Week 25, Year 2: The Teenage Years

My garden is in an awkward in between stage. While many of the plants have grown significantly, they are in a weird place where they are looking a bit unfinished. They can't decide if they are going to play nice with one another and everything is looking a bit unkempt as a result. Half of them are growing in every which direction, refusing to be trained and still resisting gentle directioning. Essentially, they are acting like rebellious teenagers. Here are some examples:

The Rebels

The rebels are the plants that just refuse to cooperate. They are dead set on defying me.

Plumbago - The plumbago is a late bloomer. Supposedly, it will grow downward, but right now, it really is only willing to grow straight up. Eventually, the weight of the branches should cause it to fall downward, but until then, it just grows straight up and leaves the box feeling unbalanced.

Clematis - Similar to the plumbago, the clematis does not want to grow downward. While I bought it a nice fancy trellis, it is happier growing straight up, even when I wrap its vines around the trellis.

The Ugly Ducklings

These guys are just on the verge on greatness, but have to go through a final round of acne and braces before they truly bloom.

Lisianthus - This is a native prairie flower. It has grown into an incredibly tall plant, but has yet to bloom. However, it has just developed buds, and I have to believe it is on the verge of greatness, but I'm not sure what it needs to take that final step.

Mandevilla - The mandevilla is supposed to be a vigorous climber. The only problem is that it thrives in humidity. We haven't exactly had the best weather lately, and the plant has struggled for it. However, it is just starting to come along and has developed several buds - I feel like it has turned the corner and should be growing fairly quickly in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, I don't have a very good picture as I planted oregano and parsley in the pot and they sort of obscure the image, but I'll be sure to post a picture once it turns the corner.

The Nerdy Freshmen

These guys are seemingly stuck in those horribly awkward and uncomfortable stages. Oddly enough, these were some of my best performers last year, so I have faith they will get it together eventually.

Petunia & Sweet Potato Vine - The plants in this box are at a weird length. They aren't ready to grow downward yet, but they are too long to grow straight out - so they are just growing in every which direction. I'm trying to steer them in the right direction, but they seem to be struggling with it for now.

Portulaca - also known as cabbage rose, these guys are certainly proving it. So far, no buds or blooms have grown, but we have seen a number of thick vines that look almost like dreads. I'm not sure what to make of this guy to be honest, but I hope he figures it out soon.

The Prom Queens

Like any annoying popular kid, these guys are simply showing off and enjoying their glory days. Here's a quick photo tour:

Painted Tongue - There's a new color every week with these unique blooms. So far, I've seen red with yellow stripes, yellow with light yellow stripes, purple with yellow stripes and deep red/purple with matching stripes.

Flowering Maple - The painted tongue's box mate is also having a nice June. While not as splashy as its neighbor, it is quietly producing bloom after salmon bloom.

Stock - The stock is beautiful and fragrant, though not bullet proof. Like any teenager, it has its problems. In this case, the new growth is the definition of awkward. The blooms seem to shoot out of these spiky little sticks and I can never tell if the sticks have yet to bloom or not.

Week 22, Year 2: Early Bloomers

This year, I’m trying my hand at timing. Not all plants bloom continuously all summer. Unlike most annuals, many varieties of perennials will only produce flowers for a short time until they bloom again in the next year (e.g., tulips, daffodils, and irises). Last year, I mostly had annuals and continuous bloomers because without a yard it can be hard to truly enjoy such short producers. However, this year, I wanted to try my hand with at least a couple of timed bloomers with the hopes of having new things to look at each month. My first crop of early bloomers peaked in late May and most of them did incredibly well.

Bearded Iris These had already started blooming when I bought them. While most irises are just now blooming, my guys were eager to get started and brought me two weeks of incredible joy. They produced the most flagrant flowers (think grape popsicles) and outshone all of their other deckmates. The only downside was that their dead-heads are not the best looking, shriveling up into prunes, so it was important to remove them right away so as not to distract from the beauty of the newer bloomers.
Poppy

I was little nervous about the poppies. However, my worries were misplaced and they truly thrived. These little pod like creatures grew, and opened into beautiful, dainty orange flowers with yellow centers. The plant produced about 10 blooms, with a few new ones each day. The blooms only lasted 1-2 days each, but were perfectly timed so that we had continuous blooms for about two weeks.

Pansies

Despite being annuals, pansies usually wilt once the temperatures start climbing. So far, mine are hanging in there, but I suspect they will be ready to move on once we hit mid-June. For now, they are happy cooling the clematis’ feet.
Now, the only question is what to do with the perennial’s remains. The iris’ foliage is interesting enough that it is worth keeping for the summer. However, the poppy’s is not much to look at. I’m considering transplanting the rootball to a fancy cardboard/texturized container for the winter. I’ll have to do some research and decide if it’s worth starting this experiment – plus, that also means I will have an empty pot to fill with another new and interesting specimen.

Next up for the timed flowers: June Bloomers