perennials – Page 8 – Fine for Friday

It is summer 16 June 2023

It is Father’s Day on June 17. I am grateful for my father and also my mother who are my inspiration for my love of gardening. My father taught me the basics of gardening: light, water and soil. My mother inspired my love of flowers.

The weather in central Alabama has changed from 3 weeks of dry weather to a week of daily rain with some thunderstorms with damaging winds. How about just a steady drizzle!

The heat is associated with increasing humidity so morning gardening is preferred but late afternoon also allows for some garden work time.

The annuals, perennials and shrubs are growing rapidly now and the blooms are rapidly emerging.

Here are this week’s offerings:

The Prairie coneflower on the left (Ratibida pinnata) is blooming so prolifically that the recent rains have knocked down the stems. Once the blooming stops, I have been advised to cut the stems down at least half which will encourage a second blooming in the fall. This native has attracted a lot of pollinators.

The chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is thriving and the abundant purple panicles are a show stopper. Some owners prune it up to tree form but I prefer the shrub’s natural multi trunk look.

The canna lily is also a show stopper. The large blooms are appearing rapidly now. The striped leaves are very attractive. Later in the year, the leaf roller will damage the leaves but I have learned to cut those leaves out and allow new healthy ones to grow.

The Rudbeckia (Indian Summer) is a returning bloomer that survived the December deep freeze. I am glad since the blooms are so beautiful.

The Shasta Daisy is just beginning its lengthy bloom period. I think the cultivar is “Becky”. These usually bloom into September.

The Leopard lily is Iris domestica and is also commonly called blackberry lily. It is a tall 3 foot plant. I collected seeds from it last year and was surprised how successfully they sprouted. I planted the new plants this spring and they are off to a good start.

This is one of a pair that came in to my garden yesterday while I was picking some blueberries. It is said to be mostly a nocturnal creature. I have never seen a live one during the day. It primarily roots for grubs in lawns and perennial beds. I am not too happy to see them so I hope they will move on.

Don’t forget to check out the Six on Saturday blog hosted by Jim Stephens tomorrow. You can find it here https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there.

It is summer 9 June 2023

It is summer 2 June 2023.

Here in the lower Southeastern US, the weather is definitely turned summer like. We will be in the 90’s this weekend. The night time lows are upper 50’s. The humidity is rising as the plant life become more abundant and larger while putting off all that water vapor.

Unfortunately, that is also accompanied by less frequent rainfall so watering becomes a more frequent task. The mulch that has been put down and attention to weeding this spring has successfully decreased the amount of weeding.

I have been harvesting some vegetables this week including white and yellow onion, potatoes and a good crop of blueberries from the 3 bushes that I have.

The red potatoes are a Norland variety. They have been served as a potato salad which was very tasty. The middle plant is a hardy begonia whose name has been lost. The clematis is large and showy but it too shall remain nameless.

The Sega palm on the left is a surprise. We are located a little too far north to have this one in the ground but we did. Each spring it appeared done for but always revived and spread its feathery branches. After the dreadful cold snap of December, it surely seemed this was dead. We dug it up and placed 4 sections in containers like this one. To our surprise, three of the four have sent up shoots and are very much alive. The plan is to move the containers indoors whenever there is freezing cold weather.

The hydrangeas were grown from cuttings. Of 24 cuttings that we planted, we have 5 thriving survivors. Success!

The final photo is a butterfly on the milkweed. That is another great success.

Hope you are enjoying your garden.

Join us tomorrow for Six on Saturday. Many fellow gardeners are sharing their gardens on this site https://gardenruminations.co.uk/ hosted by Jim Stephens.

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!

It feels like summer 19 May 2023

It has been hot and humid with daily threats of thunderstorms here in Central Alabama. It feel like summer. The rainfall has been more than average. These are summer growing conditions for the garden and unfortunately also for the weeds. The list of gardening tasks is long.

There is a lot to choose from to show you in these photos. It is a pleasure to be able to have so many to choose from.

I have labeled them to make it easier to follow.

The yellow gerber daisy is a very bright yellow. I have several colors including a red and a pink. It survived the deep winter cold and is thriving. It seems to have few insects that plague it.

The Virginia sweetspire which is an Alabama native is now 3 years old. The pannicles of blooms are like a tail.

The astilbe is just beginning to bloom. I have a second clump that is white. These are now several years in longevity and perform wonderful in my shade garden.

The sweetshrub which is another Alabama native is also about 3 years old. It is also well established and problem free.

The Iceland poppy also survived the winter and is blooming nicely now.

The tall dahlia was started from seed and has proven to be a hardy perennial. I have it in part sun and the blooms are at about 3 feet. It is an understated beauty. There are about 2 dozen of them in this bed.

