Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Boy, It Was A Muggy One Today!

Today was more like July than many of the previous days. We had both the heat and humidity today. It continues to be ironic that we run so much irrigation and do so much watering when some of our gardens are still flooded. Of course we need to water as needed and are committed to keeping plants adequately watered as needed. Our "blue wall" planting is starting to fill out (see above). We've had some mixed reactions to our blue PVC planters but for the most part, everyone is curious about these planters. They only have 18" of soil in them that already has slow-release fertilizer incorporated in to it. We secured 4" pots inside the tubes to keep the soil from settling downwards. In the image below, the grass in the tubes is blue lyme grass (Elymus arenarius). This grass has a beautiful metallic, sky-blue sheen. However, although it is a hardy perennial, it is extremely vigorous and considered invasive by many. We use it as an annual. The silver plant with large leaves is a wooly sage (Salvia argentea) that is planted primarily for its soft texture. Needless to say, we have to water these tubes almost every day.One of my favorite foliage annuals can be seen below. This is an annual hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella) called 'Haight Ashbury'. This tropical has maroon leaves with irregular pink splashes and streaks. This plant will get 3-5' tall and prefers full sun and plenty of moisture. Rarely blooming in our short growing season, the showy, maple-like leaves offer color and a nice backdrop for other plants.

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