Portulaca

Portulaca is a flower that my Grandmother and Great Grandmother loved planting in their gardens due to their variety of color. They are an easy flower to grow and you can enjoy the blooms all summer. They thrive in dry soil, because of their succulent type leaves.

They don't grow very tall, usually no taller than 6 inches (depending on variety). They make an excellent border plant do to their low growth.

 Portulaca can be grown very easily from their tiny little seeds. The trick is to lightly sprinkle the seeds over the top of the soil then gently mix the top 1/4 inch layer. Planting them too deep won't work. You can also take cuttings and root them fairly easily.

The photo above is a wonderful example of how i've used the portulaca this year to border my herb garden. They greet me every morning with lovely blooms!

These are planted in a small planter.

Lantana Flower

Here is a plant called a Lantana. I loved the blooms last year, so although it was labeled an annual I kept it in the cool basement all winter, giving it very little water and brought it back this year again to bloom! From what I've read, it is a cold weather annual and a warm weather 'tender' perennial. Seems to me the blooms vary in color depending on how much water it gets. I'll let you know if I learn more about it as I go. Experimenting is the key. I can't believe it survived my poor care this winter! 

I've seen these plants in many different colors and they attract many different butterflies. Someone mentioned that in warmer parts of Texas they grow very vigorously as annuals and sometimes become a nuisance. I could imagine them being a problem if they weren't the hybridized variety which these are. The original Lantana plants also had berries which made quite a mess. Those with the berries are not recommended because of the care they require to clean up after them. These, are no mess at all. I do clip off the dead blooms, being cautious not to chop off new blooms which start off very small. They bloom in pairs of two. And between the fork of the two stems is where the new bloom starts.

Peach Tree Experiment

My newest experiement. I enjoyed eating these peaches, now lets see if i can get them to grow. Took these photos the day I planted them one week ago. So far, a week later nothing is peeking from the soil yet. I'll keep my hopes high! And I'll keep you posted!!! STAY TUNED!

Balloon Flower

I would love to tell you about this flower that I discovered last year. It is called a Balloon Flower or Platycodon. My mom picked it out because it was unusual and I know you will agree! It is a fairly hardy perennial.  The flower starts out as a green bud:

 It then slowly starts expanding to a larger "balloon" shape. Changing it's color the entire time. In the case of this particular balloon flower, green, very light shades of violet and then a robust purple! The photo below shows the many stages of the balloon:

 Here is a close up of the immature balloon:

It's amazing how quickly the change takes place. From green bud to full bloom (which you will see in a moment) in about 4-5 days. The plant requires a lot of watering at this stage. I've noticed that when it is blooming, it soaks up water like crazy.

Here we see how beautiful the purple balloon flower compliments the bright colors of the portulacas:

FULL BLOOM!

Once this flower unfurls it's lovely petals it is very delicate and doesn't last very long. It especially does not like to get wet or have the heat of the hot sun. The sun doesn't bother the actual green foliage, only the bloom. I've had it in full sun the entire time, and I do believe that if I moved it to a bit of shade the blooms would last longer. 

A beautiful flower I'll be happy to enjoy year after year!