Sunday, July 25, 2010

Summertime

We've had some record high temperatures here at the Paco Command Center, along with occasional heavy storms. That's probably why the place is starting to resemble a jungle; although it's a colorful jungle.

The petunias seem to love the heat.



So do the cannas (which I like to refer to as the Virginia Tech lilies, because of the weird color combination: orange and purple).



There's a reason these plants are called butterfly bushes: I counted a dozen or so butterflies, representing three species. The flowers also attract bees and humming birds.



This is a spider flower. I don't know why it is, but the pink flowers don't open up until the early afternoon; the white ones stay open all the time.



The Texas stars are coming in like weeds (which I suspect they may actually be; pretty ones, though).



This thing looks very unprepossessing; however, it's one of the most useful plants we have. It's called lemon-balm (smells exactly like lemon), and if you crush the leaves and rub the oil on your skin, it keeps the mosquitoes away (tested by Mrs. Paco, herself, who has always been, for reasons unknown, one of nature's leading mosquito magnets).

8 comments:

JeffS said...

What a lovely garden! Too bad I have a black thumb; I paid someone to re-plant my lawn, which I managed to kill deader than Canasta.

"I don't know why it is, but the pink flowers don't open up until the early afternoon; the white ones stay open all the time."

The pink flowers work for the Federal goobermint; the white ones are privately employed.

Paco said...

Ah, that makes sense. Now I understand.

RebeccaH said...

Lovely flowers, kudos to you and Mrs. P. I also have had great success with the flowers and herbs this year, as we've also had record high temperatures and lots of rain. However, we're overrun with a ubiquitous wild morning glory that is trying to strangle the life out of everything, and which, like the heads of Hydra, shoot three tendrils out of the ground for every one we pull up.

Paco said...

Rebecca: Those things are pretty aggressive.

missred said...

your garden is lovely. mine has not fared so well this year. not enough rain and record high heat. too hot for me to sit out there and water - oh well, there is always next year.

SwampWoman said...

Yeah, we've had the heat and not so much rain here, too. Flowers have mostly died due to my forgetting to water.

I was going to go dig everything up and replant today but dang, it's hot outside.

Anonymous said...

The variety (won't dare to say "diversity") of such wonderous blooms should qualify as more an arboretum than garden. Thank you for the education! I don't know why I was surprised that you knew all the names. Were you a docent?They are fabulous! Kudos to you and Mrs. Paco!

Regarding the lovely pink flowers, I was more of a mind that they are of the delicate nature. But that's just a theory. JeffS might be right.

Deborah Leigh

Paco said...

Were you a docent?

Huh? Mmmm...Naw, I'm pretty sure I was awake the whole time I was typing it. I was a-docent later on, though, after lunch. Musta stayed up too late the night before.