The winter is coming to an end but not without one last insult. We will flirt with near freezing temps on Monday night and Tuesday night. Thankfully, I resisted the impulse to put out warm weather plants even though “spring” seemed to have come early this year.
The average last frost for us is April 15 so we still have at least 2 more weeks to go before planting warm weather plants.
There continues to be a steady appearance of new growth and blooms. Here are my photos for this week.
First, here is an Alabama Croton. It has beautiful foliage and delicate spring blooms. It is a native.Second is a colorful Japanese painted fern. It is deciduous but worth waiting for each spring.Third is my spring project. These are cuttings of Dragon Wing Begonias. I keep the original in a cold frame over the winter and protect it over cold spells. Beginning last spring, I have been harvesting cuttings and producing sufficient plants for my window boxes where they thrive.Fourth is another spring project. Here are some reseeded hardy begonias. I am going to pot these up into containers and spread them around the part shaded areas nearby.Fifth is a hosta which has just emerged. This is probably about 3 weeks early. I do not know the cultivar.Finally, here is a poinsettia from 2 years ago. I kept it and managed it and it finally has changed color. A little late for Christmas but still a welcome site.
Hope your gardens are advancing like mine. I hope next week’s cold causes no lingering damage.
Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for Six on Saturday hosted by Jim Stephens. You can find the link here https://gardenruminations.co.uk
The days continue to lengthen and the pace of change in the garden is picking up steam. Every day brings new evidence that the damage done by the Christmas freeze experienced here in the South has not been permanent. Leaves are appearing on the tea olives and azaleas. The dianthus has begun to bloom. More and more daffodils are appearing and the grass is greening up.
Flocks of robins have appeared and the songbirds are in full throat. It is a time of high expectation. I have many plants ready to go into the ground but I have to control myself since we are likely to have one or two more frosty mornings before spring arrives.
First photo to show you is the blueberry Vaccinia ashei which is about to bloom. Hope I can do a better job of keeping the birds and deer away from them.
The second photo is a trumpet daffodil. I am unsure of this cultivar.
The third photo is of the flower of the wild garlic (Allium vineale). It is a winter perennial and is considered a nuisance in the lawn but if you look up close the bloom is beautiful. Sorry for the out of focus shot here but it was quite a windy day.
The fourth photo is of a very interesting fungus growing on a fallen log at the edge of my yard. I think it is commonly called turkey tail (Trametes versicolor).
The fifth photo is of a shrimp plant beginning to bloom. I keep this in my little green house. I do not climate control it but in freezing weather I turn on heat lamps which are ample enough to keep the temp inside it above freezing. This plant is also called false hop (Justice brandegeeana)
The sixth photo is of the spring ephemeral called Carolina beauty. It is a delicate plant which blooms and soon disappears until next year. It is in small clumps which you have to look carefully to pick out.
I hope you able to get out into your garden in order to enjoy the therapeutic effect of gardening. If you cannot now, I hope it will be something you will soon be able to enjoy.
Join the Six on Saturday blog hosted by Jim Stephens. Gardeners around the world join in and post their 6 or so photos of the week. You can find it here https://gardenruminations.co.uk/
Here in Birmingham which is in Central Alabama of the American South, it is blustery and cool today. We are at the high for the day early this afternoon and it is 39F or 4C whichever pleases you the most. In addition, it is gray and dismal.
Severe storms came through at mid day yesterday and brought with them strong winds and some tornadoes. There was a lot of damage in Selma about 75 miles to our south and several people were killed in Autauga County also to our south.
Selma, Alabama at the home of a good friend’s relative. It is right across the street from the historic Sturdivant Hall which was spared.
Sturdivant Hall
In our location, we were spared the damaging storms. We will be warming up next week, although the expectation is for rainy weather.
There are an increasing signs of spring for you today.
First, I have to show you the blooming geranium in my greenhouse. It is so red that it blurred the picture.
Second, I have two hellebores. The first is a white which is just emerging.
Lenten Rose
The next is a lavender pink color. When the bloom emerges, it is more erect so that you can easily see its face. I do not know the cultivar. It may be Pippa’s Purple.
The third is the culinary ginger which I keep indoors. It thrives outdoors in the summer. It is great to just take a segment for cooking..
The fourth is the Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’. It is just beginning to peak above ground. As you can imagine from its naming, it is red.
Crocosmia
The fifth is daffodils beginning to appear. I think these are Barrett Browning.
Daffodil
Finally, sixth, this is a camellia bud that looks like it will emerge soon. This is Professor Charles Sargeant.
