Hibiscus trionum

This plant is so unusual and so mysterious I don't want to believe it can be invasive and a noxious weed. About three years ago I found it hiding under the leaves of a sage plant in my herb garden. The tender little flower bud is pale green and nearly translucent, it reminds me of a pickled onion. When I was finally able to catch this Hibiscus in bloom, I was delighted with the beautiful little flower. One of the common names for Hibiscus trionum is "Flower Of An Hour". The beautiful flower with cream colored petals and dark center only lasts a few hours. Other common names for this self-seeding annual are Bladder Hibiscus, Venus Mallow, and Rose Mallow.

GARDEN WALK

Have you had an impromptu brown bag lunch yet? Okay, the next step is an informal garden walk. Anyone can have a garden walk. I sent out emails to my contacts and phoned a few friends who don't email and invited them for coffee and a garden walk. I wanted to do the walk in the morning while the Morning Glories are still open. Also, walking through a garden at the beginning of the day with a cup of coffee in hand seems like the ideal way to enjoy nature's bounty. My garden walk was today and it was a perfect day. My friends stopped by and I showed off my most treasured blooms. Fortunately, a Tiger Flower was open. No one was familiar with this lovely flower that only blooms for one day. Although the Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) has been blooming for a couple of weeks, only one flower was open today. As we walked along the garden path, we talked about poisonous plants, such as Castor Bean and Foxglove; discussed whether red plants in the garden are necessary to attract hummingbirds; and chatted about the advantages of container gardening. It was a lovely morning. I especially enjoyed the interaction with fellow gardeners.

GARDEN DIARY ENTRY

Last week I purchased several plants from my favorite plant vendor, Jan, at my local farmers market. Jan's plants are always healthy and she brings many old fashioned perennials and herbs. My purchases included Chamomile, Datura, Sweet Annie, Hellebore, Rosemary, and two orange-flowered, unlabeled plants that were on sale. I'm running out of space for new plants so I needed to get rid of some invasive Bell Flowers to make room for some of the newbies. I planted the Chamomile and Rosemary in the herb garden after digging out some pesky Purslane.

My summer bulbs, which are mostly in containers, are beginning to bloom and I'm looking forward to the fantastic show they will present over the remainder of the growing season. I repotted most of the bulbs in the spring, nothing was labelled. I like surprises!

The Morning Glories have started to bloom, so most days begin with a stroll around the garden, coffee cup in hand.

ARE THEY WEEDS

Weeds are plants which grow where they're not wanted. If this is a true definition, the six feet tall mullein in the midst of my garden is not really a weed. It's the tallest plant in this part of the garden, it adds definition. I think it looks exotic not weedy and is an enhancement. then there's the Queen Anne's Lace, so delicate, so beautiful. How could I consider it a weed! I have placed cut stems of Queen Anne's Lace in slightly diluted food coloring and watched the flowers turn colors. What an interesting little project to share with your children or grandchildren! Goldenrod grows along the roadside but I like using it as a nice backdrop for my containers. I introduced Joe Pye Weed, another roadsider, into my garden two years ago and I love it. Last year I posted about Evening Primrose, a "weed" and a thug. But watching its lovely yellow flowers open in the evening is as thrilling as watching 4th of July fireworks. These are just a few of the "weeds" that reside in my garden. They require constant monitoring but the extra work is worth it.

AN OLD FRIEND

Last Thursday I attended the funeral of a family friend. Ethel Willie Johnson Reed was 105 years old. Hard to imagine being on this earth for that many years! The earth was fortunate to have had Mrs Reed for so long, she loved people and she loved nature. She saw beauty in everything around her. She also created beauty, with her paint brush, with paper, and often with small seemingly insignificant objects around her.

Mrs Reed was a tiny lady who wore her long grey hair in braids that she criss-crossed into a crown on top of her head. She had a tiny, almost squeaky voice that was as gentle as she. I never heard her sing but she sang in a choir for many years. She loved to travel. According to her obituary, she visited Egypt, Italy, London, Hawaii, and the Holy Land. I remember she would often anoint us with holy water brought back from her visits to the Holy Land.

Mrs Reed touched many lives during her lifetime. I hope her kindness and gentleness continue to be passed forward by all who met her.

SAVE THE DAY

How do you package a day? Maybe I can wrap the day in aluminum foil and place it in the freezer. In mid January when I'm thoroughly fed up with winter, I'll pull out my perfect July day, thaw it and enjoy the warmth, sunshine, and all the beautiful flowers.

GARDEN DIARY

Garden Diary. Oh, to have enough time at the end of my gardening day to record my activities in a journal. If I had done that last year after I planted my purchases from the native plant sale, I would have some inkling of what I bought. I was smart enough to plant everything in one garden bed and I placed the name tag beside each plant. Well, the tags are still there but all the information on those tags disappeared over the winter. In the grand scheme of things is it that important to know the name of every plant in my garden. Of course not, unless, of course , I want to research their growing habits or identify them for my garden visitors. It's a little embarassing when I have to keep saying, "I can't think of the name right now" or "I don't know".

So, what have I done in the garden recently? A fellow gardener was kind enough to share her overabundance of nigella, "love in a mist", plants and seeds. I planted those plus transplanted blue-eyed grass, deptford pinks, amaranthus, morning glory vines. and gentian. I fertilized all my containers. I found a plant with orange flowers hiding behind some milk weed. I sure hope it's butterfly weed. I've been trying to grow that for a number of years. It's been a real pain trying to keep my Heliopolis free of aphids. So far, with the aid of my trusty water hose I'm keeping them at bay.

I'm bummed that my garden doesn't attract more butterflies and hummingbirds. Today, a monarch did fly through..don't know why he didn't hang around. I've had a hummingbird at the feeder intermittently. It always startles me when I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.

A couple of days ago I discovered a dragonfly attached to a piece of garden furniture, what a strange sight!