R&R Summer's Ups and Downs

It been over two months since by last post and the summer gardening has had its ups and downs. In fact I would say that the summer is, in many ways, the most challenging season of the year. There always seem to be the some disappointments from what seems like a good start in Spring. Anyway, here is a recap of the ups and downs.


Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos): definitely an up. One of the first plants I bought when I moved to Olive Branch in 2001 it has bloomed every year. My hibiscus is a six foot plant with large pink flower (they are also red and other flower varieties). It's the June star of the flowers of my full sun flowerbed. The flowers close in the early afternoon; this phenomena is called nyctynasty. The flowers are spent now but the foliage remains, I'll leave it up until February and then cut it back to the ground.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): definitely an up. Another perennial that's been around for more than a decade. Three feet tall with yellow flowers and a black center the Susans have bloomed for over two months and are still going strong. While other plants faded out this plant just keeps going throughout the summer heat. Gotta love that!
Lilies (Lilium): Asiatic Hybrid definitely an up. True lilies, not Day lilies which are Hemerocallis. I bought 25 bulbs from White Flower Farms and planted them in March. They did great producing a number of pretty flowers. I purchased a mix so I had red, orange white and yellow blossoms that lasted about a month.


Lilium Asiatic Hybrid

Lilies (Lilium): Oriental Hybrid were up and down.  Another White Flower Farm purchase this year. Of the three bulbs only two managed to produce flowers and the flowers were short-lived. These were planted in a part sun bed but I don't think that was the reason for their mediocre performance. My reference books say the Oriental Hybrids are more difficult to grow than the Asiatic Hybrids. That was my experience as well. On the positive side the blossoms were very pretty even though that didn't last.
Spider Lilies and Naked Ladies (Lycoris squamigera and Lycoris radiata): were up and down. Both
varieties of lycoris bloomed in late July/early August but were gone too quickly; plus the Naked Ladies by the mailbox only produced one blossom as opposed to three in other years.
Dahlia (Dahlia) way up with a little down. Another of my spring 

Dahlia

purchases, Dahlias are known for their large flowers and it's hard to argue with that. Last week I picked the prettiest yellow flower that I have ever grown, a blossom larger than my hand. There are some downsides to Dahlias in my opinion. While the flowers are gorgeous the plant itself is not pretty at all; its appearance reminds me of a smaller version of pig weed that is a curse of cotton growers. Also, I have had to stake the flower stalks. (I'm a tough love gardener and expect plants to make it with minimal help from me.)
Mulberry weed definitely a down this year. This is devilish weed; at only two inches in height it will produce seeds and produce them in abundance. Whoever is in charge of weeding my garden did a poor job the last two months. The heat makes for a less than enthusiastic gardener when it comes to weeding, at least it does that to me.
Okra and Cucumbers and Hostas: all downers. Dr. Brewster M. Higley may have been fond of deer (Higley wrote the poem that became the song "Home on the Range") but they did in my vegetable garden and my poor hostas. It was positively a case of "hosta la vista baby". Sorry about that, but the pun was too good/too bad to pass up.
I'll close with two poems one by Anonymous published in 1602 about Naked Ladies (unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view, not about Lycoris) and one about Lilies by Raymond A Foss.

Madrigal
by Anonymous

My love in her attire doth show her wit,
    It doth so well become her;
For every season she hath dressings fit,
    For winter, spring, and summer,
    No beauty she doth miss
    When all her robes are on;
     But beauty's self she is
    When all her robes are gone.



Raymond A. Foss

Clothed Like the Lilies
by Raymond A. Foss

In the finery of God
our every need met
in wondrous grace

Clothed like the lilies
fed like the birds
watered like the grasses
held in his arms