Gardens – Page 18 – Fine for Friday

A birdhouse and new blooms

Friday March 11

It is beautiful today. Warm, with some overcast cloudy conditions are wonderful but we are expecting a cold front and the temps will be in the low 20’s in less than 48 hours.

I am protecting the new tomatoes, peppers and black eyed susans that I started from seed. They will be in the house. Other container plants that I think may be vulnerable will be in the shed or the vinyl greenhouse where they will have sufficient protection.

While they still look their best, here are my 5/6 for Friday.

This azalea is the most advanced of those in my yard. It is well set back amongst other shrubs so I hope it will tolerate the cold well.

This is a redbud (Cercis canadensis) which emerged this week. It is a reliable harbinger of spring. The arching branches are so graceful.

This is a red cedar bluebird house which I installed last Saturday. It was purchased at Pepper Place which is a local farmer’s market. https://pepperplacemarket.com/. This is dedicated to one of our garden club members who is recently deceased.

This is a little would-be gardener we found today. It is a DeKay’s brownsnake. It looks like it may have eaten a slug or a snail recently.

This is bloodroot or Sanguinaria canadensis. It is a native growing in the woodland nearby. If you dig it up, the root does have a reddish juicy liquid if crushes and thus the name. It has no medicinal value so just enjoy the beautiful blooms.

I found this watercolor recently. I do feel for the land of my ancestors.

Don’t forget the Propagator. He is the inspiration for this blog. https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/

Blooms and Buds

March 4, 2022

It has been a very warm week here in Central Alabama with daytime highs reaching 80. The forecast is for several more days like this before some rain and cooler temps arrive in a week. We may get some freezing temps then. It is tempting to plant tender plants now but I am avoiding that action. I have potted up my tomatoes and peppers yesterday. I have some rudbeckia and daisies that I hope to pot up today.

Here is the Five for Friday.

This is a holly fern with the large fiddle head visible. This is part of a group of hollies at the entrance to the Mens Garden that was transplanted a year ago. They are very happy and sheltered enough that they have stayed green all winter.

This is a star magnolia. It is Magnolia stellata which is a native of Japan. The blooms are small in comparison to the massive Southern magnolia.

This is an early blooming azalea. I hope it doesn’t get stung by next week’s colder temps. I do not know the name of this variety.

This is Veronica prostata or prostrate speedwell. It is native to Europe and unlike its cousins, it forms a nice groundcover and is everygreen. This one is in an open area and may have to be transplanted. It is forming a slowly spreading mat of foliage.

This is Trillium cuneatum. It is a native to the eastern US. It will open up to a reddish tinted bloom. The trillium natives are spring ephemerals so after blooming, they will disappear until next spring. We are glad it hides out in the Mens Garden for the year.

The last two are a late blooming Camellia with an unknow name and a sedum. I believe this sedum is Autumn Joy.

Happy gardening and enjoy the weather wherever you are. Don’t forget to follow the Propagator. He is the inspiration for my blog.

Ferns and Colors

A cool Friday

Its been cooler today. The rain came in early this morning. Waiting on an early delivery of pine bark mulch at the Vestavia Hills Mens Garden, I could feel the temperature dropping. It will be in the upper 30’s tonight but gratefully it is not as cold as weather further to our west. This past week the temperatures have been in the 70’s so a lot of new growth is emerging.

I especially like to see the ferns emerging but there is more color to report this week.

Here we go:

My asparagus fern is beginning to show its new growth in lime green color. Its a slow grower but its beginning to fill this styroam box. It may be full enough to display on the deck this year. This variety is cold hardy and does well in the yard for the winter.

This is maidenhair fern. This variety is the northern maidenhair or Adiantum pedatum. It is native to eastern North American forests but is very adaptable to shady gardens in the South. Here, I have it draping over some rocks on a slightly sloping hillside beside a pathway.

This is Southern shield fern. It is very adaptable in the yard. It will grow in shade and will even tolerate sunny locations. It dies back completely in the winter but it is beginning to reach out of the ground this week. It looks great in the summer and here in the spring it is patiently waiting for the daffodils to finish their thing. It will later in the year completely drape over the daffodil shoots.

The paper bush is now showing the fragrant, golden blooms. There is still little evidence of leaf formation but that will come soon. It seems to be doing well on the shady side of the yard.

The hyacinths are really doing well in the containers where I planted them in the fall. This beauty is Jan Bos. It is fragrant even in this early stage of blooming.

