I write about gardening, native plants and pollinators. My project is the Corner Garden which is located in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
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Today, the garden blooms continue to decline. It is the last days of summer. The sky is very blue as we expect. Maybe, there is just a hint of coolness in the summer air. There, I feel it or is…
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Petals At The Corner Sept 4
We are having a heat wave. That sounds like the beginning of a song. We have been without rain for more than a week so I have begun irrigating regularly. Most of the perennials in the garden are over their…
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Petals & Pollinators 28 Aug
The great floral ball continues. The summer glories are nearing the end of their grand display. The fall ensemble is beginning to gather. We had a significant amount of rain this week which was unexpected. This is usually our dry…
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Petals & Pollinators 21 Aug
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is finally here. The days are today and tomorrow. The first day is today and we are having an event at the Corner Garden tomorrow from 9 am to 11 am. The format of the…
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Petals & Pollinators 14 Aug
The photograph tells it all for the upcoming week. Outdoor gardening will be limited because of the heat advisories. Rain will be unlikely but perhaps we will have an afternoon thunderstorm. It has been the pattern recently. We have had…
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Petals & Pollinators Aug 7
Today’s collection of photos should be titled lilies, mallows and bugs. The theme is still the color and elegance of the debutantes attending the exciting summer garden ball. There are additional newcomers to describe. The buzz and rapid movements of…
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Petals & Pollinators 31 July
The dance of the debutantes continues. The main colors are the white Shasta daisies. There is a bright gold of the Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ which is the main color this week. In addition to the dance, there is the…
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Petals and Pollinators
24 July 2026 It’s a good thing to share beautiful things. That is one of the reasons that I enjoy working on this blog. It pleases me to spend time in my garden taking photos of the things that I…
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Petals and Pollinators July 17
Great Southeast Pollinator Census August 21 and 22 Today’s six photos include pollinators as well as blooms. The Citizen Science project of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census is coming next month. I have been to a training session a few…
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Petals At The Corner July 11
This week, I am on vacation so there are no gardening photos. Instead, I have two interesting photos from my beach vacation and an invitation to participate in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census (https://gsepc.org) if you happen to live in…
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Petals At The Corner July 4
Happy 4th My yard continues to host a grand debutante ball! Crisp, tall lilies represent the elegant young ladies standing perfectly straight and tall. They have made their entrance and we will not talk about them today. Low, spreading ferns…
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Petals At The Corner June 26
The grand ball continues. The flowers are radiantly unfolding in the warm sunshine. The blooms are bursting with vibrant colors and delicate elegance. The summer blooms are celebrating an unapologetic presentation to the world like a debutante’s grand entrance. I…
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Petals At The Corner June 19
Dance of the Lilies The grand ball is pleased to announce the arrival of the lilies. These tall stemmed debutantes are grouped together in a prominent location and are displaying their brilliant stamens. Since they are massed together, dressed in…
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Petals At The Corner Jun 11
For the last few weeks, I have been describing the debutantes at the Grand Ball. They are now assembled and the music has begun. But before I describe that further, I want to spend some time describing the supporting cast.…
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Petals At The Corner June 4
The grand ball continues. We are advancing steadily now. The colors are vibrant and the dancing is becoming more lively. The dance floor is filling up so that there is a sense it soon will be crowded. The lighting is…
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Petals At The Corner May 29
The dance of floral beauties continues. New entrants are appearing regularly. The colors are outstanding and the variety if breathtaking.. They are untroubled by the recent rain. In fact, they seem to relish it. I will be linking this blog…
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Petals At The Corner 22 May
The big dance is in full swing now. Joining the daylilies and the coneflowers are the asiatic lilies, the calla lilies and the black eyed Susans. It is an extravaganza with bright, vibrantly colored gowns. There was some fear of…
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Petals At The Corner 15 March
The big dance has begun with the appearance of coneflowers and daylilies. They are the debutantes in the ball gowns. Bright vibrant colors are their most notable feature. Accompanying them are the gang of pollinators. They travel from bloom to…
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Petals At The Corner 8 March
