Topdock

June Heat 6 June 2025

It is heating up. Slowly but surely, as the days continue to lengthen and the sun moves to the north, it is hotter. It’s been gradual but consistent. The rainfall has also been steady so the garden is in great shape.

I have been able to tend the garden regularly and I am very pleased with its progress. My blueberries really started to produce this past week and I have made some blueberry ice cream. Yum!

I will be joining the SixonSaturday group again tomorrow. It is fun. Just take 6 photos and link the post or blog where they are located to the group. Here is the website hosted by Jim Stephens https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The Vitex Agnus-castus or Chaste tree is in full bloom this week. It was a struggle to plant it a few years back since it was in a 15 gallon container. It was worth it.

This Rose of Sharon is a beauty of an heirloom plant. I have another with a white throat. The shrub survives a long time and is often found in old country cemeteries and abandoned farm properties.

I apologize that this is a little out of focus. This Tradescantia is a reliable perennial. It dies back over winter but reliable returns each spring and grows all summer with these delicate blooms.

The Knockouts need weekly Neem applications to keep the sawfly larvae at bay. I recently put a new layer of compost around them and I am being rewarded with the second blooming of the year. There will likely be a third bloom in the fall.

All the daylilies are doing so well this year. I am showing this representative which will be nameless.

This Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ steals the show for me today. It will be a large plant of 8 to 10 feet in height so it may need some pruning at times in its present location.

Hope you are able to enjoy some gardening! It makes you happy!!

Summer Perennial Beauty 30 May

All the photos today are from the Corner Garden near my home where I volunteer every Friday. The perennial border is magnificent this month. The weather has been just great.

This garden is along a busy highway and a busy intersection. As much as 1700 cars a day pass by according to the bean counters. Many motorists acknowledge us as they wait for traffic lights to change. It can be noisy there.

I will be joining the Six on Saturday group in the morning. There, gardener’s gather to show 6 photos each. Come see. Join us and post your own from a blog or post. The website is https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Jim Stephens is our host.

There are hundreds of Shastas that have just begun to open this week. I think the variety is ‘Becky’.

I don’t have the cultivar name of this lovely daylily. There are so many cultivars to keep up with. These were moved to a sunnier location last fall and they are thriving.

Here is another anonymous perennial. This time its a coreopsis. Look closely and you will see the hover fly on the right.

The Stoke’s Aster may be ‘Peachy Pink’. Although it is an ill-fitting name, the bloom is outstanding. From 3 plants started several years ago, there are now several dozen in the garden.

This perennials is dominating. It has formed several independent clumps. The growth of this and the other perennials has minimized the need for weeding.

As you can see, the daylily is true to its name. The fleeting blooms are accompanied by lush foliage. It is also anonymous but a beauty.

Hope you are enjoying time in your garden. Happy Gardening!!

Alabama The Beautiful 23 May 2025

We are a biodiverse state. The naturalists report that we rank 4th out of 50 states in the US in biodiversity. I was on a field trip today to view at least a part of that biological largesse.

The location is the beautiful Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge which is less than an hours drive away. Its main claim to fame is the Cahaba Lily (Hymenocallis coronary). It is seen on the shoals of the river. Today, it was abundant but the recent heavy rains have kept it from being prolific. We did spend time identifying numerous other native plants and a rare butterfly.

I will be posting on Six On Saturday tomorrow. The mission is to post 6 recent photos and share them in the form of a blog or with a link. The link is https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Come check us out if you are interested.

This is the celebrated Lily. This is a small clump and there were many more of these but at a distance too far for a clear photo.

This is Cornus amomum or Silky Dogwood. As we approached, a fresh hatch of the butterflies was swarming these flowers. This plant does look like a viburnum.

This is the Mimosa microphylla. As the common name suggests, it does surprise you with the sharp little thorns if you venture to pick it up. I did and they did.

This is Clematis reticulata or Leather flower. It is very unassuming and it takes a sharp eye to locate it.