This is a native that I bought last spring. It is a toothwort called a two-leaved toothwort. Its scientific name is Cardamine diphylla. The native peoples of North America used it as a medicinal. It will have a cluster of white spring flowers on a stalk about a foot high. The plant likes woodland conditions with an acidic soil so it seems to like the pine straw I spread around it.

One more for you today. This is pennywort. It is strictly speaking a weed in shady areas.. It grows low to the ground and spreads. Seems to make a good ground cover amongst my hydrangeas so I don’t plan on trying to eradicate it.

Don’t forget to check out the Propagator who inspired this blog https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/?s=propagator

I also like Dotty Lovelady Rogers. https://dottieloveladyrogers.com/2022/02/15/hunger/

Daffodils and Winter Projects

Five for Friday

Feb 18, 2022

We have had some fine weather last week but as is typical winter reared its head again. Yesterday, it was blustery, thunderstorms and some heavy rain. This unsettled air will persist into next week but its time to look at the beautiful growth in the garden and finish up some winter projects.

The daffodils are pushing up and blooming this past week. It has turned colder these next few days after the rain and blustery weather yesterday.

From left to right, these are Orange Sunset, Barrett Browning and KIng Alfred.

These majestic pansies have struggled some this winter in the cold spells. When it turned fair last week, they were truly “majestic”.

This Autumn Fern remains evergreen. It shows some signs of winter damage but it will soon be glorious again. It tolerates enough sun that it is a wonderful garden companion.

This tea olive also known as Sweet Osmanthus is well established in my garden now. It is evergreen and delightful with the fragrance that comes from these tiny blooms. It is reliable to smell the new blooms after every measurable rainfall.

The compost bin has been very productive this year. We spread almost a yard of it around the shrubs and perennials this past few weeks. Added more leaves and fern prunings this week. Should be some grass cuttings before long. Don’t bag up and discard your grass clippings and fall leaves! There is garden gold in those bags.

Last week, saw the male bluebird bring his intended to this house. She did enter it and look around. Hope she liked it. Last year, it was used at least twice for fledglings.

This camellia is Sea Foam. It has such a beautiful and delicate shape. It is just a few years old, but it has been prolific since December.

Don’t forget to check out the Propagator tomorrow.

You might also like Globetrotting Grandpa.

In the meantime, enjoy the post and Happy Gardening.

A Winter Harvest

This is Titan parsley that I started from seed last summer. It is in a carport window box. It gets set back on cold nights but always snaps back in a few days. I have to remember that parsley is a biannual so it needs a new start every 2 years. It is so convenient to collect fresh parsley whenever you need it for cooking.

The winter still provides enough fresh items for cooking. Here are some other things that I keep growing around the yard in winter.

Here is some lemon thyme. As you can see, it does so well in the carport in winter. It is a great addition to home made soups. We save leftover chicken or roast to make soups in winter. We like the taste of the fresh thyme in those dishes.

This is Tuscan blue rosemary. It thrives in the garden. If I bump into it, it emits such a wonderful smell. I cut it back one third in the spring to keep it from getting too woody. We like to add it to soups, chicken dishes and pork dishes.

This is ginger. This is one called Big Kahuna Blue Ring. I grow it in a container so it can be brought indoors when the weather cools. Just cut a piece and you have fresh ginger for stir fry. It is a pretty plant in summer but I have not had it bloom. That is a pinecone you see. I cover the top of the soil in my containers with pinecones. That helps to keep the squirrels from digging in them.

This green is red sorrell. It does well in the carport windowbox all year. That microclimate is warm enough in winter and just enough shade for the summer. It adds nice color to a salad and has a pleasant taste.

This is some of my indoor nursery. The leopard lilies are not up yet but I have some dill started and a nice crop of snapdragon. I wanted to start the snapdragons last fall and put them out late fall but best laid plans did that idea in. These snaps are Madame Butterfly.

Remember I was inspired by #Six for Saturday thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.

You will also enjoy this latest blog from Felder Rushing. Summer Mississippi flowers seen in England.

Another cold day in January

27 January 2022

These are Johnny Jump Up violas in my carport window boxed. They have easily persevered during the cold nights we have had in January. I am hoping they will do the same for the next couple of cold nights. I am using my new iPhone 13 for these photos. The portrait mode gives these wonderful close ups with bokeh effect.

My “Jon Bos” hyacinth are beginning to emerge from the containers in my carport. I also have several containers planted with daffodils. Sill waiting for them to emerge.

