Plumbago

Had I been in a doctor’s office this afternoon and been told I had “plumbago”, I would have thought I’d caught some dreadful disease – tropical maybe, perhaps infectious. Instead, I was in a garden, admiring a plant with blue flowers that surely had to be a Phlox. “No”, everyone else there said, “it’s a Plumbago”. It’s these kinds of experiences that can cut a Master Gardener down to size very quickly. I had never heard of “Plumbago”. But, sure enough, I did some research when I got home and discovered that this plant is a shrub, originally from South Africa, that can grow into a nice hedge, and that in the U.S. it’s suitable for zones 8 to 11. Well, last time I looked, I lived in zone 7B, so the three small specimens the garden’s owner gave me will need some special care if they are to make it into 2011.

“Plumbago” – odd name, but a beautiful flower. I hope the plants will survive the coming winter.

Everything's Growing Like Crazy!

The Sedums 'Autumn Joy' look as if they're ready to send up flower stalks already, the Thyme is gorgeous, the Gaura are all above ground, the Obient Plant, which was one last year is now more than a dozen, the Phlox (above) looks spectacular, the Lemon Balm (top) is bright green and three times as big as last year. Wow! As long as this hot weather does not last too long (low 80F, high 20C) and we get another few weeks of "normal" temps, my May garden will be delightful!

Phlox

This is 'Robert Poore' (bottom picture) - very pretty, has been in my garden for about 3 years. Two other varieties have been added more recently. In the center is a tall Phlox I purchased from Carolina Wild at a garden expo last year, and the top picture is of a shorter Phlox that came from somewhere else [I've got to keep better notes . . . ., but at least I planted the shorter one closer to the front of the border than the taller ones . . . :-)]. Each has a slightly different color and each complements the other two very well.