Garden Changes


Blue Cup Plant
 4/18/11
     Over the last two weeks there have been many changes in my flower garden.  Probably because we have thirteen hours of daylight now, and the soil has finally warmed up.  My five blue cup flower plants are in full bloom.  Every inch of each plant is covered with violet blue flowers.   The strawflower and gazania plants are blanketed with blooms also.  I have never grown gazania before.  They seem to be self-sowing quite freely all over my garden.  As a matter of fact, they seem somewhat invasive. I thought I would try them as a cut flower.  They were not that good as a cut flower.  I had trouble getting the thick, white sticky sap off my hands.  You need just the right vase to accommodate them:  short with a wide opening at the neck.  They were finicky about opening in the house.   

Gazania
                                                        
 
Failing pansy
  There is decline in the garden also.  The 102 degree heat we had two weeks ago has taken a toll that has finally shown up.  The pansies are failing (one plant dead already).  The petunias are looking ragged especially in my patio pots.  It was 95 degrees the past two days, and that probably did not help either.  It is going to be in the upper 80's to 90 degrees most of the week, so I think the heat is here to stay.


Declining Petunia





3 comments:

  1. What you have blooming is gorgeous. Sorry about your losses though.
    Cher
    Goldenray Yorkies

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  2. Cher, Thanks for your lovely comment. All too soon all these beautiful flowers will be gone with the coming summer heat.

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  3. Lana, wow, 102 degrees in April! Sorry about the petunias and pansies -- not much can take that kind of heat!

    I -love- those Blue Cup flowers, so neat and mounded with all those flowers. Gorgeous.

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