This is the Pipevine Swallowtail. It is toxic to predators since its host plant is the Pipevine which contains toxic compounds which the butterfly is able to sequester. This dogwood was covered with these butterflies.

This is Commelina erecta or the Whitemouth Dayflower. Beautiful blue flower on a tall stem.

Hope you enjoyed the nature show. It was a beautiful day to walk along the river. Visitors to the refuge were fishing, kayaking, canoeing and wading in the water. It was a swift current so caution was advised.

A little departure today from my garden and I hope you enjoyed it.

Happy Gardening!

MidMay Easy Street 16 May 2024

It’s time for summer bloomers. The heat is rising and they love it. It’s time to look for insect predators and to make sure the plants have enough water. We are ahead of the game since we have had over 6 inches of rain so far in May.

Tomorrow, I will join the Six on Saturday crowd. Come see what we are featuring in our gardens this week. This is the hosted website https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Take six photos, put them in a blog and post them. It’s easy and fun.

The cocotte lily is so reliable. It is the best display it has ever had this year.

This is a climbing hydrangea. I planted the vine 4 years ago and this is the first time blooming. It has grown more than 25 feet up the water oak. A hover fly and a bumble bee are enjoying the nectar.

The Rudbeckia ‘Indian summer’ doesn’t read the calendar and it is blooming in spring.

The leaves on the knockout roses have Swiss cheese holes. I finally found the culprit. Saw fly larvae. I expect Neem oil will do the trick.

I love this daylily and the flower stalks are taller than ever.

The lantana ‘Miss Huff’ is enjoying the container that I have it in and is rewarding me with beautiful multicolored blooms.

Hope you are enjoying your weather as much as I am enjoying mine. Nightime temps are consistently over 60F. I have planted caladium bulbs.

Happy gardening!

Our Beautiful Spring Continues 9 May 2025

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!

What a Beautiful Spring

Spring is such a wonderful time of year. The grass turns green. The leaves return and the plants emerge and grow. At first it is a slow process, then it quickens pace. Now, it is marvelously and rapidly changing.

We continue to get regular rainfall which is aiding the process. I am seeing more and more butterflies and the bird activity is frenetic.

Great!

I am using my new iPhone 16 camera today. I am learning and I am very pleased with the results.

I will join the SOS group tomorrow. Come see what this group is up to and join us if you wish. Just follow the directions at this website https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The spiderwort and the rose campion are welcome visitors. The spiderwort is Tradescantia sp and self seeding. The rose campion is listed as invasive but it is quite manageable in my garden. Both of these have beautiful color as you can see.

The purple coneflower is another beautiful native and is self-seeding. It has such a distinctive bloom.

I have shown this rose before. Today I noticed a small shoot with this bloom on it, near another mature plant. It may be a branch which was covered by mulch but I had to show it. This rose is ‘Katy Road’ renamed ‘Carefree Beauty’ some years ago.

The Itea virginica has been covered in blooms this year. The panicles are almost too numerous to count. This native was a gift to me.

The daylily is an old reliable. I took the picture in bright daylight and using some of the camera’s features, I was able to get this non “blown out” image which really pleased me.

Happy Gardening!

Here Comes The Rain 25 April 2025

We have had unsettled air for the last week. The cold front from the North has been slowly moving South and this is meeting the slowly circulating air from the Gulf. It has given us brief showers every afternoon. The rain is welcome for the plants. The timing of the rainfall works out since I prefer to do my gardening in the mornings. The rain really helps to water in whatever I plant each morning.

The ground temperature has been steadily warming. It is safe to plant tender plants like some tomatoes. It is even time to plant some annuals I prepared from cuttings. I will soon be planting last year’s caladium bulbs that I had saved.

I will be joining the Six on Saturday crowd in the morning. Here is the link if you are curious https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The Firecracker is among the bulbs that I planted last fall. Botanical name is Brodiaea. It is a native of California and Oregon much to my west but it is pretty enough to give it a go.

