Tag Archives: Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

July Juncture

Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’ (Coneflower)

Summer has turned the corner in my garden and plants are tired, weary and thirsty. July has been hot and mostly dry. Although we have had a few thunderstorms often dark clouds pass overhead to find a different target than our neighborhood . I have watered selectively, but sometimes even include the coneflowers because they are doing so well this year.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

In particular when watering by hand I’m trying to encourage the dahlias as well as my two tomato plants which were planted very late. (I tasted the first two grape tomatoes this week. The German Johnson shows little interest in producing more than just the two still-green specimens that formed early.) The dahlias are not doing as well as last year but a few nice ones show up. It’s so hot they don’t last long.

Dahlia ‘David Howard’

I am still trying to outwit the rabbits to protect a third sowing of zinnias. Spraying frequently seems to help some but is not a good long-term solution. My neighbor is scouting for rabbit fencing but supplies are out. It seems it will be costly anyway and fairly unattractive. If you have found a good solution to keeping rabbits at bay, we welcome your advice. She and I have white vinyl picket fencing (as dictated by our homeowner’s association) and is open at the bottom. She had installed chicken wire along the base but the rabbits are still slipping inside. One thing left unbothered by rabbits has been this crinum lily. The plant has had three tall shoots so far. Individual blooms are delicate.

Crinum × powellii (Swamp Lily)

This week on Instagram I joined Amy @newgatenarcissi for another #gardenmonthlycollage on for July 2020. There are so any images to choose from for July, but for the collage I found several for which I had made some Waterlogue counterparts.
Left to right: Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) on Lagerstroemia (Crape Myrtle)
Canna With Echinacea (Purple coneflower)
Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)
Bombus (Bumble bee) on Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)

Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ hummingbirds seem to adore, but unfortunately mine is producing few flowers. (A tip I recently heard on an old Gardeners World episode is the salvia may just be too “happy” and it needs to be moved to where it will be stressed and has to work harder.) I love to hear a hummingbird’s wings as they nectar close by. Other birds we are seeing now are American goldfinches, eastern towhees, nuthatches, cardinals, house finches, chickadees and lots of little brown sparrows, all which frequent the feeder. Mourning doves stop by and lumber around the meditation circle.

Yesterday I saw a new-to-me white moth which I have identified tentatively as White Palpita Moth (Diaphania costata). It flew frequently as I tried to photograph it and it always landed under a leaf, making it challenging to get a clear image.

White Palpita Moth (Diaphania costata) underside

White Palpita Moth (Diaphania costata)

Cleome has taken over the meditation circle again this summer but it is hard to mind.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Cleome and rudbeckia provide the most color to my garden right now. Both attract lots of bees.

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)

Finally coming into full bloom this month, Lantana draws many pollinators, such as this little skipper.

Lantana camara (Common lantana)

But where are the butterflies this year? Very few have passed by that I have seen. This one seems to have had a hard life.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

That is a look at July so far. 95° F. Be safe.

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

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In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

Each Monday Cathy from Rambling In The Garden invites us to share a vase assembled from materials collected in our gardens.

I am not a fan of pink but it often dominates the blooms in my garden and commands today’s vase as well.

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

Hydrangeas I adore, even in pink, and especially at this fresh young stage.

Hydrangea macrophylla

Pink persists. Cleome (spider flower) freely self-seeds in the meditation circle and is just beginning to bloom. All parts of the the plant display interesting architectural features.

Cleome Hassleriana Details With Hydrangea Macrophylla

Cleome Hassleriana Floating Above Hydrangea Macrophylla

To my mind the stars of this early June vase are gardenias. They have scented the garden for several weeks, blooming magnificently this year. When temperatures blazed upward the gardenia flowers pouted and turned brown, but a few new buds continue to open. Their fragrance is unparalleled, inviting one to breathe—deeply inhaling sensuous joy and exhaling, letting go with a sigh.

Hydrangea and Gardenia jasminoides

Gardenia jasminoides

Materials
Flowers
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Gardenia jasminoides
Hydrangea macrophylla
Foliage
Container
Small matte-glazed blue ceramic vase

What color prevails in your garden this week?

Many thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

Meditation Circle

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The garden is in a fairly natural state this summer which seems to suit the pollinators just fine. Angelonia (Summer Snapdragon) creates a colorful swath along paths in the meditation circle.

Angelonia In Meditation Circle

Angelonia in blue, white, purple and bi-color bring vibrancy to the circle as well.

Angelonia angustifolia ‘PAC – Angelos Bicolor’ and Angelonia Purple

Angelonia Blue and Angelonia White

Angelonia Purple

Angelonia In Meditation Circle

The paths themselves are overgrown with self-seeding Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) which I cannot bring myself to pull out. Even though the labyrinth is unwalkable in this condition the overall contribution of the cleome creates an effect in the garden that is magical.

