mens garden – Fine for Friday

It feels more like summer 26 May 2023

This week it is definitely warmer and the forecast is for little or no rain for the next 10 days. The sky is becoming a little hazy as the humidity rises. The grass is greening up and the lilies are blooming while the caladiums are breaking through the surface of the soil.

It feel more like summer this week.

School will be letting out soon so the traffic will thin. This is Memorial Day weekend so the city will be quieter as families will be headed to the Gulf Coast or lake houses for the unofficial first weekend of summer.

Here are my six for this week.

The walking iris (Neomarica sp) continues to put out blooms. I have it in a container since I do not think it will survive winter in the ground. It is a one day bloomer. It is very easy to propagate by layering the stalk with the spent bloom into a plastic pot.

The Lamb’s ear (Stahys sp) is able to survive the winter and then looks glorious in the spring. It has begun to bloom now which is also a very showy display. It makes a wonderful ground cover in sunny or part shade areas.

The Cocotte lilies are making a grand display now. The plant is about 3 feet tall with at least a dozen blooms on each stalk. It seems to able to support itself without any staking which is a bonus.

The bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is native to Alabama and will flower soon. This one has a shrub like habit.

This iris has a very deep blue color not captured in this photo.

The magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) has been blooming about a week. This bloom is nearly a foot across and the scent is lemon like. The tree itself is about 30 feet high and about the same across. It is set back on the property where the leaves don’t disturb the grass and other garden plants. The leaves are very dense and slow to degrade so they can be messy in the garden.

Thanks for joining me today and please return tomorrow on Six on Saturday where Jim Stephens is hosting our group. Gardners far and wide share their Six on Saturday blogs there. The link is https://gardenruminations.co.uk/category/six-on-saturday/

Happy Gardening!

Late Winter 3 March 2023

We have had very mild weather this week with ample rain. A storm front came through today and it was very lion like. The sun broke through after the blustery air mass had passed through. The wind brought down some some branches and pine cones mostly.

The green sign of new growth continues to strengthen and more blooms are emerging. The yellow green of pine pollen is also appearing so nasal passages beware.

The photos are becoming easier to obtain. Here are my efforts for this week.

First is this native violet, the common blue violet Viola sororia. This is a great ground over

This is a native trillium. Looks like Little Sweet Betsy or Trillium cuneatum. It is a spring ephemeral so I am happy to see it again.

Third is the bloom of a pearl bush or Exochorda so. It is usually a prolific bloomer but it is stunted from the winter cold snap.

The fourth is a Sedum. The cultivar is ‘Autumn Joy’. This is a welcome sight. I thought it would be ruined by the deep freeze at Christmas.

The fifth is a dewberry or Ruby’s flagellates. It is a low growing perennial that acts like a vine. It can be a nuisance but the flowers are beautiful. yes, it is a blackberry and raspberry relative

This last is a redbud or Cercis canadensis. It is a reliable harbinger of spring. The arching branches and abundant blooms are very showy. And yes it is a lavender shade and not red.

Hope the weather is changing or soon to change in your area. If not, join us tomorrow for the Six on Saturday gang with photos of their gardens from around the world. Hosted by Jim Stephens and here is the link.

https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

Happy gardening!!

Six on Saturday 10 December 2022

Here in central Alabama, the temperature continues to be warm and there are still some blooms to show you. We are expecting some rain later this week with some near freezing temps next weekend. So, in addition to the blooms I also show the plant world adjusting to the colder weather of winter. Winter does not officially arrive for 2 weeks.

First up today is a container geranium (Pelargonium sp) which is about to bloom here in mid December.

Second is a tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) which is blooming. It is expected after a significant rainfall such as the one we had last week. The fragrance carries all across the yard so that you may not see them but you can certainly smell them.

Third is a holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum). It seems to be enjoying the temps and showing signs of increased color. This fern is evergreen for our climate.

Fourth is of my fall winter vegetable gardens. These are some beets (Beta vulgaris var Boldor). If they succeed, intend to make some borscht or a beet and goat cheese salad.

Fifth is some lambs ear (Stachys byzantina). It makes a very pretty groundcover in sunny areas as well as part sun. The have spike like stems in the summer from which the flowers emerge.

Finally, I have a plastic jug in which I have started some milkweed (A. tuberosa). As you can see they have begun to sprout. I will harvest some of these and transfer into separate containers when it is reasonable to do that.

Hope you enjoy these photos. Join us on Six on Saturday which is now hosted by Jim Stephens here. It is a place to see the work of gardeners around the world.

