Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate

Catchy title don't you think?  It is the name of the plant below.  Well, just wait to see the how irresistable the view is!  What to love more? The airy pink bloom, the height or the variegated foliage?
Started this from seed indoor. The seed came in a small envelope by mail from that amazing gardener and blogger Nan Ondra.  She gave away for free hundreds of packets collected, packed, labeled and mailed with her own hands last fall for the readers of her blog Hayefield. Will I ever be able to share my time and garden like that ?!

Here it is! As eccentric as the name! It got  3-4' tall for me. It could get as high as 6'.  One plant had very little variegation. The other three had variegation as close to the one in the picture.  Planted half of the seedlings in part sun moist soil and half in full sun very dry poor soil.  In the sunny area, the plants didn't make it past 3 feet and the foliage was smaller.  The foliage shown below is from one of the plants grown in part shade and moist soil.

Varigated-kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate or
Persicaria orientalis ‘Shiro-gane Nishiki’ (grown as an annual here in Ohio)

Thank you Nan Ondra!  Now lets hope this beauty is able to re-seed by itself since I am no longer planning to go to the pain of caring over tiny tiny annual seedlings until they make it to become this beautiful. Or maybe I will!

I will also share today's post with Floral Friday Fotos blog.

Garden Blogger Bloom Day - August 2014

Welcome to my one day late Garden Blogger Bloom Day for August 2014.

Here is Ohio, US we have hardiness zone 5b and I can tell you that all in all we had an awesome summer for gardening.

I was a much lazier gardener than last year so weeding still needs to be done, deadheading, and splitting but I can tell you this:  I loved this summer in the garden!  I strongly agree with Carol at May Dreams gardens that this has been the best summer in a long long time.

There are three beds in my garden that you can't pass by without noticing: The Roses Bed in the back by the patio, the Outside Path Bed which leads to the patio and in front of the house to the North is the North Front Bed loaded with July and August blooming plants.  So lets start the tour, shall we?

Roses Bed on august 16, 2014