
Although we’re only a few weeks into ‘official’ summer, it’s been so hot and humid it feels like August. Until yesterday, that is, following a cold front that swept in overnight and pushed the humidity away, leaving cool breezes and perfect gardening weather. To see Sixes from around the world head on over to The Propagator‘s site.
Daylilies are starting to open in earnest – the orange ‘ditch’ daylilies I wrote about a few months ago, here, are cheerfully greeting tourists and residents while their more genteel cousins are starting to do their thing in the garden. Number one in this week’s Six has to be this red, unknown, cultivar:

Numbers 1a and 1b are this diseased daylily – I think it’s a type of fungal disease called ‘leaf streak’ – I need to cut back the streaky leaves and likely the flower stalks as well and throw them in the garbage (not compost). The roots should survive and send out healthy leaves…Does that sound right, daylily experts?
Thing Two this week is also a bit of a disappointment. It’s a new marigold (Tagetes) cultivar I was really excited about. In the garden centre and literature I had read, the flowers were large, multi-petaled and extremely dark orange/red. That unique colour only lasted a few weeks. All the new flowers are a more traditional marigild orange. Heavy sigh… at least the flowers are indeed quite large and the short plant is completely covered in them.

Getting away from the hot colours, I’ll move to a trio of pinkish posies. Number 3 is the first of my Zinnias to bloom. I never know what colour or form will appear but I’m quite happy with this lovely single pinkish orange one. Others will follow shortly in red, orange and yellow hues so butterflies, you’re welcome any time! Number 4 is the second of my four new Kordes roses to bloom- this one is called Cinderella and it’s easy to see why.


I love snapdragons. I plant them in the kitchen garden, thinking they will be used as cut flowers. They fit in perfectly with the glads and Zinnia I also plant amongst the tomatoes, chard, beans and corn, Sadly, or maybe not so sadly, I tend not to cut them but rather leave them in the garden, where we (and visitors) can enjoy them as we mosey up to the back door.

And the final photo. I purchases five small Yucca plants at auction last October and didn’t hold out much hope for them, they were so bedraggled looking. Happily, they survived the winter, are putting out new leaves and two have sent up flower stalks. Here’s the first to bloom – a lovely white flower spike.

Nice pictures and gorgeous zinnia! I was surprised to see the yucca flowers that look up unlike mine that look down. Different species probably.
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Likely eh? And I think mine are a very small type…famous last words!
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Oh my! The best for last! I certainly do not mean to discredit your ‘prettier’ flowers, but yuccas rock! I can not tell identify it by the flower, and probably could not identify it by the foliage either. It is really nice to see that others are still growing them. The giant yucca is the only common one here. It is grown as a big perennial tree, like a small palm that branches. The other yuccas are rare, but really should be more popular in our climate.
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Well just for you I looked this variety up (I have a filing system, of sorts…) it’s Yucca filamentosa ‘Mor Blue also known as Hofer Blue. A nice small species it seems ( I have a grouping of 5) although I haven’t yet noticed much blue in the foliage.
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Oh, I should not have inquired, although for us, it is still rare. I say that because Yucca filamentosa is the ‘common’ yucca in most regions, and includes most of the popular cultivars. We do not have many yuccas, but Yucca recurvifolia is more common than Yucca filamentosa. It is rad too, but the flowers are not as pretty. Our native Hesperoyucca whipplei (or simply Yucca whipplei) is not a very nice plant, but the huge floral spikes are spectacular!
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Ooh, that zinnia is so nice. July is a great time in the garden!
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I am totally in love with zinnias this year. I will be enjoying them every year from now.
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They’re so easy to start from seed. I collect a bunch at the end of the year. Some I start indoors but others I just scatter and lightly cover at the end of May. Butterflies don’t much like the varieties with millions of petals though!
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I agree w/the above on zinnia & yucca, but the Cinderella photo . . . enchanting. 6 – 8′ of that wouldn’t go amiss.
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