On The Floral Side

[GoDawgs]

On the floral side of things, I'm kind of liking these Jewels of Opar things. The foliage certainly is bright and now that they're maturing, each plant has a ton of wiry stems and each of those is covered in bb-sized buds. Those open to tiny pink flowers, maybe 1/4" in diameter. It's funny watching the big bumbles land on a stem with their weight really bending the stem down. But they still scramble around visiting all the tiny flowers.



I've tried taking a pic of those stems and flowers but they're so thin that the slightest waft of air causes them to bounce around and blur the photo. And those are blue salvia in the middle. I probably should have put the shorter salvia on the outside with the JOP's in the middle but I didn't know how tall each would get. Catalog descriptions sometimes stretch the truth towards taller or shorter.

The Lightning Rod plant is really branching out. Those round spikey looking balls have very slender orange blooms on them, kind of sparse but blooms none the less. Yesterday I saw two hummingbirds spending time all around that plant. I wonder if it really will get up to the 6-7' in height that I read about.



The Granddaddy Graybeard tree, also called Grancy Graybeard (Chionanthuus virginicus) has gotten old and like a lot of us, out of shape. It's been there about 25 years and is a real mess. It has a wild and wiry growth habit and it's gotten bare in the middle. Above that is the canopy which is hard to see. In the spring it's gorgeous when it puts out a ton of very pale yellow or cream colored blooms that look like hanging fringe. When they're gone the tree finishes leafing out and becomes ugly again.



As you can see, there are a ton of whips growing up around the base of the tree. I've about decided to cut the tree down over the winter and leave the whips to make a rather large shrub. If they all put out those fringy flowers it will be beautiful. The thing grows so fast I don't think I can hurt it. Yep, I might have to fire up the chainsaw this winter. Any reason not to?

[PlainJane]

On thé Chionanthus I can’t imagine why not try cutting it back. Whether shrub form or tree they’re nice.

[MissS]

Those Leonotis must truly be a hummingbird magnet. They aren't even in bloom and the birds are hovering around them.

[GoDawgs]

Those Leonotis must truly be a hummingbird magnet. They aren't even in bloom and the birds are hovering around them.

So those spheres will eventually be covered with blooms and not just a scattered few? I've never grown it before so I don't know.

Hmmmm, I just searched "leonotis in bloom" and got the ganged sheet of photos. It looks like all the really pretty ones are Leonotis leonurus. I have Leonotis nepetifolia. The pics of those look just like what I have now. Not as spectacular but we'll see.

[MissS]

I have grown them. Be sure to deadhead them or you will be having them everywhere. The birds wouldn't mid that though. Nepetifolia is preferred by the birds but it tends to be a bit weedy.

[GoDawgs]

Thanks for the head up, @MissS . That corroborates what the the guy who gave me the seeds said. He advised being diligent about deadheading!