native plants – Page 12 – Fine for Friday

Frost and Spring

Five for Friday March 18, 2022.

The cold snap did some damage. The plants that were gloriously blooming are damaged. Those that were destined to be later, are beginnng to emerge with the rain and warmer temps as Spring approaches. As always, Mother Nature has ways of recovering. I am sure that the azaleas will still be beautiful in Augusta for the Masters.

Today, I have some photos of the damage in my yard and some of the beauties in my yard and from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

First, here is the damage. The pink azalea and the paperbush took a hit. They were really beautiful for several days. Better days are coming and there is always next year.

Second, here is the Johnny-jump-up violas. They were protected enough that they continue to dazzle. Just another reason to keep planting them each fall.

Third, here are some newly planted Oak Leaf Hydrangeas. Hydrangea quercifolia. It is a native here in the Southeast USA. It is a great woodland shrub. The left picture shows the new growth of the spring while the picture on the left shows the coloration of the fall.

The blooms are in the form of a large pannicle with numerous white blossoms. Very striking.

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Fourth is Alabama croton. It is a marvelous shrub. Now, the small but bright yellow blooms are quite striking. You can also see the small leaves which have a silver color on the reverse side. When the wind blows, they shimmer. The leaves become a bronze orange color in the fall. All this makes this small shrub nothing but a winner.

Fifth is a Carolina spring beauty. This is a Spring ephemeral which can be found on small woodland meadows. You have to look closely for it but it is worth the effort.

Sixth, as a bonus, I found this little gem near the edge of the yard which borders on a woodland. This is partridge berry or Mitchella repens. Linnaeus named it after his physician friend John Mitchell who used it to treat yellow fever.

I am unsure of its value for the fever but once its established it is a hardy perennial which the deer seem to love.

Here’s to the return of Spring and here in the US the Senate has passed a bill to make Daylight Savings Time permanent. I like that since it seems harder to adjust to time change with each passing year.

Don’t forget about the propagator.

Happy gardening.

A birdhouse and new blooms

Friday March 11

It is beautiful today. Warm, with some overcast cloudy conditions are wonderful but we are expecting a cold front and the temps will be in the low 20’s in less than 48 hours.

I am protecting the new tomatoes, peppers and black eyed susans that I started from seed. They will be in the house. Other container plants that I think may be vulnerable will be in the shed or the vinyl greenhouse where they will have sufficient protection.

While they still look their best, here are my 5/6 for Friday.

This azalea is the most advanced of those in my yard. It is well set back amongst other shrubs so I hope it will tolerate the cold well.

This is a redbud (Cercis canadensis) which emerged this week. It is a reliable harbinger of spring. The arching branches are so graceful.

This is a red cedar bluebird house which I installed last Saturday. It was purchased at Pepper Place which is a local farmer’s market. https://pepperplacemarket.com/. This is dedicated to one of our garden club members who is recently deceased.

This is a little would-be gardener we found today. It is a DeKay’s brownsnake. It looks like it may have eaten a slug or a snail recently.

This is bloodroot or Sanguinaria canadensis. It is a native growing in the woodland nearby. If you dig it up, the root does have a reddish juicy liquid if crushes and thus the name. It has no medicinal value so just enjoy the beautiful blooms.

I found this watercolor recently. I do feel for the land of my ancestors.

Don’t forget the Propagator. He is the inspiration for this blog. https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/

Ferns and Colors

A cool Friday

Its been cooler today. The rain came in early this morning. Waiting on an early delivery of pine bark mulch at the Vestavia Hills Mens Garden, I could feel the temperature dropping. It will be in the upper 30’s tonight but gratefully it is not as cold as weather further to our west. This past week the temperatures have been in the 70’s so a lot of new growth is emerging.

I especially like to see the ferns emerging but there is more color to report this week.

Here we go:

My asparagus fern is beginning to show its new growth in lime green color. Its a slow grower but its beginning to fill this styroam box. It may be full enough to display on the deck this year. This variety is cold hardy and does well in the yard for the winter.

This is maidenhair fern. This variety is the northern maidenhair or Adiantum pedatum. It is native to eastern North American forests but is very adaptable to shady gardens in the South. Here, I have it draping over some rocks on a slightly sloping hillside beside a pathway.

This is Southern shield fern. It is very adaptable in the yard. It will grow in shade and will even tolerate sunny locations. It dies back completely in the winter but it is beginning to reach out of the ground this week. It looks great in the summer and here in the spring it is patiently waiting for the daffodils to finish their thing. It will later in the year completely drape over the daffodil shoots.

The paper bush is now showing the fragrant, golden blooms. There is still little evidence of leaf formation but that will come soon. It seems to be doing well on the shady side of the yard.

The hyacinths are really doing well in the containers where I planted them in the fall. This beauty is Jan Bos. It is fragrant even in this early stage of blooming.

This is a native that I bought last spring. It is a toothwort called a two-leaved toothwort. Its scientific name is Cardamine diphylla. The native peoples of North America used it as a medicinal. It will have a cluster of white spring flowers on a stalk about a foot high. The plant likes woodland conditions with an acidic soil so it seems to like the pine straw I spread around it.

One more for you today. This is pennywort. It is strictly speaking a weed in shady areas.. It grows low to the ground and spreads. Seems to make a good ground cover amongst my hydrangeas so I don’t plan on trying to eradicate it.

Don’t forget to check out the Propagator who inspired this blog https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/?s=propagator

I also like Dotty Lovelady Rogers. https://dottieloveladyrogers.com/2022/02/15/hunger/

Dec 26 Stroll through Birmingham Botanical Gardens

It is that beautiful weather that teases us in winter. The temp is in the 70’s and the sun is shining. It is temporary but so wonderful. Today we strolled through the BBG and found bloomers and buds to enjoy. All these could be found in yards in Central Alabama.

This is a Hellebore commonly called Lenten rose. This one is called Joseph Lemper. It loves shade and goes well near ferns. This is about the time of year to see the Hellebores blooming.

This pink camellia is just perfect. I couldn’t find a tag with its name. This is a cultivar of Camellia japonicus which graces us in January and February. They seem to do best in light shade or with morning sun.

This is an eye catching snapdragon. Many people are unaware that if you plant them in fall you will get some winter blooming. Then by spring it will be multistemmed and bloom abundantly until July.

This small fern like plant was doing very well in a large container. I think it may be a button fern. It also prefers some shade and will do well in a container as a “filler”.

Another beautiful hellebore in a variety called Ice and Roses Red.

This plain faced yellow pansy lit up the little garden where I found it.

Merry Christmas

Just two days before Christmas and we just had our first frost this morning. I checked on the Mens Garden this afternoon and there seems to have been little frost damage.

Here are my Five for Friday one day early.

These beautiful camellia blooms are outstanding. These are the Camellia japonica type which just started blooming last week.

This lantana was not harmed by the frost. Sorry this shot is a little out of focus. This bush like plant will die to the ground in winter but grow to 5 feet tall by fall. It is a prolific bloomer.

This holly is full of berries. I don’t know the cultivar name but the leaves are smooth edged as you see.

This is Gaura. The blooms are pink. It has bloomed all summer and into fall. It is a very reliable perennial. Loved by the bumble bees.

This black eyed Susan continues to bloom. Rudbeckia is the genus and I think the species name of this one is fulgida. This is another hardy perennial.

Adding this shot of our sign. Many thanks to the woodworking group from Vestavia Hills UMC for this one and to Fred Dyess for finding the marble for this sign.

Merry Christmas to all and God bless us everyone.