Gardens – Page 15 – Fine for Friday

Grasses and Such 20 Oct 2022

Since the garden is entering hibernation, I was searching for photos to post today. I found some photos of grasses and such. We have visited the Alabama Gulf Coast often over the years and I have a selection of photos I have taken there.

First is a pampas grass against a backdrop of palm trees. This grass is tall and stands out in the landscape with its plumes. It is a native of South America but commonly seen in the American South.

Second is a pink Muhly grass. It is a perennial sedge like plant. It is an Alabama native which blooms this time of year. It is commonly seen along roadsides. The feather blooms are noticeable from a distance.

Third is sea oats. Sorry it is a little blurry. It grows on the sand dunes and is a signature of the beach and coastal areas. It provides shelter for birds.

Here is a close up of the sea oats.

I am not sure of this next photo but my plant app suggests it is a goldenrod. The Monarch butterflies seem to enjoy it.

Finally, here is a magnificent sunrise. The object above the sun may be Venus.

So, there it is. Hope this diversion entertains you.

Just a reminder, Jim Stephens of Garden Ruminations is hosting Six on Saturday now. You can find him here: https://gardenruminations.co.uk/ He has a good blog too.

Back to gardening next week.

Frost is coming

In our area, first frost averages as November 15. I was planning on beginning to winterize my garden the last week of October. In fact, we have an out of town trip planned next week. As luck would have it, next week we are forecast for 2 nights of below freezing temps. I have had to step up today and begin that process. Tender plants have been provided shelter.

In the meantime, here are my photos for the day. I have been looking at succulents. So here are some of my discoveries.

First, this is known as a paddle plant. It has appealing shape and color with a sense of modesty about it. It will be an indoor plant. Careful not to overwater.

Second, this another interestingly shaped succulent. It may be a whisk fern although I am uncertain. It is another indoor succulent.

Third, and found at the Mens Garden. It tolerates our climate in Zone 8. It tolerates this partly sunny location nestled in a repurposed bird bath. I am unsure of the name.

Fourth, this looks likea Euphorbia but I didn’t catch the name even though it looks like the tag was beside it. It will also be an indoor plant.

Fifth, here is a mass of light blue pansies. They will tolerate our winter and even bloom. They will survive a light frost. Careful not to overfertilize them in the winter months.

Sixth, here is a lingering patch of Sunpatiens. It is a hybrid plant combination of traditional impatiens with the larger New Guinea impatiens which results in a plant that thrises in full sun in hot, humid weather. These had a slow start this summer but are have thrived ever since June. Hope they will survive this little cold snap and give pleasure for a few more weeks.

That’s it for this week. I wish you “Happy Gardening” and don’t forget to take a peek at the propagator’s blog. He is the host of Six On Saturday.

More Fall Colors 6 Oct 2022

Our weather continues to be dry. Hurricane Ian passed well to our east and delivered no rain to us here in Central Alabama. There is a chance for rain in the middle of next week. On the other hand, the temps are slowly declining and there is only a very mild wind. Nevertheless, watering is in order.

I am enjoying the fall colors and I have some photos to show you of them. I also want to show the progress of my fall garden.

First, here is a beautiful goldenrod that appeared in my perennial bed.

Next is a Max Sunflower or Helianthus maximiliani. It is also called Michaelmas daisy. It is a native. It is about 6 feet tall and has just started blooming.

I have a vine to show. I planted it last year and I thought it didn’t make it through the winter. I found it growing and I hope it begins to climb the nearby oak tree. It is a Dutchman’s pipe and is the host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail.

The next vine is the yellow passionflower or Passiflora lutea. It is the host for several butterlies including Gulf fritillary and zebra longwing. It seems to be thriving but did not bloom this year.

The next photo is a cardinal flower which is also a native I found nearby recently. Hummingbirds like the tubular flowers.

My last photo shows my fall/winter garden. It is off to a great start. Here are the radishes which are called Rhapsody. The fencing seems to be keeping the rabbits and deer from feasting.

I hope you are having good gardening weather.

Don’t forget to look at the propagator blog. I enjoy his weekly blog Six on Saturday.

Happy gardening!!

Fall Colors 30 Sept 2022

This week, it has been fall like weather with highs in the 70’s and morning temps below 60. I have been able to complete many more fall tasks. Most of the planting beds have been cleared and I do have a good start on a fall vegetable garden with radishes, carrots and beets.

It has been a little breezy from a cold front. It is still very dry. The hurricane did not bring any rain our way but it has been devastated to our dear brothers and sisters in Florida. I have spent many vacations in central Florida and it is painful to think of the destruction and misery. God Bless all those who are rushing in to help.

