Thanks everyone for your kind remarks. This late heat wave we are experiencing here in the East has really made a big difference in the quality and size of the blooms. As far as Blondes Beach goes, buying that plant was a last minute pick-up for me, and I brought it on a whim, for cheap, compared to others I brought this year. It was only a DF. I brought it because I wanted to see what a polychrome looked like, and I loved the color. I really lucked out with this purchase. Like the rest of you, I love it, too.
Susan: As for 'Barbara Mandrell', yes, it was expensive. I needed some bright colors in my gardens because of the expansive garden views overlooking the mountains. I love 'red flowers'. But there are so many different shades of red. I wanted a warm red, and BM seemed to fit my desire. I bid on a SF, and James Hall sent me 4 Fans. Lucky again! 6 weeks after it was planted it sent up 3 scapes, and those scapes have continued to bloom through both hot conditions in July, and CMO in August, although it is not a CMO plant. It struggled a bit when temps dropped to 48 degrees night tome temps. But those buds bounced right back when the warm weather returned. That picture was taken yesterday afternoon. Bang for buck, I lucked out with BM. We shall see how it fares through the Winter. However, fingers crossed, I didn't lose any plants last year and it was a very snowy and cold Winter. Prices have come down a bit now for BM about $25.00. If you love red flowers, you will love Barbara Mandrell. For those of you in milder climates you will see a delightful white ruffled edge around the flower as I saw in July (see database).
My biggest surprise is Barbara Morello. I was going to compost this plant 3 weeks ago when I first saw it bloom. It took 3 summers to bloom here, and the first couple of blooms were ugly as sin. Yuck. Then this week, I saw this bloom on it. I was amazed at the change. I need to amend the soil around this plant with some 'Miracle Grow Moisture Control Soil', and see how that helps the plant. It usually makes a tremendous difference with the blooms. I mean big difference! I haven't touched the soil in 3 yrs around this plant. Needs a boost.
