spring – Fine for Friday

Petals At The Corner April 24

Blooms, Blooms, Blooms

My time is occupied with some repeating tasks. The plants I started from seed this winter need to be planted as they reach a good size. I am slowly accomplishing this task.

Since our rainfall has been sporadic, I also have the task of seeing that they are adequately watered, both before and after they are planted.

I have been organizing a plant sale for the benefit of the Corner Garden. There are plenty of tomato plants, pepper plants, Shasta daisies and milkweed. The sale is April 25. I have planned and organized as much as I can. It is now time just to go for it.

The Itea (Sweetspire) is a wonderful native. It has a clumping habit which I like. The hanging panicles are unusual but vcry eye pleasing. I know there are some cultivars available but I am pleased with his native.

The Climbing Hydrangea is another eye catching native. It is slowly growing up this water oak, which is about 50 feet high, as it reaches for the light.

The oak leaf hydrangeas has begun to bloom. This cultivar is ‘Ruby Slippers’. As the name suggests, the blooms will begin to redden along the edges as it continues to fill out.

The knockout roses are in their first mass blooming of the year. There is not evidence of saw fly damage … yet.

The photo on the left shows the Plant Sale offerings with the tomatillo showing out in the front.

The Flame Azalea on the right is a native. It is one of the natives from which many hybrids have been developed.

I hope to post on the Six On Saturday website tomorrow. If I don’t get that chance, it is because I will be quite busy with the Plant Sale in the morning. Hoping you are enjoying the spring season. Here is the website or Six on Saturday hosted by Jim Stephens. https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Petals At The Corner 17 April

The Corner Garden continues to thrive in Vestavia Hills in Alabama.

The garden has continued to keep dry. The main task remains manual watering. The new plants continue to need watering daily. The nights remain cool in the evening so that is a relief. Soon though, the night temperatures will be rising. I still have many plants to be planted. It is delayed because I do have to keep up with the watering.

The main bloomers this week are irises and roses. I am also busy adding planters with coleus and caladiums. The shady area in the garden is filling up with hydrangeas, lambs ear, hardy geranium, sedge grass and ferns. It is a wonderful time of growth.

The iris on the left is thriving. It is a flag iris. It does get afternoon shade and is thriving.

The bearded iris is a beautiful blue. It is healthy and showy. It is along the busy street and it is very striking.

The stachys on the left is beautiful with the fountain in the background. It keeps well hydrated with the water spray and it is very happy.

The oak leaf hydrangea native is beginning to bud. I was eager to how it off today.

The red spotted admiral is hard to distinguish from other black swallowtail like butterflies. Inaturalist does identify this one with high degree of certainty.

The Carefree beauty is at its spring peak now. This grouping of roses was hard pruned this spring and it has responded very well.

Tomorrow, I will join the Six on Saturday group. Many other gardeners will post 6 recent photos to share with the group members. Here is the link. Come join us and enjoy. https://gardenruminations.co.uk/author/lairdstephens/

Happy Gardening!

Petals At The Corner 10 April

The danger of frost is past. The main task these days is planting seedlings and purchased plants. The shrubs have been pruned. The lawn is now in need of regular mowing. There is broad leaf weeds in it and the cool season grass poa annua. The poa annua will disappear as the temperatures rise and the broad leaf weeds will be choked out by the increasing growth of the turf grass.

The next most urgent task is watering. We are in mild drought conditions now. I am watering by hand and hose. Mostly, I want to reserve the irrigation for when it will be most needed in August and September.

The main show this week are the irises and the pair of nesting bluebirds that I introduced last week.

Tomorrow, I will be joining the SixOnSaturday group. Gardeners who share 6 photos at this link hosted by Jim Stephens. https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

The Iris virginica on the left is a shade of purple. It is a very reliable bloomer.

The bearded iris in the middle is part of a group I planted last year. They are large, showy and brilliant white.

The flag iris, Iris pseudocorus on the right love their location near the splash of the fountain pool. Their bright yellow blooms are visible from quite a distance.

The Tradescantia sp on the left is a native. Sorry, it’s a little out of focus. The stamens are golden in color and really stand out.

The Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) on the right have been grown from seed. This will be part of a fundraising plant sale in 2 weeks.

The blue birds do not live in a blue house. It is an aberration of the photo editing software that I used.

Both parent birds were very busy today. They seemed to be finding ample food in the lawn for their obviously ravenous hatchling.

I hope you are managing to spend a lot of time outdoors. May the weather and your garden please you.

Happy Gardening!

Petals At The Corner 3 April

Since last week, so much more has emerged in the garden. It’s like meeting friends that you have not seen in a while. The weather forecast shows no frost chances so I think its safe to plant tender plants now. So once my tomatoes and peppers are ready, into the ground they will go.

Most trees have their leaves unfurling now. Alas, the hydrangeas, paperbush and the early azaleas had frost damage from 2 weeks ago and it will be a while before their undamaged leaves are fully out.

Garden tasks this week have included tip pruning the frost damaged shrubs, potting up seedlings, removing the excess leaf litter around the shrubs and planting salvia I have grown from seed. In addition, I have planted some pulmonaria and carex grasses that I purchased recently.