I love the great variety of cannas. This one I inherited from a local garden. I do not know the common name but I like this color.

Both these bloomers were started from seed. The Monarda is a native planted last year. This is the first blooming. I believe this one is M. bradburnia.

The Salvia is ‘Victoria Blue’. It is such a deep blue, special color with lush foliage.

Not the best photo, but both these shrubs are native to Alabama. The Viburnum has almost lace cap blooms. It is the first blooming of it that I have seen.

The shrub on the right is an Itea virginica known as Virginia sweet spire. A friend gave this one to me harvested from his hillside property. It is a prolific bloomer.

Hope you are finding pleasures in your garden.

Happy gardening!

April is bursting 18 April 2025

The title says it all. It is spectacular around here now. The daffodils and azaleas are done. The hydrangeas will soon take their place. There are numerous other spring flowers to enjoy.

The temperatures are warm. The days are longer. Rain is needed now. The forecast says we should expect some next week. It will be welcomed if only to clear up some of the pine pollen and oak catkins that are cluttering the deck, driveway and rain gutters.

I will be joining Six on Saturday tomorrow. If you are curious, join us at this website https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The pink sorrel is a native and some consider it a weed but it is too beautiful to pull up, so I tolerate it.

The yellow Gerber is the first of its type to appear this year.

The Baptisia (Indigo) is a showy native.

The pink Columbine was gifted to me some years ago and is now self seeded to many places in the yard.

The bearded iris is an example as to why blue is a regal color.

The blue flag iris was gifted to me some years ago and I am grateful each time that I see them.

I hope your garden is giving you pleasure. Happy gardening!

Bees and Butterflies 11 April 2025

We have settled into spring weather. After a substantial rain a week ago, the plant growth bounded. The leaves on the hardwoods are out. The pine pollen and the hardwood catkins have all fallen. The sound of the bees is everywhere. More and more butterflies are fluttering by.

This is a wonderful time of the year.

I have some lovely blooms to show you today. I will post them on Six On Saturday tomorrow. Here is the link if you want to see them and many more.

https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The yellow flag iris is also called swamp iris and Louisiana Iris. It is Iris pseudocorus. Reliable near a source of water.

The bearded iris is white in a sea of blue iris. I need to move it.

The Tradescantia (spider wort) is a native here. It shows up in many places in my yard. So I let it. It is a welcome spring visitor.

The Phlomis fruticose is a reliable bloomer and tolerated the hot sun and dry conditions of our summers.

The lamb’s ear, Stachys sp also tolerates the sunny location where it resides. It looks its best here in mid spring.

The Dutch Iris ‘Picasso’ is a new favorite of mine. It is noticeable from a distance.

Hope you garden is bringing you joy and pleasure. Happy gardening!

April Is No Fool

The progress in the garden has been very encouraging. We will have some rain on Sunday which will be followed by some cooler weather. No frost. It is time to bring some of the tender plants out.

The hardwood leaves have emerged with their brilliant green. The irises are beginning to show blooms. The grass is beginning to green and needs a cutting.

I took a field trip yesterday to see a grand collection of native azaleas. I have 2 photos from the Donald Davis Arboretum that housed the collection.

I hope to join the Six on Saturday group in the morning before I leave for a road trip to Nashville to visit family. Join that wonderful group at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk

Here are the two azaleas. They are native to Alabama. In this collection, there are several outstanding specimens. They are Florida flame, Piedmont and Canescens varieties.

The silver bell ‘Halesia sp’ on the left is a beautiful medium sized tree which will be a good replacement for out native dogwood Cornus florida which has been ravaged by an apple wood borer.

This late appearing daffodil is really a winner.

The delicate foamflower on the left is an Alabama native. It is accompanied by the beautiful ground orchid. The Paw Paw on the right is blooming now and is also an Alabama native. The fruit will have a dumbbell shape if it appears.

I hope you are enjoying your garden in this fine weather.

Happy Gardening!