NDR - flowers from the garden (more pics added)

 LOVE the Citrus Splash Rose!

Here's the only flowers I have at the moment.

Gorgeous, every last one of 'em!

I love flowers too but haven't managed to get a garden going yet.  I'll settle for the kind growing in vases right now.  My boss - who is the bestest - gave me a big bouquet of Gerber Daisies for my birthday and I was thrilled.

Beautiful flowers!!!  I dont have much luck with roses however, my daughter gave me a pink knock out (was on my wish list) it is beautiful and loaded with blooms!   I also have an old fashion variety on my fence that has been there for more than 100 years (so I have been told) that is still alive.  I find that in our area too much care has to be taken to keep mildew and black spot away.  That is why I asked for the knock out it was said to be disease and pest resistant.  Now I think I need a Double Knock Out!  I do have to say tho I love your Citrus splash and Joseph's Coat has always been a favorite of mine.  

I REALLY MUST FIGURE OUT WHY MY HOME COMPUTER IS NOT ALLOWING ME TO SEND PICS OUT!!!! 

I know I have said that a million times but by the time I get home I do not want to even see a computer,lol!

I love roses, but I can't seem to grow them here.  They bloom & look great from March to May.  Then I just struggle the rest of the year to keep them alive!

Here are a few from our yard.

Stargazer Lily

Salvia

Impatiens

Hibiscus

Gerber Daisy

Echinacea

Begonias

 Kimberly, what are those, Lily's? What's the bell one?

I struggle with picking the right stuff and making sure its not poisonous. I'm always afraid of Lilies.

Amanda, what beautiful flowers and great photography too!! I have a lot of trouble with impatients. I love them but they always look so leggy. The double impatients seem to grow better for me.

I have a couple of Gerber Daisy's; a redish oragne one and a hot pink one. They are growing like weeds. I currently have them in pots but I think they are going to out grow them within a few weeks.

The hibiscus looks so delicate. I have been tempted to buy a couple but I'm afraid I'll kill them :(

Don't fear the hibiscus!  They look dainty, but ours hold up pretty well.  (They are in the only flower bed that isn't protected by an invisible fence, & the dogs know it.)  The blooms only last about a day, but the bushes always have blooms on them, so from April to November we have hibiscus.

My impatiens get leggy too.  This year, I'm taking a new approach.  I'm starting them from seed, so I'm planting in waves.  Once the first set start to get leggy, I'm planting shorter ones around them.  If it works, I'll have a large mound of impatiens, that stairstep down in height, by the end of summer.

Kimberly that gladiola is beautiful, do you know the name of it? And did it do that red/yellow thing because it should or because it wanted to?

Truley

Kimberly that gladiola is beautiful, do you know the name of it? And did it do that red/yellow thing because it should or because it wanted to?

Dont know the name of it. I actually got them at the Dollar Store and figured I would see if they'd grow. It did the red/yellow because it wanted to. It was supposed to be solid red. Now I do have a yellow one coming up beside it that came out of the same bag.

The last picture is a Daylily. I have 2 of them and love them. Cant wait till they get bigger like everyone elses I have seen around here. 

I dont know what the bell things are. I thought they were supposed to be gladiolas but apparently not!

Some can, I know Hydrangeas color is based on soil ph.

Truley

I know Hydrangeas color is based on soil ph

I think this is so cool about hydrangeas.  Here in Georgia, the soil is very acidic, so the blooms are usually blue.  But if you add lime to the soil around the bush, the blooms will turn pink!

I took some pics of my garden's current flowers last night.  I'll try and remember to bring my camera to work tomorrow so I can post them.  I have a pretty shoddy garden right now, and only have 2 blooming plants.  My lorapetalum bushes bloom in early spring, so those flowers are long gone, as are the azaleas and dogwood in the back yard.  But I do have some really pretty lilies in the front garden that are what I call a "peaches and cream" color, and my white phlox are blooming now too. 

I can't wait to plant some more stuff in the front this fall.  I haven't been able to plant until recently because we were on watering restrictions due to a drought, but that's been lifted now, yay!!

BEVOLASVEGAS

My impatiens get leggy too. 

Ok ladies thru many years of experimenting here is the trick to impatiens.  1st... they must have shade  2nd they are probably the easiest flower ever to root cuttings.   I have gotten it thru my head finally (tip from a gardener) pinch your impatiens and most other annuals way back when they get leggy.  They bounce back so quickly, I always keep a pot or two handy with my fav soil mix so when I pinch back my impatiens I take the top I pinched off, strip the leaves leaving some at the top, take off any of the blooms and before too long you have another full pot of flowers :)

Mums are great to do this way too cause the second year they tend to grow really fast and bloom too early.  If you clip them in half and strip some of the leaves and stick the cut part in a pot or just in the ground soon you will have tons of mums.

One other way to disguise leggy impatiens is by creative planting..lol...

One of my favs is a pot in a pot!    I have a great  big bowl purchased at  Dollar General with soil in it, a smaller pot in the center of that bowl, a smaller pot in the center of that pot.   Plant impatiens around the edges and in the top pot.  Within a few weeks, you cant even see the pots, it looks like a beautiful mound of impatiens.   I also like to put one color in the bottom and alternate with either white or a lighter shade of the same color that really makes the mound showey!

Another way that works great is to plant a low ground cover or vining shade plant such as jew or swedish ivy at the foot of your impatiens that tends to  fill  in the bottom and it cover the fact that it is a bit leggy and it make a pot look very full.   I have had the same jew my granny (rip) gave me some 30 years ago, I take it in during the winter, and when spring comes I just put small cuttings in all my shady pots it takes root very quickly and really fill in a flower pot or window box. 

LOL, I bet you guys wish you hadnt mentioned gardening....  it is my secret passion!

I looked in my pics here at the office for an example...this was in 2002 . proof that I have used this pot in pot idea for several years.  I thought I could find a pic w/o the flowers in it but didnt.  Dont have many pics here at the office.

The one in the fore ground is a similar pot in pot treatment but I used Geraniums in 2 shades of pink.  The back ground is red and white impatiens.

It looked like you had a pic of Vinca....the purple ones..... that is one of my favoite annuals for sunny areas and the purple you show is my fav color too!

 oooo great tips! I like the pot within a pot idea. Lately I've been going to our local flower place and buying their cheapo old post for $.50 and just spray painting them. They look brand new and you can't beat the price! I figure any flaws will be covered up within a matter of weeks so who cares.

 I love your garden. I just bought a whole flat of Vinca's. I potted most of them but made 2 hanging bags out of them too. I've never made the hanging bag things before so we'll see how it turns out. Right now they are sitting for 7 days (per the directions).

Btw, thanks for the ideas with using the "pinches" for new plants. I'm so going to do that. So, you say, pinch back - how many leaflets do you usually pinch? I have been just pinching off the flower part. Is this wrong? Then strip off the whole flower part? Do you keep the seed pod under the flower then and that's what you put in the ground? I'm excited to try this with mums. Mums are my fav. fall flower. I haven't put any in yet though and haven't ever grown any. How far do you space them from other plants that flower during the summer as opposed to fall?

I'm so new to this gardening stuff but am totally loving it so spill all of your expertise please! haha

P.S. I'm going to try to take more pics tonight to show the evolution of my gardenening attempts

shadowsgin

LOL, I bet you guys wish you hadnt mentioned gardening....  it is my secret passion!

Great tips, & beautiful garden! 

I'm thrilled to get any tips, & knowledge.  Usually, the lawn service deals with our flower beds, but this year I decided to do them myself.  It's been interesting, but I'm having a blast.