"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Friday, June 5, 2009

Honey, Peppermint and Sioux.

No, these aren't the names of new pets.  They would be great names though wouldn't they?  Just a couple of new flowers from recent plant shopping.

Lantana 'Lucky Honey Blush' is newly added to the butterfly garden.  I've never tried Lantana before, but I just love the colors of this one.  They really stand out already and they are just small plants still.  They will be annuals here.

Clematis florida 'Peppermint' is a new purchase from yesterday.  I've never seen this one before.  It's difficult to see how much green is in the flower's coloring.  The flowers are about 5 inches across.  I hadn't heard of this variety before so I did a little research on it.  Apparently it is one that can be grown indoors, but it is hardy in zones 6 - 9.  Hopefully it'll be happy growing in the garden.  I plan to grow it up a shepherd's hook that holds a bird feeder in the front yard.  It's only supposed to get 6 to 8 feet tall.

Here you can see the light reddish veining in the petals.

This is 'Sioux' day 3.  It's begun to get more of a yellow/pink tone now and it may not open again tomorrow.  The last two posts show how this flower changes day to day.  Each flower usually only blooms for about 3 days.  There are quite a few others blooming now, so there won't a shortage of blooms.

The weather already feels much cooler today.  It was over 90 yesterday and some of the plants are beginning to show how much they didn't like the heat.  I can only water so much with the hose, I just don't have the time to spend watering everything.  I'm trying to make sure to keep the new magnolia tree watered as well as seedlings and any newly planted plants.  It's supposed to be in the mid 70's today, and even cooler tomorrow.   
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28 comments:

  1. That new clematis is fabulous Catherine! You have such a nice collection of these. I haven't seen 'Peppermint' before either but I love the green on it. Glad it's cooled off, maybe that means it will heat up here?!! Looking forward to having my water lilies open after seeing yours. I like the coloring of 'Sioux' on the last day.

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  2. they are really pretty!!! I love the peppermint clematis! what a great color!

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  3. Honey Lantana's 'pink' hues make it sweet, indeed! Peppermint clematis is a new one on me, too! Wouldn't it be neat if it's smell was as intoxicating as it's bloom?! Your waterlily is eye-candy--although probably not as 'sweet' as honey & peppermint!! Jan

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  4. I adore the Peppermint clematis. What a fabulous cool colour...it might have to go on to my To Be Investigated Further List ;-)

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  5. Mornin' Catherine - isn't this cool day fantastic? Did you get a big storm? Trees were down everywhere and power out on the news. We just got a bit of wind and it was over and rain. Portland got hammered though. Love that it went right over us.
    That Lantana is pretty - looks like a Hydrangea in that close shot. And I love the Clematis. I have to do a post and show Josephine - she's not doing well and I'm worried. Maybe I can get some help.
    Like how you're showing your waterlily everyday. Good idea.

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  6. I just love those names indeed! Especially the peppermint-might tempt me to try a taste:) Yup, been known to do that.

    I am back finally. Whew! On catching up-not in the garden but on the blogs. Ha! It is cool here too so soon I must hit the garden. ttyl

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  7. The peppermine clematis is a jaw dropper...wow! Don't give up on the lantana. Technically it is supposed to be an annual there, but you never know. I have several plants that are supposed to be annuals for me, and they come back every year

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  8. These are great additions. That clematis is really unusual. Here in GA, lantana is a great performer with our poor clay soil and hot summers. The hummers and butterflies love them.

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  9. Very nice clematis! I am sorry it is so hot there but we have finally had a reprieve from unseasonable high temps here too!

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  10. I love the Peppermint Clematis....love that green in flowers. Wish Clematis did well here, but then we have Passion vines blooming all year.... I guess that's a trade off.

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  11. Love the Lantana- makes me sad that the seeds I purchased never germinated! Time to go visit a nursery!

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  12. Hi Catherine~~ I love your newbies. All three plants, although I don't have these particular cultivars, are some of my best garden plants.

    The cooler weather is so nice. It's been raining here all day and it's about 60 degrees. We survived two fairly violent thunderstorms. One on Thursday and another on Friday. I take it Seattle was spared. Whew.

    Pet names: Yes. Especially Sioux. No wait. My daughter's name is Sue. It might get confusing.

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  13. I guess I am a little out of date on the flowers that come up here each year. Most are old fashioned but favorites of mine. I like the photos of your flowers.

    You might like to read the story about Our Flower Pot...

    Our Flower Pot

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  14. That Lantana is gorgeous with all of the pastels and twists in its bloom!
    I have never seen these before....just wonderful!!

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  15. Mid 70s sounds most pleasant weekend weather. Here we are forecast mid 50s and much rain :( I like your new clematis - the name seems most apt.

