A Moment in Time

My garden is pretty in the spring, when the roses have their first flush.  But my garden is truly a summer garden, with many plants coming into bloom later in the season.

The area I call the walking garden has mesmerized me this year.  Just mature enough to be filled in, but not overgrown.

My main rose bed is not quite there yet, and other areas are still being tweaked.   I look forward to seeing what next year will bring.

But this area of the garden is giving me immense pleasure right now.  Can you see why I love this part of the garden so?

For one brief shining moment in time, my garden is ethereal.  This is its peak.  Its best.  Right before it begins to go into decline.  A small second of perfection.  I fantasize that even Monet would have been envious!

I'm linking up with Tracie for Cottage Flora Thursdays.

Flying Flowers

Of all the butterflies in my garden, the Swallowtails are the most showy.  They have large wings, so large that they fly as though these wings are impossible to control.  They are whipped about by the wind like a kite.  It's hard not to feel sorry for these large-winged beauties.  Instead of graceful, as they should be, they are like clowns with feet a bit too big.  A little clumsy, uncoordinated, and uncontrollable.  Yet they are also the most colorful, boldly patterned butterflies, and are breathtaking to see.

Since their wings are continually caught by the wind, they are constantly fluttering, rarely staying still.  For this reason, they have been hard for me to capture on camera.

Still, there have been at least three different types of swallowtails in my garden this past week:

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When I saw this, I was thrilled!  Anytime a big black butterfly catches my eye, I'm excited.  And this one has little dots on its body - adorable!

I always stand very still, like I would if it were a bird.  I'm not certain if that helps, but I still stand stiff and motionless, which isn't easy because the adrenaline starts pumping!  A black butterfly on a white flower - very showy!

Not sure, but I believe this is the Eastern Black Swallowtail.  He's attracted to carrots and parsley, and his range is from Southern Canada, along Rockies into Arizona and Mexico, then east to the Atlantic.  Queen Anne's Lace is a host plant.

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On the same day, at the same time, this yellow beauty caught my eye.  Larger than the black one, I instantly turn my focus to it.  It took a long time for me to get a picture of it with its wings open.

But finally I did.  Yum - that hydrangea must have tasted good.  Or, its big blooms were the only flowers large enough to support the butterfly while it rested.

This is the Tiger Swallowtail.  It's range is from Central Alaska and Canada to the Atlantic, southeast of Rockies to the Gulf.  This is the male.  The female is black with blue markings.  It has a great variety of host plants, mostly of broad-leafed trees and shrubs.

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Hey, big boy, let's get a closer look at you!

Don't be shy - closer!

That's better.

I could see this butterfly from far, far away.  Big.  It was very big.  And it was windy that day.  The poor thing was being tossed around like a paper airplane.  But it was spectacular.  Too bad it couldn't seem to land on the butterfly bush that was also getting whipped around by the wind.  I don't think the butterfly bush's bloom could support this big butterfly anyway.  It flew away before I could get a better picture.  Which was probably for the best.  I was about to faint from holding my breath!

This is the Giant Swallowtail.  And it was giant!  It's one of North America's largest butterflies.  Known as the "Orange Dog" to citrus growers, it is subjected to spraying as a citrus pest because the caterpillar feeds on various citrus trees.  That's so sad.   :(

I don't have any citrus trees for him, but I hope he'll come visit my garden again soon!

Others have had some amazing butterfly posts lately.  So, One, I am not in the "kiasu" competition.  I just happened to see some butterflies!

Summer 101

101:  Used by colleges to refer that this is the basic introduction of a subject.
101:  The temperature (in Fahrenheit degrees) we have already seen this year.

Heat Stroke is a very real concern to southern gardeners, and with this wave of heat coursing through the South, I felt it wise to review the signs and symptoms of a heat stroke.

Drink plenty of water!

At the risk of embarrassing my father, I will tell you a story.

My father suffered a heat stroke last year.  I thought he was having a heart attack.  When I found him - confused, and mumbling incoherently - I knew he needed medical attention.  The bad part?  I knew nothing about heat stroke.  The worst part?  I got so flustered I couldn't dial 911 correctly!

Take lots of breaks!

After we got him to the doctor, I learned the signs of a heat stroke:
     Fatigue/exhaustion
     Confusion/disorientation
     Agitation
     Rapid pulse
     Difficulty breathing
     Absence of sweating (dehydration)

He had all those signs.

Have a buddy to check on you!

