My garden....it's getting there

[JerseyWendy]

Mine have a ton of buds all over!!! I don't see this Hibiscus being sold at Lowe's anymore, found them 5 years ago at Lowe's but haven't seen them carry it anymore. I got them for a bargain for $5/ea. I saw them selling another outside Hibiscus this year on the sale cart at Lowe's for $2/ea so I bought 6, I kept 3 and planted them down the same row and give 3 to my neighbor. What color blooms you got??? The one I just got are Pink.

I've got 2 of them, one is white (I'm surprised that one still comes back because it's planted behind a rose bush that took over the area), and the other one is fire engine red. IF I had more room I'd plant more. But I'm completely out of room unless something gets shovel pruned.

 

[JerseyWendy]

So I did another photo shoot of what's currently blooming in my garden. It's been a VERY wet, humid and HOT summer so far. I feel like I'm in the tropics, but I'm not complaining because I take the heat over cold weather any given day.

Let's start off with a VERY unpleasant photo. THIS is what I've been battling with for the past month. They are Japanese Beetles, NASTY buggers, who LOVE my flowers, particularly my roses.

Take a close look, there are 3 of them. 2 of them are actually mating right in my Rugosa flower! :54:


Here are 2 photos of my Variegated Hydrangea.



Some Lilies (Oriental, Daylilies & Asiatic)










This is a close up of the flowers on the Crepe Myrtle

 

[JerseyWendy]

These 2 pics are for Alison. I promised pictures of how my Angel Trumpet is doing...well here it is




This is my Hydrangea corner


Hardy Hibiscus (no flowers yet, but lots of buds)


Garden Phlox


I forgot the name of these 2, but they're pretty.

 

[kendrafitz]

Thanks for the info! I will have to get a hardy hibiscus this week to plant. Our street name is hibiscus so I love having them. Getting one to plant is much easier than potting then every year! Once we get home I will have to post pics of my hydrangea. They are my favorite and I have about 14 of them.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Kendra, you can bring your tropical hibiscus inside during the winter. They will make it as long as they get plenty of light, and you spray off the spider mites regularly. Then in the spring, when all danger of frost is over, you can put them back outside.

Can't wait to see your hydrangeas. I love them, too.

 

[MikeyTN]

Wendy,

Your a plant fanatic like me...lol.....I'm waiting on my other plants to get bigger....my hydrangeas are multi-colored. It have blue and pink blooms and mixed blooms too. I was told that means my soil is inbetween in order to achieve that.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Wendy,

Your a plant fanatic like me...lol.....I'm waiting on my other plants to get bigger....my hydrangeas are multi-colored. It have blue and pink blooms and mixed blooms too. I was told that means my soil is inbetween in order to achieve that.

Yeah...I'm "slightly" obsesses with my flowers.

And yes, if you get multi-colored blooms on your hydrangea it does mean your soil is neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline. It doesn't work with all mophead hydrangeas though. My "Endless Summer" Hydrangea is the only one that produces both pink and blue flowers, all the others bloom true to their description.

 

[MikeyTN]

I'm not sure what kind it is. It was a 2" cutting I started 3-4 years ago and it kept growing bigger and bigger every year. It bloomed a little last year with pink blooms but this year it's gotten huge and multi-blooms. A lot of stuffs I plant are from cuttings, even house plants. I have the rooting hormone.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm not sure what kind it is. It was a 2" cutting I started 3-4 years ago and it kept growing bigger and bigger every year. It bloomed a little last year with pink blooms but this year it's gotten huge and multi-blooms. A lot of stuffs I plant are from cuttings, even house plants. I have the rooting hormone.

That rooting hormone is some GOOD stuff. I have it, too. 4 of my hydrangeas are from cuttings from gardening friends, and most of my lilies are divisions I received for free. Now I repay the favor and start many plants myself to give away. I tried rooting a snipped of my Crepe Myrtle, but that didn't work out at all.

