native plants – Page 3 – Fine for Friday

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!

Alabama The Beautiful 23 May 2025

We are a biodiverse state. The naturalists report that we rank 4th out of 50 states in the US in biodiversity. I was on a field trip today to view at least a part of that biological largesse.

The location is the beautiful Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge which is less than an hours drive away. Its main claim to fame is the Cahaba Lily (Hymenocallis coronary). It is seen on the shoals of the river. Today, it was abundant but the recent heavy rains have kept it from being prolific. We did spend time identifying numerous other native plants and a rare butterfly.

I will be posting on Six On Saturday tomorrow. The mission is to post 6 recent photos and share them in the form of a blog or with a link. The link is https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Come check us out if you are interested.

This is the celebrated Lily. This is a small clump and there were many more of these but at a distance too far for a clear photo.

This is Cornus amomum or Silky Dogwood. As we approached, a fresh hatch of the butterflies was swarming these flowers. This plant does look like a viburnum.

This is the Mimosa microphylla. As the common name suggests, it does surprise you with the sharp little thorns if you venture to pick it up. I did and they did.

This is Clematis reticulata or Leather flower. It is very unassuming and it takes a sharp eye to locate it.

This is the Pipevine Swallowtail. It is toxic to predators since its host plant is the Pipevine which contains toxic compounds which the butterfly is able to sequester. This dogwood was covered with these butterflies.

This is Commelina erecta or the Whitemouth Dayflower. Beautiful blue flower on a tall stem.

Hope you enjoyed the nature show. It was a beautiful day to walk along the river. Visitors to the refuge were fishing, kayaking, canoeing and wading in the water. It was a swift current so caution was advised.

A little departure today from my garden and I hope you enjoyed it.

Happy Gardening!

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!

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!

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.

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!