Some of the top late spring bloomers are beginning to show. The bare spaces are beginning to fill in as the garden continues to grow. Much needed rain has made a significant contribution to it and I hope that will…
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Petals At The Corner 1 May
It is much easier to find six photos for my weekly blog now. The garden is becoming more crowded looking and more colorful every day. Last weekend, we held our plant sale and it was a success by my standard.…
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Petals At The Corner April 24
Blooms, Blooms, Blooms My time is occupied with some repeating tasks. The plants I started from seed this winter need to be planted as they reach a good size. I am slowly accomplishing this task. Since our rainfall has been…
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Petals At The Corner 17 April
The Corner Garden continues to thrive in Vestavia Hills in Alabama. The garden has continued to keep dry. The main task remains manual watering. The new plants continue to need watering daily. The nights remain cool in the evening so…
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Petals At The Corner 10 April
The danger of frost is past. The main task these days is planting seedlings and purchased plants. The shrubs have been pruned. The lawn is now in need of regular mowing. There is broad leaf weeds in it and the…
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Petals At The Corner 3 April
Since last week, so much more has emerged in the garden. It’s like meeting friends that you have not seen in a while. The weather forecast shows no frost chances so I think its safe to plant tender plants now.…
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Petals At The Corner 27 March
The weather is sunny and the temperatures are pleasantly warm. The frequent question comes to mind “Is it time to plant?” The grass is green and it could be mowed if only to remove the seed heads from unwanted grasses…
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Father’s Day 16 June 2024
Gardening is my sanctuary. It is a harbor in the storm. It is work and it is time consuming but the rewards are great. If a plant displeases me, I have learned to discard it. If I like a plant,…
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Middle June 2024
The summer garden is well established now. The work of the spring is bearing fruit. I am especially glad that we laid a thick layer of pine bark mulch because the weeding is easily managed. The Shasta Daisies are following…
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June, June
I always remember June as the month that school ended. It seems we had a longer school year than in these modern times and we often went to school until the end of June. My mother called June, the wedding…
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Memorial Day Weekend
This weekend is the official summer kickoff long weekend. The Indy 500 will provide the big televised drama. It is the busiest travel weekend, so I am glad to say I will be off the highways and avoiding the airports.…
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Middle of May
The garden continues to progress. The spring flowers like the daffodils and pansies are now wilted as the temperatures rise. The summer bloomers like hydrangeas, daylilies and sunflowers are beginning their reign. The days continue to lengthen and the nights…
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Mother’s Day Week
Here in the American South, May often brings hot and sunny weather. We have blue skies and hot weather. We have had well spaced rainfall and yesterday we had a heavy rain. The plants love it. Forturnately, with the pine…
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May Is Here
April can be our dangerous month here in the American South. This year that was not the case. May often brings hot and sunny weather. True to form, that is true. We have blue skies and hot weather. The plants…
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Joy of Spring and April Showers
The canopy of the trees is full now. Songbirds are in full throat and the woodpeckers are hammering. Many of the perennials are showing signs of blooms now after the daffodils and irises have done their thing. Today, I have…
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The Joy of Spring
The spring continues to bring new beauty every day. The leaf canopy is becoming full and the blooms continue to amaze. The summer perennials are showing signs of buds to thrill us soon. This week, I visited a friend who…
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It’s Masters Week 12 April 2024
The days are longer, the temperatures are rising and the blooms are increasing. The azaleas are beautiful and the grass is greener than green. It must be Master’s Week. It rained heavily yesterday and the wind is till gusting. That…
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And now its April! 5 April 2024
It is the most beautiful spring here in the American South. The green world is advancing rapidly. There is the sound of leaf blowers and lawn mowers in the morning. The leaves are coming out and the field of vision…
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Spring Marches On 29 March 2024
Although, we are not completely without frost risk until the 15th of April, the long range 10 day forecast is reassuring that there will be none. I have felt comfortable enough to begin plantings some of the hardier plants like…
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Spring! At last! 22 Mar 2024
How beautiful a start to Spring. The sunny days and ample rain has been making it spectacular. It is such a treat after the dreariness of January and February. It’s been a very busy week for me. Some potatoes appearing…