 

[MikeyTN]

Right now I have 6 hardy gardenia and 8 carolina jasmine in a vase of water trying to root them that way instead of rooting hormone. I clipped those out of my garden. Too many people asking me for cuttings. Carolina Jasmine grows like mad so I give them away by the bundle....lol....I have to cut them down many many times per year cause they grow like weeds. The reason I start some out cause my friend killed all hers I give her last time so I start them out for her so she can't kill them...lol...otherwise I don't start those,your on your own on that one...lol...all the other ones I will start out as some are more complicated. I always tell them if your carolina jasmine dies, come and cut more on your own...

 

[ruffledfeathers]

My hydrangeas look like yours, Wendy. I have 2 of them. The one in the back is more blue and the front is more purple/pink, but they are that same type. (are they called lace capped I think??)
I also took your advice and chopped that old rose bush of mine down really low after the first bloom of the year and I fed it well. It has come back up and is blooming again. So far, so good.

 

[JerseyWendy]

My hydrangeas look like yours, Wendy. I have 2 of them. The one in the back is more blue and the front is more purple/pink, but they are that same type. (are they called lace capped I think??)
I also took your advice and chopped that old rose bush of mine down really low after the first bloom of the year and I fed it well. It has come back up and is blooming again. So far, so good.

Yes, my Variegated Hydrangea is a Lacecap. The reason it's called "variegated" is because the leaves are green, outlined in beige. I have another lacecap in my Hydrangea corner, and that thing is enormous. the flowers on that one were center blue, outter flowers pink.

I'm so happy your rosebush is doing so well. Many of mine have blackspot due to the constant wet conditions. I spray, but not every single week.

 

[Lindylou277]

Really beautiful Wendy! Multi-talented and a beautiful family! You have it all girl! And you deserve it!

 

[antoinette]

Your garden is SPECTACULAR
I was blown away
Such a beautiful calming thread to breeze through
Those pictures are out of this world, what beautiful colorful flowers

Thank you for sharing I NOW HAVE THE MOST WONDERFUL DESKTOP PIC

PS..hope you don't mind

 

[MikeyTN]

That does make a nice desk top pic!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Your garden is SPECTACULAR
I was blown away
Such a beautiful calming thread to breeze through
Those pictures are out of this world, what beautiful colorful flowers

Thank you for sharing I NOW HAVE THE MOST WONDERFUL DESKTOP PIC

PS..hope you don't mind

OMG, Ant, of ALL the pictures, you picked the one with the Japanese Beetles "reproducing" in my flower? HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA!!! I am laughing SO hard here, I need diapers!!! If you take a close look there are 3 (!!!) Japanese Beetles inside. 2 are...well...you know..."Making out"...and the third one is apparently waiting for his turn.

 

[MikeyTN]

OMG Wendy!!!!! Looking for the slapping icon thing and there's none....lol.....:18::18::18::18::18::18::18:

 

[aliray]

You guys are making me laugh so hard I have tears running down my face. Wendy thanks for the brug picture ,it looks great and very happy. The rest of the flowers are spectacular., here I go again. Drool , Drool. sorry have to wipe the keyboard off. Keep all the pictures coming I need to see reminders of all the flowers I used to grow up north and had to leave there. That crepe myrtle is beautiful love the color.

 

[JerseyWendy]

You guys are making me laugh so hard I have tears running down my face. Wendy thanks for the brug picture ,it looks great and very happy. The rest of the flowers are spectacular., here I go again. Drool , Drool. sorry have to wipe the keyboard off. Keep all the pictures coming I need to see reminders of all the flowers I used to grow up north and had to leave there. That crepe myrtle is beautiful love the color.

Thanks so much, Alison. Yup, my Brug is doing GREAT, especially once I remembered I should be fertilizing it weekly, lol.

I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one who got a really good laugh out of this. I swear, Alison, when I saw the picture Ant posted and started laughing, I scared the poopy out of my dogs, fids & husband. All eyes were on me, it was dead silent...and of course I had to explain to hubby WHAT got me into hysterics like this. HAHAHAHAHHAA!!! :32:

 

[MikeyTN]

I didn't take a picture of my crepe myrtle cause I'm still mad about it....it was called candy cane on the pic....the blooms is supposed to be like candy cane. But its pink blooms and another plant that's white. I was quite upset when it bloomed but its gotten huge in the past 5 years. I paid extra to buy a big one as a statement piece but was expecting the color I want. But I've got a ton of myrtles I planted in my backyard....