Entry of Mysteries

By: SKEETERThis is what happens to the Semi-Formal Garden Entry after a half inch of rain, then leaving my Georgia Garden for 2 weeks! Where is the Pathway into the garden? The Jessamine is slowly climbing the doorway.
Ah, much better after a day of pulling cosmos seedlings and weeds. Thank you to Tina and Nina for the Cosmos seeds! As you can see, they did great in my Georgia Garden. Do you see the purple bloom at the bottom right corner of this picture? Yep, a volunteer Butterfly Bush has popped up in the garden! I will be relocating this bush to another spot in the near future.
And what is this tall plant with purple flowers?

Note, see the tiny white blooms on the plant to the right of this one? More on it later in this post... A closer look shows the tiny blooms of this beauty. Tina, Nina, which of you gave me these seeds as I have no idea what this one lone plant is called.
Over time, she branched out about mid way up the stem.
The branches bloomed and her weight, pushed her over to the ground. Black Jack, (the stray cat we have been taking care of these days) likes to hide under the pretty plant.
Here is the foliage of the beauty.
And again, the beautiful purple blooms.
Help Bloggers, what is this plant so I can make a note of it and will it self seed for me?Now to the other plant I mentioned above. I tossed lots of seed in spring and not sure what I tossed where. Note to self; mark areas where you toss seed in the future! This plant grew tall and fell over to the ground as if a ground cover. Here is a close-up of the tiny white blooms. I referred to my seed packets and the only thing I can think of is, Forget-Me-Nots. Could this be? If so, I am confused as the seed I planted were Blue Bird so they should be blue in color.Remember the voluntary Butterfly Bush I mentioned above? Well, look what popped up beside the bush! Yep, my very first Tuberrose! Nina, this is not the one you gave me but that one is surviving in the wishing well garden. I hope she will give me blooms next year. This one I must give credit to my mother as she gave me the tubers for my birthday last year. I was shocked to see it bloom as I had given up on it. Tina Posted on this beauty a long time ago. Click HERE to read about it and see her beautiful blooms. You are all so correct in describing the scent of this bloom. It was pure joy to my nose! It reminded me of the wonderful scent the Jasmine gives me in late spring. Ah, it was awesome. My Tuberrose did not open up as nicely as Tina's plant but I have hope for a stronger plant full of blooms next year.

I have neglected the Semi-Formal Garden this year and must rectify that. I need to move some things around and add some things as well. Even though I had these mystery plants and some surprises in the garden, I must do better by her next year. I must remember to not only add new things to my entire yard, but not ignore the existing gardens as well. I must find a happy balance in the future or stop adding new gardens.

There you have it; My ENTRY OF MYSTERIES, In the Garden.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,In the Garden

Rose

"Rose"

By Lola

Tuberose that is. My first encounter with this lovely plant was in N.C. I saw the plant in bloom and it smelled fantastic. The smell is like a gardenia. I purchased the plant and later brought it back to Florida and planted it in the ground. It died back that winter but came back the next spring and bloomed. Sadly it did not appear after the next winter.
Last year I purchased the bulbs of the double tuberose (Polianthes Tuberosa 'The Pearl'). I also purchased the single Mexican tuberose, (Rajanigandha, Sedap Malam) . Researching this one I learned the Aztecs used it's oil to flavor chocolate.

This is the picture of the single Mexican Tuberose As you can see it's got two flower stalks.
This is the picture of the double tuberose, The Pearl. They didn't bloom last year but have done so this year. They started forming flower stalks around the first of July. As time passed the stalks got longer. Then they started with the blooms.
This bloom is the result of the Mexican Tuberose being broken off.
See how the flower looks as we've brought it closer!!!

This is the double tuberose before it starts to open. A cluster of "pods" as I call them
A closeup of the "pods"
I have one sitting by the front door and one by the garage door so no matter which way we enter there is that lovely smell.

So as long as they bloom we will have a very pleasant smell.......

