninety degree weather is here and the whole garden is feeling it.
A Rose by the wrong name is a different rose
Last year, after a good deal of research, I ordered one of the roses experts consider best suited to Georgia. It was called a butterfly rose and grows as a loose form shrub with multi-colored, simply petaled rose. I planted it and waited patiently; and then I waited beyond the time it should have bloomed. Nothing happened other than the rose sent out many long branches.
At last, I contacted the company which sold me the rose. The staff recommended that I water the rose weekly with an Epsom salt solution. After a couple of weeks, some buds appeared on the branches. My anticipation was caught! Eagerly I awaited my first glimpse of the famed butterfly rose. Would the first flowers be pink or light purple?
When it finally bloomed, this is what I saw:
This rose had neither few petals or pink shaded petals. We had a conundrum. I contacted the rose seller and they generously refunded me when apologies for the mix-up. They didn’t tell me what kind of rose I actually received, but, with a little research into their catalog, I’ve decided that it’s a climbing iceberg rose. This spring it bloomed beautifully, covering it’s vines with delicate white roses. I sadly don’t have a picture of the whole bush but here are a few individual roses.
Verbena Bonariensis
Lastly, we have a flower which I think will become a personal longtime favorite: verbena bonariensis. Advertised as a tall plant, sending finely stemmed purple flowers towering above the flower border, it seemed a fun investment. I wanted something to add another height and texture to my garden’s face.
My little plants begun from seed took a long time to grow last year. When they finally did mature, I think I only had one or two plants survive. I even think they ended up falling sideways. This year, however, those few flowers have reseeded and left a flourishing family. I love how the purple juxtaposes with the light green leaves of a nearby nandina. The overall effect of the verbena group is a lacy wall against one side of the garden. I’m in love.
