hydrangea – Fine for Friday

Autumn Colors 7 November 2025

As autumn’s first frost approaches, temperatures are set to drop, prompting preparation for tender plants. This week showcases peak fall colors, particularly from Hydrangea quercifolia and Vaccinium ashei. Observations include various blooms and wildlife. The writer looks forward to sharing more photos and encourages participation in the Six on Saturday community.

Our first frost of this autumn is coming. It is cooling today and tomorrow. By Sunday morning, the temp will hover near freezing. During Sunday, the cooler air will move in and the temp will drop another 7 or 8 degrees Fahrenheit. I have my tender container plants ready to be placed in shelter. The other container annuals will have to fare the best they can.

We are at our peak color this week. My photos today will reflect that. I hope some other blooms survive for next week. If so, I will have them for next week’s photos.

I will join the Six on Saturday crowd tomorrow. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/. Come join us and enjoy the photos.

The best color comes from the Hydrangea quercifolia. This is the ‘Snowflake’ hybrid famous in these parts. You can see some purple and green in the leaves and the bronze blooms which will persist all winter.

The Vaccinium ashei ‘Rabbiteye’ has beautiful red color. It is very distinctive as well as a heavy fruit producer this year.

The ‘Fuyu’ persimmon is visible throughout the protective fence which wards off the deer.

The Alabama croton shows its gold leaf here. This plant is an endemic.

This beautifully colored hardy mum is ‘Mrs. Gloria’s Thanksgiving Day’. I have forgotten the explanation for this name but it would be just as beautiful if I did. This is the best bloom so far for this plant.

The anole was sunning on the edge of a container which was recently emptied of its plant. It may be he was residing in it and now is in need of another home.

I hope you are enjoying the color of autumn if you are in the Northern Hemisphere. It is beautiful for us now. More rain is expected this weekend which is good news.

Happy Gardening!

Fall Bloomers in the Heat and the Drought 19 Sept 2025

It’s hot again. It’s dry. Very dry. It’s a test to see which plants do well in these conditions. I have no butterflies or insects to show you today. The butterflies are there in abundance except for the Monarchs. They are said to be migrating south but I have seen none in my yard.

I am spending most of my time watering and removing dried up leaves. I have some shrubs that I bought at the Fall Plant Sale at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens but I am not yet ready to plant them.

I will be joining the Six on Saturday group tomorrow. Come join us. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

The azalea is in it third blooming for the year. It is a magnificent color.

The Physostegia is also in its glamour. It is slowly spreading but it is definitely controllable. A good friend characterizes it as ‘Disobedient Plant’.

The Gaura has appeared. I had two but the other has completely disappeared. This is a crowded corner of the garden with rudbeckia, Shasta daisies and obedient plant being very competitive.

The Lycoris has also appeared. It is commonly called surprise lily which is an appropriate name. It completely dies back and shows no trace until a week before it blooms.

I have shown these two recently but in the morning light they really caught my eye.

The Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is in a concrete container which really shows it off.

The limelight hydrangea is now 8 feet high and the mophead panicles are turning green and bronze. It is by far my favorite hydrangea.

Happy Gardening to all!!

Thinking about Fall 23 Aug 2024

We returned from our cool getaway in the North Carolina Mountains. We are back to the heat and the dry conditions. I have begun fall planning.

It has been very warm here during the afternoons but the mornings are marked by the faintest sense of cool. There is also relief given by light breezes. Watering has been necessary both by hand and by irrigation. I favor the irrigation when possible because that is recorded by a separate meter and is not subject to the horrific county sewer charges.

I also have begun some consideration of fall cleanup and assessing my hydrangea project.

Those who follow this blog know that I will be joining the Six on Saturday crown hosted by Jim Stephens tomorrow. It’s easy to join. Take six photos. Follow the rules for joining that you will find on the website. Here it is. https://gardenruminations.co.uk

If you don’t have 6 photos to post, just come join us and follow the gardening exploits of gardeners from around the world.

Although, these two plants have almost finished blooming, a few more blooms may appear. I am leaving the seed heads for the goldfinches which fly to forage from their favorite place across the street.

The bold red Texas star is blooming again. It is a very showy flower.

The Ruby Slippers hydrangea is losing that red tint and the flower heads are becoming bronzy like their plain pale relatives.

The pollinators have been really busy. This photo was taken in a shaded area which leads to the muted color. This butterfly is really a brilliant orange

Here is an update on the Limelight Hydrangea product.

The cuttings seem well established. With the approaching fall weather, they should begin establishing more robust root structure. I hope they will be ready for planting next spring.

Hope your garden is giving you pleasure. Happy gardening!

Father’s Day 16 June 2024

Gardening is my sanctuary. It is a harbor in the storm. It is work and it is time consuming but the rewards are great. If a plant displeases me, I have learned to discard it. If I like a plant, I can nurture it.

