My little garden helper

I can't resist posting a few photos of my oldest granddaughter in the garden.

Tigridia - a delightful summer-blooming bulb

I encourage you to look for Tigridia bulbs next winter/spring and plant some, so you can enjoy these lovely blooms. Each bloom only lasts for a day, but more come along. They are a nice surprise as you walk along the garden bed. They come in a few different colors.

 

Clematis - Jackmanii and Jackmanii superba

I have two Clematis growing on the south side of my deck. They are about 20 feet tall this year. I ran some cords from the second floor deck ceiling, and they climbed part the trellis up the cords. One of the Clematis is 'Jackmanii', and the other is 'Jackmanii superba'. They are different shades of deep purple, and the 'Jackmanii' flower is a little smaller with 5 petals, while 'Jackmanii superba' has 4 petals.

These are type 3 (or C) Clematis, so I cut them in late winter down to about 12'' from the ground.
They get daily drip irrigation. They don't like to get dried out (they'll quit blooming early).

For some of my other Clematis, I trim off many of the spent flowers. I think it may keep the plants blooming longer.

Godetia - annual flowers

This spring, I scattered a packet of Godetia seeds in the raised bed along the driveway. I planted wax begonias in front. The Godetia are in full bloom now. If I plant this combination again, I will plant pink or white begonias, instead of the scarlet ones.

It certainly was easy and inexpensive, so I will definitely grow them again from seed.

In the smaller bed that is just past this long bed, I have pepper plants - jalapeno, Gypsy bell, and Anaheim. They are all doing well. So far this spring and summer has been great for my veggies.

Pruning Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)

It is easy to prune heavenly bamboo. There is a group of cane-type plants that are pruned in the same way. Select some of the oldest canes and cut to the ground. New canes will develop. I limit this pruning to one third of the canes. This photo shows three of the regular Nandina domestica after cutting canes to the ground.

You can also prune canes part way, which will cause them to branch, if this is the type of shaping you desire.