Courtney,

Two flowers immediately come to mind. The first is Torenia, or Wishbone Flower. The Torenia Summer Wave series was a 2006 Oklahoma Proven Winners selection. Each plant forms a mound approximately 6" high by 12" wide and it is great in containers, where it tends to hang down and trail over the edges. Recommended for partial shade. To see the info sheet on this flower, go to the link below and click over to page 4. The Torenia Summer Wave series comes in seveal bloom colors.

The second is Fanflower, Scaveola 'New Wonder' It will be a little taller, maybe 10" to 14" and is a plant with strong stems that trail down from containers. The flowers are fan-shaped and are purple. Grows in full sun to partial shade.

These two are your best bet because they are Oklahoma Proven Winners which means they have done well in plant trials here in our state.

Other possibilities could include:

Million Bells, Callilbrachoa hybrid "Superbells Trailing Blue'

Wave Petunias come in many colors and I have grown them in hanging baskets on my front porch where they get morning sun only and they still bloomed.

Verbena hybrid "Superbena Blue Purple" is a vigorous grower that is supposed to bloom in a wide range of conditions, from full sun to part shade.

Trailing Lantana (Lantana montevidensis)has a reputation as a full-sun plant, but it will bloom in partial shade. It has lavender-colored flowers.

Ageratum, hybrid flossflower, grows in sun to part shade. The series that is offered by Proven Winners nationwide (but it hasn't been designated an Oklahoma Proven Winner) includes 'Artist Blue', 'Alto Blue", 'Blue Violet', 'Purple' and 'Rose'.

Well, there's a few possibilities. I'm sure some other folks will have other ideas as well.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: OK Proven Winners

Thanks for all the great suggestions!! Home Depot didn't have much to offer today, but we were there to get top soil (since the ants have taken over my dirt reserve) so I didn't really spend very much time looking at everything. I'll do some searching this next week at the nurseries and see if I can find some of the plants that you listed. I think I'm leaning towards the Torenia Summer Wave in Amethyst.

I just planted some callibrochoa, a light lavendar and a dark lavendar, that are trailing plants, too. They are very pretty. I got mine at Horn's on NW Expy and Classen. They have tons of annuals, too, and they aren't very expensive. You could also add some helichrysum petiolare, which is a trailing foliage plant with silver or light yellow foliage, which would also add some additional interest (plant it alternately with the flowering trailer. They will take some shade here in Oklahoma, where they won't be as likely to burn.

Verbena 'Homestead Purple' will take more shade, too. My neighbor grows it in a hanging basket protected from the west sun, and it's gorgeous.

Diascia or Twinspur is another trailer that will bloom until frost. It comes in a myriad of peaches, pinks, etc.

'Blue Daze' evolvulus (found everywhere) is another pretty little trailer that blooms all along the stems.

Bacopas come in some pretty blue colors, too, and will bloom almost constantly as well. One has a sky blue flower with an orange center - gorgeous! They are also PWs (proven winners).

Have fun shopping!

Susan

How about tuberous begonia? They do well in full shade and have lovely full flowers. Also comes in lots of colors.

Susan tell me about callibrochoa. I recently read (one of my other hobbies) a series of novels about a gal who owned her own landscape/gardening business in CO. The book made reference to Callibrochoa and Montbrecia frequently in those books. It got me to wondering what they were so i looked them up on the net..haha.
I saw Callibrochoa at the local Pick of the Day nursery a few days ago and was tempted.
Have you grown it before?
G.M.

I did it! I went to Marcum's looking for Nemesia and Bacopa... DH found the Bacpoa and insisted that we use it to put on top of the milk can on the front porch!! I was shocked when he hopped in the passenger seat after I told him where I was going, and even more shocked that he located and liked the bacopa!!! There's hope for him yet :))

Anyway, I didn't find any of the plants that you had offered as suggestions, so I let my eye wander, and I found a Bridal Veil (Tripogandra multiflora) and Sweet Potato Vine. I think they look pretty good. I'm just hoping that the Bridal Veil doesn't go out of control!

