gardening – Page 3 – Fine for Friday

Summer Doldrums II 25 July 2025

It is hot! I have said it before and I will say it again for several more weeks. I am now having to irrigate regularly and spend time watering the containers. It is mundane task but the flowers continue to be beautiful.

This summer there has been an abundance of butterflies and pollinators. There has also been some unusual type of insects that I have spotted.

If you happen to be viewing this today and you enjoy gardens, you should be aware that I will be joining the SixonSaturday group tomorrow. For more photos of private gardens, come spend some time there. It will be worth your while. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has changed its foliage to late summer bronze. This four season native is a favorite of mine.

The Stag beetle is a large beetle. It feeds on decaying wood but here it is just laying on the concrete of my driveway. It must have lost its way. It is a mean looking specimen.

The imperial moth is a looker. The host plants are pines, maple, oak, Sweetgum and sassafras. There are plenty of each of these around me. I cannot ever remember having seen this moth before.

The knockout roses are beginning their second flush of the year. There will be another in the fall. These may have been stimulated by a layer of compost laid on the ground under them a few weeks ago.

The ginger lily (Curcuma sp) has these exotic pineapple like blooms. I don’t notice a fragrance but I love the color.

The Katy Road Roses are blooming well into the summer. Another name for them is Carefree Beauty. You may remember that in years past they were weakened by sawfly attacks. This year I have managed to control that with Neem oil applications. The reward is continued blooms.

Watering and deadheading are my main tasks for this time of year. It is too hot for much else.

Happy Gardening!

Summer Doldrums 18 July 2025

The heat is consistently stifling everyday now. It is energy sapping. Some days have breezes that provide relief but that is the exception. It will be this way until mid September so I have to buckle up and bear it.

The main jobs now are deadheading and removing the occasional plant which has succumbed. The sawflies are under control so the roses are happy.

The garden is still madly blooming. All the stored up rain is driving it. The mainstays of rudbeckia, echinacea and Shasta daisies are magnificent. It did rain some this afternoon so there is hint of cooling in the air.

As usual, I will be posting my blog with the SOS group tomorrow. Come take a look at beautiful gardens with 6 photos each. Here is the site. https://gardenruminations.co.uk The rules are there. Perhaps, you would like to post 6 of your own.

The Purple Heart loves the heat. It is a Tradescantia hybrid if you are unfamiliar. Others in this group are know as spiderworts.

The Indian Summer is a rudbeckia that I have grown for 3 years now. Some survive the winter and others are a reseed I think. The large bloom is spectacular and the foliage is hairy so it tolerates the heat well.

The coneflowers are butterfly magnets. Here I am featuring the Pipevine Swallowtail which is new to my yard. I planted its host 2 years ago and I am very pleased to see this butterfly.

The Mexican hat is one that I grew from seed this winter. It is a prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera. It has a cousin which has abundant larger yellow blooms. I like this one which is much smaller but with a distinctive bloom.

This prostrate lantana is really coming into its own the last 2 weeks. I was gifted six small plants this spring and I am very pleased with the growth habit.

Finally, I have a swamp milkweed, Asclepius incarnata, to show you. I bought it 4 years ago and I thought it was a no show. I think I had been it out thinking it was goldenrod. It has survived despite my misdeeds. I am grateful.

Happy gardening! I hope the rain and the sun are meeting the needs of your garden.

Summer Breeze 11 July 2025

Last week, I spent the weekend on the beautiful Gulf Coast. The song I remember was “Summer breeze makes me feel fine”. It did. Coastal breezes, wonderful seafood and relaxation with good friends.

This week, I am back and I have photos of lush plants for you. Our summer pattern of humid days with afternoon thunderstorms is upon us. It doesn’t rain daily but often enough to give us very healthy plants.

I joined the Six on Saturday group as a spectator last weekend. I will join as a participant tomorrow. Take 6 recent plant photos in a blog and join us. Here is where we can be found. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

I have tried overwintering my caladium bulbs but to no avail. I clump 4 or 5 tubers in a large low planter in the shade and enjoy new cultivars each year.

It’s been the year for lilies. Large, fragrant and abundant has been the ticket. This Casa Blanca has been the showstopper this week.

The hardy chrysanthemums make a wonderful ground cover. They slowly spread and transplant easily around the yard. I thought these were ‘Peachies Pick’ but they look too white.

The Limelight Hydrangea seems to grace every yard in my neighborhood this summer. The knockout rose has been replaced in popularity. This is the original cultivar and it is a beauty.

The Cashmere Bouquet has a long genus Clerodendrum. It was a swap from a friend. It spreads by rhizomes so it does require some effort to contain but it is a beauty with a pleasant fragrance.

The Gerber daisy is a bright red and really captures the eye. They are not listed as winter hardy in our area but do well if located in sheltered places.

I hope you are enjoying your gardens. Happy Gardening!!

Summer Heat 27 June 2025

It’s hot here. My pattern has become to garden in the morning and complete indoor tasks in the afternoon.

I took last week off for a trip touring gardens in Sewanee, Tennessee. It was cool and rainy at times but well worth our time to visit. Sewannee is a small college town located on the Cumberland Plateau just 90 miles southeast of Nashville. There are many beautiful vistas there. Many alumni have built homes near to the campus and that is where we visited.

My photos today are from my garden on the corner. I volunteer there every Friday that I am in town. I have one other photo that I took in Sewanee.

As usual, I will be joining the Six on Saturday group tomorrow. Come check it out. The rules are there if you wish to post 6 photos of your own. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk

I have shown this aster before but it is in full bloom and magnificent today. The crocosmia is not my favorite but it is charming me this year. There are more blooms than ever and most of the stalks are upright. Meanwhile, the Limelight hydrangeas is stunning. You can see my repurposed fountain just to the side.

The pollinators are really loving the purple coneflowers this year. I am loving the purple coneflowers too. The growth in the perennial bed is so lush that we have very little weeding to do. The Texas star struggled last year but is making a resurgence this year.

This is my Sewannee picture. This gorgeous Diana Fritillary is thirsting on the Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake’).

Happy Gardening! Next Friday is Independence Day here in the USA so Happy 4th to all my fellow Americans.

June Heats Up 13 June

It is getting hotter as the days lengthen. The humidity is rising and most days is around 75%. I am good for 2 or 3 hours every morning but I am avoiding the afternoon as much as possible.

The perennial beds are so dense now that little weeding is necessary and that is a good thing. I am enjoying cut flowers for display in the house.

In the morning, I will be joining the SixonSaturday crowd. It is fun to find six photos, put them in a blog or post and then upload it to our host website. In this case, it is hosted by Jim Stephens. Here it is https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

The purple coneflowers continue to be impressive. It is attracting the pollinators. I am preparing for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census https://gsepc.org which will occur on August 22 and 23. This fuzzy fellow is a bumblebee.

The canna started blooming this week. I moved it here last fall so I am glad to see that it is happy. I am uncertain of a name but it may be Durban.

The Stoke’s aster has just begun blooming. It has done so well in my garden that I have divided it and now have two thriving colonies.

The plumbago is in a container. It is the second time that I have tried this phlox look alike. The first time, I planted it into the perennial bed and it fizzled. I am giving it another try in a container. It is such a beautiful blue.

The Henry’s Lily is in its second year in this location. No pests or predators and a magnificent bloom. I love those massive stamens.

The Blephilia or pagoda plant is a polite plant along a walking path. It meanders a little but it can be forgiven.

It continues to be a special year in my garden. The rain is sufficient and the heat is just right.

Happy Gardening!

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!!

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!