summer – Page 3 – Fine for Friday

Hot Summer Days 21 July 2023

The last few days have been hot and humid here in the American South. Average daily highs in the mid 90’s and 50 % plus humidity tax a gardener’s physical strength. The formula, of course, is to start out early, drink plenty of water and seek the shade as much as possible.

A few mid summer bloomers have appeared and there are a couple of interesting visitors that I have to show you today. The perennials are blooming at their peak. The rainfall has been sufficient and well spaced. They are certainly enjoying this weather.

Coleus Kong Lime Sprite with
Wizard Scarlet Swallowtail

I started six different coleus from seed this spring and have them in containers. They are loving a shady spot on the deck which receives morning sun. I am glad that I went to the effort.

The caladium is from bulbs that I saved from last year. I kept them dry and dark over the winter. I planted them this spring once the ground temp was above 60 degrees. They just emerged 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I managed to merge them into one grouping and lost the name. They look wonderful in this shady bed alongside the Southern shield ferns.

I started the Rudbeckia triloba from seed this year. It is an Alabama native and it is just beginning to flower this week. It seems to be thriving in an afternoon sun area.

The Coral honeysuckle is also and Alabama native that I bought from a local native plant nursery. It is gorgeous and well loved by the hummingbirds.

The purple coneflowers, another Alabama native, have been prolific this summer. This one is being also enjoyed by this bumble bee. I leave the seedbeds on the plants throughout the winter for the finches which seem to thrive on them.

One of my Shasta daisies is being enjoyed by a pearl crescent. It is a medium sized butterfly and it was feasting on the nectar. Its host plant are the Asters.

Every Saturday morning come join us on Six on Saturday. This group of gardeners from around the world are hosted by Jim Stephens at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk.

Happy Gardening!

Summer 7 July 2023

The Fourth of July is over. This marks the middle of summer. We had plenty of food including a steak done on the grill. We like to watch the concerts that are on the Capitol Steps in Washington D.C. and from the harbor in New York City with views of the Statue of Liberty. Of course, this was ended with spectacular fireworks in both locations.

It has been a hot gardening week. The perennials are in full bloom now. The Limelight hydrangeas are magnificently blooming. My potatoes and onions are officially done. A few tomatoes are beginning to appear.

Here are my photos for this week.

The hardy hibiscus is new to me. Planted last year, it almost expired during the December deep freeze. There are two others in the same raised bed and this is the most advanced.

The Dragon Wing has been a stalwart. It is an annual but I keep it alive during the winter in the cold frame. In the spring, I take cuttings and manage to propagate enough to fill another planter and my window boxes. It is my most reliable annual.

The Big Red is shy. This is its first blooming of the season but when it does, it really shows out. It is also a cold frame resident and I have also managed to propagate several more containers of it from cuttings.

The coreopsis continues to shine. It is very happy in its container and is content to have some mid day shade.

The calla lily is at the front door. It is in the location where I intend to have a White Garden. A mature white azalea is right behind it. I need a third white bloomer to complete the grouping. Have not made a decision on that as of yet.

The Shasta daisies are in full bloom now. As usual, they are spectacular.

I am really enjoying the garden this summer. The heat limits the work but the majority of that was done this spring.

Before I end this weeks post, here is a watercolor done by my friend Walt in celebration of Independence Day.

Come join us Saturday morning when Jim Stephens hosts our Six on Saturday group. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

You will be able to enjoy gardens from around the globe.

Happy gardening!

Summer 30 June 2023

It is hot this week! It is very hot this week! The county warned of poor air quality. Temperatures will be near 40 degrees C both today and tomorrow. The forecast is for some increased rain probability over the next week and that will lower the temps down a little perhaps to as low as 35 degrees.

The garden is at a maximum. The plants are green and lush. The blooms are abundant. The butterflies, pollinators and birds are very busy.

Here are my efforts for this week.

The crocosmia photo is a little blown out but you can see that this cultivar is aptly named. The foliage is gladiolus like and it does want to lay down from rainfall or the wind. The plant is a little agressive and I have to pull up plants on the advancing edge of the thicket.

The ruellia does have a beautiful color. It is another plant that minds its manners the best if kept in a container.

The Stokes aster is in its glory. It is doing so nicely with a little shade at mid day and with the backdrop of the Southern Shield ferns.

The coleus are in a container in the shade garden. They do get enough morning sun to thrive. They did not like the coolness of the spring but they are thriving now.

The limelight hydrangeas are a showstopper. They are a very popular shrub in our area now. They are not afraid of the sun like other hydrangeas. This is the original and they are tall. Smaller varieties are now available like ‘Little Lime’ and ‘Hobo’ which are smaller and can be grown in front of other shrubs.

As promised last week, here come the Shasta daisies. This cultivar is ‘Becky’ I think. You can see that there are a lot more buds waiting to open this week. This daisy always puts on a good show.

One more photo for you today.

This is the ongoing project of the propagation of limelight hydrangeas from cuttings that began in March. 5 hydrangeas are progressing well. It may be these will be used to replace some of the azaleas that suffered damage from the December deep freeze.

