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July & August in the Garden!
Enjoy your garden.
Enjoy the summer.
Share plants with friends.
Go on a garden tour.
Daylily "Happy Returns"
There are hundreds, possibly thousands of different daylilies but Daylily ‘Happy Returns’ (Hemerocallis ‘Happy Returns’) is one of my favourites. A non-stop summer bloomer, Happy Returns presents 3-inch, butter-yellow flowers similar in appearance to early spring daffodils. It's smaller size (2 feet high) makes it perfect for a garden border, a perennial bed or containers. It grows well in full sun but does appreciate some morning or afternoon shade. Hardy in zones 3 to 9, it's not fussy on soil type and pollinators love it.
New Plant Selections for 2019
As a member of the Garden Writers Association I often have the opportunity to write about new products or plants. This year I received a number of Proven Winners 2019 selections and have them on display in the garden.
ANGELFACE Steel Blue Angelonia angustifolia - this tall and stunning annual thrives in sunny, hot, humid weather, doesn't need deadheading and blooms until the frost hits. Basic growing info: 18-30” tall x 12-18” spread; full sun; heat, humidity and drought tolerant; deer resistant; great in containers and landscapes; container role: thriller.
SUPERTUNIA VISTA® Paradise Petunia - Basic growing info: no deadheading required, 12-24” tall x 24-36” spread; part sun to sun; heat and humidity tolerant; attracts butterflies and hummingbirds; great in containers and landscapes; container role: filler/spiller or specimen.
SUPERBELLS Doublette LOVE SWEPT - Ø Basic growing info: 6-12” tall x 12-24” spread; part sun to sun; heat tolerant; requires good drainage; best grown in containers rather than in the ground; container role: filler/spiller.
Sweet Caroline Bewitched GREEN WITH ENVY Ipomoea batatas (Sweet Potato Vine) - Basic growing info: 10-16” tall x 18-30” spread; part sun to sun; heat tolerant; great in containers and landscapes; container role: spiller.
Here are all three together on display. It's stunning. The colour is vibrant and the plants just keep producing blooms. Can't wait to see how this looks by the end of July.
Thriller, Filler, Spiller.....Huh?
Thriller plants – Thrillers are the big, (often vertical) bold focal point of your container designs. If you view your container from all sides, put your thriller in the centre. If you view it from the front, place the thriller in the back.
Filler plants – Fillers are mid-size, mounding or rounded plants that surround and enhance the thriller and fill the space in the planter. What you plant will depend on the size of the pot and your own design ideas. Multiple fillers are fine.
Spiller plants – Spillers are trailing plants that cascade and tumble down the sides of the container. They can be as flashy or simple as you like.
