May 11, 2012

A Few New Plants for My Garden

Rainfall has been so generous this May!  I've recorded 4.1" in my rain gauge so far.  The wildflowers have reappeared in the space beyond the fence and the rabbits seem to be happy eating what's available out there.  They've made no attempts at anything in the garden - yet. 

Between thunder storms, I've captured a few images of some new plants. 

This lemon yellow rosemallow Hibiscus calyphyllus is planted in dappled shade and I'm counting on the sunny yellow flowers to brighten up the understory of the Anacacho orchid tree Bauhinia lunariodes.   After some research it seems to manage our winters just fine so I'm trying it in the ground.  It should get about 3-4' tall and bloom through to first frost.


Ruby grass Melinis nerviglumis 'Pink Crystals' has been on my wish list for a long time. While at HD I scored a couple quart size plants! This pretty, small grass adds delicate texture to the new front bed.   They are said to reseed.  Talking with other gardeners leads me to think if it's planted in/near decomposed granite it reseeds readily.  Maybe not so much in heavier soils.  We'll see.


Monarda 'Peter's Purple' has an interesting story. Seems in the garden of Texas native plant expert Peter Loos there was a tryst between a Mexican Monarda bartlettii and an American Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace' and the heat loving, mildew resistant, lavender topped 'Peter's Purple' is the result to the delight of Texas gardeners.  I've added it to the sunny butterfly garden in the back and am really looking forward to seeing how this plant performs.  My aunt has a stand of red Monarda in Louisiana and I was captivated by the number of butterflies and hummingbirds that visited throughout the day. 


How about you?  Any new plants you're trying out in your garden this year?  I'd love to hear about them!








22 comments:

  1. that rosemallow is beautiful! and i like the ladybug in yarrow. :)

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  2. Very cute pic of the Lady Bug! I love Hibiscus - here it's only an inside plant of course! I was just talking to K. yesterday about how much more rain you got already compared to last year when the last drop fell throughout my visit in March! So happy for you!

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  3. Your ladybug looks busy. It's fun to try new plants. Mine this year include Comptonia peregrina, sweetfern, which is supposed to have a spicy scent in the heat. It doesn't like rich soils, so it might not be happy in my garden bed. And I am growing asters for the first time... such an easy native it's a surprise I've never grown them before. I'm expecting thunderous success with the kinds I planted!

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  4. Laurrie, Asters are a fall favorite here in Austin! They always looks so happy even after a long, hot summer. You're going to love them!

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  5. You have to try new plants every year! If you don't you're missing half the fun of gardening! I'm trying too many new things to list them all, but I'm most excited (at least right now) about my Opuntias and Agaves. And mints. and some heirloom veggies. And completely new (to me) tomatoes.

    Now I have to go walk around the garden again -- too excited to work! ;-)

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  6. Oh man, oh man. New plants - the Monarda being the most popular, but yeah, I just basically bought a bunch of plants that I had never had before at the wildflower sale...so we'll see how they do.

    I was planning to take a picture of the front bed this weekend, but the rain and wind has caused the monarda to lean at a 45 degree angle so it's not going to be pretty...

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  7. Oh man, oh man. New plants - the Monarda being the most popular, but yeah, I just basically bought a bunch of plants that I had never had before at the wildflower sale...so we'll see how they do.

    I was planning to take a picture of the front bed this weekend, but the rain and wind has caused the monarda to lean at a 45 degree angle so it's not going to be pretty...

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  8. Good choices! The Ruby Grass and Monarda are so delicate. I have a few new plants this year, too, but I planted a lot of my favorites. Glad to hear you're getting plenty of rain.

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  9. I'm always trying new plants - yours are lovely! So good to hear you are having rain!

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  10. I don't know about these plants but i love the photo with the ladybug on yellowss. What is more exciting to be trying some temperate plants from the US and planted them here in the hot tropics. Out of 14 seeds sent by a blogger friend, gaillardia is already flowering and 4 more germinated and growing too!

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  11. That lemon yellow rosemallow looks just like an okra flower! How tall does it get?

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  12. Lovely flowers....as you know I am adding more natives especially trees and shrubs. Also some new native ferns...

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  13. We've had 4.85 this week and are SO thankful for this ! I'm in a farming community west of San Antonio and they have changed crops the past few years from corn to cotton and sunflowers. Those poor sunflowers looked awful after the wind and rain this week !

    Love that mallow ! Where did you get that and the monarda ? Some wonderful nursery in Austin, I guess ? I want to come up one day just to visit all the garden centers !

    I haven't had to buy ruby grass in years ! It always comes back somewhere. And yes, it does seem to like my gravel walkways much better than the soil in the raised beds. I let them stay wherever they come up. They are SO pretty !

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  14. All very pretty. Love the grass.

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  15. Thanks for the info on that purple monarda! It sounds like it will be a winner - and that it may need to be introduced in my garden, too! :)

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  16. I have a new rose - Belle Epoque.

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  17. @SLIH, the rosemallow gets about 3-4 ft tall. It does looks a lot like okra but the bloom is bigger ;)

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  18. I added 'Peter's Purple', too!!! It's in my new river bed garden and it's just chugging along. So far it's a tough cookie. I've added quite a few new plants this year. I'm excited abut some ornamental grasses and a new ground cover rose called Happy Chappy. It's hard to resist a plant with a name that cheerful. That ruby grass is a beauty. So glad you're getting rain!!

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  19. Thanks for all your prayers for Texas, Casa. We are praying that lake Travis will be full by labor day.

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  20. Stunning purchases. Love the pink/red tones in the grass. I haven't bought a thing so far this season but that's about to change quick. I've been making lists and double, triple, quadruple checking them before purchasing so I don't overbuy or buy things on a whim. I think I've got it all narrowed down and expect to make a few purchases this week.

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  21. My new plant is the serena angelonia, and I'm trying new vegetables this year. Trying new things is the fun of gardening! I'm so happy to read that TX got some much-needed rain. I love that little ladybug picture. Great shot!

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  22. OH, I need to check my local HD for the ruby crystals. I love that plant - just was officially introduced to it at Jenny's last go-go and she gave me some seeds. Hope I can find them at HD to get my yard jumpstarted with them!

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