Meditation Circle

Thymes planted along the paths are in bloom underneath the cleome.

Cleome Soaring Above Various Thymes

A few more glimpses into the cleome garden…

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) In Meditation Circle

Back to the pollinators, these happened not to have been found on the aforementioned plants but quite nearby. Here is Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) on Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’.

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) on Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’

The garden was full of these skippers yesterday. This one is enjoying Echinacea.

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) Nectaring On Echinacea

Hope your gardens are teeming with blooms, activity and life.

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

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In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement every Monday using materials collected from our gardens. After weeks of hot, dry weather there finally were rain sprinkles on the Fourth of July just as everyone was getting excited about fireworks. The rain quickly moved on that evening, hurrying north toward town. Since then there have been several other showers, none bringing much precipitation.

Indifferent to the preceding, long dry spell, Cleome hassleriana has opened in the meditation circle and throughout portions of the borders. I gathered a dozen or more stems to feature in today’s vase.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) With Liatris

Some of the flowers come out white.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Companions include fresh cuttings of Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea) along with several clusters of Hydrangea macrophylla left over from last week.

Sweet Pea, Hydrangea and Artemisia

Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)

Soft silvery gray foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood) mixes into the soft gray-green band of glaze of the stoneware pitcher.

Hydrangea and Artemisia

Materials
Flowers
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Hydrangea macrophylla
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)
Foliage
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Vase
Stoneware pitcher glazed with bands of cream, green, blue. (pitcher and 4 cups, Pringle Pottery, North Carolina, circa 1977).

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us an opportunity to share flower designs across the world. Visit her to discover what she and others found to place In A Vase On Monday.

Wordless Wednesday—Blue Dasher

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Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)

From mid-Summer: July 19, 2017
In the meditation circle: Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) on Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

The spider-like flowers with protruding stamens make the Blue Dasher appear fairylike.

In A Vase On Monday – Cleome

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In A Vase On Monday – Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Each Monday Cathy at Rambling In The Garden invites us to share an arrangement using materials collected from our gardens.

A day late I am sharing what stood out most in my garden when I returned home yesterday from the Garden Bloggers Fling, which by the way was filled with magnificent gardens and people. It will take a few days to sort through all the photos.

Self-seeded Cleome has taken over the center of the meditation circle. Hummingbirds are darting all around it as are the bees.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) In Meditation Circle

Materials

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Porcelain Ikebana vase, Georgetown Pottery, Maine. Triangle Black Wave (6.5 W x 6.5 L x 2H)

In A Vase On Monday – Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting and giving us a chance to express our flower arranging passion. Visit her to discover what she and others found this week in their gardens to place In A Vase On Monday.

Tuesday View: July 19, 2016

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Tuesday View – July 19, 2016

Cathy at Words and Herbs hosts the Tuesday View, encouraging garden bloggers to display a photo of the same view of the garden week by week to observe the changes. I took photographs of the meditation circle around 8:00 a.m. Tuesday but did not have time to post until now.

The top half of the weekly view is filled with bright light rushing in from between my house and the next, while the circle and much of the garden lingers in shade, making it challenging to get a good picture. Every week I participate makes me want a new camera, but I am gently assured by my family the quality issues rest in the photographer not the camera.

We are still getting some storms but no longer daily. The heat index is high, air is thick and heavy. Mine is definitely a spring garden and in summer I spend little time tending the plantings. After experimenting with a range of finicky perennials, I found this low-maintenance scheme of commingling various thymes in the center of the labyrinth and using purple and white Angelonia to form the walls along the path to be reliable and effective. While the borders start fading under the hot sun, the meditation circle retains some level of dignity.

During a yoga retreat this past weekend I walked a seven-circuit labyrinth, shaded by lovely old trees and accented with the lively sounds of birds and ocean.

Tuesday View – July 19, 2016

Angelonia ’Serena White’

Growing against the back fence, Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) and Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) are not a combination I planned, but they are survivors beloved by pollinators.

Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower) and Cleome

Thanks to Cathy at Words and Herbs for hosting the Tuesday View. Check out her featured view and those of other gardeners.

Early July Notebook

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It has been another week without rain and several more 95°F days have pushed some plants over the brink, including a Phlox paniculata ‘David’ I bought in May. ‘David’ is a sophisticated white phlox that grew well in my former garden and I have been trying for years to establish it here. Seeing its sad state spurred me to water the entire garden thoroughly Thursday evening, but the effort was too late to save that new phlox I think.

