This week's six are straightforward--leaves. Red leaves and gold leaves. I'll begin with the gold ones: Ginkgo leaves, as seen against the backdrop of a maple tree in the featured image. I adore this tree in part because it is a symbol of the small, private liberal arts college I taught at for 41 years …
six on Saturday, 19 September 2020
I'm starting this Saturday's post on Wednesday while waiting for hurricane Sally to throw some of her outer rain bands as far north in Alabama as Blount County. The projected track has fallen just south of here overnight, but this slow moving storm is having a devastating effect on the Gulf Coast. There are just …
six on Saturday, 29 August 2020
1. This week's six begin with the flower in the featured image, Althea, or Rose of Sharon, or Hibiscus syriacus, whichever name you might prefer. I'm sure I have documented these blooms--even with bees--before, but this time I want to note the great variety of color of the flowers. There are many of these shrubs …
six on Saturday, 15 August 2020
At this time of year my garden is essentially green, lots of shades of green, but essentially green because I rely so heavily on wildflowers for color. And most of the wildflowers have gone to seed by now. Fortunately, though, we have not entered a dry period in Alabama, so even though the temperatures have …
six on Saturday, 4 July 2020
The stem structure of Hairy Angelica (Angelica venenosa) with its compound umbels of multiple rays ending in secondary umbels of small five-petaled flowers just seemed perfect for the featured photo for Six on Saturday, the 4th of July--a little plant fireworks for everyone. I wrote about this native last June, but I find several more …
Wordless Wednesday, 1 July 2020
six on Saturday, 20 June 2020
Five of this week's six are things that surprised me as I did some general clean up in the garden this week. The sixth is just something bright and cheerful. I'm sure you can find a more coherent set of entries by visiting the site of The Propagator, the hub of our Six on Saturday …
six on Saturday, 13 June 2020
1. I'm going to start out immediately with my first entry, because I've been waiting for these North American natives to bloom for a couple of weeks now--and for a couple of reasons. I look for the black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) to bloom because they signal my birthday. I also am happy to see them …
six on Saturday, 30 May 2020
This Saturday's six will be a quick rundown of what is blooming in the garden now. Most are natives; there are two notable exceptions of Asian import. 1. The first, and I do mean first, is the oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). It is the Alabama State Wildflower, and it is blooming generously throughout the garden …
six on Saturday, 23 May 2020
This week I have colorful blooms, squirrel damage, an unknown, and an amphibian. Before I get to them, though, I want to note the site that serves as the host of "Six on Saturday." Visit The Propagator's blog for guidelines for participation, another great six, and links to many more. 1. My first is the …