Here are my six.

First is this Inland Sea Oats that I started from seed. It will do well in the shady areas of the garden. It is beginning to show that golden fall color. The seed heads are so unusual.

Next is some boneset. It is a Eupatorium species. It is a common native. I did not plant it but it is a delight of the fall.

Next is a toadlily given to me by a friend. It is Tricyrtis hirta. It is a hardy, shade loving perennial. It is low growing and has such beautiful lily like flowers.

Next is another grass I planted this year. It is a Carex known as Everillo. Beautiful fall golden color. It loves the sun.

I was visited by this beautiful butterfly. I think it is a Red Spotted Purple.

Speaking of blue, here is a group of Ageratum proudly displaying their color.

This Alabama Croton is beginning to show its bronzy side and the dogwood beside it is showing its red side.

At the last, here is a camellia showing that it will bloom in January when the days are dreary and that the spring will return.

Hope you are enjoying the blue sky days of October here in the American South.

Take a peak at the propagator blog. He is the inspiration for my efforts.

Happy Gardening.

Friday Favorites

It is Friday. Our beautiful weather continues. It will be dry for the next week so some judicious watering is in order. These tasks will have to be done today as you will soon find out.

Football season has begun so the wife and I will be watching college football tomorrow.

First off are two spider lilies. They are sometimes called surprise lilies because they seem to just appear overnight.

Second is the Sedum “Autumn Joy”. It was really putting on a fine display today.

Third is this trio of purple coneflowers looking so fine in the morning light.

Fourth, here are these red knockout roses. There is a new wave of blooms that have begun this week.

Fifth, is this beautiful, large bloomed hardy hibiscus. They were just planted two weeks ago. I hope this is a good harbinger of things to come.

Sixth, I encountered two visitors, one small and one large for you to see.

The small is the tussock moth caterpillar and the large is one of two healthy bucks that came walking through the front yard a few mornings ago.

Happy gardening to all and remember to take a look at the Propagator.

His blog Six on Saturday is the inspiration for this blog. He would appreciate you stopping by and giving him a like if you favor what you see.

A Stroll In The Gardens

The weather here in the American South continues to be wonderful. It has been just a little cooler each morning. Each afternoon we have been having a little bit of rain. The sky is a clearer blue each morning as the humidity has fallen.

It has been time to take on some fall tasks such as clearing the vegetable garden, pruning some of the spent perennials and planning some hardscape projects.

This weekend is the Fall Plant Sale at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I have volunteered for this sale for several years now. I took the time to stroll through the gardens and took some photos for you there.

I began my walk crossing this bridge leading into the area of the Bog Garden.

Along the way, I found this Paw Paw tree (Asimina triloba) with plenty of hanging fruit. The pawpaws have a sweet taste said to be a blend of mango, banana, berries and pineapple. It is the host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail although I did not see any.

A little further along, I found these seed pods of the strawberry bush (Eunonymous americana). Its common names include bursting-heart and hearts-a-bustin derived from the image of the fruit I suppose.

I then spied this flower of the jewel weed. It is common along creeks and ditches since it likes bottomland soil. It is just past its prime but there were abundant blooms remaining.

This is the fall panicle of the oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). It is a common plant in our woods. The blooms linger after the spring and gradually take on a bronze color like this gem.

I next found this inland wood oats near the water of the bog. It is very popular as a low maintenance shade grass. Its color transitions from green in the spring to ivory in the fall to a brown during winter.

Out near the vegetable garden, I saw this cotton at near maturity.

Next, I saw this eyecatching orange cosmos.

Finally, as I exited the garden I saw this planting of a dwarf sunflower. It was very happily showing off its bright yellow color in the bright sunshine.

I hope you enjoyed these glimpses of my stroll in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Happy Gardening.

Be sure to take a look at the efforts of the Propagator.

September Blooms 2 Sept. 2022

The weather is moderate and the rainfall is adequate here in the American South. College football season has begun and there will be a heavy dose of it this Labor Day Weekend. College football stadiums will be in full throttle and the tailgates will be plentiful and abundant. It is a great time of the year.

The gardens are still beautiful and the butterflies are plentiful. The summer perennials are waning but the fall flowers are appearing. I am beginning to plan fall and winter projects.

Here are my photos for the week.

The first is the beautiful dragon wing begonias. It inhabits the window boxes and will be abundant until frost. I have to remember to remove them before frost since they make a frightul mess if they freeze.

The second is a solitary Shasta daisy. They have been plentiful and healthy this year. They will need some thinning this fall.

Here is an obedient flower. It is a native perennial and has just begun to bloom. Physostegia species are so named because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position. It is in the mint family.