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The Lion is Weakening 15 March 2024
The vernal equinox is approaching. It is inevitable. In truth, the lion that entered March is wearing. The warming temperatures and spring rains are having their expected effect. The emerging green and increasing blooms are a steadily increasing pleasure. I…
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March is a Lion 1 March 2024
Growing up, my mother announced the character of March as coming in as a lion or a lamb and going out as the other. It would be interesting to know if this sounds familiar to you. This year, it is…
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Spring is so close
There has been a dramatic change in the landscape this week. The weather seems little changed but the daffodils have appeared. As a young man growing up in Canada, daffodils were not seen. We had tulips but they appeared in…
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Mid-Winter 9 Feb 2024
I am settling in after last weeks sunny break in Florida. The weather definitely is warming and I was able to play golf yesterday for the first time in a month. More color is appearing and there are new growth surprises nearly…
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Mid Winter Break 2 Feb 2024
We treated ourselves to a much needed mid-winter break. We drove into South Florida as far as Naples. The weather has been beautiful. While there, I have taken these photos of a visit to the Naples Botanical Gardens. I am pleased to show them…
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Winter 19 Jan 2024
It was my birthday yesterday. It seems to never fail that the coldest weather of the year occurs on the week of my celebration. We had temps down to 10 F a few nights ago. It will be in the mid teens Fahrenheit…
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Winter 12 January 2024
The garden continues to mostly hibernate. Closer looks reveal some early appearance of early spring bloomers. It is still difficult to find photos for the blog. The upper reaches of the USA are experiencing a wintery blast. This will be enough that it…
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Winter 5 January 2024
I am back posting this week after a short hiatus. It is the New Year and the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Tomorrow is Epiphany. I am still trying to get over the block of remembering that it is 2024. It…
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Winter Solstice 22 Dec 2023
It is finally here. Even though a snowfall is nonexistent and unlikely, our weather has brought plant growth to a crawl. The sunrise seems so distant and silent. The few birds are also silent but they do come to the feeder. This is…
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The Promise of Late Fall 15 Dec 2023
I have been dreading the dull, wetness of the approaching winter. In fact, this week, I thought that I might take the week off from Six on Saturday. I was better motivated today and I resolved to find some worthy snaps for…
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Late Fall Colors 8 Dec 2023
The weather is mild enough that blooms continue to appear. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees but there is plenty of color in the shrubs. The garden tasks still are mainly trimming perennial stalks, raking leaves and…
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Winter is Approaching 1 Dec 2023
The calendar turned over to December and Christmas is approaching. Things are very slow moving in the garden. I searched for photo worthy plants today and I had a lot of success. Here in the American South we don’t expect…
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Fall Colors Continue 17 Nov 2023
Thanks for dropping by again. I still have some blooms to show you. Next week is Thanksgiving in the US and there will not be a post. Visit our SixonSaturday group in the morning. Gardeners from around the world will…
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The Colors of Late Fall 3 Nov 2023
It may be November and there may have been a touch of frost but the autumn colors are persisting. The usual late autumn and fall rains have not yet arrived. In fact, you could describe a lot of leaf foliage…
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Fall Color Continues 27 Oct 2023
Halloween is just a few days away and the color of that season is orange. It is visible in the neighborhood in great abundance. To me, that is not the most attractive color of autumn. I prefer the yellows, golds…
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Fall Color 19 Oct 2023
The color of summer bloomers has definitely faded. The garden is being cleared of spent summer plants. Plans are being made for next year’s plantings. The good news is that there is still abundant fall color to replace it. Come…
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Fall 13 October 2023
Fall color is now dominating the landscape. Beautiful yellows, golds and reds are enhanced by the softer light of the fall sun. We had rain yesterday which was welcome. There are no new blooming plants to show you but I…
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Fall 6 Oct 2023
Yes, fall Colors continue to attract our attention. In many ways, fall is second only to Spring for floral attractiveness here in Central Alabama. Take a stroll with me through the yard and let’s see what catches our eye. Here…
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Fall is Here 29 Sept 2023
The thrill of the garden all summer has been the appearance of colorful flowers ever growing larger and brighter. The buzz of insects and the erratic flight of butterflies was the other most notable experience. Now the summer colors are…
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Fall 22 Sept 2023
