calibrachoa

I guess my New Year’s resolution is to have more colour in my garden. I have so enjoyed the nursery outings that Christine and I take on regular intervals and the temptation to buy more and more flowering plants has taken hold of me. I will share these new additions with you and how I have added them to the garden.

Here is Gerbera Garvinea (the daisy-like orange flower) and white cosmos and red Dianthus with my favourite Gaura Belleza in the background.

[one_half]Gaura Belleza ready for planting[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Dianthus, Cosmos and Gaura looking pretty[/one_half_last]

[one_half]The Gaura now in my buckets[/one_half]

[one_half_last]I think this is a perfect spot![/one_half_last]

I had the lavender in the buckets, if you can remember, and I found that I needed to replant those in a more suitable environment (I haven’t done this yet!). The gaura are just perfect here – they play in the wind and seem to love this sunny spot! They are light and pretty, so I have improved this area. I’m chuffed!

[one_half]Here, I have combined the Cosmos and Dianthus[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Festuca Glauca and Calibrachoa ready for planting[/one_half_last]

[one_half]Calibrachoa and alyssum in the grass feature[/one_half]

[one_half_last]I have added the Festuca Glauca here[/one_half_last]

I had a few gaps in my grass feature and really wanted to add Festuca Glauca. I found some so – yeay! You can see it here next to the bird bath. The calibrachoa and the alyssum found a home next to my Miscanthus.

[one_half]Gerbera Garvinea Orangia – very cute![/one_half]

[one_half_last]Gerbera in my barrel combo[/one_half_last]

I am very pleased that the Gerbera Garvinea looks fabulous in my barrel bucket with my Artemesia and spring bulbs as a threesome. The alyssum just finishes the pretty picture.

[one_half]Grass feature looking just great[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Another view from the deck[/one_half_last]

I had to add the last two photos of the grass feature. It is really coming on beautifully and I’ll keep you updated on this because I see that it is really starting to grow!

I wish all of our garden blogger friends a GREAT 2012 and Happy Gardening xxxxxxx

I’d thought I’d get my new purchases in the grown this weekend and I managed to do this! Usually, I have them standing around in their seed bags or seedling trays for a week or two (some are STILL in their bag) – not good! I humm and haaaaa to see where I should plant them. But this time – when Christine and I went shopping to the “just one bag of compost” nursery – I already had a place in my garden that needed filling. So they went straight in!! And I have now learnt a valuable lesson. Shop when you have a place in mind. This prevents the stress on the plant and it can immediately relate to its new home and plant friends! Let’s see how they do in their new home!

Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’ Hot Lips Sage

Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’ was found near the Chiapas area of Mexico and was introduced by Richard Turner of the Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco, California. This is a unique bi-color salvia that has red tips and white lips. In the hotter months of summer it may have all red and all white flowers on the same plant due to warmer night temperatures, but when the night temperature drops in the fall the flowers will return to their bi-color state. This Salvia has a similar look to Salvia greggii except it has a finer texture and smaller leaf. Hot Lips Sage seems not to have some of the leaf spot and defoliation problems that you can get with the greggii’s during high humidity situations, great for use in borders and beds. Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’ can reach 30″ tall and spread up to 6′ at maturity.

This is a Hardy plant – Full sun with low watering requirements.

Calibrachoa is a genus of plants in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. They are weak evergreen short-lived perennials and subshrubs with a sprawling habit, and they have small petunia-type flowers. They are found across much the same region of South America as petunias, from southern Brazil across to Peru and Chile.

Calibrachoa are closely related to the petunia. However on further examination it has been found that there are major differences in chromosomes, corresponding to external differences and fertilization factors that distinguished Calibrachoa from the petunias. Calibrachoa is named after Antonio de la Cal y Bracho, a 19th century Mexican botanist and pharmacologist.

Look how lovely they fit in my garden.

Happy Gardening xxxx