 |
| A partial view of the large concrete patio area. |
The very last bloom on the day lilies bloomed on July 13th (I was off work that day so I could appreciate it). The rest of d-l-vulgarus now have bare, dried-out stalks that need to be cut down, and lots of dying-back foilage (ditto). That's just the nature of this particular beast. After having put up with their habits for 24 years at the former Maison Newton I want to go in a different direction with this garden...
If you'll take a close look at the second photo near the center of the bed (not such a good photo and the area is shaded, too), you'll see that I have added a baby Rose of Sharon plant donated by my friend Barb. I transplanted the little shrub that was there (see same area in the first photo to see the shrub) to the north bed, where it seems to be happy.
I didn't realize it until a couple of weeks later when the first flowers popped open, but there are ALREADY two other Rose of Sharon plants in that east bed!!! Duh. I did not recognize them until the taller plant on the left started blooming. Then I took a closer look at my baby Rose of Sharon and the blooming plant (and also the not-yet blooming shorter plant on the right side of the bed) and realized the leaves are exactly the same on all three plants -- they're all Roses of Sharon! I don't know why the plant on the right is so much smaller than the one on the left; of course the baby plant, now in the middle, will have some catching up to do! [Postscript added August 24th: I now realize why the Rose of Sharon on the left is so tall -- it's actually two different plants! See next post for details.]
You may have noticed, too, the Rose of Sharon with lots of blooms poking its head and shoulders above my terra-cotta colored fence! That much larger shrub is in the neighbor's yard. I envy him both that shrub and his beautiful purple leafed maple tree. I enjoy their loveliness from my perch at the dinette table looking through the patio doors into my new yard. Neighbor's Rose of Sharon has deep pinkish-purplish blossoms with burgundy-colored inners. It is full and has TONS of blossoms and is really putting on a show fpr me. As far as I can tell, my neighbor (single thirtiesh male with a shaved head and buff bod) doesn't do a thing to his yard other than cutting the grass and using a string-line trimmer once a week, so perhaps I don't need to be babying my Roses of Sharon so much (giving them lots of water during the past 3 week dry-spell; and of course, I'm babying the baby transplant until its root system gets established).
I haven't had luck growing Rose of Sharon at my two previous residences but this, my third house, may be the charm.