The cool air this morning was so refreshing. I was able to work in the garden this morning without fatigue or perspiration. There are fall blooming plants which are off to a good start and there are still some summer…
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The Hint of Fall Continues 15 Sept 2023
The signs are definitely increasing. The leaves have begun to change color and more and more are falling. The temperatures continue to moderate. All the plants seem a little “thinner” somehow. The fall tasks seem more urgent now. It is…
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English Garden 8 September 2023
Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba The English Garden in Assiniboine Park was in full bloom when my wife and I visited there on our trip to Winnipeg. The day was gorgeous with warm, sunny weather. The interesting feature to me was…
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Hints of Autumn 8 Sept 2023
The temperatures are forecast for to be a little cooler this week. The days are measurably shorter. The rainfall has declined. These are features to be expected in Alabama this time of year. It is time to begin some fall…
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Its Labor Day Weekend
I am out of town this week but I took the liberty of taking some photos last week. It has cooled down a little. It is feeling more like fall. It seems that summer has hurried by but that may…
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Fall Approaches 19 August 2023
The days are still hot but the plants are showing signs of fatigue. Most of the blooms are spent and the seedheads are prominent everywhere. Some plants have gone through the yellowing phase and now are approaching the brown phase.…
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Fall Approaches 11 August 2023
The recent rains and continuing warm temperatures have allowed the garden to keep blossoming. It is lush and full of blooms. Keeping up with the weeds is another story. Seedheads are becoming more abundant which the birds especially a group…
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Summer Heat 4 August 2023
This week, it continued to be hot but today and for the next 7 days at least the forecast is for cloudy conditions with daily rain chances. That will bring some relief. I was even able to get out into…
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Hot Summer Days 21 July 2023
The last few days have been hot and humid here in the American South. Average daily highs in the mid 90’s and 50 % plus humidity tax a gardener’s physical strength. The formula, of course, is to start out early,…
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Summer 14 July 2023
The garden is lush, healthy and bloom filled. We have had sufficient rain to keep things that way. The butterflies are increasing in number and the air is filled with the buzz of insects. The hummingbirds are regularly seen getting…
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Summer 7 July 2023
The Fourth of July is over. This marks the middle of summer. We had plenty of food including a steak done on the grill. We like to watch the concerts that are on the Capitol Steps in Washington D.C. and…
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Summer 30 June 2023
It is hot this week! It is very hot this week! The county warned of poor air quality. Temperatures will be near 40 degrees C both today and tomorrow. The forecast is for some increased rain probability over the next…
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After the summer solstice 23 June 2023
The Alabama summer heat means that garden work is best done in the morning. Be sure to stay well hydrated and limit very strenuous tasks. For me, I am trying to limit myself to pruning, weeding and watering. The blooming…
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It is summer 16 June 2023
It is Father’s Day on June 17. I am grateful for my father and also my mother who are my inspiration for my love of gardening. My father taught me the basics of gardening: light, water and soil. My mother…
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It is summer 9 June 2023
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It is summer 2 June 2023.
Here in the lower Southeastern US, the weather is definitely turned summer like. We will be in the 90’s this weekend. The night time lows are upper 50’s. The humidity is rising as the plant life become more abundant and…
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It feels more like summer 26 May 2023
This week it is definitely warmer and the forecast is for little or no rain for the next 10 days. The sky is becoming a little hazy as the humidity rises. The grass is greening up and the lilies are…
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It feels like summer 19 May 2023
It has been hot and humid with daily threats of thunderstorms here in Central Alabama. It feel like summer. The rainfall has been more than average. These are summer growing conditions for the garden and unfortunately also for the weeds.…
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It is Spring 12 May 2023
A walk in Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I have been vacationing at the beautiful Gulf Coast city of Destin, Florida this week. The area is beautiful and the seafood is world class. For your pleasure, I am posting photos taken this…
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Great Southeast Pollinator Census 22 Aug
Vestavia Hills Corner Garden We watched. We counted. We submitted. Annuals: Penta, Hibiscus, Mountain Mint Watching and Counting Pollinators Pollinator of the Day Submitting The process is straightforward. It was fun. Citizen Science in Action. See the results at https://www.gsepc.org
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