Gardens – Page 9 – Fine for Friday

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 a lion here in the American South albeit a small one. It has been breezy and rainy today but spring’s promise does not disappoint.

There are an abundance of blooms to report today. So let’s get on with the show.

If you love spring, come join our group on Saturday morning. There should be an exuberance of offerings. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/page/2/

This is the star for this week. It is the delicate, regal and magnificent Camellia japonica “Sea Foam”. In the last week, the plant has more than a dozen new blooms. It is still a young plant, so I am expecting many more.

There is an abundance of red camellias to report. The only one I can name for you is the “Professor Charles Sargent” which is on the right.

The asparagus fern has awakened from its winter sleep and is sporting a beautiful lime green gown.

The quince which I submitted a week or two ago is now displaying many blooms. I moved this plant last year and seems to prefer the morning sun location where it lives now.

The Kerria or Japanese rose has such a beautiful bloom. It is a leggy plant with long arching stems but the blooms make it stand out.

I am premature in showing you the begonia. It survives in my cold frame. Soon, I will take cuttings and prepare them for planting in window boxes. If it succeeds, this will be the fourth year in a row for this plant.

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow. Jim Stephens does such a good job of hosting us.

Happy Gardening!

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 May and June. When I moved to the American South in the 1970’s, I witnessed the magic of daffodils. It reminded me of the Wordsworth poem that I learned in grade school and that I memorized.

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

If you like to garden or if you love spring flowers or if your fancy moves you, come join our group on Saturday morning. Gardeners from around the world come together and share photos of what is happening in their garden. Follow this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/page/2/. Our group is known as Six On Saturday.

There is more appearing in the garden. A little more appears each day. Isn’t it marvelous!

After the dreary after Christmas doldrum, here comes the spring. It is not yet relentless but it is persistent. My mood is so much better.

Happy Gardening friends!

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 every day.

I have some plants started from seed and I am itching to plant them. Be patient! Planting weather is still at least 6 weeks away.

Every Saturday, a group of gardeners from around the world, get together online to post 6 recent pictures of what is happening in their gardens. Come join us to see the show or better yet join us and post 6 of your own. The weekly event is hosted by Jim Stephens at https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Here are my 6 for the week.

The first is Leatherwood. It is a native shrub. It blooms early before the leaves come out and they are small but beautiful. The shrub may grow to be 6 or 7 feet tall. This plant is about 5 years old and seems quite healthy.

Next, is the first daffodil in my yard or in the Corner Garden. Looking at my notes, this is a week later than last year.

These hellebores are outstanding. They were a gift from a now deceased gardener but I do not know the name. I will enjoy them even though they will likely remain nameless.

My camellia japonicas are just beginning to bloom. This one is an old standby but the cultivar name is lost. These did not bloom last year after the December 2022 deepfreeze. This year there was another deepfreeze in January but fortunately, the blooming has begun.

This second hellebore has delightful color but is also nameless. It has such a beautiful shade of color.

My window box pansies have really broken out this week. This is the majestic series which has done so well for me.

Glad you stopped by and I hope you enjoyed the show. Happy Gardening!

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 to you and I hope they brighten up any dreary weather you might be now experiencing.

The gardens is located near Naples Bay and so it also features some grassland and some marshy habitat.

On Saturday morning, a diverse group of gardeners from all the world gather online to share gardening photos. Come take a look or join us and participate. All the information is right here at this link. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The first 2 are natives I found on the edge of the grassland.

The Hairy Beggartick (Bidens pills) showed up so well with its bright white flowers and had numerous native bees around it.

I have seen the sunflower (Helianthus debris) at other locations along the Gulf of Mexico shore. The blooms are large and distinctive from quite a distance.

The Blanket Flower (Gallardia sp) is a native of the Southeastern US but this one is a cultivar. It grows well in Alabama and tolerates heat and drought which makes it a favorite.

The Calendula sp is also very drought and heat tolerant and also does well in Alabama.

There was a beautiful orchid section in the Garden. I was envious to think that these orchids did so well in a shady outdoor area. There were Moth Orchids, Cattleyas and Dendrobiums.

The local garden club had a section they called garden ideas. Here I took the photo of these coleus and impatiens annuals.

Finally, you know that you can’t visit Florida without registering a “gator” sighting. We saw this long fellow in the marshy area lazily moving through the water.

Next week, it will be back to photos from my home garden.

Happy Gardening.

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 tonight and tomorrow night. Looking around the yard, I do not see any evidence of severe damage unlike a year ago. It is later in the winter season and the plants have slowed down. I hope this is true.

It is bright and sunny today and I spent some time in general clean up duties around the yard. There were fallen small branches and some blown leaves to tidy up. I took some photos of things that caught my eye to show you.

Regularly, on Saturday morning, I post to the Six on Saturday group hosted by Jim Stephens. Come see what gardens from all corners of the world are doing to keep busy and brighten their corner of the globe. The link is here https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

This holly has a good crop of berries which the birds can enjoy in a well lit sheltered spot. This is Ilex but species unknown.

The Echinacea purpurea is still retaining some seeds. I leave the seedheads on in the fall for the goldfinces, chickadees and others that come to get some energy.

I took this photo because of the interesting frost line that formed on one cold morning. This is the north side of my house and the line reveals the shadow from the roofline of my house.

The Hydrangea quercifolia produces such interesting colors and shapes during the winter.

The camellia still managed one last bloom before the heavy frost of a few days ago.

