Here in the SouthEast, we usually expect May temperatures to be in the 80’s. Wonderfully, that is not so this year. We have had mild weather and adequate rainfall for weeks now. It is very welcome.
The bluebirds are making nests. The songbirds are in full throat. The butterflies are fluttering by. The bees are buzzing.
My winter vegetable garden is bolting. I planted some tomato plants and peppers just to say that I am a vegetable gardener too. I do have a good crop of blueberries coming and a Japanese persimmon that looks very promising for fruit later this year.
The milkweed is blooming and ready for the Monarchs. This is the first Rudbeckia that I have seen.
The dahlias are from an assortment of seeds that I propagated a few years ago. The lambs ear is my favorite when it blooms.
The hybrid Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’ is a showstopper. It is covered in panicles now.
The Hydrangea panniculata is known to me as French Hydrangea. I do not know the cultivar. It is a long lived legacy in my yard. It does not bloom every year since it blooms on last years growth and is susceptible to cold winters. This is the second year in a row that it will bloom.
Those are my picks for this week. It is getting more difficult to cull it down to six.
Happy Gardening!
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The flowers of the Milkweed are lovely and vibrant. Is that a pond or stream behind the Strachys?
Yes. It is the pool of a fountain. It made a wonderful backdrop for the photo. I shot it in portrait mode and it turned out great.
Hydrangea quercifolia is a very beautiful plant, and I’m surprised to see yours already blooming! Just like the lamb’s ears which are still in the leaf stage with flower buds pointing upwards.
This cultivar was discovered some years ago by Eddie Aldridge, a famed nurseryman in this area. He and his wife bequeathed their beautiful property to the city of Hoover nearby. Beautiful place for a walk.
Such a pretty Hydrangea Doc. We have had a north wind all week which is keeping the south westerlies that bring the rain, out in the Atlantic.
Thank you. It is the south westerlies that bring us rain from the Gulf of Mexico.
My A tuberosa is not even awake yet, though that is normal. I never see monarch cats on it (yet), but I get them on A incarnata and A verticillata. I am on the lookout for a Rudbeckia that showed up in the shadiest part of my garden and I did not see it until it flowered in late summer. I left it with plans to move it to a sunnier spot, but I gotta find it first! Things are moving along. I also have been enjoying watching birds foraging for nesting materials in my garden.
Amazing how B’ham is so much ahead of Highland Lake in Blount County.
Vestavia Hills elevation is about 600 feet above sea level. Is that the difference maker?
Great picks for the week. We were cool in the Upper Midwest for a few days, but now we’re getting some summer weather. And unlike you, we really need rain, especially with the warmer weather coming on. Like WisconsinGarden, some of my Milkweed is up and ready, while other species are barely emerged. Your Hydrangeas are beautiful!
I have just planted Hydrangea quercifolia here, hope it turns out to be as good as yours!
Beautiful! You’ve been blessed with such a beautiful spring. We’re just winding up tulip and daffodil season here in southern Wisconsin. It has been lovely, but we could use some more rain. We’re supposed to get a little very welcome rainfall in the next day or two. My thirsty flowerbeds couldn’t wait though, so we did a bit of our own watering to tide us over until the rain arrives. I planted 5 panicle hydrangea ‘Fire Light Tidbit’ shrubs last September. They all braved our strange winter and are leafing out nicely. It’ll be fun to see whether they’ll bloom for us this year.
Spring is my favorite season. This spring has been spectacular. I love hydrangeas and sounds like yours are off to a good start.