Coneflowers and Cupheas

The Leilani coneflowers planted in the sunny kitchen courtyard have been long lasting and cheerful. The ones planted in shade under the dining room window have not been. They bloomed much later, more sparsely and went by quickly.

I should take them out of the shady spot and put them somewhere sunnier.

The Vermillionaire cuphea in the white bowl is starting to look nice. It still doesn't fill the big bowl, but it's getting bigger and blooming nicely and arching out. Morning sun slanting in through the gate lights it up.

The thyme carpet around the bowl is blooming in patches, but hasn't filled in the bare spots yet. We still haven't had warm nights or very hot weather. Afternoons are in the 80s and the house heats up so we need the air conditioning on, but it really isn't consistently hot enough for the thyme to spread I guess.

I like the shape and look of the David Verity cuphea better -- it is more upright and elegant. 

The leaves are a darker, richer green. It's in a container now by the birdbath. The pot is too small for this shrubby plant, but I'll see how it does.

With the rain and all my extra watering (and fertilizing) this year, most things look healthy and green and nice. But I think the long stretch of cold nights in the 50s are holding plants back from getting big.

I keep noticing that nothing in the ground touches. All my plants remain tiny and tidy and separate from anything nearby.