Hot shade
May 24, 2006
The first red, twisted Turk’s cap flowers have appeared. These hummingbird magnets are taking over under the cedar elm where the spiderwort stole the show early in the spring. This is my hot shade bed—hot referring to the predominant color (though actually the temperature is getting pretty hot now too; it’s been in the low 90s with high humidity all week—ugh!). In front of the Turk’s cap grows red Texas betony. One of these days I’ll try red cedar sage too.
Dear Pam,
What a beautiful garden! My own Austin place is pretty shabby, in part because I haven’t quite left behind the picture of a Kentucky garden, where I came from, and the plants happy there.
My site focuses on the sociology of flowers, today vitex and how a wonderful local herbalist uses it.
http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/the_vitex_queen/
I see you have a beautiful chaste tree!
Good wishes,
Julie
Wow — that is a Turk’s cap lily? Its flower resembles a hibiscus, which I love.
I’ll have to check them out, and see if they’re hardy in Zone 5 …
I don’t know whether it’s in the lily family. I only know that it’s a great native plant here in Texas. Here’s a link to more information about it.