Camellia
Join us on Six on Saturday https://gardenruminations.co.uk/ hosted by Jim Stephens and see the photos of gardeners from around the world.
The weather is moderate and the rainfall is adequate here in the American South. College football season has begun and there will be a heavy dose of it this Labor Day Weekend. College football stadiums will be in full throttle and the tailgates will be plentiful and abundant. It is a great time of the year.
The gardens are still beautiful and the butterflies are plentiful. The summer perennials are waning but the fall flowers are appearing. I am beginning to plan fall and winter projects.
Here are my photos for the week.
The first is the beautiful dragon wing begonias. It inhabits the window boxes and will be abundant until frost. I have to remember to remove them before frost since they make a frightul mess if they freeze.
The second is a solitary Shasta daisy. They have been plentiful and healthy this year. They will need some thinning this fall.
Here is an obedient flower. It is a native perennial and has just begun to bloom. Physostegia species are so named because a flower pushed to one side will often stay in that position. It is in the mint family.
The “Indian Summer” black eyed susan and the Penta are still blooming regularly.
These garlic chives are blooming beautifully and attracting many Common Buckeyes.
The zinnias are attracting all manner of butterflies including the gulf fritillary.
Finally, here is an autumn fern (Dryoperis erythrosora) that loves the container on the deck. This beautiful fern is evergreen and hardy in our climate.
Hope you have a memorable Labor Day Weekend and happy gardening.
The song says that the living is easy. It is hot here so its easy if you are indoors. Rain is forecast tomorrow which will break the heat for a while. In the meantime, it is sufficient just to keep the outdoor plants watered. Had to take care of the vole problem today. Applied a newly acquired treatment suggested by the local hardware store.
This pink spiderwort stood out today. I see it is also called Purple Heart. It loves the heat and spreads every summer and self seeds as an added bonus.
The rose campion has started to bloom again. It seems undefeated by the summer heat. Its delicate nature is beautiful. It is also self seeding but it is welcome.
The Rose of Sharon is also enjoying the summer heat. It is an old time favorite and I can see why. The blooms are magnificent. There is also a white bloom with a red throat.
The white caladium “Candide” loves this shady spot. It does get enough morning sun to keep it healthy and looks spiffy in this urn.
This old recycled fountain looks great set back amongst the Limelight hydrangeas and sports some thriving succulents.
The voles are inhabiting most of the lawn at the Mens Garden. The hardware store recommended this remedy. It attacks the Japanese beetle larvae which are the main food source for the voles. In addition, I have applied some repellent that was also recommended. Hope this works. All the runways in the lawn are unsightly.
Meanwhile, be careful in the heat. Seek shade whenever possible and remain hydrated.
There was a heavy rain here on Wednesday. I recorded more than 9 inches at my house. That was a little scary since I did have some water enter the house after a heavy rain last spring. Good news!! All my efforts to divert water from entering the house worked. We remained dry.
The days are long and the temperatures are high enough that the summer blooms are magnificent this week. The daisies and black eyed susans are a joy to behold.
The heat of summer is upon us so gardening tasks have to be limited to early morning and late afternoon.
Here are the Shasta Daisies. I think these are the “Becky” cultivar.
The black eyed Susans are the “Indian Summer” cultivar I think. They looked defeated by the end of winter but they are truly gorgeous now.
The purple coneflowers are a very reliable flower in the Mens Garden. They have reseeded in numerous places.
The swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata or rose milkweed has also fully shown up now. It is a winner. It has not attracted many butterflies though. I am hopeful that it will.
The white caladiums in the big planters are filled in. They are so welcoming.
This vitex or chaste tree is now in its third year at the garden. It is a striking bloomer. This variety is one of the temperate zone species of vitex. It does resemble butterfly bush.
This canna which I think is Tropicana is doing well in its new location. It was showing signs of leaf roller damage but it seems to be rid of that now. We will see.
We took a day trip to see the Cahaba lilies near us. They are endemic to our area. They are said to bloom between Mothers Day and Fathers Day. We missed the best days but found a Red-spotted purple butterfly, Pipevine swallowtail caterpillar and a native leatherflower (Clematis).
Those are mine for this week. It has been a wonderful week. I wish you happy gardening and beautiful flowers.
The summer heat is here this week with temps in the low 90’s. It is breezy at times which provides a bit of relief but being outdoors in the afternoons makes me weary from the heat. Garden work must be done in the mornings. It has been dry but a welcoming rain is forecast for this weekend.
The summer bloomers are appearing but there has also been some unexpected visitors.
My first picture today is morning sunrise on the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast. The dunes are magnificent. This shot is overlooking the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge.
