Friday, August 15, 2008

Sunflower Morning


Well, in the interests of full disclosure, I'll admit right off that these are all pictures from Wednesday morning. But it was a full day at work and then the computer decided to be difficult late last night, so I'm only getting around to sharing them now.

As you can see, the sunflowers are the Energizer Bunnies of this year's garden: they just keep growing and growing!

Here's a fresh zucchini flower down in the ground level of the Three Sisters garden, where it's joined by a fresh chorus of allyssum. I know I expressed a little dismay not to have had any fruits from the earlier blossoming, but I just love the flowers, too!

I really don't feel like I'm in control of these sunflowers any more (really, any sense of control I might've once felt was more likely an illusion, anyway...).

For a while, I was at least keeping track of seedlings showing up more or less where I planted them...but I guess I was a bit casual with where the last seeds of each packed up, since they are showing up in great stalks in places that are now catching me by surprise.

There are zinnia seedlings coming up and I'll have to give them a closer look tomorrow morning, since I think I saw a flower bud forming on one sometime recently. I'm getting a little impatient with the other cosmos, and I wonder if perhaps they haven't received too much benefit from the fertilizer pellets I've scattered around.

I know they will often do well in lesser soils (thus their other name of peasant flower). But I sure hope they start blooming soon--their pinks and carmines and whites would be a lovely addition to the border, and I'm really very eager to see those seashell petals.


I also planted seeds for both ever last
ings (straw flowers) and statice, but I haven't really seen anything resembling them. Either they were not a successful part of this year's grand and glorious experiment, or perhaps they are waiting to surprise me when I have given them up for lost.

Meanwhile, though, the bachelor's buttons are putting on a pretty enjoyable show.

Speaking of good shows, did you know that the United States Olympic team has now earned 14 gold medals, 12 silver and 17 bronze, for a grand total of 43 so far at the Summer Games in Beijing?

This pair of Pansy Pals caught my eye in the lower realm of the front border. These guys are right out there in the sun, though no doubt the secret of their success is wrapped up in being at least partially shaded by some of their taller neighbors.

I did get to see a few meteors when I went out into the yard late the other night, but sadly, my plans to visit some light-pollution-free beach parking lot was curtailed by an annoying bit of cloud cover.

Ah, well...at least I got to see a few this year...and just in case, I'll wander out there shortly to see if I can catch a few more. Meanwhile, the moon was nearly full tonight and if she was shining in your window, it's because I asked her to look in on you. ; )

Meanwhile, for those of you breathing a sigh of relief (or wistfulness) that I'd not shown you any morning glories...well, here they are, happily cavorting with one of the cleome plants. The morning glories are continuing to be a challenge, as I have to unwrap them from around the various flags on the fence every day.

But still, as incorrigible flowers go, they are fun to have around. Next year, I'll have to encourage them to climb on the sunflowers, instead of the fence.

That'd be fun, I bet.

13 comments:

bigislandjeepguy said...

just to let you know, i signed onto your blog this evening and almost expected the flowers to do time lapse photography and start blooming in time with the music (blue danube). nice touch.

i wish the ground were more conducive here to planting IN it rather than in pots. this past weekend when the bf was here, he had no idea that all of the plants along the side of the house under the eaves or next to the carport were actually MINE and did not come with the house. maybe i have done an ok job then of hiding a lot of the pots, even tho they are pretty big plants (lots of ginger. diffenbachia. some orchids.) do they have bat plants where you are? (also called cats whiskers). a cool plant. i do not know if it is only local or spread on the mainland too.

Anonymous said...

Ah, I'm so annoyed with myself for missing the meteor shower - mind you it's been so cloudy and light polluted here I probably wouldn't have seen much. Those pansies are such a beautiful colour, I think they are one of my favourite flowers.

Greg said...

BigI, that'd be a cool trick. Maybe I'll work on the time lapse thing for next summer!

Sounds like you've done a pretty amazing job with your potted plantings if they are looking so natural alongside your house!

I'd be totally lost in a unique planting zone like yours...I imagine besides a few annuals we haven't much in common. The bat plant sounds interesting, though and I'm sure it'd be fun to learn about some new (to me) plants!

Bird, I'm sorry to hear you've missed the Perseids. It really was sort of a wash out here, as well. There's always the Leonids, although you have to bundle up a lot more to catch their November(?) show.

Those are my favorite pansies; it's sort of hard to believe they have continued on so long this year! Just a little gardener's magic, I guess. ; )

TigerYogiji said...

Simply glorious!! Alas, I missed the meteor shower too! :(

The Hunky Gardener said...

Seed catalogues always say cosmos bloom all summer but in my experience they always seem to wait until august. I am interested to see the sea-shells plant myself. I planted double click this year and they are out now.

Have a kickin weekend!

lostlandscape said...

Terror alert: YELLOW!! Oy, give me some sunglasses!!! But it sounds like you needed an antidote to some of your gray gloom. I'm sure some yellow in combination with some coffee helped with the mood...

As far as the morning glories I might downgrade their terror level from "incorrigible" to "gregarious." With other plants taking a lot of work to get even get to think of producing a single flower it's good to have something a little easier!

lostlandscape said...

...and oh yeah...nice to see the cleomes!

Butch said...

I think for nex year, I'm going to look into flowers that seem to bloom all summer long. I have very few things blooming. Your garden is very nice.

Greg said...

Tigeryogiji, next year, the weather will be glorious for the Perseids and we'll all have a great show.

HunkyG, I think the only way to get cosmos to bloom all summer is to make them grow all winter first. The plants from the nursery usually get started much sooner than the seeds sown right in the garden.

BUT, I did see the first cosmos flower bud this morning, so perhaps by the start of next week I'll have something new to show off.

Hey James! Those yellow flowers do work well on days when the sun sleeps in, that's for sure.

"Gregarious" probably is more apt for the morning glories. It's not like they're strangling anything, just overwhelming them!

And the cleome are having a great time, despite my earlier fears that I'd killed them by planting them out so soon.

Butch, that's where annual plants can be such fun, since they continue blooming their happy little heads off in between the shorter shows of the perennials!

Wonder Man said...

SUNFLOWERS, I just love them. Great pics, Greg

Java said...

So happy to see the luminous morning glories!! The center of the sunflowers looks like velvet.

Jess said...

It sounds like the flowers are taking over! Be careful that they don't try to sneak up on you while you're sleeping! They look dangerous! ;)

dykewife said...

i could have sworn i left a comment... i guess i'm losing my mind.