No Shortage of Color!

After a mildly cool morning, the day warmed up and this week is seeing consistent high temperatures near 90 degrees F.  Nice shot above of ‘Dark Opal’ basil (Ocimum basilicum).  As has been the case this week, watering became a priority and I had irrigation going most of the morning until the garden saw a sizable influx of folks attending the Story & Stroll program.  It’s always nice to see the kids out in the gardens!  The garden staff of Larry H., Shania, Ibhar and Alex all had watering duties as well as some other odds and ends.  Our volunteers of Kim, Kathy P., Eva, Stan, Kristin, Bill O., Greg P., Cheryl P., Maury, Sharon L., Gena, Mary, Myrt, Patti and many others accomplished a lot of weeding, tidying and planting.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom as I share an experience from last night!

rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) – perennial

corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) – annual

fragrant heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens ‘Alba’) – annual (smells like vanilla!)

‘Illustris’ elephant ear (Colocasia esculenta) – tropical

‘Dipt in Wine’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) – annual

‘Dark Star’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellariodes) – annual

peek-a-boo plant (Spilanthes oleracea) – annual

woolly sage (Salvia argentea) – biennial

‘Cosmic Orange’ sulphur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) – annual

‘Queeny Lime Orange’ zinnia (Zinnia elegans) – annual

nice shot above of our cedar obelisks (4′, 5′ and 6′) which are for sale for $75, $100 and $125 respectively

 

Above is David Whaley in his Janesville back yard last night. David and I met in person (after connecting on Facebook) for the first time yesterday as he gave me a tour of his impressive lily (Lilium) collection.  What is not only amazing about David’s passion for lilies is the fact that he’s only been “dabbling” with lilies for 2 years!  He is doing his own breeding and selection work and just came back from the North American Lily Society 71st Annual Show and Symposium (Des Moines , IA) with a Best of Show award and a whole bunch of other ribbons in different categories.  I’ve been inspired to plant more lilies at both home and RBG and look forward to seeing what David does with his lily addiction well in to the future!