Newly Blooming

  There are a lot of plants still blooming that I've shown you already, but new ones are starting to join in the fun. It's probably almost time for a general rock garden report.

This is the Sedum sarmentosum, mostly a yellow-green "vine," creeping and drooping and draping itself down cracks between the rocks. I love to have it filling in between spaces, and it's making a valiant effort to do just that. The yellow flowers in June are an extra bonus.

Here's a beautiful addition from a small pot added last year. This is the first I've seen it bloom. It's another Dianthus deltoides. The same species as the 'Brilliant' one that keeps reappearing from long ago, but this one has larger and deeper red blossoms (they look really red, not the pinkish of the photo), and the variety is 'Zing Rose.'

Incidentally, there are patches of the 'Brilliant' all over the yard. I may dig one of them up. I'd be thrilled if one of the 'Arctic Fire' showed up.

I seem to be having really good luck with Dianthus.

Back to creeping yellow sedums. This is the Sedum sexangulare. I like it a lot less than the sarmentosum. It's also really good at filling in cracks, but it's very invasive, and it doesn't look as nice after it's finished blooming. A bunch of this is going to have to be ripped out, but for now, a lot gets to stay.

And these are back again this year. They aren't a garden plant or a rock garden plant, but they showed up, and for now, they also get to stay. These are the clammy ground cherry. You have to work at it to see the flowers, but they do produce little yummy fruits. I'm thnking I might try to keep a patch near the wall, and also put daffodils there. Things can be a little taller in those spaces.

Some of my "luck" at having plants do better in the rock garden is due to better choices on my part. For years, I tried to grow things that weren't really suited for that environment. Maybe I got a little smarter.

I edited for a few hours, but some of the web sites I need don't seem to be working. Not a browser issue, and only certain sites. So I switched to gardening and plant records. Never any problem to find something to do!

See What's Blooming Today