The Gardens Have Come Back to Life!

Recent rain has finally cooled the air and made the outside bearable again. The plants for the most part of responded and everything has perked up. Once again, the butterfly ginger is stealing the show, but I’ll spare you another picture of it. Instead I have a picture of the nearby Persian Shield. I think its iridescent purple foliage is just so cool. It really shows up from across the yard, especially against the lime green sweet potato vine. This something I’m thinking about for the other gardens, especially the butterfly garden. For most of the year, it is a sea of green. I think I’ll incorporate more colored foliage, mainly coleus. Below is a pic of the tree lantana that our neighbor gave us. It was looking pretty rough for most of the summer, but started blooming this week. I’ve noticed that the bright banana yellow lantana does well in the hot weather of summer, and the pale yellows and purples bloom as it cools. I kind of wish they would all bloom together, but oh well. I’m much more optimistic about the garden right now. I’m reading Garden Bulbs for the South by Scott Ogden and getting completely inspired. Just wait until next year!!