Thank you for your suggestions. I researched a few of them and really liked quite a few... I'm sure by the end of summer I'll have a few more in my possesion :)))

Thanks!
Courtney

Courtney,

I'm glad you found some plants you like.

It is heartwarming to hear that your DH is listening to his 'inner gardener' and I believe there absolutely is hope for him! My DH was not interested in gardening AT ALL when we got married, and to this day he will tell you that I am the gardener, but he is always involved in my gardening projects and he knows a lot more about gardening that he likes to admit. He wasn't ever 'anti-gardening' and he has always encouraged me and supported me, but he would tell anyone that the garden/landscape were my thing and that the lawn was 'his' thing.

Nowadays he can even answer his co-workers' questions about plant problems, etc. He always cheerfully eats whatever I raise in the garden and the only thing he has ever asked me to try to grow for him is Rhubarb. He has become quite the connoisseur of different varieties of tomatoes and peppers!

So, I think that your DH may be going down the same path. Once they express a little interest in gardening, you know they are getting hooked!

Dawn

I'm so glad to hear that there is potential for him :)

He was also very helpful with the vegetable garden. In fact the straightest rows are the ones that he made for me. I WILL NOT eat onions, but because he likes them so much we dedicated an area for his onions and chives.

The only other plants he really gets a kick out of are his "Blue Haired Troll Heads". (What the rest of call Blue Fescue.) During the recent reconstruction of the archway, while I was fretting over the Hydrangea, he was overseeing his "Troll Heads".

DH is in the Navy, and in the last 5 years, he's been deployed for 2 1/2 years total. Coming to Oklahoma meant that he'd be home everyday for three whole years!!! YEAH!! We have so much fun working together. I have learned a how to demolish and rebuild a wall, hang french doors and build a deck. Now he's learning about gardening. I don't think I'll ever get him to read a garden book cover to cover like he will a hunting magazine though. Oh well, he's so great in so many ways, I'll keep him!! :)))

How's the weather down there? I couldn't sleep - good thing too. I saw that we could have some massive winds coming in, so at 2AM I was running around the yard again grabbing all of the cushions off the patios furniture and putting them in the garage. I also had to move the palms and their new companions into a shelter area.

Oklahoma living is definately NOT boring :)))

Courtney,

We had a quiet night down here. The weather radio went off at midnight, but it was for the county west of us.

This morning's storms are just a bit east of us and moving up the I-35 corridor. We are expecting a little bit of troublesome weather this afternoon, but just the usual May forecast of 'severe thunderstorms, hail, and possible tornadoes'. That's our typical daily forecast in May during rainy years.

You mentioned that your DH is a member of the armed forces, and I want to reply to that by saying to him: "thank you, thank you, thank you for serving our country and helping to keep us all safe". I am glad he is home now and that y'all are sharing the joys of completing home and gardening projects together.

Got to run to Sherman, TX, now to do some shopping before the afternoon storms kick up.

I'll check back in later today. Hope the weather is kind to everyone today. :)

Dawn

BD - we really do have a lot in common! My son served in the Navy during the first Desert Storm! He was stationed aboard the USS Saratoga and was positioned in the Red Sea. His ship was the first to launch planes in the attack on the Iraqis. I was so worried even though he wasn't on land. But, my office was very supportive, too, and we sent boxes and boxes and boxes of things to the guys on board. So, please add my appreciation and admiration for everything he is doing for our country.

And......do you ever think about "rent a DH"? Maybe to help our your gardening friends? Tee-hee!

Re: the Blue Haired Troll Dolls - at least he didn't call them his "blue haired grannies"! LOL!

I've never heard of Bridal Veil, so I'll have to look that one up! See, you learn something everyday and lots from the new folks on the forums.