Happy gardening!

Frost is coming

In our area, first frost averages as November 15. I was planning on beginning to winterize my garden the last week of October. In fact, we have an out of town trip planned next week. As luck would have it, next week we are forecast for 2 nights of below freezing temps. I have had to step up today and begin that process. Tender plants have been provided shelter.

In the meantime, here are my photos for the day. I have been looking at succulents. So here are some of my discoveries.

First, this is known as a paddle plant. It has appealing shape and color with a sense of modesty about it. It will be an indoor plant. Careful not to overwater.

Second, this another interestingly shaped succulent. It may be a whisk fern although I am uncertain. It is another indoor succulent.

Third, and found at the Mens Garden. It tolerates our climate in Zone 8. It tolerates this partly sunny location nestled in a repurposed bird bath. I am unsure of the name.

Fourth, this looks likea Euphorbia but I didn’t catch the name even though it looks like the tag was beside it. It will also be an indoor plant.

Fifth, here is a mass of light blue pansies. They will tolerate our winter and even bloom. They will survive a light frost. Careful not to overfertilize them in the winter months.

Sixth, here is a lingering patch of Sunpatiens. It is a hybrid plant combination of traditional impatiens with the larger New Guinea impatiens which results in a plant that thrises in full sun in hot, humid weather. These had a slow start this summer but are have thrived ever since June. Hope they will survive this little cold snap and give pleasure for a few more weeks.

That’s it for this week. I wish you “Happy Gardening” and don’t forget to take a peek at the propagator’s blog. He is the host of Six On Saturday.

Butterflies and a Ginger Lily

In the American South, we are having more below average temp and some rain chance most every day. It has been possible to get out and do some shrub pruning. The garden is beginning to look tired and a little ragged but some fall flowers are appearing.

Butterfly numbers seemed to be below normal this summer but this week I have been surprised to find much more butterfly activity.

Here is the collection.

Here is a hardy mum. Unsure of name but this is thriving enough that I have divided it and have it in three locations now.

The vitex of chaste tree is very happy and continues to bloom.

The American beautyberry is beginning to show off its purple berry collars. It is a very reliable native shrub.

The “Katy Road” rose is showing some new buds with the let up in the heat. It is such a beautiful pink. The leaf beetles really get after it but I am trying to keep them at bay with some weekly Neem oil applications. Sorry that it is a little fuzzy.

The encore azaleas are really showy this week. I just had to show them off again. They really look good along this paver path.

Here is a gulf fritillary on the profusion zinnias. The host plant is a passionflower. I would show it but the caterpillars have chewed it up.

Here is a monarch. These zinnias are right next to the butterfly milkweed. I just had to stand between the two in order to get a good photo.

The ginger lily bloomed this week. I have them in some pedestal containers at the garden entrance. I was not expecting them to bloom this year so it is a surprise.

Hope you have some rain and moderating temperatures this week. It makes the gardening such a treat.

Remember the inspiration of this blog, The propagator blog.

What a glorious day!! 1 April 2022

It’s like magic. There are so many plants returning to life that it is impossible to remark on all of them. The air is almost still with just a faint breeze. The temps are warm and comfortable for a walk. Only disturbing things are the gnats.

We started a new project at the Mens Garden. It is a memorial brick paver ring which is around the flagpole. We had some hardwork marking it out, excavating, setting metal edging and adding crushed paver stone.

We did have some nasty weather here in the Southeast USA on Wednesday. A warm air mass from the Gulf of Mexico was meeting cold air coming from the west. It brought high winds with 50 mph gusts and rain of about 1 inch but it did not spawn any tornadoes.

Here are my photos for you this beautiful Friday.

First is this gorgeous “Red Emperor Tulip”. I like to use pine cones to keep the squirrels from using my containers for acorn storage.

Second is our paver project. Our next project will be laying the pavers.

Third is a project of completing our mulching with pine bark nuggets. I usually like pine straw but the nuggets do give everying a fresh look.

The Virginia bluebells are beginning to appear. Blue may be uncommon in nature but these are uncommonly beautiful. They are looking so fresh and majestic now.

I cannot let you not see some azaleas. If you are a golf fan or not, tune in to the Masters to see the azaleas at Augusta. The top photos shows the effects of the frost from a couple of weeks ago but the bottom picture shows the beauty of the azalea.

Finally, here is a blooming trillium. This native shall go unnamed but it is of the sessile variety.

That is it for this week from Alabama the Beautiful.

Don’t forget to look at the the propagator this week.

Happy Gardening y’all.