It is the verge of summer and it is Father’s Day. It is US Open weekend. It is a weekend that carries great meaning. It cannot be ignored and it must be honored and respected.

I have 6 photos to share. Tomorrow, I will post this blog while I join the Six on Saturday group. Gardeners from around the world will be posting their 6 photos from this week.

This cultivar of Hypericum has a delicate beautiful bloom. I like the leaf color. This is the first bloom since transplant last year.

The rose is in its second blooming cycle of the year. The knockouts do well here and there is no problem with blackspot.

The Miss Huff is a large and almost shrub size lantana. It loves the heat of summer.

This Rudbeckia is the lone survivor of 6 that I planted last spring but it is in such good for this year.

The Stoke’s Aster loves the part shade area in which it is located. It is reseeding or colonizing so it has spread since its introduction a few years ago.

The limelight hydrangea is a paniculata which does well in sunnier locations. It is white and it is becoming increasingly popular in this area.

Hope you are getting plenty of garden time. Happy Father’s Day to fathers and to those who have played the role of father’s.

Happy Gardening!

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend is the official summer kickoff long weekend. The Indy 500 will provide the big televised drama. It is the busiest travel weekend, so I am glad to say I will be off the highways and avoiding the airports.

It is consistently hot every day now and the nights are warm. The plants are loving it. We could use some rain but that will be the refrain until summer’s end.

I have some hydrangea photos today from Aldridge Gardens nearby. The garden features hydrangeas and a visit there this week was spectacular. I also have a photo from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens show a special agave plant.

I will be joining the Six on Saturday group tomorrow morning. Gardeners from around the world will be posting 6 photos from their garden. Come join us. Post 6 of your own and become a fellow SOS participant. The link is https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Here are two of the photos from Aldridge Gardens. The lace cap is a Hydrangea macrophylla with a spectacular blue/violet coloring.

The Snowflake is a patented hydrangea. Notice the double blooms. It was found in a backyard in an adjoining suburb. No other native plant is known to exist. Cuttings were taken for propagation. By accident, the cuttings were discarded by a worker. Fortunately, the error was discovered and the cuttings were retrieved in time. One survived and is the parent.

I volunteer at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens every week. I have something unusual for you today. This is an Agave americana sometimes known as the century plant. The tall stalk you see is the flowering stalk which is almost 25 feet high. The plant flowers every 10 to 30 years and then it dies. It leaves little “pup” plants nearby which can be transplanted and will grow.

The lily on the left is a Lilium regale or Royal lily. I planted the bulbs last year so this is the first blooming and it looks great.

The fruit on the right is a Japanese persimmon (Diaspyros kaki). I obtained it 7 years ago in a gallon sized container. It grew slowly for several years but made a big leap last year. It dropped all the buds last year but it is motoring on this year.

My last photo is a regular visitor, Bandit, the raccoon. I surprised him rooting around under my camellias and he quickly climbed into a nearby Southern magnolia. He was not completely scared away since he sat and stared at me for several minutes while I captured his picture. He is a brute.

I wish you a safe weekend if you are in America and traveling this weekend. To all my fellow horticulture devotees, Happy Gardening!

Middle of May

The garden continues to progress. The spring flowers like the daffodils and pansies are now wilted as the temperatures rise. The summer bloomers like hydrangeas, daylilies and sunflowers are beginning their reign.

The days continue to lengthen and the nights are definitely warmer. As the soil warms, more shoots are emerging. I have planted my caladium bulbs and they are out of the ground. As they emerge, the two varieties Candide and Spring Fling are unfurling.

I am submitting my blog to the Six on Saturday crowd tomorrow. Come have a look and enjoy gardens from around the world. Follow the rules and share 6 of your own photos. The weblink is https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Jim Stephens is the host.

Here is my 6 for this week.

The Calla lilies are just beginning to emerge. This is the second year for them and they are handsome.

The daylily is an old favorite. It is at the edge of a small woodland and receives afternoon sun.

The pink woodsorrell is a visitor to my yard and I do not discourage it. It is dainty and seems to mind its manners.

The hydrangea is blooming this year after several years of absence. It blooms on “old wood” so any cold snaps during the winter may ruin the blooming. We had favorable conditions this past winter.

The sunflower is a dwarf that inhabits a new small bed that I built this spring. It has a nice collection of “mates” to share the space. It receives afternoon sun and seems quite “sunny”.

The glad is unnamed but it is a royal looking color. It is standing straight up with a dozen of its regal companions.

I wish you pleasant weather and Happy Gardening!

