Saturday, October 17, 2015

White Zinnia



White Zinnia
Zinnia elegans
(ZIN-ya) (ELL-eh-ganz)

One of the benefits of our dry summer was good Zinnias. The foliage stayed remarkably clean with a very light spray schedule. The roses we grew were also strong blooming on huge canes. Both the roses and the cutting garden Zinnias were on drip irrigation which helps keep the diseases in check.

In my pack of mixed Zinnias this white beauty appeared. It seems to have been some sort of mistake as all the others in the flat were typical reds, yellows and oranges. We had a freeze warning last night but I don’t think it got as cold as they said. Isolated pockets of frost and freeze probably happened but it wasn’t general so the season rolls on for a few more days anyway.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Daylily Closeup



Daylily
Hemerocallis cv.
(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)

Despite one of the hottest and driest summers I can remember the Daylilies proved they are tough, hardy performers in the garden. Despite installing several new irrigation systems for clients this summer I don’t have one at my house so the Hemerocallis lived and bloomed on a little bit of hand watering and that's it.

With this kind of weather it is easy to see the faults and shortcomings of the irrigation systems at work. It is generally easy to put down too much water and that isn’t good for most ornamental shrubbery. It is also easy to see dry spots that are usually not apparent when nature cooperates with some rain. While we didn't go through anything like the drought out west our area is used to at least some summer rainfall and even the thundershowers didn't come this year. Lucky things are getting back to normal (ugh, just in time for winter) in the precipitation department and we were able to keep most everything we planted alive but I do know that plants sometimes show their drought damage several seasons down the road.

 Bonus foliage picture. These are some Nandina domestica leaves