Blooms: Second Week of June

Mophead Hydrangea: This is its third year in the ground and it has really taken off,
almost doubling in size from last year.  This plant was the
only surviving Hydrangea clipping that my dad successfully rooted.

Mophead Hydrangea: Close up of the previous plant

Crinum (Herbetti): First blooms of the year, a full month later than last year's first bloom.

Red Hot Poker

 I picked up two of these plants from Plants for Bibles in Swansea.  There were put in the ground last fall, and I was surprised to see them bloom this year.
The bloom reached almost 5 feet in height.  Once it has reached its peak bloom, it began to curve and lose its petals, from the bottom. And then it needs to be cut off!

Brand New Blooms

I was out of town this morning and missed the two newest blooms from some day lilies I planted last fall.  Jess sent me this as a good morning surprise. The lilies came Plants for Bibles, a nursery several miles east of Swansea, SC.  The plants are grown by a backyard nursery and the prices are fantastic.  The plants are healthy, but they often are not marked, which in lies a mystery of what color, shape and texture the bloom may offer.  

You may notice there are two different blooms in the picture; a nice surprise.  Please let me know if you would like further information about Plants for Bibles.

Splitting Elephant Ears, Layered Oakleaf Hydrangeas & Towering Gladiolas

Elephant Ears maybe one of the easiest plants to splitt and transfer, even in the early heat of the Spring.  They love water, so don't be shy dousing them every day for several days after splitting.  In the picture there are 6 plantings that can from one giant clump, which was approximately 12-16 inches across.  Simply fine where new bulbs are defined and split with a sharp shovel.  This mass started as one small transplanted bulb from 2 summers ago.

Some people like to dig them up and store them over the winter, but in our climate (Hardiness Zone 8a) they always rebound once the soil warms up.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas; Layered Transplants from
last summer

Blessings of a neighbor's overgrown Oakleaf Hydrangea:   

Oakleaf Hydrangeas, when heavily overgrown naturally layer. That's when a limb grows into the ground, and then out of the ground and develops its own root system. The limb can then be severed with a sharp shovel or knife and then replanted.

I've a positive results from planting the new Hydrangeas in either potting soil or directly in the ground.  I was especially careful to keep these new transplants in shade and watered regularly.

Several of these headed off to a shady spot in Mississippi in Jess' mom's yard.

Oakleaf Hydrangeas; Layered Transplants from last week.

Gladiolas have a tendency of flopping over.  Simply plant them deep and add several inches of mulch.  Don't fret once they lost their blooms. Their spiky foliage, much like iris foliage, can be a great backdrop to small perennials or annuals. 

Gigantic Glads.

Orange River Valley Lily

The Orange River Valley Lily (Crinum Bulbuspermum) blooming this morning in Ridge Spring.  It is the earliest blooming of the ctinums.  It produces large bulbous seed pods by whuch it reproduces.  Notice its foliage has more of a sea green color.

 This photo was taken in Ridge Spring, SC on May 18.

Confederate and Asiatic Jasmine

Because the the landscape is filled with the beauty and fragrance of the small white yellow flower of the Jasmine vine, I've heard the common misconception that the Asiatic Jasmine doesn't  bloom.

Asiatic Jasmine is a fantastic ground cover; thick, luscious, and green. And if left horizontal it will not bloom. But, if it is allowed to grow vertically it will bloom proficiently, with the same beauty and fragrance of its cousin Confederate Jasmine.

Confederate Jasmine with smaller yellow center.

Attempting to tell the difference between is quite  simple. First, I've found that Confederate prefers to climb while Asiatic seems happy to grow horizontally or vertically.  The tell tale sign can be found in through center of the flower. Asiatic has a larger yellow star, while the Confederate has a smaller yellow center.

The Crinum Lily

The Crinum Lily is one of my favorite plants in the yard.  It thrives in heat and tolerates drought very well; it does not thrive or sometimes survive in well irrigated areas.  They prefer lots of sun; few varieties prefer shade.

This is a bed of Crinums (Herbertti).  I dug these up from a neighbor's yard in the fall of 2011.  This picture was taken the following Mid May.  They are pictured with a pineapple lilly and Salvia Jenks Farmer.

As you can see, the Crinum flower is very similar to the Amaryllis bloom, yet with many more blooms.  Several of these plants bloomed multiple times.

The Crinum Herbitti stripes can range  from light pink to a  dark burgundy.

Speaking of Jenks Farmer, not the plant but the Crinum expert, check out his website.  He has much more information and a wide variety of crinums to purchase.  They are expensive, but you will never be able to purchase a more healthy plant. His soil is all organic and teaming with fungi and bacteria. He has been a great resource in my learning more about Crinums and very generous in allowing me to work on his farm..