Mother’s Day Week

Here in the American South, May often brings hot and sunny weather. We have blue skies and hot weather. We have had well spaced rainfall and yesterday we had a heavy rain. The plants love it. Forturnately, with the pine bark mulch that I spread in my garden, I do not have much of a weed problem.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. I don’t have roses to show you but I am beginning to have plenty of flowers.

Every Saturday, I share my blog with the Six on Saturday crowd. This is a group of gardeners sharing 6 photos of the day/week. It is great fun. Come and have a look. If you would like, share 6 of your own. You are welcome to participate.

Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Jim Stephens is the host.

The Appleblossum geranium is a carryover from last year. I started them from seed and was able to protect them in the greenhouse over the winter.

The astilbe is now several years old and is in good form this year. I have lost the name of the selection but it is a delicate beauty.

The oak leaf (Hydrangea quercifolia) is magnificent this year. I love this shrub. The blooms will remain all summer and gradually become a reddish hue and then golden in the autumn.

The coneflowers began blooming this week. They do reseed around the garden and these delightful specimens are in many locations now. They are such a reliable perennial.

The rose campion (Lychnis sp) is also a reseeder. It is also in many locations this year. I do not deter it.

The last photo is from my raised bed vegetable garden. These sweet yellow onions are nearing maturity. We have been using them regularly in cooking and in salads. I have about two dozen left now.

Wishing you pleasant weather.

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!!

Hints of Autumn 8 Sept 2023

The temperatures are forecast for to be a little cooler this week. The days are measurably shorter. The rainfall has declined. These are features to be expected in Alabama this time of year.

It is time to begin some fall chores and think of some spring planning. There are spent plants to remove and some leaves to rake. The dry conditions mean some watering needs to be done.

I have returned from a trip to Canada for a 50 year med school reunion and a visit with family. It was wonderful to reconnect. Time to re-engage with the garden.

So come join me for a little tour of what’s in the garden today. It feels a little cooler. We can sit in the shade if you like and visit as we talk about several of the individual plants. Here are the photos of the week:

The limelight hydrangeas continue to impress with their beautiful panicles of blooms. The bloom color is mostly white but shades of copper are appearing which is striking against the lime green leaves.

The American beauty berry (Callicarpa Americana) has been a reliable garden feature this year. It is now giving that extra show with the purple berries. I have not seen any birds feasting on these yet.

The chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are putting on quite a show. I will be watching them closely and intend to chop the tops off before the seeds spread. That will save a lot of work later.

The sedum is definitely beginning to show its fall bronze.

The obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) is quite happy in its location near the fountain. Its royal color blends nicely with the remaining yellows of the Black eyed Susans

The gardenia is slowly recovering this year from the historic cold of last December. I am optimistic. It has a good chance to thrive and become its majestic fragrant self in the years to come.

I will be joining the #SixonSaturday group tomorrow. If you have the chance, swing by and look at around the world gardeners sharing their photos. It can be found at this link, https://gardenruminations.co.uk hosted by Jim Stephens each Saturday morning.

Happy Gardening!!

Five for Friday 27 January 2023

In Alabama, the days are lengthening and more signs of spring growth are appearing. There are still some frosty nights this week but just a few degrees. I have started some seeds but mostly these are some herbs and some perennials.

Today, my photos are from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as well as my own yard and the Vestavia Hills Mens Garden

This first photo is of some winter interest. This is a bank of muhly grass with limelight hydrangeas in the background near the conservatory. This was very noticeable on a sunny day this week at the Botanical Gardens. Notice how the hydrangeas keep the petals over the winter.

The second photo is of a hardwood woodland at the Gardens filled with King Alfred daffodils. This faces east and warms early in the day as the sun rises.

The third photo from the Botanical Gardens is Spirea thunbergii which may be called Thunberg spirea. It is also on an east facing bank. These tiny blossoms are brilliant white. I did not notice a fragrance but there must be to attract early insect pollinators.

Next is a photo from my yard of a large cupped daffodil which I think is Orange Sunset. It was in some shade when I took this picture so its brilliant colors cannot be appreciated.

This next phots is also from my yard showing the first signs of recovery in my tea olives Osmanthus fragrans. I am very pleased to see this.

The next photo is from the Mens Garden. Here is a beautiful violet hellebore. This was a donation so I do not know the cultivar. It was shyly drooping a little so I raised it up to take the photo.

Another from the Mens Garden is an emerging fiddlehead of a Southern Shield fern Thelypteris kunthii. They are deciduous and a little agressive but they are a great groundcover in woodland areas and even in sunny locations.

Finally, here is also some sign of life in an oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia. These Alabama natives are very hardy and are a welcome sign of the coming spring season.

I hope your garden is also beginning to show increasing signs of life. If you are able, join us Saturday morning for the Six on Saturday group. See gardeners from around the world post photos of their gardens.

Jim Stephens is our host and you can find it here.

Until next time.