I’m excited that the aster starts that I received from eBay last year have grown and bloomed beautifully.  Here are some images of them showing off in the Armando garden.

 

I was able to spend about ten hours last weekend on the greenhouse and potting bench.  I can’t remember the last time I was able to carve out that much time for the plants.  Every plant got some much-needed attention.  Here are some “after” photos.

Here are two of the new Streptocarpus plants that I started from leaf cuttings last year.

 

The stem broke on this one, so I had to lift them up to get a photo…great color and patterns, though.

Another view.

One of the smaller seedling Impatiens that I grew from seed getting its first flower now!

Pristine white Streptocarpus named “Angelina Jolie.”

Another Cape Primrose from the leaf cuttings I got from an eBay seller last year.

This pot of Pleione orchids has gotten really crowded.  There will be dozens of bulblets in a month or so, and I’ll peel them off and pot them together in a separate pot or two.  I think it will take about three years for me to get blooming size plants from the bulblets.

The big story with this part of the shelf is that I threw away the original Sinningia leuchotircha caudex.  I had that plant for ten or so years and it had gotten huge, but a few years ago, all the buds died out at the top, and it never recovered.

This shelf contains an assortment of bulbs–Hippeastrums, inlcuding seedlings of H. mondonii, Habranthus robustus, Watsonia, Ferraria, and a few unknowns from a mixed seed packet.

Another view of one of the bulb shelves.  The Veltheimia bracteata bulbs are here, too.  They didn’t bloom last year for the first time in a long time, so I added some more fertile soil under and over the root balls without disturbing the roots.

This shelf has cactus, Gasterias, and an Aloiniopsis rurbrolineata that I grew from seed five or six years ago.

This is the Streptocarpus shelf–probably ten different plants, most of them are ten or so years old, but still productive.

Some plants not shown clearly in these photos that I potted on or divided include the hybrid red and white Hippeastrum that I’ve had for a long time.  Not only does it bloom every year,  but it sets seeds, and the seedlings have sprung up in pots all over the greenhouse.  I must have more than a dozen bulbs of this hybrid now!  There were offsets as well as the seedlings.

Also prolifically seeding around is the Hippeastrelia hybrid.  I potted all of the seedlings in separate pots and in good soil.  There are about a dozen pots of these now, too, and I divided the original pot of bulbs, which was very congested!

Other seedlings I potted on are Agapanthus praecox–I got five seedlings from the plant I grew from seed about seven years ago.

This view shows the Strelitzia reginae, Sinningia tubiflora, and the three divisions of Impatiens flanaganae, a tall tuberous type.   I also divided the old butterfly amaryllis I’ve had for 20 years.  I has only flowered once or twice in all that time!  The bulbs were pretty small, but seemed healthy enough.

This corner of a shelf has some vines tangled up, including an old succulent one that I’ve never identified, Thunbergia alata, and Eccremocarpus scaber.

This lower shelf has two Billbergia nutans, with Clivia miniata hybrids that I grew from seed in front.

More Clivia seedlings.  These are all mostly blooming size now, and I expect they should bloom next year.

Another Clivia seedling.

This shelf is pretty empty, with just a Bowiea volubilis and a pot with stock geranium plants.

Another bottom shelf with Clivia seedlings.   Hoping for a great show come March/April.

Here is the massive Coelogyne cristata that I’ve had for ten or so years.  I did not repot this plant.  I’m not really sure how I will when the time comes, but it bloomed well this year, so I’m hoping it will again next year and I can deal with repotting it afterwards.

Since the last post I did before September was May 27th, I’m adding some photos I took with my phone in June and July.  I’ll include some assessments here of the plants I started from seed this year.

Brother Tim had the great idea of growing vines up Leon’s “Pod” sculpture in the driveway bed.  He started a pot of morning glory seedlings and we potted them on into a bigger pot under the sculpture.

I was worried these would never grow and bloom–they took a very long time to get going.  I guess they were waiting for warm weather.

Every morning when I left for work, these flowers cheered me on.  By the time I got home in the evening, they were gone!