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  16. Kathleen - It seems like every summer I add a couple more clematis. Once I run out of room on the ground I have to start going up. It's much nicer here today, the plants look much happier.

    Tootsie - Thanks, I wish I could show just how green it is.

    Jan - I wish it did smell like peppermint, but it doesn't have any smell. Oh, well it's pretty to look at.

    Julie - Most all of the information I found on 'Peppermint' was from the U.K. I wonder if it's been there longer?

    Linda - We had lots of wind yesterday afternoon. It just came in all of a sudden and blew some of my plants in pots over. I wasn't expecting it. I'm glad you didn't have any damage there.
    I hope your 'Josephine' is okay, I wonder if it was all the heat?

    Tina - Glad you're back! It's definitely gardening weather here, but not much time to do it today. Hope you have fun out there.

    Dirt Princess - I will leave the lantana then. I've had fuchsias come back too, so I always leave them and see if they return.

    Mildred - The first time I heard of lantana was a gardening show from the south and the landscaper planted it everywhere. How lucky that it grows so easily there.

    Heather - I'm so glad it has cooled down for both of us. It's perfect today, mid 70's and a little breeze.

    Susie - I love Passion vines, you are lucky it blooms year round there!

    Tessa - I wondered if you ever got any going. They are kind of hard to find and not exactly cheap. I think they're worth it though at least for a few.

    Grace - We missed the big storms luckily. We had lots of wind, no rain or thunder. I don't know when we'll have rain again. I think everything needs a good rain shower.
    My grandma had a dog Susie and I have a sister Susan and there were times it got confusing.

    Abe - I like a lot of old fashioned type flowers, but it's fun to find some new ones too. I will come and visit your new blog! :)

    The Retired One - I didn't realize Lantana had so much going on in the flowers, there were so many to choose from it was hard to narrow it down.

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  17. Anna - I hope it warms a little and stops raining. I know you want to get in your garden :)

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  18. Catherine, since you are new to Lantana, you should know that this plant is poisonous to dogs. Don't panic, many plants are and this certainly isn't one of the worse. Just keep an eye out for Gracie and don't let her chew on the leaves.

    I know what you meant about spending all of one's time watering!

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  19. Hi! Popping over from Tootsie's place. Those are beautiful! Are you gonna join in the FF fun?

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  20. Just look at that waterlilly! The color in the middle reminds me of a free range duck egg!

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  21. They are all so pretty. I would have bought them all too.
    Debbie

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  22. I haven't seen these flowers before. How big is the Lantana?

    The Peppermint looks lovely. I'll look out for them now. (How sensible of it not to try to take over everything in sight.)

    Lucy

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  23. I have the same Lantana Lucky Honey Blush.....the butterflies are going to love it. It's going to be a very cool weekend here, will barely reach 60 degrees.

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  24. Wonderful new bloomers for your garden. The colors are all lovely.

    Enjoy the cooler weather you are receiving. We won't see any of that until Nov or Dec. We did have a nice heavy downpour with yesterday's afternoon thunderstorm. Rain is good after a couple of years of drought conditions.

    Happy Gardening ~ FlowerLady

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  25. Great plant picks!!!! Enjoy the cool down, you know it won't last!! Maybe our rain will leave sometime today.

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  26. *Love* the Peppermint Clematis. So unusual-looking. It's beautiful.

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  27. Prospero - Thanks for letting me know about lantana. I have it planted in the front yard and the only time Gracie is out there is when she's with us. Luckily she only eats grass once in awhile and leaves other plants alone.

    Mary - Hi! I'm going to join in next week if I remember. Lots of pretty flowers being shared there.

    Matron - I love that yellow center, up close it almost looks like its made of wax.

    Debbie - It's hard to resist a pretty flower :)

    Lucy - The lantana here will stay small, the tag said 12 - 18". In the south it can get shrub size.

    Donna - I hope we both get lots of butterflies coming to it! It's cooled down here too. It's nice to get a break isn't it?

    Flower Lady - I'm glad you got a good rain for your flowers. It's just barely raining here now. Our summer weather is all over the place so I try not to complain too much about heat when I know we may only have it for a few days.

    Darla - I hope it stops raining, it sounds like you've had a good amount of it lately.

    Sweet bay - It's really pretty and the flowers are much smaller than most of my clematis. Hopefully I'll get it planted this weekend.

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  28. I'm sure the Lantanas would keep you amusing. I love watching them everyday and the way they open each day and change color. My mom used to say that when they were kids, they used to suck the nectar from it. They're Annuals? Oh, they grow like monster perennials here and I've seen these being trained to act as screens! Think of the cute little bunches for screen around the fence!
    Aaah! The Clematis! I think I saw a similar one over at Tina's, months before? Looks beautiful.
    Wow! That lily's gorgeous. You must be proud to have these, aren't you?

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