Summer's Hanging On!

Above is a nice shot of the annual blue anise sage (Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue') in bloom as part of our orange and blue theme. They seem to peak a couple of weeks before frost but do become a hummingbird favorite this time of year. Today started with a beautiful morning that warmed quickly to become quite hot this afternoon. I'm really not complaining as these days are numbered as we get closer to October. I stopped by the last day of the plant sale and saw a great turnout of volunteers to help facilitate the sale. I'm not sure how well the sale went in its entirety but I did see traffic start to pick up as I left. Larry, Janice, Jerry, Dr. Gredler and Greg were all out in the gardens today.

To the left are some of the giant papyrus (Cyperus papyrus 'King Tut') that we planted this spring. They have topped out at close to 7' and are frequently asked about. Papyrus is in the sedge (Cyperaceae) family and while just a seasonal in our climate, they can add wonderful texture in the bed or even water garden (where they would just as happy with submerged roots). We have four varieties of papyrus out in the gardens this year and will continue to use it in the imminent future.

Even though the gardens are past their "summer peak", there is still a lot of color out in the gardens. The image to the right was taken in front of the Parker Education Center. We are removing any annuals that look "cruddy" and are still trying to "stretch" our displays despite the cooler evening temperatures that are taking their toll on these tropicals. We're only a couple of weeks from a frost and a quick transformation of the gardens with fall colors, fall clean-up and bulb planting. Below is a nice close-up of the perennial donkeytail spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) that we've used throughout the gardens but specifically this year as part of the orange/blue theme. In warmer climates, it's a spreader. I love the texture and durable nature of this plant. We've also used it with great success in containers.