Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time

http://www.tootsietime.com/.

The blooms are slowing down, but I've still got a few to flaunt.

I decided to try a new fall look for the blog, let me know what you think.

At last, after waiting the entire summer, the first bloom on 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory!

A nice photo of the light pink 'Stripes and Splashes Mixed' morning glory.

A giant bloom of the blue splashed from 'Stripes and Splashes Mixed' morning glory.

'Sparky' marigold.

'Petite Orange' marigold.

Close up of a newly purchased mum.

The second bloom on the red cactus dahlia shown last week. This one is a keeper!

I've been harvesting morning glory seeds all week. By the time I'm through I should have several ounces of most of the varieties that I've pictured.

The bush and pole beans are still producing, I'm still picking about a pound a week.
The lettuce seed are up and growing quickly under fluorescent lights.

Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time

http://www.tootsietime.com/.

The extreme heat seems to finally be over! There are still a few things in bloom.

A cactus dahlia grown from seed.

Another cactus dahlia grown from seed.

An orange selection from 'Sunset Giants Mixed' marigolds, this one strongly resembles the old 'Guinea Gold'. I prefer this looser form to the fully double forms.

A yellow selection from 'Sunset Giants Mixed'.

This one resembles the old variety 'Yellow Supreme'.

'Broken Colors' four o'clocks still look great.

The first blooms on 'Powwow Wildberry Rose' echinacea. This was a 2010 All America Selection, next year I'll be able to judge this one's true worth.

The fall lettuce is seeded and has started to germinate. Spinach and arugula will be sown this weekend. The summer vegetables are done except for a few tomatoes and the beans. Now that it is cooler, bush and pole beans are starting to produce like mad!

Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time
http://www.tootsietime.com/.

There was no much going on in the garden this week, although I did have a few interesting visitors.

Above, a Pandora Sphinx Moth, looking ready for deployment.

Above, a very sleek looking Praying Mantis guarding the zinnia's.

Above, 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory.

Above, a dark blue splashed selection from 'Stripes and Splashes Mixed' morning glory.

Above, 'Sunrise Serenade' morning glory.

Above, a pink selection from 'Stripes and Splashes Mixed' morning glory.

I hope I'm not being redundant with all the morning glory photo's, they are the most interesting things in bloom. 'Stripes and Splashes Mixed' were grown from a pack of Northrup King seed purchased back in 2003. Even though they weren't planted until early July, they are starting to make quite a show and are endlessly interesting each morning.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time

http://www.tootsietime.com/.

It's hard to believe that the week has gone by so quickly. This passed week actually brought a bit of much needed rain.

Above, the 'Broken Colors' four o'clocks are blooming like mad. Every day the show is a bit different. I highly recommend them if you like stripes and spots.

Above, 'Aomaraski Zyouhantensibori' morning glory. How's that for a name! These seeds came from e-bay on 2005 and this is the first year I've grown them. Every seed sprouted, and they really have helped satisfy my stripes addiction.

Above, another e=bay morning glory from 2005. This was supposed to be 'Gypsy Bride', a double (hige) of white with a purple spot near the throat. They bloomed this pink with a red star, a lighter pink than 'Sunrise Serenade' and they are come single and feathered. This is the single.

Above, a semi-feathered bloom.

Above, a fully feathered bloom. Since I have no idea what strain, if any this is I've dubbed it "High Hopes". It sounds much better than "I've waited all summer for this??!!!".

Above, another bloom of 'Cornell' morning glory, the last of those 2005 e-bay seeds. I should have loads of seed from this one when they ripen.

Above, 'Aomaraski Zyouhantensibori' morning glory showing a different face.

Above, the original strain of 'Bolero' marigold. This is the one that won the All-America Selections award in 1970 and has become almost impossible to find.

Above, one of my favorite types of petunia, the old Superbissima's, commonly known as 'Giants of California'. The plants and the blooms grow to a massive size!

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time http://www.tootsietime.com/.

It was not a good week for me. Combine the remnants of a cold and a bizarre work schedule and I was left with just enough energy to snap some pictures.

Above, a hummingbird moth having his breakfast of morning glory 'Grandpa Otte'.



Above, a light pink selection of morning glory 'Stripes and Splashes', please pay no mind to the half eaten bean leaves.



Above, finally a bloom on of my two surviving 'Stardust Mixed' geraniums. I started with nine and lost seven to rot. I didn't think that was supposed to happen with seed grown geraniums!




Above, a close up of 'Cornell' morning glory.

Above, a selection from 'Candy Stripe' zinnia.

Above, a close up of my living bouquet of 'New Burpee Hybrids' cactus zinnia.

Above, a close up of two of the largest heads of 'Bicolor Chief' cockscomb.

Above, 'Cornell' morning glory, with a stray bloom from 'Grandpa Ott'.

The season seems to be winding down, even though it's still august. The heat and the draught have taken their toll despite my valiant attempts at keeping things watered. The summer vegetables were a bust this year, with the exception of sweet peppers. Last year, despite the problems with blight I had tomatoes on very surface in the kitchen. This year I couldn't even get a decent amount of cherry tomatoes. Sigh, there's always next year...

Have a great weekend!

Fertilizer Friday

Fertilizer Friday is hosted by Tootsie Time http://www.tootsietime.com/.

Not many pictures were taken this week, here are a selected few.

Just click on any picture to enlarge it.

Above, cockscomb 'Bicolor Chief'.

Geranium 'Horizon Orange Ice', zinnia 'Profusion White' and zinnia 'Zahara Double Fire'.

Morning Glory 'Early Call Blue'.

The front portion of the driveway bed.

Four O'Clock 'Broken Colors.

Balsam 'Peppermint'.

Have a great weekend!

Just a 'Fantasy'?

The scan below is taken from Burpee's 1937 catalog. Zinnia 'Fantasy Mixed' was introduced in 1935 by the Bodger Seed Co. and won a silver medal in the 1935 All-America Selections. They were considered a breakthrough in form, a variation on the relatively new cactus form. The bloom size was 3- 3.5 inches and the petals were extremely rolled and twisted. The last time they appear in my old catalogs is in the the mid 1970's. From all accounts the strain is extinct.

Pictured below is a bloom that I found yesterday while cutting a few blooms to bring to my mothers. They look remarkably similar, don't they and the bloom size measured just over 3 inches. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one.