Tomorrow, I plan to visit the Six On Saturday website where gardeners from over the oceans meet to share 6 photos of the week. Here is the website of Jim Stephens where you can also visit https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

I am starting out with the Yellow Flag Iris on the left. It is near the fountain and thrives there with the extra spray.

The bearded yellow iris on the right is magnificent. It is tall and stands out along the nearby street.

The native azalea on the left is R. canescens and is also known as piedmont azalea.

The azalea on the right is also a native azalea. It looks like R. austrinum but I am not certain.

The iris on the left is Iris tectorum. It is called Japanese roof iris. The foliage is evergreen like other irises but it is smaller.

The fern on the right is Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora). It has an evergreen foliage but it has this more copper tone with spring growth and then again in the fall. It tolerates more light than other ferns. Its size and color makes it a special garden fern.

I hope you are enjoying the change of seasons. It is a special time of year.

Happy Gardening and Happy Easter!!

Petals At The Corner 27 March

The weather is sunny and the temperatures are pleasantly warm. The frequent question comes to mind “Is it time to plant?”

The grass is green and it could be mowed if only to remove the seed heads from unwanted grasses and broadleaf weeds. I have already begun to add some fertilizer and broad leaf applications to the lawn. I started to irrigate the lawn today but only because we don’t expect any rain for the next week.

Ornamental shrubs are blooming. The azaleas, camellias and paperbush have all bloomed. Some of them prematurely it seems since a mid-March frost ruined some of the early blooms.

I have planted some onion sets, cool weather vegetables and some zinnias.

Is it time to plant tomatoes? Is that what you mean? Even here in Zone 8, I will not plant summer vegetables for another 2 weeks.

Here is my 6 for this week. I will post on Six On Saturday tomorrow. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/

The double daffodil on the left is a beauty. I have forgotten the name. Anyone recognize it?

On the right is Kerria japonica. It is also known as Japanese kerria and Japanese rose. It is very beautiful this spring.

The Spanish bluebells on the left (Hyacinthoides hispanica) have such beautiful blue blooms and have popped up in several locations this spring.

The little daffodil on the right was a surprise. The iphone plant identifier calls it a Rush-leaf jonquil. I’ll take that. It is a very delicate plant.

For your pleasure, here is a bluebird pair on the left that are very busy foraging today. They watched warily as I worked in the area. I could not hear cheeping and I could stare into the next box but I could not discern any gaping mouths.

The right photo is a cloudless sulphur sugar snacking at the coral honeysuckle.

I hope your weather is beautiful and you are enjoying some gardening.

If you want to share photos,

Happy Gardening!!

Petals At the Corner 20 March 2026

It’s Spring. It’s beautiful weather. The grass is waking up and the predominant color is quickly becoming green.

We had frost early this week and even a snow shower but the next ten days will be frost free. In fact, our likelihood for any more frost is very low.

The birds have been very active and more butterflies are appearing.

Here is the challenge. Take 6 photos and post them. I will be doing that with the Six on Saturday group tomorrow. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

The Japanese maple has leafed out. I think this is Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood’. It is doing nicely in a large container.

The Limelight cuttings on the right is a spring project. All 20 cuttings taken 2 weeks ago seem to be thriving.

The Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides) are very impressive this spring.

The Ajuga is a volunteer but it is serving as a welcome groundcover. It is a welcome addition.

The daffodil is all alone in its part of the garden. I have forgotten the cultivar.

The Amaryllis is a surprise. I bought the bulb in the fall and forced it in the house for the Christmas decoration. After it had bloomed, I planted it in the yard for summer blooming. It quickly recycled and bloomed early in the yard.

Those are my 6 for today. What are your 6?

Happy Gardening!!

Summer Perennial Beauty 30 May

All the photos today are from the Corner Garden near my home where I volunteer every Friday. The perennial border is magnificent this month. The weather has been just great.

This garden is along a busy highway and a busy intersection. As much as 1700 cars a day pass by according to the bean counters. Many motorists acknowledge us as they wait for traffic lights to change. It can be noisy there.

I will be joining the Six on Saturday group in the morning. There, gardener’s gather to show 6 photos each. Come see. Join us and post your own from a blog or post. The website is https://gardenruminations.co.uk. Jim Stephens is our host.

There are hundreds of Shastas that have just begun to open this week. I think the variety is ‘Becky’.

I don’t have the cultivar name of this lovely daylily. There are so many cultivars to keep up with. These were moved to a sunnier location last fall and they are thriving.

Here is another anonymous perennial. This time its a coreopsis. Look closely and you will see the hover fly on the right.

The Stoke’s Aster may be ‘Peachy Pink’. Although it is an ill-fitting name, the bloom is outstanding. From 3 plants started several years ago, there are now several dozen in the garden.

This perennials is dominating. It has formed several independent clumps. The growth of this and the other perennials has minimized the need for weeding.

As you can see, the daylily is true to its name. The fleeting blooms are accompanied by lush foliage. It is also anonymous but a beauty.

Hope you are enjoying time in your garden. 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!

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.