Callibrochoa is in the solonaceae family (as are petunias, daturas, brugmansias, peppers, and tomatoes, and many others). This the first year I've grown them, so I'll let you know. So far, so good, though, and the purple blooms sure look pretty with the Dusty Miller and silvery curry plant.

Susan

I could rent the DH for a weekend... he's so generous! Promise him a beer and he'll do just about anything :)))

I absolutely love being a Navy wife. There are some unique challenges when it comes to relocation and deployemnts, but I am so proud of the profession that DH has chosen. You know what's really funny... Hubby's old ship, the USS Cowpens, was the first to send missles into Iraq this time! We really do have a lot in common :)))

The Bridal Veil that I got wasn't tagged, I was fortunate enough to meet a woman there that was able to ID it for me. I have found that it is actually called Tahitian Bridal Veil (Tripogandra multiflora Commelinaceae). Some websites are also referring to it as Wandering Jew.

If you'd like some cuttings, let me know. The leaves are a dark green with purple undersides. And the flowers are so dainty and pretty. I've read that bees birds and butterflies are attracted to it. It can be invasive, deadheading helps contol reseeding. It's supposed to very fragrant, but I've had a blasted cold for the last week and can't smell a thing right now. After I brought it home I was a little worried that it may not have been the best plant to put with my palms, since it can be invasive, but I think it'll be pretty easy to control in a container.

By the way - I saw a Hummingbird today!! He came wandering around on the back porch as if he expected to find a feeder. I'm thinking I just might have to spoil him now and go get one tomorrow. :) Our neighborhood is really small right now, and we are surrounded by wheat fields, so I didn't expect to see any Hummingbirds. Before I could get my son to look out the window the little guy was gone. Hopefully if I get a feeder out there, he'll return. Once some of the plants start maturing, I think I'll have enough to keep a few of them happy. Right now the biggest plants I have are the ones that I got at the swap. I like moving into a new house, but the amount of work and the patience it takes to get a garden going can be tiring sometimes. Lucky me, I get to do it again in 27 months!! DH suggested that this time I need to rent a little U-Haul so I can bring all of my plants with me instead of give them all away to neighbors and friends. I think Dawn is right, I may have a closet gardener on my hands.

Courtney

Courtney,

I am so excited that you have hummers already. I guarantee that if you put out a feeder, they will return!

Wandering Jew is a lovely plant. My dad grew it in the ground in Fort Worth (Zone 8) and it meandered all around his roses, cannas and other perennials. It never got to the point where it was crowding things out, though. I think it will look gorgeous in your urns.

Which ornamental sweet potato plant did you get? One with yellowish-green leaves, purplish leaves, or the varieaged one with pink, white and green leaves?

Ornamental sweet potatoes are wonderful plants. They love the heat and lots of water. They are easy to root in water if you want to make more plants to put elsewhere. You can overwinter your sweet potato plants inside, or just save and dry out the tubers, and store them in a cool, dry place like a cellar or maybe a dark unheated closet.

I am glad that you are a proud Navy wife. You should be. Your DH has chosen such an honorable profession. I know the constant relocations and deployments are hard on a family sometimes, but what an adventure it must be to get to live in different places! My dad was in the Navy in WWII and also during the Korean War. He is gone now, but I remember all his photos and stories from his Navy days. He really enjoyed his years in the Navy and was always proud that he had been in the Navy in his younger days.

I think your DH is right. Next time y'all move you probably ought to rent a U-Haul, but by then you will probably need a big one, and not a little one. LOL

Happy Growing. Our weather has been lovely today. I hope yours has been as well.

Dawn

The weather was really nice today. I don't mind all of these early morning showers and afternoon sunshine. It's nice to have this time of year becuase the humidity doesn't knock you off your feet when you open the door! I'm very familiar with the humidity up north, and from what I understand it's even worse here in OK.