Meanwhile pinkish things are blooming and thriving.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) and Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)

Purchased the end of April, this stubby foxglove may have been mislabeled as Digitalis purpurea ‘Camelot Rose.’ It is supposed to be 35-47 inches (90-120 cm) but while attractive, it is more like 12 inches tall. ‘Camelot Rose’ flowers in its first and second year. This one is finally blooming many weeks later than another variety in the same border. Maybe it will achieve its true height in the second year.

Digitalis purpurea ‘Camelot Rose’ (Foxglove ‘Camelot Rose’)

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) is attracting lots of bees. I have begun deadheading some of it, but the best bee photos always seem to be those where the flower has faded. At least one flower looks fresh.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ is looking better than it has in years. Although I cut it back, it is still flopping but at least this summer it is blooming.

Gaura lindheimeri ‘Passionate Blush’ (Butterfly Gaura)

When I could not find my preferred blue Angelonia this spring to use as the meditation labyrinth’s walls, I ended up using some lavender and some darker shades of pink on one side of the circle. I think Angelonia angustifolia ‘Archangel Dark Rose’ is on the left below and ‘Raspberry’ is on the right.

Angelonia angustifolia ‘Archangel Dark Rose’ and A. ‘Raspberry’

Most of the outer wall of the meditation circle is actually planted in white, specifically Angelonia ’Serena White.’ Hot temperatures arrived in late spring before the young plants had time to get established, but with judicious water they have filled in nicely and finally are acclimated after many weeks.

Angelonia ’Serena White’ and Various Thymes in Meditation Circle

Many thymes are planted in the circle. The center is largely covered in Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz.’

Thymus serpyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ (Pink chintz thyme) in Meditation Circle

Not everything in the garden is pink. This morning I was thrilled to see this Iris domestica (Blackberry Lily) in flower. I had wanted to add Blackberry Lily to the garden for years and finally came across one in April at my favorite garden center. Then, when I was cutting back iris leaves a few weeks ago, I trimmed its foliage back accidentally. I assumed I had lost the chance of seeing it bloom this year, so spotting this orange color today was a nice surprise.

Iris domestica (Blackberry Lily)

Speaking of iris leaves, this little skipper was perfectly content to sit on one in the early morning sun today.

Skipper On Iris Leaf

Bees were everywhere this morning. This Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ was knocked down by wind a couple of weeks ago and I propped it back up as best I could. The bees do not seem to mind that the huge stalks are still leaning.

Bee On Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’

Blue Sky salvia has its own admirers.

Bee On Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)

Next to the back steps the first dark red flower has opened on a passalong dahlia from Libby at An Eye For Detail. Last year was the first time I really took an interest in growing dahlias. The one planted late last summer overwintered but has yet to bloom. This spring I bought tubers of several red and purple dahlias and I hope they will carry the garden through the summer and into fall.

Dahlia sp.

Post 550—Flowers And Insects

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Hemerocallis (Daylily)

It is just a number, but having arrived here, I like the idea of marking my 550th post.

Most days this week I have enjoyed the garden by getting up early, between 5:00-6:00 a.m., to take pictures, water certain plants and spend some time in quiet reflection before the neighborhood starts bustling. A red Daylily started flowering a week ago, this yellow one opened today.

Wednesday I noticed a colorful creature spiraling an Allium Atropurpureum. Perhaps someone will be able to help me identify it.

Allium Atropurpureum

Scattered all around the garden, Echinacea purpurea has been reliable in the heat. Some planting of echinacea received no extra water during this drought, but I watered this section fairly regularly since I was watering nearby. Even drought-tolerant plants such as this one respond positively to some attention.

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) Along Back of Northern Border

Bees are becoming active at this early time of day, but frequently during my walks I have come upon them asleep on Echinacea and once, on Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (Catmint).

Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (Catmint)

Another bee pair was lazily hanging out on the spire of a Liatris spicata. This one is the only liatris that has kept its dignity during the recent heat wave.

Liatris spicata

Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox) came into its own this week. Along with Cleome it helped to fill in some gaps along the fence in the western border, attracting more bees at the same time.

Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Bee on Phlox paniculata (Garden Phlox)

A recent addition to the garden, Ruellia brittoniana ‘Purple Showers’ (Mexican petunia) is taking its time getting adjusted to its new home. Eventually it should make a nice large clump and overwinter, I hope. There are a couple of new flowers each morning, gone later in the day—the bunny or some other phenomenon? I have not seen the rabbits in 4 or 5 days nor have I come upon an abandoned little blue velvet jacket.

Ruellia brittoniana ‘Purple Showers’ (Mexican petunia)

Under the screened porch a long border was overtaken years ago by Shasta Daisies. When they first come into bloom they are fresh and inviting.

Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)

Always too quick for my camera on a few mornings there was a single hummingbird sipping among the Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm). The blooms are drying out so one time the tiny bird caught a a long red petal in its long beak instead of finding nectar—I could almost see it trying to spit it out.

Last night a huge storm passed us right by and hovered instead over the town of Chapel Hill. Several friends reported hail damage. Tonight a smaller storm carried some light rain our way for 45 minutes. The bird baths were filled only half-way, but the water should help refresh the garden. Have a great weekend.

Morning Moments In The June Garden

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Hemerocallis (Daylily) possibly ‘Michael Arnholt’

We had another nearly 100-degree day yesterday and yet, a fresh daylily greeted me in the garden first thing this morning. A thunderstorm during the night brought welcome rain and it is cooler today, a mere 91°F. Starting tomorrow temperatures will climb again into mid-90sF for another week. When summer starts officially on Sunday what surprise can it bring?

Hemerocallis (Daylily) possibly ‘Michael Arnholt’

Part of the Monarda border fell victim to the storm’s strong wind and rain, actually a small price to pay in exchange for not needing to water this morning.

Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

I planted some new purple gladioli for cutting this year, but the first to flower is a salmon one from many years ago.

Gladiolus

Several weeks ago I pulled up last fall’s snapdragons from the meditation circle, but as an experiment I left one along the front edge of the northern border. Surprisingly it continues to bloom despite the heat, its rich blossom, still drenched from last night’s rain, seems impossibly smooth and glossy red.

Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)

I added several new Liatris spicata (Gayfeather) to the border this spring. Rather than opening, some of the flower tips just turned brown from the heat, but this one is off to a good start.

Liatris spicata (Gayfeather)

With the appearance of its first multicolored flowers open today, Lantana camara is making a comeback in the southern border. It had died back to the ground during this year’s cold winter.

Lantana camara (Common lantana)

Just on the other side of the fence from the lantana, one of my favorite vignettes from this morning’s garden walk is a large patch of self-seeded Cleome at the southern entrance to the garden. While the gate and much of the garden was still in shade, the flowers were bathed in the sun’s early light.

Sunny Patch of Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

A nectaring bee found the cleome enticing.

Bee Nectaring on Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

In A Vase On Monday—Flowers and Pods

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In A Vase On Monday – Flowers and Pods

Monday rolls around quickly it seems. Time again to join in Cathy’s challenge In A Vase On Monday. The goal is to fill a vase using materials gathered in one’s own garden.

For a few days I have been planning to create an arrangement using mostly the young, green florets of Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy).

Star-shaped flowers starting to open on the Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’

Once I started putting the vase together I quickly realized I was not prepared to cut enough stems to fulfill my original vision, preferring instead to allow the sedum to mature for a colorful display in the September garden.

Autumn Joy will turn dark rose and eventually deepen to coppery-red. It is already beginning to show some pink color as the star-shaped flowers open.

Pink hue of young Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy)

Taking a cue from the pink hue, I paired small vases of sedum with a Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower). This single stalk of cleome features flowers in varying stages of openness, as well as interesting leaves and seed pods.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) Inflorescence

Leaves and Seedpods – Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

More variation in height between the two smaller vases of sedum might improve the arrangement’s overall balance. I had already shortened the sedum stems, so could not have them sit taller in the vase. Given more time I would have tried placing a prop underneath the green vase to lift it upwards or experimented with different vases.

In A Vase On Monday – Flowers and Pods

Materials
Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)
Hylotelephium telephium ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy)
2 glazed ceramic pots and 1 slender, sapphire blue glass vase

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling In The Garden for hosting. Discover what she and others are placing In A Vase On Monday.

Cleome

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Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

An easy to grow and deer-resistant annual, Cleome is just beginning to open this week. It has gone self-seeding crazy in my garden, but is easy to remove from unwanted places so I do not mind. This cleome came as seedlings shared by a friend many years ago. She had purchased the seeds at Monticello.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Hummingbirds are attracted by the nectar of cleome and have already been frequenting this part of the garden recently to enjoy the nearby monarda.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) and Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)

pbmGarden

Sense of place, purpose, rejuvenation and joy

Tag Archives: Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

July Juncture

In A Vase On Monday – Fragrance And Pink Petals

Meditation Circle

In A Vase On Monday – Pink Florals

Wordless Wednesday—Blue Dasher

In A Vase On Monday – Cleome

Tuesday View: July 19, 2016

Early July Notebook

Post 550—Flowers And Insects

Morning Moments In The June Garden

In A Vase On Monday—Flowers and Pods

Cleome