Echinacea and Scaevola

Better know as Purple Cone Flower and Fan Flower. Two of my favorite garden flowers. Let's do Echinacea first. They are perennial, which means they come up every year. They are very hardy and are even deer resistant. What's not to love?

This is a big clump that was planted probably 25 years ago. There where some white ones in there, but they seem to have turned pink. They are about four feet tall. There are some Rudbeckia (Blackeyed Susan) mixed in, but they aren't blooming yet. I like it when they are blooming together, maybe next week.

This is a new variety I planted last year in my front garden, where I wanted something short. This variety is called Delicious Candy. big centers and short fuchsia pink petals. I was so pleased that they survived the winter. Lots of buds not yet opened. Now that they're established, they will spread and make an even bigger mound.  

Now onto Scaevola, an annual that has been a favorite for many years. Originally they were a brilliant blue and I would buy two or three hanging basket to take out of the basket and plant in a decorative pots. Passer-byes would often ask, "What are those gorgeous blue flowers?" It is a great plant because it blooms all summer, and is self cleaning. The only requirement is water. They do not like to dry out and in hot dry weather I water them every day.

When shopping this year I found this light blue variety and bought three baskets. The nursery didn't have the bright blue ones. While I do like this variety, I would have liked one of the bright blues. Next year!

When I went back a couple weeks later they had a whole table of 4 inch pots with many different colors. Be still my heart....bright pink, light pink, dark pink, purple, and white. so I bought one of each and planted them in small blue pots.

I think this is my favorite. There are two different varieties. The shorter ones are a brilliant bright pink and the spiky ones are a lighter pink. I cut the spiky ones back becasue they were getting leggy.

 

Gardening has been a challenge this year. First with my surgery and now with my achilles tendon. I only have to wear my "boot" now if walking for awhile. Otherwise I can just wear a sneaker with heel lifts. I go to PT three times a week. The goal is to get me off the boot entirely, then just  shoes with a heel lift and them Nothing! Doing anything with the boot on is difficult so I will be gald to see it go. 

Happy gardening if you garden and happy looking if you don't As for me, I have to have my flowers.