This year, the spring winds were incessant and felt interminable. In late spring and early summer, it felt like the air was filled with smoke from fires in Arizona and New Mexico. I didn't venture out much aside from walking my dog, Aster or taking her to the dog park.
Summer is the season that I anxiously wait for every year. A little more than a third of the summer has passed and I feel that I haven’t done much gardening this year. I tried to make up for the last few weekends by frequenting three of my favorite nurseries and the garden section of a big box store.
Top: The sempervivum (hens and chicks) that I purchase last summer. I think I only bought one to see if I like the color or not and now I wished that I had gotten more. A common garden refrain of mine. It looks like it should start blooming soon. Clearly, the semps that I bought two weekends ago on the bottom are not the same color as the one on the top. The desert four o'clock (mirabilis multiflora) that I planted last summer is also doing well.
I splurged and bought two one gallon echinacea plants at my second favorite nursery. Cher at Sunray Gardens has a beautiful planting of shasta daisies and echinacea that I've been admiring so I thought I would give a similar planting a try and see what happens. I thought I would add a few white swan echinacea into the mix since I already have one planted.
Seafoam artemesia is crowding out the May Night salvia. And some marrubium rotundifolium (Silver Edged Horehound). I've been eying it in the High Country Garden catalog for a few years and Santa Fe Greenhouses had a 25% off perennials sale so I couldn't pass it up.
Cher, I saw these peppers at SF Greenhouses during my last shopping trip.
Seafoam artemesia is crowding out the May Night salvia. And some marrubium rotundifolium (Silver Edged Horehound). I've been eying it in the High Country Garden catalog for a few years and Santa Fe Greenhouses had a 25% off perennials sale so I couldn't pass it up.
I see what you mean about the sempervivum. It's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention. I know you are going to love your Echinacea & Daisies. I have a White Swan in there also somewhere. Even after deadheading I still have bunches of blooms. Have you thought about maybe winter sowing to get you some extra for next year?
ReplyDeleteThe Sempervivums can always find a place to go is how I feel. I have maybe 8 varieties left. Had more but lost some over the years. I like the ones you have.
You wouldn't believe how often I have thought of getting the Artemesia but each time backed off saying to myself that the Lavender does what it would and is evergreen up here. I so appreciate anything that is evergreen to give me a little color during the winter.
You know I found that Sunray Coreopsis this spring and had to get it. Hope it survives this weird heatwave for next year, but now you have me looking at that pepper. :) Have a nice week.
Cher Sunray Gardens
Semperviviums, I just love them. They are quite hardy and are so generous in spreading and making little baby plants.
ReplyDeleteWhite Swan is not a great plant up here. It gets pushed out by those more aggressive.
ReplyDelete@Patricia - It started blooming. I need to take some photos and post.
ReplyDelete@Sunray - Cher, I'm excited to see how it turns out. I'm going to move my shasta daisy this week and pick up a few more.
Hope you have good luck finding the Sunray pepper!
@Bridget - I love the babies (chicks). I got some more this weekend to plant.
ReplyDelete@GWGT - This is my first White Swan, so I'll see how it does. I like the milky white color.
What cute little hens & chicks...I had some from a friend, but they did not make it. :(
ReplyDeleteThose semps have gorgeous colors--I've only seen green ones or green with brown tips in the nurseries here. Very nice! I'd love to hear how you get on with the horehound. I've been eyeing it in the catalog for a while, too, but have never seen it "out and about," so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about getting some hens and chicks. I think they are adorable. Good luck with your new plants. The weather has made gardening challenging, if not a bit unpleasant this year!
ReplyDeleteI like hens & chicks. I always say I'm going to get some because they seem to do well in containers too, but I always run out of room.
ReplyDelete@Hanni - They're cute, aren't they? Hmm, I wonder if you get too much moisture?
ReplyDelete@Stacy - I saw the horehound in a friend's garden and it looks great once it's established. I'll keep you posted.
@Holley - It's been a tough year weather wise. I had to hard prune my butterfly bushes almost to the ground because there was no growth up top. I hope the new plants do well, too.
@BL - It's difficult to select plants sometimes because there are so many to choose from, especially if you have space constraints. I've seen them grown in containers inside, too.
Great blog! I am new here, but thought I would let you know I am your newest follower!
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