gardening – Page 4 – Fine for Friday

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!

Blooms and Blooms 28 March 2025

We are having beautiful days with sun, some breeze and cool mornings. The plants continue to awaken and there are increasingly more beautiful blooms. It seems like spring is solidly here.

I have been planting the plants I so diligently started from seed over the winter. There are some onions to harvest and herbs for cooking.

I will be sharing this post on Six on Saturday tomorrow. The group each shares 6 photos to reveal what is happening in their gardens. Come take a look at this website. https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Jim Stephens is our host.

The poppy is a native that has been slow to establish but may have turned a corner this year. Very bright yellow blooms catch my eye as I walk along the path which passes by it.

The Spanish bluebells come up so suddenly. It is seemingly overnight that they are blooming.

The native azalea is also a slow developer. They are deciduous so they are unremarkable in the winter. But now as you can see the blooms are beautiful. This one, I believe, is Flame Azalea.

The Bloodgood is growing well in a container. It struggled for a year until I discovered that the container did not drain well. Now that is remedied. Behind it, you can see the bright red kurume type azalea.

The Solomon’s seal spreads by rhizomes and it seems to be thriving in its shady spot.

The flowering quince continues to impress. It is ‘Toyo-Nishiki’.

Hope your gardens are giving you pleasure. Happy Gardening.

Spring Officially Arrives 21 March 2025

The meteorological Spring is here. The calendar Spring is here! Why do we still have the threat of frost this morning? Oh well, that last frost date is still the important one for gardeners.

The birds are singing. The bluebirds are nesting. Butterflies have appeared and the bees are buzzing. Lets check out the garden.

I have some pretty blooms to show. My plan is to post on Six on Saturday and see what my fellow gardeners are showing from their gardens. You can check it out at this website hosted by Jim Stephens. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

The first 3 will be called the pinks. First, is the Allium karataviense “Red Giant”. This is my first year with Alliums. I chose this one because it is suited our weather. So far, so good.

The Lorapetalum is very impressive this spring. I do not have the name of the cultivar.

The third is an Aroma Hybrid Azalea “Spring Sensation”. These azaleas are deciduous as you can see but the petals are marvelous. The Aromas were developed in Mobile, Alabama near the Gulf of Mexico.

This late appearing daffodil “British Gamble” is new this year. It is a large cup with subtle coloring.

The Pearl Bush is really magnificent this year. It has grown well this year and is now over 6 feet tall.

The Illyciium floradanum (Florida anise) has unusual blooms with elongated leaves. They like the shade and as the name suggests there is a hint of licorice fragrance to the leaves.

Happy Gardening!

Blooms and Greens 14 Mar 2025

Do you like Spring blooms? They are appearing finally. Do you like to see green leaves? They are appearing finally. Sunny days and warming temperatures are the norm these days.

Unfortunately, we have the chance of severe weather this time of year. The forecast is for severe thunderstorms with possible hail tomorrow. It seems the whole country may be under weather advisories. The wise will be prepared. iPhones have a setting for severe weather alerts and I have ours turned on. If necessary, find a safe place in the house. Usually that is at least a basement or a bathroom without windows.

I have a colorful set of photos this week. I will also be joining the Six on Saturday group tomorrow. Join us at the link. https://gardenruminations.co.uk .

Follow the guidelines at the website. Post some of your own photos on a blog and post your link.

Here are the greens. Both are sedums. The left is autumn joy awakening from winter. It does well in a container. The right succulent is also a succulent sedum.

The bearded Iris is here early. I planted these bulbs last year and I am certainly pleased with their appearance. The Camellia japonica is of unknown cultivar but it is a beauty.

Both of these azalea blooms are overexposed but they are gorgeous. The indica has larger leaves and bigger blooms than the kurume. These are classic azaleas now that by far the Encore azaleas dominate the garden nurseries.

Hope the weather is not a problem tomorrow. Happy gardening!

Still Waiting for Spring 7 March 2025

It’s been dry and then we had a heavy rain. It’s been calm and then we had 3 blustery days. It’s been pleasantly warm and then near freezing temperatures returned. I keep waiting for the sunny days of spring. Not yet.

The daffodils are up but they have not all opened. The bluebells are up but no blooms to show for it yet. The “Tommies” are up and blooming but the blooms don’t open until mid-morning. I am hopeful for the sunny days of spring. Not yet.

There are buds on the trees but only a few have leaves. The redbuds are blooming and so are the red maples. The blueberries are nicely budded but the blooms are not open.

Oh well!

I will be joining the #SixonSaturday group. Click the link and see what we are up to. Gardener’s eager to show 6 new things in their gardens for this week. We are ably hosted by Jim Stephens. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

Here are two of my overwintered dragon wing begonias. I am able to have them out in the sun at times. Mostly, they are still in my protected shelter. I will take cuttings next week and prepare 25 or 30 for window boxes and containers.