In the Garden

Updates

This post is about updates to some previous posts, and to let you all know I am back in the saddle. Skeeter has gladly turned the reins back over to me, though she tells me she has had mucho fun but blogging is an awful lot like-ready???-work! She will fill in again as I need a break. Ready Skeeter? I will prepare a post on her and my other commenters soon. Many bloggers have been asking me about all of these wonderful commenters and unless you have followed along from the beginning, most will not know the story of my faithful group, so it bears telling. Though, even if you have followed along from the beginning, you might not know about Lola and Skeeter and my mother and my sister and Anonymous and Nina. I will promise not to be toooo boring. Okay, now on to garden updates! The above picture shows the bloom of my tuberroses. Lola had mentioned way back when how good they smell. Nina kindly sent me some bulbs and here they are blooming! They do smell good too!

Do you remember my post on the 'Lords and Ladies'? And how I hoped I would get an orange candleflower? I did! Here is the one and only, but it will be joined by some siblings next year as the plants grow and mature. It is very colorful and makes a great dried flower.

Here is an updated picture of the 'chocolate' with the 'Goldsturm' brown eyed Susans. I love the look. Growing along side the brown eyes are some Joe Pye weeds (a post forthcoming), some yews, nandinas, and some other perennials in this 'Perennial Garden'.

Here is a better picture of the banana bloom. Or at least a more updated picture. I am sure I will not get any bananas simply because this is the only bloom. This bloom needs to be pollinated by another and it isn't happening this year.

Lastly, an update on Compost the kitten. Compost made the 22 hour drive to Maine with us. Maine has no kill shelters and is much kinder to stray animals than the state of Tennessee. My daughter Christine is currently fostering her and looking for a good home for this sweet little kitten. Christine just called me yesterday to say she thinks she has found a forever home with a dear friend of hers, and I hope it works out soon!

in the garden....updating.

TuberRoses

There has been a lot of talk about fragrances in the garden, and specifically a plant which has a nice fragrance, tuberoses. Who doesn't love fragrance? My friend Geri gardens pretty much based SOLELY on fragrance. I think that is kind of funny but it is her passion. She should get some of these pretty flowers several of you readers have talked about. Lola first mentioned them, Nina grows them and Dawn with Peaches would like to buy some. Nina found a source at Dutch Gardens, (item number 62854).

Growing instructions as provided by Lola, say you need a very well drained area. Tuberoses, botanically known as Polyianthes tuberosa, are described in The Southern Living Garden Book as southern heritage plants. They need a warm season to grow with at least 4 months before flowering. Set rhizomes in the ground two inches deep in a well drained area after the soil has warmed, or start indoors in pots.

The Southern Living Garden Book also says that if temperatures remain above 20 degrees all year, rhizomes may be left in the ground. In Tennessee you will need to remove the rhizomes each year because our temperatures usually dip below 20 degrees. Wait until the leaves have yellowed then dig the rhizomes, allow to dry for a few days then store in peat moss or sawdust in a dry area which remains above freezing, such as a garage. Full sun is required for successfully growing these flowers.

Flowers are described as extraordinarily fragrant and cutting fresh flowers is highly encouraged. Tuberoses are heavy feeders and will require regular applications of a balanced fertilizer throughout the growing season.

A most commonly grown variety of tuberose is 'The Pearl', pictured above. Sure is beautiful. I have never heard of these but would not mind trying it out-even if I have to dig the rhizomes! This variety is the same Nina pointed us to at Dutch Gardens.

Nina sent me some of her tuberoses and I will potting them up soon. She tells a story about her sister being in a garden club here in Tennessee where the welcoming present is a gift of tuberoses. Apparently they multiply well and so the ladies wanted to share. I am looking forward to mine multiplying so I can share as well.

Nina also sent me storage instructions for my northern readers and maybe even some Tennesseean gardeners who want to err on the side of safety. Dig the tubers carefully while keeping as much soil as possible, let the soil dry then store the tubers in a box with peat moss, sawdust or perlite for the winter. Do not allow the bulbs to freeze.

in the garden....learning from you fellow commenters so much more than I ever imagined.