I had to show you this Euphorbia. I had it as a house plant but I moved it outdoors in the warm weather. It is in the cold frame now but producing these beautiful blooms.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. January is passing and it is time to begin starting some seeds. Maybe I will have some to show you next week.

Happy gardening!!

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 will probably make the newscasts of Europe and the rest of the globe. We here in the Deep South will experience some snow next week and one night when the temps will be low enough to threaten less hardy plants. I will do my best to protect the plants I am overwintering. Their protection is best called a cold frame and is not a climate controlled greenhouse.

Here are my six for this week. If you want to see more, come join the Six on Saturday group tomorrow. Our host is Jim Stephens and the link is here https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The poinsettia has a serious bloom on it now. I have kept it now for three years.

The Hellebore should bloom soon. It is the traditional white (H. orientalist). Fortunately, it produces plenty of little seedlings which I have transplanted to other shady spots. I have no problems with snails and slugs.

The anemone is a new one for me. It is in a “moon garden” just at the front door.

I am showing you the little shed where I keep my less hardy ferns. The doors of the shed are well sealed and if I keep a light or two on, the ferns will survive.

The pansy will survive the cold which is coming next week especially if I cover the pansies with some leaves or pine straw.

The last photos are of my seed starter. I bought, for modest cost, the stainless steel cart and hung the uv lights. I bought a timer so that I can vary the light as needed. It works great. Here you can see the Cleome that is already of a reasonable size. It will be ready for spring.

I hope we don’t have serious damage to my tea olives (Osmanthus) and Camellias with the coming cold week.

Happy Gardening!

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 will remain odd for awhile. That I am sure.

There seems to be little happening in the garden but a deeper look provides some surprises. I went out to take photos and there is more happening than meets the casual eye.

There is a group of gardeners from far and wide who post on Saturday mornings. If you are curious about the ingenuity of this group of gardeners come join us and see. The website is hosted by Jim Stephens at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Here are my photos.

These two Camellia japonicas are showing signs they will bloom soon. The tea olive is blooming which it does regularly after a rain or after a warming spell. It is one of four that I have which sustained significant frost damage one year ago. There are significant signs of joyous recovery if we do not have a repeat of that weather.

The autumn fern is faring well. It will remain evergreen although the foliage will be more golden than green. The Siebold’s fern is well protected and I expect it to remain green throughout the winter.

The crocosmia is a beginning of a new project. I am going to try them in containers. Left alone in the garden they have been too “thuggish”.

The daffodils are emerging. This little patch has reliably appeared for the 40 years we have lived in this house. They are trumpet type but variety unknown.

Hope you enjoyed my little discoveries.

Happy gardening!!

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 the last post for 2023 but I did find some interesting photos for you.

Come join us tomorrow for our Six on Saturday group hosted by Jim Stephens. The link is here https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The blueberry leaves are a beautiful red and standout in the landscape.

The brown eyed Susans are still putting out some blossoms.

The asparagus fern has tolerated the little frosts that we have had. They will brown up once the frosts are a little deeper but they are hardy.

The holly ferns are evergreen unless we get a very deep frost. Even after last years December deep freeze they were only a little brown at the tips.

The tassel ferns are also hardy and easily remain evergreen if there is just a few degrees of frost.

The Southern shield fern tolerates heat or shade and is still green. It is not as hardy as the other two here but it is far more spreading.

That’s it for 2023. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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 the blog.

To delight, it was a sunny and pleasant day. There were plenty of photo opportunities and I am including 6 of those that inspired me.

If you are new here, we post on SixOnSaturday. I will give you the link shortly. It is hosted by Jim Stephens and there are always beautiful photos. Take the time to visit. The link is here https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The Columbine has appeared. I think it may be A. canadensis which will be a beautiful pink. In my youth, we called it honeysuckle and we would bite off the little tips for the nectar.

The paper bush has steadily healed all summer from last December’s icy insult and is getting ready for next month’ display. It has a wonderful fragrance and an eye catching architecture.

The fig did not bear fruit last summer. This new sprout is making me hope for a crop of figs. If not for me, perhaps the birds and squirrels can enjoy some.

Camellia japonica “Prof Charles Sargent “

The japonica is showing signs of recovery from the disastrous cold of last December. This camellia has been in the garden since 1980.

The osmanthus is also slowly recovering. I have pruned it gently all summer and fall removing the twigs that are dried out. It shows evidence of new growth and I am optimistic for its future.

The hardy mum is a new transplant which I featured a few weeks ago. I am reposting it today because of its little pollinator visitor with the comical name. I came across this on iNaturalist and I am pleased to share it.

I cannot say that I will post next week but I do send you Greetings and Hope for a Joyful New Year.

Happy Gardening.

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 other general clean up duties.

I still have colorful photos to show you. If you are interested come join us tomorrow morning for #Six on Saturday. This is able hosted by Jim Stephens. Here is the link if you need it. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

So, come along as we tour the garden.

These large hickory nuts are shellback I believe. They are golf ball size and they do cause some pain if it falls on you while you are in the yard.

The azalea leaves had such an usual bronze color. I had to photo this and I want you to notice the bloom bud beginning to form.

The oak leaf hydrangea has such a wonderful late fall display which will continue throughout the winter.

This garden nymph is how I feel about garden problems. Inexperienced but thoughtful.

The obedient plant seems to be on the final rung of blooms. The seed pods are still attracting birds.

The roof lily has been a complete surprise with this late bloom. It is certainly a pleasure to see.

We expect some rain this weekend. That should bring down the majority of the leaves. We have no frost in the forecast so I may have more blooms to show you next week.

Until then, Happy Gardening!!