Amazing color and shape.  These have always been one of my favorite flowers–I’m not sure why I haven’t grown them at all lately, but I’m glad Tim brought them back to me.  And they looked great on the sculpture, too.

These vines wanted to be vigorous, but the pot constrained them.  Next year, I will plant them directly in the ground with lots of food and love.

The other vine that I grew up the same sculpture was Eccremocarpus scaber.  This one turned out to be a yellowy orange color.   I like the grace and strength of these vines, but like the morning glories, they need to be planted in the ground and not in a pot, to realize their full potential.  Next year!

Close-up of the Eccremocarpus buds.

The Petunias have been amazing all summer–I just cut them all back last weekend to see if I can coax another round of blooms.    I liked the Osteospermum flowers, but they didn’t last long.  I tried cutting them back, as well, but so far, no new buds.

Poor picture–the phone camera doesn’t like the glow off the very white blooms (but I do!).

I’m very happy with how the Begonia “Funky Pink” plants worked out–I hope they will winter over in the greenhouse as well as the Begonia boliviensis  that

Our Easter lily came back with a few fragrant flowers, and one of the Dahlias was back, too.

My Hemerocallis never put on a big show like some I’ve seen, but the flowers are gorgeous for a little while.  This on e is in the driveway bed.

Abutilon x suntense blooming in late spring.  I ruthlessly pruned these shrubs after blooming to try to give them some shape, as they are very leggy and top-heavy.

Restrepia guttulata blooming in the greenhouse this spring.  They outdid themselves this year, with four flowers on each of the two plants.

A few freesia laxa flowers.

I had purchased some miniature Gesneriads last year from an online shop, The Violet Barn.  It took them about a year to get going, but these two finally started blooming.

Not a great photo, but you can see the color and shape of these miniature violet flowers.  They are a gorgeous hue, but they don’t open fully, staying cup-shaped until they dry up.

The roses on the Jeff Tangen arbor bloomed beautifully this year.  I believe the red one is a root stock for a hybrid tea, but I like it when it blooms and it pretty much disappears after that.

Another view.

And another.

I was so thrilled when this little beauty bloomed.  This is a rose I grew from seed, but I have no idea where the seeds came from!  But I love the color, the fragrance is lemony and bright, and the hips, which are on the plant at this writing, are an almost-black burgundy color.

Another view. I hope to make this plant into a bonsai.

An early Impatiens flower from one of the seedlings.

The Epiphyllum hybrid that I’ve had for so long (20+ years) from brother Tim had an amazing, huge flower this year.  The photo doesn’t capture the neon nature of this pink flower.

Another view.

The driveway patio pots blooming madly in early summer.  At this point, the Dianthus and the Osteospermum are all blooming.  Neither hybrid lasted long in the summer heat, but I’m waiting to see if chopping them back and cooler September weather will revive them a bit.

A different view showing the Hakonechloa macra aureola plant that we’ve had for so long.  It makes a great foil for the bright annuals.

A better view of the pinks, Dianthus “Raspberry Parfait.”  My disappointment in these plants is not because of flower or form, but I just wanted more flowers for longer.  This was an unusually hot summer, so I may try them again to see if they do better given cooler conditions.

 

 

Here are a few photos from around the garden this weekend.

Here’s a fun combination–garlic chives and rhubarb.

I’m excited that this rhubarb has taken hold after more than a year…I will be able to harvest some next year.

Himalayan blackberries in the raised beds.  They produced really well this year, mostly because they got a little water.  The wilder ones in the neighborhood did not have good berries this year.

More blackberry pictures–I really love these berries!

The wonderful arboretum rose is blooming really well–its second big burst of the summer.  The fragrance is amazing, as always.

Close up of a rosebud.

Phlox “Laura” is my favorite visually, but there are others that appeal to my nose more.

Asters remain unfazed by the dry, hot summer.  They are putting on a real show now in the various gardens, especially the Armando garden.

More asters in the driveway bed.

More arboretum rose pics.

One drawback this year has been that the old flowers cling to the vines, along with the new buds.  I think rain and wind usually help clean the plants, but we haven’t had any of that, so they cling on much longer.

