Petunia 'Dolce Flambe'

Although the frost has finished off most of the annuals, there are a few more noteworthy ones I wanted to mention in my series on the 'Keepers' in my garden. These include those I've enjoyed for many years and those more recently discovered, that I will likely grow again because of their individual merits. Today's post is dedicated to a new favorite petunia....'Dolce Flambe'.

This new variety, by an Italian breeder, is so lovely in it's subtle blending of colors...a pale rose infused with lemon and splashed with white. One catalog described the overall effect as "that of a ripe peach." I started these from seed, as I do most of my flowers.




I noticed that the blooms start out a darker rose (such as the ones on the right in the above photo) and then fade to a softer color. This difference also added to the overall color interest of the plant. The light, creamy yellow companion flower here is 'Dolce Limoncello,' by the same breeder. Though I liked the combination, I think 'Dolce Flambe' would look good on it's own, as well.

Though most blooms had just a white edging, some looked like the flowers pictured above. Cool, aren't they? The blooms are about 3 inches across and the plant height is 8-10 inches tall, blooming from early to late summer. Overall, a winner in my book..... I will definitely grow these again for their interesting and lovely shades of pastel color!


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Nasturtium - 'Vesuvius'

I am currently doing a series of posts on flowers that I consider "Keepers" in my garden. Nasturtiums are one of my favorite annuals for growing in containers. This was my first year to grow this beauty, named 'Vesuvius".

The lovely salmon-pink flowers are surrounded by dark blue-green foliage that complements the flowers to perfection. (The varigated foliage you see to the right is another potted nasturtium, Alaska.) Vesuvius is an heirloom selection, included in Burpee's 1923 catalog. It grows to a height of about 12 inches.

Each year I like try new nasturtiums....but this will definitely be one that I grow again, for it's lovely combination of flower and foliage!

Gentian Blue Larkspur

Among the new flowers I grew this year,
Gentian Blue Larkspur, Delphinium chinensis is definitely a "Keeper!"

I have long been a fan of Larkspur, but this one has the most wonderful blue color! The flowers may be a bit larger than regular Larkspur, and more individually spaced, but the overall plant height is shorter....only to about 12 inches. Mine were grown from winter-sown seed.

Shown here with low growing orange Cosmos, which turned out to be a nice combination. The flowers look a lighter blue here, due to stronger light. In this photo you can also better see the 'spurs' (which give the flower the second part of it's name) and some flower buds on the right. The foliage is delicate and fern-like. Overall, a beautiful plant, which will have a home in my garden next year.... and beyond!

The Cycle of Life

After viewing this photo, I thought about how accurately it portrays the cycles of LIFE.

All three stages of this Lauren's Grape Poppy are represented here.

Yesterday's seed head......

Today's flower....

And the hope of Tomorrow in this flower bud!

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(Click on the above photo for a bonus view of some pretty green aphids!)

Drama Queen Poppy

This poppy opened in my garden today! It's my first year to grow this beauty, which is over 3 ft. tall. She is dramatic indeed, wouldn't you say?

Baby Blue Eyes

These are new for me this year in my favorite category of flowers.....the self-sowing Annuals. I was not disappointed. To the contrary, I am quite delighted with them!

The flowers are aptly named, as they are a wonderful baby blue color with white inner eye and delicate black stamens. They grow to 10-12 inches, so are perfect for edging the flower border or in containers. They bloom for 6-8 weeks in spring to early summer.

These Baby Blue Eyes are planted in an old spatterware dishpan, along with some poached egg flower, also new to me this year. But that will have to be another post. :-)

The sky blue color compliments the other flower colors. These are winter sown plants. I will save the seeds and toss them around my flower beds to multiply them for next year. These are soooo sweet and cottage looking! An early flower in a color that you don't often see in the garden.....a winning combination!