These white and purple “Majestic” pansies have fared well over the winter. The are hardy enough to have survived some freezing nights. I am proud of them.

The Heuchera also survived the winter cold. It is beginning show signs of new growth. I think this one is “Caramel”.

These are Narcissus “Orange Sunset”. I have shown them recently but these seem to be standing on guard in front of the pedestal fountain behind them.

The Asparagus fern has started to green up this week. It is Asparagus plumosus and is not really a fern but a member of the Asparagus family. It is a hardy perennial.

Happy Gardening! Hope the spring weather comes soon.

Daffodils, Daffodils 1 Mar 2025

March has arrived as a lamb. It is beautiful weather. Sunshine, calm and warmth prevail. The garden is showing signs of advancing. The best show is being displayed by the daffodils.

Garden tasks this week have included trimming some hollies to shorten the skirt but not before they were stripped of berries by migrating robins. Tending my new seedlings which need some gentle watering every day. I attended a workshop on grafting Japanese maples and now have one Sekimori Japanese maple to cultivate.

I am joining the Six on Saturday group this morning. Check us out. Here is the website. https://gardenruminations.co.uk. We are hosted by Jim Stephens. It is easy to post photos of your own. The rules are on the website.

I may have posted one or more of these last week. They were putting on such a display that I hope you forgive me for having overlooked that fact. These are all well established and I have sizable groupings of each. May be time to consider dividing.

This hellebore is in very good form. It is standing erect and putting on a wonderful display in the morning light.

“Jetfire” is putting on a good show. The bright cups stand out in this grouping. I had these in containers last year but they look much better in this bed underneath a row of crape myrtles.

This is a new addition for this spring. It is the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). It is a small native often called the Pussy Willow. Since it puts out these buds so early in the spring, it has often been associated with rebirth. It seems to be off to a good start where it will replace a star magnolia (Magnolia stellate) which will soon need to be removed.

Happy Gardening!

Setback 21 Feb 2025

It has been a cold, dreary week with no progress in the garden. There has been some rain and a flurry of some beautiful snowflakes. By my gauge, there has been about inch of rain this week. The forecast is for relief from the freezing overnight temperatures by late weekend or early next week

The daffodils continue to push up. Between them and the window boxes full of pansies, there is some bright color. The paperbush continues to provide wonderful fragrance throughout the yard. The rabbit eye blueberries are about to bloom. I am optimistic about the muscadine vines and the Japanese persimmon.

I did get busy with seed starting. I finished a flat of 72 cabbage and other late winter vegetables which I will transplant. I also did the same with native monarda and other native wildflowers. I am hopeful.

Tomorrow, I will join the Six on Saturday group. Keep up with us. Join us and post your own blog or file. The rules are on the website which is hosted by Jim Stephens. https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

These small cupped daffodils are a bright spot this week. I hope the rest of the clump continues to open up after 20 degrees F this morning.

This Camellia japonica has over performed this year. I moved it 3 years ago and this years display confirms that I made a good decision.

The quince started blooming this week. It is a prostrate form as you can see.

This orchid resides in the humidity of the bathroom. There is plenty of indirect light from skylights. It has not bloomed for two years but diligence has payed off this year.

The holly fern has begun to put out new growth. Sorry, but the image is unimpressive. Pickings are still on the slim side.

I am anxious to do some outdoor gardening next week.

Happy gardening!

Setback 14 Feb 2025

It has been a stormy few days with heavy rains, wind and flooding in some locations. It’s a grim reminder that Mother Nature still packs a punch in the winter. The hardy plants will still keep growing and spring is still on the way but thoughts of the end of winter have been shattered.

I am pleased with the progress of the daffodils and the hyacinths. Budding continues on shrubs and trees. The green leafy rosettes on the perennials show signs that the plants are waiting to emerge. We have frost in the forecast for next week but none of the plants look like they are overly exposed.

I will be joining Six on Saturday again this week. If you are curious, come have a look. Gardeners from across the globe display the status of their gardens. Take some photos of your own, post them on your blog or from a file. The rules are posted on the website hosted here https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Here are two perky yellow daffodils of the large cupped cultivars. They have withstood the rain and wind. I expect they will easily survive next weeks frosty conditions.

This Lenten rose and the Barrett Browning daffodil are particularly beautiful this year. This photo captures their bright white color.

Here are two indoor plants which occupy a well lit corner of the bathroom. The Euphorbia on the left will be moved to an outdoor location when frost threat is gone. The amaryllis on the right was purchased for Christmas/New year but that was not on its schedule. After blooming, it will be moved to an outdoor location and it will be planted. I have a little collection of them now.

I hope your garden is beginning to awaken or that you have been making plans for the arrival of gardening weather.

Happy Gardening!