I have waited all summer to see this lovely bloom glowing in the moonlight. I have waited all summer to smell the wonderful fragrance wafting over our patio.
A couple of days ago, I saw buds and thought my wait was almost over. Now, it seems, I will have to wait until next year.
This is my 'moonflower' plant blooming. Blue-not white. Blooms in the morning and is gone by noon.
The blooms are very pretty-stunning in fact.
And the plant is covered with them. There are dozens more buds so I will have new blooms for days. But it is Not a moonflower. It must be a type of morning glory. I will enjoy it-really I will.
But next year, I want a moonflower!
****************************************************************************
Rose and I had a girls afternoon out this week. A good chance to catch up with each other and do one of our favorite things. We went to the Idea Garden at the U of I. This was our 3rd visit with the first being early-we remember it being cold and no plants blooming yet. The 2nd visit was on a very hot day, but lots of blooms and green plants. This visit, the sun was shinning and there was a nice cool breeze so we were able to take our time and really look. The seasonality of the planting is wonderful. If only I could plan a garden to always have something in bloom.
The rose garden was looking very nice-the Japanese beetles have all but gone and the roses are putting on a final show. I didn't get the name of this one, but it had a lovely spicy fragrance as well as being gorgeous.
Cherry Parfait, a delightful name for this beauty!
I loved the foliage of these cannas. The contrast between the dark leaves and the variegated or striped green and white was beautiful. Only after looking at the picture did I realize one of the cannas was blooming.
On the outside of the cannas, orange profusion zinnias look like a carpet of green and orange!
The frog topiary has filled out and looks lovely surrounded by pink wave petunias.
Of course being at the U of I, I had to take a picture of the 'new' color of impatiens. I wonder if this variety will be available to buy next year?
These were planted en mass as a broad border. They really are a great color-and not quite a double but more than a single. The flowers were really large for impatiens. Maybe 2-3" across.
I fell in love with this plant! I had never seen it before, but that evening reading some of my favorite posts I saw it on Joey's blog.
On the outside of the cannas, orange profusion zinnias look like a carpet of green and orange!
The frog topiary has filled out and looks lovely surrounded by pink wave petunias.
Of course being at the U of I, I had to take a picture of the 'new' color of impatiens. I wonder if this variety will be available to buy next year?
These were planted en mass as a broad border. They really are a great color-and not quite a double but more than a single. The flowers were really large for impatiens. Maybe 2-3" across.
I fell in love with this plant! I had never seen it before, but that evening reading some of my favorite posts I saw it on Joey's blog.
This plant stood about 3' tall and was covered in pink blooms that looked to me sort of like a snapdragon. I think they are supposed to resemble a turtle's head though. I was impressed with how green the leaves still were and how fresh looking the flowers were for this late in the season. This plant is now on my wish list!
We are planning on going back at least once more to see the fall offerings. Will be sure to take more pictures to share.
Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and Happy Gardening!
29 comments:
That is about the bluest blue I have ever seen, Beckie ... lovely photos. Thanks for the garden tour with your dear friend, Rose (so enjoy you both) and kind words :) regarding turtlehead. Why don't you both jump in the car like Thelma & Louise and head to Michigan ~ I'll share my plentiful turtleheads with you!
Your moonflower is a lovely shade of blue. It kind of looks like a morning glory, doesn't it?
Marnie
The "moonflower" is such a striking blue! I'm going to have to drive over just to see it. I guess nursery workers can make mistakes, too. Next year we'll have to look very carefully before buying some of our plants:)
So enjoyed the day out with you, and it's interesting to see all your pictures--I don't even remember seeing those turtleheads!
I like Joey's idea of "Thelma and Louise," except for the driving over a cliff part, of course:)
Hi Beckie....I am not surprised you want a moon flower.....the white bloom is so beautiful.....You cannot be too disappointed, the morning glory is stunning, such intense colour.....I would be more than happy with it......
Glad you and Rose had a lovely day out.....all those lovely blooms...all so tempting....it is sometimes so hard to just walk away and not buy something.....
If it's any consolation, it is a lovely blue...there is something lovely about a moonflower blooming at night. I almost never get them to bloom here!
I remember either you or Rose posting about this garden, it is a wonderful place to visit for inspiration!
Gail
Joey, it is a true blue and really I am happy to have it-just a little disappointed at it not being a moonflower. I am going to find a place for the turtlehead-it's beauty captivated me. Who knows, you might just get a knock on your door some day from 2 wild gardeners!
Marnie, that's the point-it's not a moonflower. It was mis-tagged and I have been waiting for something I didn't have. :) But it is a beautiful blue, so 'love the one you're with'.
Rose, the big blue flowers are beautful before noon and really show well-come on over. I thought we were safe at Prairie Gardens. I may start my own next year. The turtlehead was in the 'bog' section. While maybe not as wild as Thelma and Louise, we can still make road trips!
Cheryl, many bloggers have talked about surprises in their gardens, now so can I! The blue is beautiful and the blooms are huge, so I am happy with it. But I AM going to have a moonflower next year.
Rose and I do enjoy our time together. I am so fortunate to have her as a best friend. Over the years our interests have changed, but we seem to change in the same direction. Luckily for us the plants at the garden are not for sale.