Heat stroke is very serious, and can lead to seizures, coma and death.  Take it seriously, and if you feel that you, or someone else (or someone feels that you) are suffering from any type of heat exhaustion, including dizziness, nausea or vomiting, weakness, headache, or muscle cramps, get medical attention immediately.

Stop when you get tired!

People that have suffered heat stroke are more susceptible to having it again.

Be careful out there!  And remember, a little common sense goes a long way:
     Drink plenty of water
     Stay out of the heat/sun during the hottest part of the day
     Go inside and rest if you get tired

In other words, don't try to be Superman!

Take it easy!

I am thankful that my mother called me to run to their house for something.  For that reason only, I went to their house and found my father outside, working in the heat, confused and stumbling around.  He even fainted at one point.  (That's when I panicked.)

But, he did agree to go to the doctor, nothing more serious came of it, and hopefully he has learned to stop pushing himself.  Are you listening, Daddy?

Hope's Still Growing!

Last month for Hope Grows Day, I was anticipating what would spring forth from the bulb garden.  Well, look and see:

Lilies!

Lots of lilies!

And alliums.

But there's a problem.

This bed is getting a lot more shade than last year.  The trees in it have grown more than expected in a year, and as you can see, the blooms are trying their hardest to get to the light.

So, my bulb bed is a failed experiment.  It was fun, but these bulbs will all be transplanted in the fall.  What I will put there, I haven't decided.  Maybe a nice flowering ground cover.  One that can take a little sun, but mostly shade.

Goodbye, bulb bed.

My other hope for June was for tomatoes.  I missed the mark.  Lots of little tomatoes, but none red so far.  I should have hoped for squash.   

So, now my attention has turned to July.  My hope for July has nothing to do with blooms.  I believe everything in my garden is now blooming, including my fall mums.  Even the bluebeard (caryopteris) has started blooming!  So, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what my hope for July should be.

That my plants won't die in the drought?  No, that's not positive, or all together possible, as I've already lost some.

That it will stay under 100 degrees?  No, that hope's already been shattered.

That I can finish some project?  No, it's too hot and dry to do any projects right now.  A recipe for guaranteed failure.

Hmmm......

Then it came to me!  I hope.... that I will have tomatoes!  Tomatoes to eat, tomatoes to share, tomatoes to can.  Hot sauce, spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ketchup - all made with home-grown tomatoes!  Yes, I'm back to the tomatoes!

It didn't come true for June, but I have hope that it will for July!

Abundance

"Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance."
 - Epicurus

Echinacea, Europeana rose, pink"rock rose", canna

Often I think of how wonderful it is to be living here, now.  We have such abundance of things.  Things a king from long ago would not have.  Things a Roman emperor would envy.  Clean running water.  A shelter that can be heated and cooled, a soft bed, warm blankets, food from all parts of the world.  A refrigerator.  Ice cubes!  Transportation (and not from a horse).  The internet.  And a private garden.

Cannas, Home Run rose, Fragrant Angel echinacea

My garden boasts a variety of plants unknown to emperors of old, and more varieties of roses than most gardens had in centuries past.  Those kings of long-ago would be amazed and jealous that I could keep these plants alive by water that flowed through a hose.

Coreopsis, blanket flower, with iris, salvias, and roses

Abundance.

Euphorbia, golden barberry, and roses

Abundance is something I want for my garden.  Some gardeners may think abundance means more of the plant they collect.  More room to expand.  Or more blooms in a given year.  For me, abundance is a the exuberant look of plants overflowing their allotted space.

"Rock rose", lambs ear, canna, Knock Out roses

I love that look.  I want my plants to intermingle.  For their blooms to be intertwined.  I love the look of different plants, different foliage, and different shades all merged together.

Dusty miller, hosta, hydrangea, ferns, alliums, and lily

It looks like you can just allow the plants to run amuck, but in reality it has not been an easy look for me to achieve.  It takes time for the garden plants to fill out their space.  Some area of my garden are still a few years from being filled out.  But there are a few places that have the look I love.

Europeana rose, "rock rose", echinacea

Some plants have to be reined in a bit, so that others won't get overrun.  It's a delicate balance between ampleness and aggressiveness.  

Home Run rose, euphorbia, golden barberry

The look of plants neatly separated in a bed of mulch is a look of order and tidiness, and is a look many gardeners covet.  When placed too close together, the more aggressive plants will crowd out the more behaved varieties.  And for that reason, some gardeners want a little bit of space between their plants.  Space is also good to keep funguses and bugs from affecting and infecting the entire garden.