Next are the “Nikko Blue” hydrangeas. They are on the shady side of the yard where they have been happy but the last two years with drought and then excessive rain there have been no blooms. This late spring though they are coming out. Joy.
Third is the astilbe. I also have these in the shady portion of the yard where they add needed color and contrast. They grow slowly but they are now coming into their own after several years.
The butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is now mature enough that it will be attracting the butterflies. As a host plant, it is a needed food source for many caterpillars including the magestic Monarch. It is a beacon in the sunny perennial bed.
This blanket flower (Gallardia) is another beacon in the sunny perennial bed. It also attracts butterflies. This one has a skipper visiting.
A surprise visitor the other morning was this guy. He had flushed two female deer and was trying to run them down. He was outclassed in speed so he took a break on the driveway and had a scratch.
Enjoy the weather. For us in the southeast USA, it is time to stay hydrated and seek shade at mid afternoon.
Happy gardening and don’t forget to look at the Propagator.
The glorious weather continues here in Beautiful Alabama and the yard tasks are numerous. There have been a lot of butterflies this week and I did manage a good photo of a Tiger Swallowtail.
My tomato and pepper plants are in the ground and growing. Soon, I will be replacing the daffodils in containers with caladiums I recently purchased.
Here are my efforts for this week.
Here is another beautiful amaryllis. I am getting better with the macro lens on my iphone13.
Here is roof iris. It is so delicate. These plants are now about 3 years old and well established in the Mens Garden.
Another beautiful one is this Iris virginica. I love the blue shades in this one. I got these from the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and they have thrived in the Mens Garden.
Here is the native that I promised. This is a Golden Alexander. It is a native perennial. It is widespread in the eastern USA. I bought this one at a native plant sale a few years ago.
It is a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly.
I have seen many butterflies this week. Here I captured and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail getting nectar from this red azalea.
Those are mine for the week. Happy Gardening. We have one more month before it begins to get really hot. I have several projects to complete before then so wish me luck.
Don’t forget the Propagator. He is the inspiration.
Greetings from the sunny Southeast USA. The weather is definitely warming and the days are lengthening. The flowering plants are responding with glorious displays. The work in the garden is never ending since the weeds enjoy this weather too. The tree canopy is now filled with leaves that are a darker green. I hope you have a chance to garden this weekend.
Here are my pictures for today.
First are two magnificent bearde iris. The blue, white and peach varieties are my favorite.
The second set are the columbines. They have been blooming for a couple of weeks now but there is a blue and a pink now blooming. They reseed and I have many around the yard.
The hosta “Avocado” is fully displayed now. It is in the most shaded part of the yard. It is behing the hydrangeas and the paperbush which is probably the reason the deer have not found it.
The Gerber daisies have appeared this past week and quickly began blooming. They seem to have had little frost damage this year so I expect some abundant blooming. This yellow is very striking.
The Gaura is kept in a container just beside the car port. It showed some green all winter but the last two weeks the blooming stems have appeared and now the blooms are emerging. I love the way they “nod” when the bees land on them
Lastly, here is a beautiful amaryllis. There are several blooming this week. These started out as a Christmas gift but I planted them in the yard. Now, the reward is amaryllis in April
Happy gardening y’all or as I heard in Texas last week – “Howdy”.
Don’t forget to look at the Propagator tomorrow. He is the inspiration for my blog.
As the weather warms and the days lengthen, we are blessed my more green leaves and more blooms. It is such a grand season. The spring rains have been ample and thankfully not excessive. Today is Good Friday which the locals say is the date to begin planting the tender types. I have already set out some tomatoes. I couldn’t wait.
The paver project has taken another step forward. It is on hold this week as we have travelled to Texas to see my daughter and family in Fort Worth where we will spend Easter.
Here are my pics for this week.
The first is another of daffodils. This is Barrett Browning on the left and a Poet’s Narcissus on the right. There still are a few other daffodils appearing.
The second is a spiderwort. These are native to Alabama and do reseed in the yard but their beauty prevents me from saying that they are a nuisance.
Third is the next step in the paver project. The circle of bricks has been installed. The rains this week will clean off the sand and a few new plants will complete the inner area.
The fourth is a flag iris. They are near the front parking area and certainly add a splash of bright color.
The next is another native that the iNaturalist app identifies as in the buttercup family. It is pretty with the silvery leaves.
Finally, here are a couple from the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. They are a grouping of beautiful California poppies and a flowering dogwood.
From the beautiful SouthEast USA and Beautiful Alabama, wishing you Happy Easter!
Happy Gardening!
Don’t forget the Propagator. He is the inspiration for this blog.