Gail, if(when!) you ever get up here to visit we will have to take you to this garden. While not all that big, it is packed with the usual and the very unusual plants. Everytime we go we see more plants that we had not noticed before. Of course some of them just bloom at different times. Wonder why your moonflowers don't bloom? Maybe not enough sun, or too much clay and limestone. :)
Don't give up on your moonflowers yet Beckie. They are notorious for not blooming until late in summer then they bloom until a hard frost. I hope you get some yet. That Morning glory is pretty.
That impatient you have a picture of is outstanding. I hope it is available next year.
The Turtlehead is a native flower. That is why it can tolerate this lack of rain and hot weather. It is easy to grow and multiplies quickly if it is given any encouragement. I have a small patch. I have moved it too many times and it has to fight for its little square of soil.
I hope you have a good weekend too.
I'm sorry your Moonflower is actually a Morning Glory. Moonflowers are easy to start from seed, so maybe you should start some indoors early to have it bloom longer. You're wish to have something always in bloom can come true. Have you read Pam Duthie's "Continuous Bloomr" or "Continuous Color"? These are both good places to start. I wish I could grow Chelone, but I think it likes moister conditions than it could find in my garden. I think I'm going to try it anyway next year & see what happens.
Love all the roses!
That is a lovely colored impatien. You could probably pair it with lots of different colors.
Sorry you didn't get the moonflower you wanted but that blue is a striking color.
Lisa, that morning glory is the plant I bought as a moonflower. And although it is beautiful, it isn't what I wanted. But just wait til next year! I will keep my eye open for those impatiens-with a name like that they are bound to be sold here. I am going to look for turtlehead too. I just love it. Have a great Labor Day!
MMD, gardening is full of surprises and I will put this down as a learning experience. I have already thought about starting some from seed-maybe that way I will finally get one. :) The Turtlehead was growing in the 'bog' area of the Idea Garden, but Joey says it will do well anywhere. What can you lose by trying? I will see if I can find a copy of that book, sounds interesting and I know someone who would love one as a gift. Thanks and have a fun Labor Day weekend!
Thanks, Laurie. I could have taken dozens of pictures of the roses. Each one is so lovely and they have such a variety. Of course there was no blackspot or any of the other things my roses seem to get. I suspect those gardeners are better at taking care of the roses than I am.
Susie, after I got over my disappointment, I had to laugh. Sometimes while you don't get what you want, it is just as pretty. Those impatiens were beautiful and like you, I can see them planted with lots of other colors. As big as they are, they make a very impressive border. Hope your Labor Day is great.
MMD, I found the book on Amazon. Thanks!!
Enjoyed your moonflower tale. I tried one of these a couple of years ago. It grew up the downspout on my house to a height of about 20 feet. The flowers that finally bloomed were so high up I could hardly see them, let alone smell them, lol.
Sorry about your Moonflower Beckie, but at least you got a pretty blue Morning Glory. Those roses were gorgeous. What a beautiful garden, thanks for taking along. :)
Ohhhh - those blue moonflowers or morning glories are spectacular! I loved touring the garden with you. The new impatiens looks like peach sherbet. Luscious!
How lovely to finally see your pristine white moonflower bloom. Isn't that the name of a song? Or a movie? Not sure.
Have a wonderful and fun Labor Day weekend. Can you believe? September so soon!
Too bad about the moon flower but the blue is heavenly!!!
I love that pink/orange impatient too. I've never seen one like it before.
The blue morning glory/moonflower is so gorgeous. Heavenly Blue morning glories are my favorite of all time. They are banned here, which makes them even more appealing. With all the yellow and orange in my garden, This shade of blue would be so welcome for a change. I would be out looking at your plant for hours every day!
Aiyana
Those look like "Heavenly Blue" morning glories...one of my favorites, although they take much longer to bloom than other varieties.
Wow--those are beautifully stunning blue morning-glory-esque flowers!!! But, no, not moonflowers! I too love moonflowers and their weird smell... if you visit me in Michigan, there are some in bloom outside my workplace right now! :)
Gorgeous photo's... thank you for a such a pleasant and lovely place to visit.
Flydragon, I can see this vine growing that tall. I didn't have a very big trellis and it made knots on the top were it grew around itself. Oh well, will try again next year.
PGL, I wish I could have taken all of you thru the Idea Garden. It is not very big by most standards, but wow. is it packed with wonderful plants and flowers.
Wendy, peach sherbert is a wonderful way of describing the impatiens! The blue is great and I am enjoying the morning glories, but oh I did want a moon flower.
Aiyana, thank you for putting a name to this vine. Banned-oh no! Does that mean it is invasive? As big as this one got, I don't think I have room for too many.
Bev, how appropriately you described the morning glory! Aiyana says that's the name.
Chelle, thanks for visiting and I am glad to know it wasn't just this one plant that took soooo long to bloom.
Garden Faerie. how wonderful to have moonflowers at work. Of course by the time you get ready to leave they are just opening for the evening. :)
Avril Brand, Thank you for your nice comments. I appreciate them. And thanks for visiting, I am always glad to make new friends!
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