I'm contemplating how to make a sump pump for some of my flower beds, anybody have an engineering degree that wants to help me with this :)))

Dawn - the Sweet potato that I got has the chartruse (?) bright yellowish green foilage. I thought it was a really neat contrast with Bridal Veil and the Palms. I recently saw an article about Ornamental Oregano... I NEED to get a few of those!! I find them so attractive and attention getting!!!

I conveyed the message to DH. He was very appreciative that you would take the time to say Thank you. There are so many negative things being said in the media, that those guys really need to hear from us everyday folks that they are appreciated. I know it makes him feel good to hear it, I see his face light up and he stands just a little taller. Thank you for giving him that boost. They need a lot of it now a days.

Susan
I have ID'd my very first butterfly! You've inspired me:) I've always just considered anything that flutters and looks pretty to be considered a butterfly, and never really had much interest in researching to find out exactly what breed it was. The Foster Holly that we planted in the front beds are COVERED in....Red Admirals!!! As well as bees, and of all things - house flies! I don't mind the bees and butterflies being there, but I love to get rid of the flies. I guess the only thing I have against them is that they start out as maggots, which just grosses me out!

My son has recently decided that all butterflies are named Norm. I have no idea why, but he points at every one that he sees and introduces me to his "friend, Norm" LOL!! Then he asks me for his net (which we don't own) so that he can catch him. I thought since he has such an interest in them, that we could turn it into an educational experience.

Courtney

Hi Courtney!

It is raining here now as I write this and it was raining at bedtime last night. In our county, April through June is our best chance for rain. Some years we receive little if any rain in the summer months, although rain often starts up again in very late August or early September. In a bad year, the rain may not start up again until October or November, so I know we need every bit we receive.

After two years with a lot of drought and the corresponding low humidity, it is a little hard to get used to the higher humidity again. I am really dreading the onslaught of mosquitoes, which has already begun here. I won't spray insect repellent on my skin, but will spray it on my clothes if the skeeters are abundant.

Your ornamental sweet potato is probably Marguerite, which is the one that's been around the longest. There is a newer one called Sweet Caroline Yellow, but it has a different leaf shape and is not as rampant of a grower, at least not here so far. Two nights ago I noticed blooms on my Sweet Caroline purple. I seldom have blooms on my ornamental sweet potatoes, but they are pretty, somewhat resembling a morning glory.

Isn't ornamental oregano gorgeous? I don't know why it hasn't caught on more with the public. It still is fairly rare in nurseries in our area. The first one I ever saw was 'Kent Beauty' but my current favorite is 'Amethyst Falls', although 'Rotkugell' is lovely as well.

Rains like we are having now is why I have to build raised beds for almost everything, and also why I am constantly trying to amend my slow-draining red clay soil. At this point, our soil is so wet and there is so much standing water that I feel like I am living in the middle of a pond. We have not experienced much flooding, just the creek being up a little out of its banks briefly, so I feel very fortunate.

Your DH has my undying respect for his service to our country. I hope you both will remember that there are many, many of us 'anonymous Americans' out here who appreciate everything they do and have done for our nation and for the cause of freedom around the world.

My DH and DS both work at D-FW Airport. One of their favorite parts of their work is the chance to help welcome home arriving troops. The folks at D-FW try to give all the arriving military troops a big welcome. On a day when DH or DS has been a part of that process, they come home raving about how wonderful it was.

I am glad you are having butterflies. Red Admirals are all over the verbena bonariensis in my garden this week. I just love the butterflies. My very first garden bed on this property was a butterfly bed right outside my kitchen window so I can watch the butterflies even while working in the kitchen.

I love the fact that your son considers the butterflies his 'friend'. And 'Norm'? Oh, that is just priceless. I think everything about having a garden and landscape that attracts butterflies and hummers and other forms of wildlife is great for kids. It does provide you with numerous opportunities for 'educational experiences' and you son will be having so much fun, he won't even realize how much he is learning!

Dawn