Alliums, dusty miller, hydrangea

Some gardeners would never want a disorderly look in their gardens.  But I do.

Coreopsis, artemisia, salvia

I don't want more of any one plant.  I don't want more room to garden.  I don't want the biggest, the best, or the most blooms.  I want the look of chaotic abundance.

Lambs ear, canna, sedum, euphorbia, and Knock Out rose

Abundance.  What does it mean in your garden?

The Joys of a Drought

OK, face it.  There's not really a joy in having a drought.  Plants get parched, they begin to die.  Watering becomes a chore that has to be done daily.  The garden aches for rain, and it shows in the small blooms, wilted leaves, and dying branches.

But I was always taught to look at the bright side of things.  Were you?  And since this is a blog about joys, I decided to make a list of the joys of a drought.

1.)  You learn quickly which plants are drought tolerant.  That can be a big, big help in years to come for future planning (and plant replacement).

Rosemary, behind Showbiz, is drought tolerant.

2.)  Watering every day becomes the only chore you really have time to do.  So, weeding, mulching, planning, transplanting, etc. all get put off.  It's a nice break, really, from those chores for a while.

Yarrow is a beautifully foliaged drought tolerant plant.

3.)  Watering can be very beneficial to your mental health.  I water by hand, so it becomes as meditative as weeding.  You think of things you never would without having done this chore.

Lantana never complains about too little water.

4.)  You are in control of the water (unless the well run dry).  If your plants want more water, you are in charge.  Just take another hour out of your day, and you can give your plants the amount of water they want.  (I know there are exceptions, but let's keep it positive.)

Lavender (this is Provence Lavender) is a nice fragrant, drought tolerant plant.

5.)  A drought is preferable to a flood.  You can at least try to water the garden to save it.  With a flood, control is completely out of your hands.

Sedums (This is Autumn Joy) don't mine a little bit of dry weather.

6.)  This too shall pass.  I get reminded of that each time I complain.  I know eventually the drought will end.  Unless we turn into the next Sahara.

Well, that's enough joys.  I must go outside now to - you guessed it - water my plants.

Are you having too much rain this year, or too little?

The Earthkind Dream

When I posted about the rose Souvenir de St. Anne and stated that it was designated as an Earthkind rose, several commenters had never heard of the Earthkind program.  So, I thought I'd try to explain this program a bit more.

Souvenir de St. Anne, an Earthkind rose

Earthkind is a trademark given by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and is a designation given to roses that are heat, drought, and pest tolerant.  The Earthkind program was started in 1996 to evaluate roses scientifically for low maintenance in Texas landscapes.  Roses grown with no fertilizers, no pesticides, no fungicides - trying to be a bit kinder to the earth - thus Earth-Kind, get it?

Carefree Beauty, an Earthkind rose

The roses in these field trials are never fertilized, never sprayed, never deadheaded, and never pruned.  Mulch is applied, and after the roses are established for a year, irrigated water is reduced by 70%.  Think: a rose that any home gardener could grow!

Perle d'Or, an Earthkind rose

The Earthkind roses that have been selected presently are good in hot climates.  They are:

*Belinda's Dream
*Caldwell Pink
*Carefree Beauty
 Cecile Brunner
*Climbing Pinkie
 Ducher
 Duchesse de Brabant
*Else Poulsen
 Georgetown Tea
*Knock Out
 La Marne
 Madame Antoine Marie
*Marie Daly
 Monsieur Tillier
 Mrs. Dudley Cross
*Mutabilis
 New Dawn
*Perle d'Or
 Reve d'Or
*Sea Foam
 Souvenir de St. Anne
 Spice
*The Fairy

*The original 11 Earthkind roses.  These roses were grown through a 67-day drought with no supplemental watering and daily temperatures of 100 degrees F or more.  Earthkind roses affected by blackspot lose 25% or less of their leaves.

Mutabilis, an Earthkind rose

In 2002 the Houston Rose Society felt this program was so siginificant, it agreed to fund tests for roses nationally.   There are now rose field trial gardens not only in numerous counties in Texas, but also in the states of Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia, and the countries of  Bermuda, Canada, India, and New Zealand.

Mrs. Dudley Cross, an Earthkind rose

The cultivars are selected based on eight years of research and testing.  With the extension of the testing nationwide as well as to other countries, perhaps eventually anyone will be able to grow an easy-care rose in their garden, suited to their particular climate.

Isn't that a great dream?