The “Indian Summer” black eyed susan and the Penta are still blooming regularly.

These garlic chives are blooming beautifully and attracting many Common Buckeyes.

The zinnias are attracting all manner of butterflies including the gulf fritillary.

Finally, here is an autumn fern (Dryoperis erythrosora) that loves the container on the deck. This beautiful fern is evergreen and hardy in our climate.

Hope you have a memorable Labor Day Weekend and happy gardening.

Remember the Propagator. He is our inspiration.

More Butterflies 26 Aug 2022

Here in the American South, August is ending. It continues to be a few degrees cooler than expected and we are getting some rain every day this week. The foliage is green but the flowers are fading. The butterflies, skippers and insects are very noticeable this week.

I have two feeders that the hummingbirds are keeping very busy. The hummingbird “wars” are fun to watch.

Weeding has gotten a little ahead of me but perhaps I can catch up now with the moderating temps of the approaching fall.

First up today is a fiery skipper in my zinnia patch. This patch has been a butterly magnet. Sorry, it is a little fuzzy but that skipper is quick.

Next up is a silver spotted skipper in that same zinnia patch.

Just adjacent to the zinnias is my milkweed patch. I have only seen a few Monarchs but these milkweed bugs are in abundance. I will try some Neem oil spray on them.

I have a Rose of Sharon blooming nearby with this noticeable white color with a white throat.

The rain has brought out a lot of mushrooms on the lawn. These are some vermillion waxcaps according to my iNaturalist app.

In the sideyard, there are some roseglorybowers. They are also called Mexican hydrangeas. They are attractive to the bees but they are pushy and I have to keep an eye on them.

This last one is a Seashore mallow in the genus Kostetetskaya. It is a late summer bloomer and seems to shyly catch your eye. As you can see, it does resemble the Rose of Sharon.

I hope some rain and sunshine is coming your way. Here’s to happy gardening. It is a splendid way to keep your mind off trouble and worry.

Remember to take a peek at the the propagator. Just click the link and see what he is doing this week.

Butterflies and a Ginger Lily

In the American South, we are having more below average temp and some rain chance most every day. It has been possible to get out and do some shrub pruning. The garden is beginning to look tired and a little ragged but some fall flowers are appearing.

Butterfly numbers seemed to be below normal this summer but this week I have been surprised to find much more butterfly activity.

Here is the collection.

Here is a hardy mum. Unsure of name but this is thriving enough that I have divided it and have it in three locations now.

The vitex of chaste tree is very happy and continues to bloom.

The American beautyberry is beginning to show off its purple berry collars. It is a very reliable native shrub.

The “Katy Road” rose is showing some new buds with the let up in the heat. It is such a beautiful pink. The leaf beetles really get after it but I am trying to keep them at bay with some weekly Neem oil applications. Sorry that it is a little fuzzy.

The encore azaleas are really showy this week. I just had to show them off again. They really look good along this paver path.

Here is a gulf fritillary on the profusion zinnias. The host plant is a passionflower. I would show it but the caterpillars have chewed it up.

Here is a monarch. These zinnias are right next to the butterfly milkweed. I just had to stand between the two in order to get a good photo.

The ginger lily bloomed this week. I have them in some pedestal containers at the garden entrance. I was not expecting them to bloom this year so it is a surprise.

Hope you have some rain and moderating temperatures this week. It makes the gardening such a treat.

Remember the inspiration of this blog, The propagator blog.

Summer Blooms are on the Wane

Here is the American South, we are enjoying some slightly less hot weather. Soon, the weekends will be filled with the passion of our region, college football. Fall practice has begun.

This week the Shasta Daisies have been all deadheaded. Soon, they will be cut back and the compost bin will begin to fill. The black eyed susans are still glorious but there is some one or something eating on them that I will have to sort out.

The encore azaleas are giving a fresh display of blooms.

There has been sufficient rain that the irrigation system has not had to be given extra duty.

Here are my photos of the week.

This is a lantana “Miss Huff” which usually attracts plenty of butterflies.

The zinnias and the blackeyed susan looks great together.

The container of sedum and agastache are also harmonizing. The sedum “Autumn Joy” is beginning to show some fall color.

These pentas have been laggard this year but this group looks like it is perking up a little.

This milkweed is called Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) and was taken by an acquainance while visiting in Kansas. It is showy indeed.

Here was a visitor on my deck this week. He was acting like he wanted to drill my chair but he eventually flew off. The iNaturalist couldn’t completely identify him except to say he was a wasp.

That is my lot for the week. Hope your gardening is successful and brings you joy. The day light hours are shortening and soon we will have some cooler temps.

Remember to check out our British friends on the propagator’s blog.