The daylilies are in glory.. I have misplaced the names but to paraphrase Shakespeare they are beautiful all the same.

Please join the Six on Saturday group. It is hosted by Jim Stephens. Here is the link. Gardeners from around the world share their gardens. It is a wonderful experience.

Here is the link. https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

Happy Gardening.

It is Spring 5 May 2023

A survey of the garden today reveals a significant advance this week. More shrubs that were damaged by December’s flash freeze are showing signs of new growth. This is noticeable with the lorapetalum, azaleas and now finally the gardenias and camellias. What a relief! I was not looking forward to replacing so many shrubs.

I planted tomatoes this week which I hope was not too brave a move. The onions are doing well and so are the potatoes. Even a few beets that survived the winter are showing signs of being mature soon. The ground temperature was 55 degrees F yesterday so I am holding off on some caladium bulbs.

Here are this weeks photos.

I have three hostas to show you. I am unsure of the upper left and lower center but the lower left is called guacamole. That lower center hosta shows some signs of slug damage so I treated it with diatomaceous earth. Hope that helps.

Upper middle is a pointsettia that I saved several years ago and kept in my cold frame. It just recently showed signs of festive colors. Better late than never.

Upper right is a magnificent daylily. Cultivar is unknown but it is beautiful whatever is its name.

The lower right is a Japanese persimmon which I acquired several years ago. This is the first year that it has set fruit. I am very pleased because the fruit is delicious.

Join our Six on Saturday crowd tomorrow if you are in the neighborhood. It is curated by Jim Stephens. The link is https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Happy Gardening!!

It is Spring 28 April 2023

Spring continues to advance and here in the American South, green is the predominant color. The leaf canopy is filling and lawns are growing. Of course, that also means the sound of lawn mowers and leaf blowers.

The songbirds are in full throat and the adults are very busy foraging to find food for their fledglings.

I have been busy this week installing new plants that I purchased at the plant sales which are plentiful this week and last. The irises are blooming and the lilies are showing signs that they will bloom soon.

Here are this weeks photos.

Upper left is an ox-eye daisy planted near the front driveway. It gets plenty of sun and has two mates nearby. They are all showing out right now.

Upper center is a daylily ‘Stella d’Oro’. Although the blooms are not big, it will continue to bloom through the spring and summer months.

Upper right is a clematis which grows over the arch at the entrance to the garden. It is a brilliant white which of course the camera does not capture in its full glory. I do not know the cultivar. It has a purple mate which has not yet appeared.

Lower left is a new heuchera that I purchased yesterday at a local plant sale. This cultivar is ‘Delta Dawn’. I am working on a new section of my shade garden where I have planted several hostas over the last few years. This year I am adding two heucheras, a Godzilla painted fern and another heuchera. The soil is more than adequate so I am hopeful that will look very good by the end of the summer.

Lower center is a nemesis in these parts. It is Chinese privet, Ligustrum intense, which is an imported shrub. It has escaped activity and dominates edges of woodlands. I am showing you the blooms which have a very intoxicating fragrance. The foliage is bright green. For this reason, many people like having them in their yards. The seeds germinate readily so that I pull dozens of these seedling every month.

Lower right is a roof iris, Iris tectorum. It is doing well in partial shade and tends to naturalize which is what I had hoped for.

Our weather is very mild this week and we have had adequate rain. It has been excellent gardening weather.

I hope you are gardening or laying out your plans for the future.

Join the Six on Saturday crowd tomorrow. It is hosted by Jim Stephens and can be found at this link. https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Check out gardens from around the world.

Its Finally Spring 31 March 2023

The pace of daily change is accelerating. Each day, I find evidence of plants that are showing signs of life. It is great news considering the deep freeze of December could have caused so much more destruction.

I am beginning to contemplate taking outdoors the tender plants that have spent the winter indoors. I say contemplate because I have not yet enacted that plan. There is no harm in waiting a few more days.

I do have many plants out in the cold frame and I have planted many more plants that I consider hardy.

Now on to the photos. The first is a project that I recently began. After pruning the limelight hydrangeas a few weeks ago, I started this project propagating the cuttings. So far, they are off to a very good start as you can see. They are in potting soil after dipping the lower ends in rooting hormone.

Limelight hydrangea project

The next photo is of some bluebells from the hyacinth family. They are a reliable early Spring sign.

Bluebells

The next photo is a Lenten rose with the seed ovaries quite visible. These hellebores began blooming in January.

Lenten Rose

The next is a Florida anise or Illicium floridanum. It is native to our area and it is a shade to partial shade lover. The red star shaped blooms are very noticeable right now.

