Coleus ‘Henna’

According to  www.Southern Living.com this is  of the Eight Best Plants to Grow this year.  I planted two of these sun-loving annuals this past May and they are still thriving in the garden.  Mine are planted where they get morning sunlight with full afternoon shade and yet they look great.  In fact they haven’t gotten leggy or produced any blooms.  The break from the heat of the sun this past summer has kept their foliage healthy and vibrant all season in my opinion.  This was one of 3 Coleus that I planted this year, the other two were ‘Watermelon’ and ‘Defiance’.  Both of these were given more exposure to sun and one was planted in a container.   ‘Watermelon’ got a bit washed out looking from the afternoon sunlight and I had to constantly pinch off the flower buds.  ‘Defiance’ was in a container and needed to be pinched back twice to keep it bushy.  Overall ‘Henna’ kept a bushier appearance, didn’t produce flower stems and kept it’s vibrant coloring.  I will be taking cuttings from it this weekend and this will definitely be an addition to my garden next season.  Who needs blooms with this much texture, pattern and color?

Here’s some additional info:

• Part Sun (4-8 hours daily)
• Vigorous & upright
• Lasting color & texture
• fertilize regularly
• normal to moist soil
• grows 18-24″ tall
• protect from frost
• propogate through cuttings

Fall Colors in Virginia

Well Fall has arrived with a bang this past week in my neck of the woods.  The leaves are changing and falling, sometimes at the same time.  🙂  Here is what I spotted going on in my local park during one of our walks. Mostly these are Maples and Oaks along with some evergreen Pines.   I hope you enjoy this slideshow of autumn color. 

To join in or to see fall color from all over the world  please visit our gracious host Dave @ The Home Garden- Fall Color Project 2009.

A happy volunteer

Verbena bonariensis?

This morning I spotted a nice surprise in the Shed Garden.  I’m pretty sure this little volunteer is one of my favorites Verbena bonariensis.  It’s also known as Brazillian Verbena, Stick Verbena, Upright Verbena and Purpletop Vervain.  Ever since the original plant popped up due to the wind or some generous bird I’ve wanted more of this perennial.  The ones I’ve purposely planted have never done as well as the happy accidents though.  This pretty wildlife attractor is native to tropical South America.   Here’s some more interesting facts:

• Perennial in zones 7-11 (grow as an annual elsewhere)
• Self seeds readily (invasive in some climates)
• Full Sun to Partial Shade w/regular moisture
• Attracts Goldfinches, Butterflies, Bees & Hummingbirds
• Used in some Countries as a Veterinary Abortifacient
• Grows up to 4′ tall and 3′ wide
• Purple blooms from mid summer to mid fall
• Flowers are good for drying/preserving
• Drought tolerant or xeriscaping
• Propogate from seeds and cuttings
• Pinch first shoots in spring to encourage branching
• Susceptible to powdery mildew in humid areas
• Looks best planted in masses
• No serious insect problems

This and That

Toadlily 'Purple Beauty'

This is one of my newest additions this year to the garden.  I’ve had another cultivar for years but I don’t know the name of it anymore.  You can see a picture of it in a previous post here.  Don’t you love the fuzzy buds?  🙂

Seedhead of Butterfly Weed

When I was strolling through the garden this morning I noticed this strange looking seedhead on the Butterfly Weed.  This plant is one I definitely want to encourage to thrive.  It’s been difficult to get one established in the past, but I think I finally got the right location.

Yorktown Onion

One plant I’m thrilled to see finally emerging is the Yorktown Onion or Allium ampeloprasum.   You can read more about this non-native here.  I planted a dormant clump of it earlier this year and figured it was dead when nothing sprouted by summer.  Looks like I’ll have something to look forward to next year.

Leaf Bug and a Mystery Bug

This interesting insect was sunbathing on the cover of our hot tub last month.  I noticed that one of his long hind legs was injured after I took this shot.  Afterwards we moved him into our garden to recuperate.   However after doing some research online I found that was probably not my most brilliant idea.  This common garden bug is a pest known for sucking the sap of many plants.  Yuck!  For more information on this unwelcome visitor to the garden you can click on the following link  insectguide.net.  The latin name for the leaf bug is Pœrilocapsus lineatus Fabr.

Okay here’s a mystery bug I found on the Butterfly Weed this summer.  It seems to be having a good time chomping on the foliage.  There were several but they lasted about a day and were gone after a brief rainshower.  Other than a few chewed up leaves there seems to be no permanent damage to the plant.  I’m guessing it’s some type of aphid or beetle maybe.  Anyone else have any suggestions?  (sorry that the photo is a bit blurry from being enlarged)