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This summer everything is taking a long time to get accomplished. After the slugs were killed off, I put two large zinnias in and waited. They both did well, and are continuing to grow and bloom profusely - one pink and the other orange, both with double petals. After no slug damage, the following weekend I put in 3 packs of zinnia seeds, two are the giant cactus variety and one of the doubles. Wow, are these coming up strongly and so many - like over 100 plants are growing in 3 beds. I just hope they have enough sunshine to bloom for a long time into the fall. The house shadows these beds come fall.
The pentas are doing well and the hummingbirds are enjoying them. This year, I have red, lilac and white ones. The birds go for the reds first.
Yesterday I bought 18 red salvia to plant where the pansies pooped out. I am hoping the hummingbirds will enjoy them. Last year I had a salvia in a planter and I remember the birds checking it out. So later today I will get busy planting them.
My husband wanted to see if we could grow some tomatoes so we went and bought two plants back in mid June and put them in. Just this week I saw that 4 little maters are setting on, right now only the size of marbles. But this is exciting for us. We haven't grown any vegetables in more than 25 years. So I hope they do well and that the sunshine will continue on them long enough for them to get big and ripen.
The forget-me-nots didn't bloom this year and now the leaves are fading. I thought that there was something wrong with them, but I got on a gardenguides forum and asked a question and found out that they bloom early in the year. So they will hopefully be full of blooms next Spring.
We had a nice long Spring this year, but now it is a typical South Carolina summer with very high temps.
On Friday, I found pentas for half price at Seven Oaks Nursery. I have been looking for some good ones for a couple weeks, not willing to settle for just anything. Seven Oaks had some nice red ones in 6" pots and I got two of those and one white to put in my big patio pots. I got 4 lilac-colored ones in 4" pots and put them into a bed beside the patio. I also bought two purple flocks. I have always liked them. My grandmother had hers in beds shaded by trees, but the tag said they like sun so I put them in the beds with alot of sun.
I got them all planted on Saturday morning, June 6. Now I have to be patient and let the hummingbirds find them.
I put slug killer out on Saturday too. Next weekend I intend to plant one zinnia plant and see how it fares. If it stays uneaten for a week, I will put in more zinnia plants and seeds.
The forget-me-nots are doing well but they haven't bloomed yet. Nice foliage and growing at a good rate. The impatiens are beginning to spread out. We have had alot of rain lately which they love. I have them under the roof line along with the dead nettle, which has spread to 6 feet or so from one small potted plant. Mexican heather is coming back again. Both plants doing nicely and this is the third year for them. Both butterfly bushes are coming out but no flowers yet.
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