Week 27, Year 2: The Purple Spectrum, Part I (Blue to Royal)

In case it isn't obvious, I love the color purple (or is it blue?). Many of my flowers fall somewhere between deep (blue) purple and light purple (blue). While some of my purple winners will merit their own entries (e.g., clematis, duranta), I will try to showcase the rest of the purple flowers in this entry, and follow up with some other color "themed" entries to highlight the less showy participants in my garden. Since I have so many purple residents, I am splitting my purple entries into two, and this week's purple spotlight will be on the royal, deep "blue" purple residents: browallia, verbena, speedwell, petunias and sweet potato vine. There are several shades of purple, and I've done my best to classify my royal/blue set below.

The "Blue" Purples

Many of the deep, royal purple varieties are actually classified as "blue," reflecting their deep, cool color. A true blue flower has eluded growers to date, and most attempts to create a blue flower have resulted in the deep purple color that is classified as "blue." Whatever its called, this is definitely my favorite color in my garden. While the striking blue-purple of the duranta was highlighted last week, the petunias, verbena, browallia and speedwell are other examples of this great color.

Petunia - These wave petunias look like they are made of velvet up close.

Verbena - Another repeat player from last year, but this time the verbena are getting full-sun, sharing a box with the stock and Mexican heather.

Browallia - The browallia won my heart last year, and I couldn't help but bring them back this year, especially given their tolerance for shade.

Hungarian Speedwell (veronica) - The speedwell is a bit mysterious - it bloomed for about one week in early June and has not produced flowers since.

The "True" Purples

The true purple flowers are more of a royal purple or classic purple hue. These flowers have a warmer tone and can range from an eggplant to violet, stopping short of the lighter lavender shades. In this group, from dark to light, we have painted tongue, sweet potato vine and heliotrope.

Painted Tongue - Though the painted tongue has also produced yellow and red flowers, these eggplant stunners are the focus of this entry.

Sweet Potato Vine - This variety of sweet potato vine ranges from chartreuse to eggplant, providing the perfect complement to the silver and purple petunias.

Heliotrope - The heliotrope is incredibly fragrant. I grew it in a box last year, but decided to let it have its own pot this year. It's a bit floppier and I think I might have preferred it in the box, but it still smells incredible.

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 11 - Year 1: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

While I've already discussed the Bad (See Life Support) and the Ugly (See RIP), I thought I would continue my progress report of sorts by looking at the "Good." Overall, many of my plants are doing exceptionally well and I'm very happy with the progress I have made in my first attempt. Using the law school curve (forgive me, but its still pretty fresh in my mind), I would grade my "good" guys as follows:

The "A+"s (yes, they have A+s in law school, for the "best" in class):

Black-Eyed Susan Vine

This plant has always been a sure winner. From the first day, it has thrived. The only problem it faces is that it is out of room to grow. It is starting to grow downward on to the porch below, but I do not think it will grow long enough to actually get in anyone's way (at least I hope not).

Petunias

These guys are obvious winners. They have succeeded in spindling down their vines and make a nice visual from across the parking lot when you drive up to our building. I've even taken snippets in vases with me to work and they manage to last a full week without natural sunlight in a vase. I highly recommend them for any beginner. I chose to omit the picture, because they've already been featured a lot in this blog.

The "As":

Shamrock

I'm very proud of this little guy because it was near death when I bought it. I've nursed it back to health and it seems to be doing very well. The flowers are very understated, but incredibly charming up close as the the leaves & flowers look like shamrocks with little bells on them.

Browallia

This little guy has tripled in size. I started out with one straight shoot of leaves and flowers and now have a large, round plant with lots of blooms. This one does not require much maintenance and is happy to just keep blooming without interference.

Verbena

This plant is also thriving. It just keeps spreading and brightening up its box. It is also easy maintenance and often just chucks the dead heads itself.