Florida anise

The next is Solomon’s seal with its temple bell flowers. The genus is Polygonatum. It looks lily like and thrives in our temperate climate. It has just emerged from the ground this week.

Solomon’s seal

This next one is a beauty. It is a Viburnum macrocephalum that is commonly called a Chinese snowball viburnum. It dropped its leaves at the end of December with the hard freeze. I thought it was a goner. However, it has put on a show like it does every spring for the last 30 years. It is about 15 feet high so I took this shot from the deck where all you can see are the blooms.

Viburnum macrocephalum

This last shot is the fruits of my winter garden. The onion transplants are quickly filling out and the carrots are delicious.

Late winter garden

I hope you are planning and planting like we are here in the American South. Spring is finally here and what a joy and relief it is.

Be sure to join our Six on Saturday group hosted by Jim Stephens. Gardeners from around the world are showing 6 photos from their gardens from this week.

You can find the link here https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Happy gardening!!

Its Finally Spring 24 March 2023

The calendar says that its spring now. Nature has agreed and so the last few days have been beautiful with warm sunny days. Since we have had sufficient rainfall, the plant world is definitely making steady progress.

The effects of the hard freezes this winter have definitely left their mark. However, signs of new leaves and growth are steadily appearing.

The first picture today is a daffodil which I think is Poet’s Narcissus. It has a beautiful shade which may be orange.

Poet’s Narcissus

The next photo is also a daffodil. It is a yellow trumpet type but I have lost the name.

Daffodil

The third photo is a yellow flag iris. They are very reliable and so noticeable with the bright yellow color.

Yellow flag iris Iris pseudocorus

The next photo is of the blooms of a sweet shrub Calycanthus floridus. It is also known as Carolina allspice. This is the second year for this shrub which a friend let me dig from his yard. It is a native.

Carolina allspice.

This azalea bloomed so well this year despite the cold of December. It is in a protected spot which helped. It is of the variety known as Kurume. They are compact with relatively small flowers. Notice the Lenten roses just in front of this which are still blooming.

Kurume azalea

The next photo is a climbing hydrangea or Hydrangea Barbara which is native to Alabama. This is its fourth year and I am hoping it will bloom this year. It has climbed about 20 feet up a water oak.

Native Alabama climbing hydrangea

The final photo I have for you is a Zizia aurea or Golden Alexander. It blooms in late winter so we will not see the blooms much longer. You can see the golden colored blooms. The white blooms nearby are from a Dewberry which is also an Alabama native.

I hope your gardening is progressing like mine. If you live in colder climates, I hope you are anticipating the coming of spring.

Join our Six on Saturday group tomorrow hosted by Jim Stephens.

You can find it at this link. https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Happy gardening! See you next week.

Late Winter 17 March 2023

It is St. Patrick’s Day and we should be thinking green. It is definitely progressing in that direction in the garden but there is a threat of frost this weekend. I have resisted the temptation to plant prematurely so my caution has been well deserved.

I attended a Native Plant Conference this past weekend so my photos are from that event. I hope you enjoy them.

The first is a red buckeye or Aesculus pavia sometimes called a firecracker plant. It is native and deciduous and widespread. Found this one in the native plant garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

This second photo is a purple phacelia but I am not certain. The purple phacelia is also known as Fernleaf (Phaelia bipinnatifida). It is found in rocky forests such as where I found it at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

This third photo is a Wild Blue Indigo or Baptisia australis. I found this one at the Ruffner Nature Center here in Birmingham. It is not the best photo for which I am sorry. It does reveal the bluish green stems and the flowering stem which is about to burst forth. These are hardy perennials which die back in the winter but reliably reappear in the spring. The blooms can be blue or white.

This next phot is a blood root. Again, I am sorry for the quality of the photo but you can see the beautiful bloom and unusual leaf. This plant Sanguinaria canadensis is a spring ephemeral. The red juice of the underground stem was used by Native Americans as a dye for baskets and clothing.

These are the blooms of the silver bell tree. The genus is Halesia and I think this species is diptera. These beautiful blooms were very abundant. It blooms at approximately the same time as the dogwood Cornus florida and since that native is on the decline from disease, many people think the Halesia is a good substitute.

This photo is Zizia aurea or Golden Alexander. It is very abundant right at this time and this one is in my yard. The white blooms you seen underneath is a dewberry which is a prickly native vine. The Zizia is a host plant for several butterflies so it is a useful plant in the garden. It is a member of the carrot family.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. It is a departure from my usual mission of showing garden photos but since we are still not quite in the abundant blooming season I took the license to post them.

Don’t forget out SOS Six on Saturday group hosted by Jim Stephens so capably. You can find the group at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Happy gardening!!

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