Hi Rachael, just curious about your cardinal flowers. How much sun do yours get and with the dry summer did you have to water them a lot? I've read that they need moist conditions. Thanks.

Cardinal flower also did well and is still doing well but I did have to water them alot due to the drought conditions this year. Mine are in mostly part sun. The one that had more sun didn't do quite as well but still had a nice showing. That one is done now but the ones in part sun are still going strong. I have the species. L. cardinalis.

Hands down in my garden this year were the Agastaches. They got very little water all summer and are still going strong and were also the most used by our hummingbirds. Second in line was Salvia Scarlet Spires which is also still going strong. After that would be other salvias, Cuphea David Verity and Russelia equisetformis, Cardinal Climber, Chilean Glory vine and Coral Honeysuckle.

My cardinal flowers are planted along the west side of the house...they dont see the sun until 1 and the 7 ft privet hedge shades them again from about 5pm on . I did water more this year than usual but not constantly . I bought them in a 2in pot at the farmers market this yr for $1.50! I couldnt believe how they grew.

Still going strong today , they have been blooming for a month or so. I will get more next year for sure .

They are great! I am def going to look into getting some. I love how they are still in bloom late in the season! Just what my garden needs.

Rachael, what are they light green/gray colored plants towards the corner of the garden in your pic?

That's just my lambs ear...I remove the spent flowers asap

How about the Luna hibiscus with the 8inch bloom, on the end? She was my runner up this year...a new blossom everyday. And it is in its second year with me... lived through these winters. It claimed to be hardy ...but I had to see it to believe it.

RachaelLemmon, your cardinal flower is gorgeous! I've never seen one in that color flower and you seem to have a very pretty complement of pink and silver plants. I've grown the native red lobelia cardinalis before but it is not reliably hardy for me and plants only last 1 - 3 years.

I did not have any favorites this year. Nothing really excelled because our weather was so extreme. Actually, I'm wrong... my Black Beauty Zucchini excelled this year! lol! I grew just one plant from seed and I'm *still* picking more zucchini than we can eat, pickle, or give away, so Black Beauty was my fav. LOL!

Awesome ! Yes I know they are generally red and when I bought the tiny plants they had a tag with red cardinal flower on it... Somehow everything I put in this dirt turns pink! I know that sounds crazy but it is true. My mother in law hates black eyed susan and so this spring she dug a big bunch from my front garden and planted them along side those cardinal flowers...I swear to you I didnt own any cone flowers , but there they are in the photo just as pink as they can be...I was in shock for a while and couldnt explain it but I eventually let it go and just thought...who knows . lol

And Ill take some of your black beauty in a delicious Zucchini bread, thank you! :)

I started several years ago with all Red Lobelia cardinalis. Last year I found a reseeder growing in one of the beds out front which I moved this spring. The blooms were bicolored pink and white. I also had several reseeders in back that were all white. I have never bought more plants I just let them reseed and then transplant the seedlings when they start growing good in late spring. Lobelia is technically a bog plant so keeping the soil very moist to wet will help it last for years. Mine are planted in a low spot where water collects and during the winter they stay under snow and ice until spring. You also don't want to mulch Lebelia with leaves or the crown will rot.

RachaelLemmon, Is that a concrete wall at the back? I would guess that your flower color is being influenced by the soil conditions -- which is probably 'base' due to lime leaching from the concrete wall.

Though I didn't take any pictures of it, this year I think my Phlox is the hands down winner. I have several different kinds and colors and ALL of them flowered non stop all summer long. In fact they are still flowering. The flower heads were huge.

The next best thing was my Banana Basjoo mat, which is in its third season in the ground. It grew from its 2 ft pseudo stems after the mulch was removed in the spring, to a height of 13 or so feet.

Basjoo pic -

Rosalinda,
Is that one of Glen's Bananas from the plant swap???? That is awsome looking!

Penny,
It is the same variety Glen brings to the swaps - Banana Basjoo - the hardy Japanese fiber banana, but this one actually came from Logee's. hopefully I can start digging up some of this mat to bring to the swaps in future years.

People drive by the house and I don't think they can believe what they are seeing :o)

I was really hoping it would flower this year, but it didn't. Not sure it ever will in this climate, but it still looks very cool and very exotic.

-Rosalinda