The "Bs":

In law school, every class must finish with a B average, so most of my plants should fall in this category on this curve. Since math is not my strong suit and I'm too lazy to showcase every plant and figure out what their grades should be on a curve, I've featured the more interesting Bs below.

Morning Glory

This plant started out as an A with steady blooms. However, they have been downgraded to a B because it has not bloomed in a few weeks. I think its because the morning glory only wants to grow upward and it has nowhere to go, so it keeps growing on itself.

Every time I look at it, I can't help but think "Its alivvvvvvve" and it creeps me out a little. I could try planting a trellis, but we are already in July, so I will probably let it go for now. I just try to keep it from attacking the heliotrope, but otherwise let it do what it wants.

Sweet Potato Hanger

This hanger of vines is also doing exceptionally well. While it does house some neighborhood birds, it has managed to growth very large and withstand drought and bird-mangling. Some days it is looking more peaky than others, but it always bounces back, which is a great quality in a plant destined for a rookie's garden.

Begonias

This guy keeps wavering between A and B territory. Mostly, because he can't stand up straight. He keeps leaning. I will pack more soil in there, but inevitably, he eats it up and starts to lean again. Otherwise, he looks great.

Week 3 - Year 1: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

A couple of year's ago, we had a couple of birds build their nest in the upper part of our deck in early March. They were incredibly territorial and we could never go out on the deck, but we couldn't bear to make them leave either. This year, it looks like another pair have created a nest in our hanger. While it seems a little late to be nesting, every time I walk on to the deck these birds fly out of the hanger and watch us from the roof next door.

Yesterday, I watered the plants excessively (without knowing about the bird family) and I'm not sure if they had moved in at that point or not. Now, I'm terrified to water the plant, but I don't really want it to die either. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to care for - the plant tags even claim to be drought proof!

So, I'm thinking it's a job for my husband, who does not have as many qualms about watering the birds out. I've never heard of birds building a nest in a planter, but what else could they be doing?

Week 3 - Year 1: The Experiment Begins

I graduated from law school a couple of weeks ago and immediately needed a hobby to fill the hours I suddenly got back. I've always wanted to garden and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to start a container garden on the deck of our apartment. I have no idea what I'm doing, but three weeks in and everything is still alive, so I thought I would share the progress of my garden over the summer. I'm sure hilarity will ensue, but so far, I'm pretty proud of the progress I've made, for a novice.

Here is the line up, as of Week 3:

Window Box #1:

1. Blue Wave Petunia

2. Blue Angel Pansies

3. Silver Wave Petunia

Window Box #2:

1. Sun Kiss Bidens

2. Fama Golden Yellow Pansy

3. Coral Calibrachoa

Window Box #3:

(from left to right)

1. Lara Dark Blue Nierembergia

2. Pansies (White with Purple Blotch)

3. Hot Blue Lobelia

Containers

Right Side

I placed three containers on the right side of the porch. From left to right:

1. Yellow Kalanchoe

2. Pink Cupido Roses

3. Blue Browallia

Left Side

From Left to Right:

1. Deep Blue Champanula

2. Jade Shamrock

3. A spruce tree - yes, a tree. Instead of the traditional flowers, my husband brought this little guy home with him one day. We call him Snowpoke.

Center

Along the center, I have a mix of climbers and sun happy containers. You can't see them up close very well in this picture, but I plan to give more close ups later. From left to right:

1. Cardinal Wyszynski Clematis

2. Blue Summer Snapdragon

3. Viticella Venosa Violacea Clematis

4. Purple Osteospermum

5. Lemon Star Black Eyed Susan Vine

Back Wall Containers/Hangers

1. Coral Mini Begonias

These coral mini begonias are planted in a cheerful yellow pot on the mini table between our deck chairs.

Hanger #1:

Includes a mix of:

- Dark Dancer White Clovers

- Sweet Potato Vine

- Coleus

Hanger #2:

Includes a mix of white, blue and light blue lobelia

That's all for now folks! More to follow.