This is the first winter in three we've gone this long without freeze or frost damage. I know some of my Florida friends took some hard hits in the beginning of the month with temperatures in the twenties.
Again, the canopy of oak trees in my garden protected my shrubs, tropicals, and perennials. I lost some coleus, impatiens, colocasia, and sweet potato vines that were exposed out in the open. No big deal.
This is also the first winter my blue sage (Eranthemum Nervosumor Eranthemum Pulchellum) shrub (above) didn't get knocked back before coming into full bloom with its true-blue clusters of loveliness. It sits on the perimeter of the central pathway and the circle garden in the back yard.
You won't find blue sage in a garden center.
Susan from Simply Susan gave me my first cutting. {I've made many additional ones from this shrub since then~~they root easily.} I knew blue sage preferred partial light so I placed it on the edge of the west side of the oak canopy in the back garden. I soft pruned this one back at least 3 times this summer. It made it thicker and bushier than the others I didn't trim. It was an experiment as much as necessity to keep it a proper size for this spot. The latest prune was in September and it still bloomed. You know what that means? I'll be trimming all the others as well this year even though they are more inconspicuously planted among the deeper shade plants.
I made mention of the first Red Admiral to be seen this year on my
Hoe and Shovel Facebook page this week (If you haven't visited there yet~~hit the LIKE button to join the conversation). The pretty little thing was happily skipping around from flower cluster to flower cluster.
The large, veined leaves are deeply hued of almost blue-green. In summertime the foliage is all that graces the garden. As autumn nears the end and winter begins this shrub takes on another dimension. Do you see the veined green and white bracts on the ends of the clusters that form prior to the flowers? I just love them. And they will remain even after the flowers fade.
Do you have this Florida old timer in your garden? Happy gardening, Meems
