Echinacea ‘Julia’

We are having a long stretch of near record dry hot weather. Our garden is starting to show the effects along with keeping G busy watering. I am actually loving it even though the first couple of days which almost reached 90 was a little tough. There seems to always still be a cool breeze.

The grass had gone dormant which is typical. We have not had as many salvias come back as in the past. The Basjoo Banana is not as robust this year. It had sprout back from the ground this year due to the cold freeze early in November last year. The Gunnera is gone but the Melianthus strangely made it through. We also had one Echium pininana survive and bloom this year. Brugmansias are blooming. G thinks the secret to early blooms is not to prune it back when we store it- the blooms come when the stems branch and it takes a while to branch if you cut them back.

We also got an amazing deal on a red Banana. We went to the Home Depot up in Everett to shop for a new stove. We couldn’t resist checking out the plants. It is a super store and the nursery had an excellent selection of plants. We picked up a Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cosmopolitan’ and Echinacea ‘Julia’. And out in the parking lot were pallet loads of red bananas, some about 3 feet and other about 5-6 ft. And the sign said 50% off! We could only fit one of the 3ft plants in the car but what a steal at $10.00!!

Look at the Echium!

Driveway bed

New Red Banana

Isn’t that a great deal – $10 for the banana. We will dig it up come October and try to winter it over in the garage

Basjoo Banana

Agaves potted up and getting some summer sun

Former window boxes

Aeonium arboreum Atropurpureum

Shade bed – Mahonia gracilipes,
Arisaema taiwanense, Aristolochia macrophylla

Hosta bed – Patriot and Fragrant Bouquet

The newest host – Fire and Ice which we got at Portland Nursery

Salvia patens

Salvia Forskaohlei

And two photos taken a while ago of the Echium pininana

Note the hummingbird feasting. They loved it.