These are dried luffas. If you don’t know these, listen up. The mother plant is a rapidly growing vine like squash. Young luffas can be eaten like yellow squash. If you leave them on the vine, they eventually will dry out. Then, you can peel off the outer skin and you have these. They will replace a sponge and are great in the shower for scraping off areas of dried elbows, knees and heels.

Lone daffodil bloom seen at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens this past week. It is a south facing slope planted amongst some clumping grasses. Very beautiful trumpet as seen on a bright sunny day.

These are some benches we have been working on at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. They are dedicated benches that have become weathered and covered with mold and lichen. First, we will wash them with a solution of dishwashing soap, vinegar and water. This is about a one hour job. This is followed by sanding with a power hand sander and also some manual sanding. This also takes an hour. I will show you a finished product soon.

A bonus for you today. This is a spotted salamander. Found this photo today on an email that came from Ruffner Mountain. I have been to where these creatures live in the Homewood Forest Preserve. I haven’t seen one but this was fascinating. I have included some text from the email.

The annual Spotted Salamander migration is an incredible sight, as well as the first sign of spring in Alabama – and you don’t have to travel far to see it. A large population of Spotted Salamanders undergoes this migration each year in Homewood, AL, and there is even a festival hosted by the Friends of Shades Creek celebrating their emergence each year! This year’s festival will be hybrid, with a virtual component starting on January 29, 2022, and running through February, and in-person hikes on January 29 and 30. If you love salamanders, I highly recommend attending and asking Friends of Shades Creek how you can get involved in preserving this amazing Alabama amphibian!

It’s New Years Eve

The mild weather is encouraging blooming. The leaves are all down so the color is a welcome relief.

This dianthus has been a treat for several years now. It is winter hardy and blooms prolifically in the winter and early spring. Just needs a haircut in the spring after blooming is done. I have this one in a container and I feed it in the fall and again in the spring.

This is Japanese Kerria. It has a cane growth like forsythia. It is deciduous and blooms early like forsythia and quince. The canes are bright green. The blooms are multiple and all along the canes.

This is a paper bush or Edgeworhia. It is a deciduous shrub but the branches are shapely and so there is a wonderful winter interest.

This is tea olive. It is blooming and very fragrant now as it always is after a rain. This shrub is evergreen and now is about 10 feet tall.

This elegant camellia is Sea Foam. It is young and now about 6 feet tall.

We are expecting some frost nest week so time to offer some protection to the tender plants.

Dec 26 Stroll through Birmingham Botanical Gardens

It is that beautiful weather that teases us in winter. The temp is in the 70’s and the sun is shining. It is temporary but so wonderful. Today we strolled through the BBG and found bloomers and buds to enjoy. All these could be found in yards in Central Alabama.

This is a Hellebore commonly called Lenten rose. This one is called Joseph Lemper. It loves shade and goes well near ferns. This is about the time of year to see the Hellebores blooming.

This pink camellia is just perfect. I couldn’t find a tag with its name. This is a cultivar of Camellia japonicus which graces us in January and February. They seem to do best in light shade or with morning sun.

This is an eye catching snapdragon. Many people are unaware that if you plant them in fall you will get some winter blooming. Then by spring it will be multistemmed and bloom abundantly until July.

This small fern like plant was doing very well in a large container. I think it may be a button fern. It also prefers some shade and will do well in a container as a “filler”.

Another beautiful hellebore in a variety called Ice and Roses Red.

This plain faced yellow pansy lit up the little garden where I found it.

Merry Christmas

Just two days before Christmas and we just had our first frost this morning. I checked on the Mens Garden this afternoon and there seems to have been little frost damage.

Here are my Five for Friday one day early.

These beautiful camellia blooms are outstanding. These are the Camellia japonica type which just started blooming last week.

This lantana was not harmed by the frost. Sorry this shot is a little out of focus. This bush like plant will die to the ground in winter but grow to 5 feet tall by fall. It is a prolific bloomer.

This holly is full of berries. I don’t know the cultivar name but the leaves are smooth edged as you see.

This is Gaura. The blooms are pink. It has bloomed all summer and into fall. It is a very reliable perennial. Loved by the bumble bees.

This black eyed Susan continues to bloom. Rudbeckia is the genus and I think the species name of this one is fulgida. This is another hardy perennial.

Adding this shot of our sign. Many thanks to the woodworking group from Vestavia Hills UMC for this one and to Fred Dyess for finding the marble for this sign.

Merry Christmas to all and God bless us everyone.