Every Saturday, Jim Stephens is hosting Six on Saturday. Join us and see gardens from all around the world. Sip on your coffee or other beverage and enjoy. Here is the link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

Happy Gardening!!

After the summer solstice 23 June 2023

The Alabama summer heat means that garden work is best done in the morning. Be sure to stay well hydrated and limit very strenuous tasks. For me, I am trying to limit myself to pruning, weeding and watering.

The blooming plants are approaching their peak but the good news is that there will be 10 to 12 more weeks of abundantly blooming summer perennials. The butterflies are appearing in ever greater numbers and the birds are singing happily.

Here’s a selection from today’s shoot at The Corner Garden.

The Texas Star (Hibiscus coccineus) is indeed a star. It is also called Scarlet Rosemallow. Each year it puts out more stalks that are more than 6 feet high. The blooms last only a few days but they are magnificent and at least 6 inches across.

The Rudbecki hirta “Indian Summer” is a repeat performer. It looked beaten after the December deep freeze but it is coming back beautifully. Good mix of it with the purple coneflower in the background.

The mix of Echinacea purpurea and Rudbeckia hirta on the right is just a blanket of outstanding plants today. It is very thick. I hope you can see the glimmer of Lambs’ Ear at the edge of this bed which adds just the right amount of color to make the bed stand out.

Meanwhile, here are more from the Corner Garden shoot.

The Stokes Aster is well established. You can see the abundance of blooms and buds with blooms to come. It is self seeding and I have established a second bed of plants nearby. They seem to be managing quite well.

The oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) is beautifuly. It is alongside a roadway and in front of a sprinkler head so I keep it well cut back. Despite this, it is thriving with these whitish pannicles taking on a reddish tint. This is a volunteer shrub that originated from a mother plant across the roadway. It may be the “Ruby Slippers” cultivar.

The coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) on the right looked so good in this overhead shot. This native perennial is a prolific self seeder. We started with one and there are now dozens dotting the perennial bed.

I am really enjoying the garden this week. I hope you are doing the same.

Join us tomorrow for Six on Saturday hosted by Jim Stephens. Gardeners from around the world join in to share 6 photos from their gardens. You can find it at this link https://gardenruminations.co.uk/.

The other good news is that the armadillo twins have not returned.

Hasta la vista baby! Not!

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 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.

Friday Favorites

It is Friday. Our beautiful weather continues. It will be dry for the next week so some judicious watering is in order. These tasks will have to be done today as you will soon find out.

Football season has begun so the wife and I will be watching college football tomorrow.

First off are two spider lilies. They are sometimes called surprise lilies because they seem to just appear overnight.

Second is the Sedum “Autumn Joy”. It was really putting on a fine display today.

Third is this trio of purple coneflowers looking so fine in the morning light.

Fourth, here are these red knockout roses. There is a new wave of blooms that have begun this week.

Fifth, is this beautiful, large bloomed hardy hibiscus. They were just planted two weeks ago. I hope this is a good harbinger of things to come.

Sixth, I encountered two visitors, one small and one large for you to see.

The small is the tussock moth caterpillar and the large is one of two healthy bucks that came walking through the front yard a few mornings ago.

Happy gardening to all and remember to take a look at the Propagator.

His blog Six on Saturday is the inspiration for this blog. He would appreciate you stopping by and giving him a like if you favor what you see.

A Stroll In The Gardens

The weather here in the American South continues to be wonderful. It has been just a little cooler each morning. Each afternoon we have been having a little bit of rain. The sky is a clearer blue each morning as the humidity has fallen.

It has been time to take on some fall tasks such as clearing the vegetable garden, pruning some of the spent perennials and planning some hardscape projects.

This weekend is the Fall Plant Sale at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I have volunteered for this sale for several years now. I took the time to stroll through the gardens and took some photos for you there.

I began my walk crossing this bridge leading into the area of the Bog Garden.

Along the way, I found this Paw Paw tree (Asimina triloba) with plenty of hanging fruit. The pawpaws have a sweet taste said to be a blend of mango, banana, berries and pineapple. It is the host plant for the Zebra Swallowtail although I did not see any.

A little further along, I found these seed pods of the strawberry bush (Eunonymous americana). Its common names include bursting-heart and hearts-a-bustin derived from the image of the fruit I suppose.

I then spied this flower of the jewel weed. It is common along creeks and ditches since it likes bottomland soil. It is just past its prime but there were abundant blooms remaining.

This is the fall panicle of the oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). It is a common plant in our woods. The blooms linger after the spring and gradually take on a bronze color like this gem.

I next found this inland wood oats near the water of the bog. It is very popular as a low maintenance shade grass. Its color transitions from green in the spring to ivory in the fall to a brown during winter.

Out near the vegetable garden, I saw this cotton at near maturity.

Next, I saw this eyecatching orange cosmos.

Finally, as I exited the garden I saw this planting of a dwarf sunflower. It was very happily showing off its bright yellow color in the bright sunshine.

I hope you enjoyed these glimpses of my stroll in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Happy Gardening.

Be sure to take a look at the efforts of the Propagator.