Feeling hot, hot, hot
Just going to repeat that climate change is evident, right here on our street. Every summer after our first one here eight years ago has felt hotter than the last. Is that true? I wanted to find out. We live in a time when people are foregoing facts, and I didn’t want to be that girl. So, I did a little research, and the average temperature in this area increased during that period. The good news is that July is consistently the hottest month here, and we are coasting toward the end of the month.
July means Tigridia flowers, and they are a garden highlight. Tiger flowers, also known as shell flowers, grow from bulbs. I got my first bulbs from Dollar Tree 6 or 7 years ago. I had never heard of them, but I bought a couple of packages intrigued by the photo on the package, and then never saw them there again. But what an unbelievable delight they turned out to be. And probably the best $2 I have ever spent. Blooms are huge, brightly colored with intricate patterns, but they last for just a day. Tiger flowers demand your attention!
They spread by seed, too, so my collection has multiplied. Tigridias offer a range of colors, but pink dominates in my garden. These thrive in zones 8-10, but bulbs in the ground don’t thrive for me in my wooded zone 8B yard filled with bulb-munching critters. I grow mine in pots and overwinter the pots in the garage. My two pots have multiplied to six over the years, and I find tigridias growing in all kinds of pots.
My little piece of Maryland
I bought Black-eyed Susans (Maryland’s state flower) a few years ago after seeing them planted locally. They did okay the first year, but really struggled after that. I transplanted the plants from the ground to a barrel and tried a different location. The foliage thrived, but no flowers. Last year, I repotted them again, amending the soil, and placing them next to a rose in some of the best sun we have in our shady yard. They now get more consistent water and plant food, and they seem happier. Lo and behold, this summer they shot up to their normal size and produced flower buds for the first time in years. Woo hoo!