More phlox pictures.

And more.  I had cut these back in early June, which made them branch out and bloom a bit later.  The pink blooms are much more fragrant than the lavender/whites.  I’m glad I have them planted together!

I’ve been taking a few pictures all summer, even though I haven’t had time to post.  So, here are some updates on the patio pots planted with seedlings I started early this year.

Here’s a fun mimulus blooming again after I trimmed it back.

Some of the “Funky Pink” begonias are doing better than others–these are blooming really well in a pot with the New Guinea impatiens.

Another photo of the begonias I grew from seed eight months ago.

Coleus finally getting going on the back patio.

Another coleus, showing the flowers coming on.

My favorite in this series of photos–this is a mimulus and impatiens that should be clashing, but actually look really good together!

Another view of some coleus leaves.

Back patio view.

The petunias have been the workhorses of all the sunny pots.  The color range was limited, but the individual flowers/plants were stunning.

These photos don’t capture the depth of the purple/blue color.

The flower form is impressive, too.

The white petunia is impressive, too.

Again, not a great photo, but the red is very pure.

Only one of the New Guinea impatiens survived, but it is a winner.  The flowers are about 2-1/2″ across.  The first flowers opened in August.

Another view.  I’m really hopeful this one makes it through the winter in the greenhouse.

This pot was planted with the tiniest, weakest coleus seedlings. They came into their own recently, in August/September.

I’m not as fond of the star-marked impatiens that I grew this year as I  was of the solid colors I grew last year.  The bi-colored ones are showy, for sure, but a little too busy for my taste.

Here’s a showy coleus growing strong on the back patio.

The coleus got pretty tall this year, which I like.  They also bloomed, which I tried to curtail, but nature won out.

Coleus, mimulus, and impatiens on the back patio.  There is something so cheerful and random about mimulus flowers–they always make me smile.

I love using Pelargonium papillonaceum for foliage contrast.

Pelargonium “Petals” provides more leaf contrast in a sunny pot on the driveway, here with Anagalis monellii.

The true blue Anagalis flowers are impressive, but the plants were less so…spindly and weak.  I think they needed to be grown on in cooler temps early on.

Truly, truly blue.  The “Cola” series Pelargonium provides a nice contrast.

The flowers of Dianthus “Raspberry Parfait” were large and gorgeous.  Their bloom season was pretty short, though, so I trimmed them all back and am hoping for a second bloom before frost.

Salvia “Lighthouse Purple” took a while to get going, but they were impressive in flower, with a long season of color.  I have more seeds that I will definitely grow again next year.

 

I’m hoping to get caught up on some posts in the next few weeks.  Below are some photos from our August trip to the cabin in Tonasket.

The wildfires in British Columbia,  California and central Washington all contributed to the smoke we experienced on our trip–you can really see it here in the meadow.

Not a great photo, but this is the tiny flower of Dianthus armeria.

One of my favorite wildflowers.  This is the Scottish bluebell, Campanula rotundifolia.

I took this photo so I could research the name of this tree.  I believe it is Acer glabrum var. douglasii, the Douglas maple.

Even coyote poop tells a plant story–this batch was full of currant seeds from the very productive Ribes cereum.

A native bee on a thistle.

Close-up of the colorful currants.  The color of the berries varies from deep red to orange.

Sadly, the currants are very bland to the taste, but they probably pack a lot of nutrition.

Another view.

My best hiking buddy.  He’s slowed down a bit, but he still loves a little adventure.

He’s smelling something great.

I fell in love with these little calves in the meadow.  I ran into the owner and he said they are Texas Longhorn x Watusi crosses.

I just wanted to hug this little guy.  He wasn’t in a hugging mood, though, and when he is grown, his massive horns will discourage any hug attempts, for sure.

The grass in the meadow still had some green, and the cows all looked fat and healthy.

Another meadow  view showing all the smoke.  The smoke ended up in Seattle, too, the next week.  It was ugly and depressing!

Another smokey view.

And another.  It never really did clear up in the two days we were up there.