My six for this Saturday just about close out my wildflowers. I'm just waiting for the Carolina lilies to bloom; mountain mint will come later in the summer. But let me get started. 1. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) self-seeds. I never quite know where it is gong to appear, but I always just let it …
Obviously, the featured photo above is from a few months ago when I first started thinking about this post. But with so many wildflowers blooming at Highland Lake this spring, my attention turned to Six on Saturday—that fascinating collaboration started in the UK by The Propagator in which global gardeners feature six things about their …
My six for today include a few stories and a thief. Before the first story, though, I want to encourage others to consider offering six photos, tips, or stories of their own by going to the guide at https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/. 1. Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), in the feature photo is at the center of the …
Whether because of the generous rain this spring or the increase in sunlight due the loss of some trees over the past couple of years from drought, straight-line winds, and judicious thinning, I've enjoyed more wildflowers in the wooded lot than ever before--in number and variety. So, I still have some natives for this Saturday's …
My six offerings for this Saturday include five blooming perennials and shrubs and one sad story. I'll save the unhappy offering for last. 1. Bearded Irises (Iris germanica) just began blooming. There are several varieties about to open but the one in the featured image and below is first every season. These stunning chocolate and …
The Six on Saturday gardeners were so welcoming of my first post last week, I decided to go again. Besides, I have a few favorite things, and one surprising one, to pass along. Before starting, though, I want to remind my After Eden followers that they, too, can join in by following the directions posted …
After Eden, Cain killed Abel. That sentence has been going through my mind since the murders at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. More accurately, that sentence has been lurking in my mind, shadowing my mood since 27 October. Initially I thought those five words might be the beginning of a poem, but the …
At this month’s meeting of the Blount County Master Gardeners a fellow member gently, almost embarrassingly, tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I really miss your posts in After Eden.” She thought I had stopped writing. I have not stopped. But I have not written--at least I have not written recently for After Eden. …
The need for this post came upon me as I was looking around the late winter garden at the lake. It was just a few weeks ago in early March. Everything was rather bare. Mottled green and maroon Trilliums were starting to open, pale gray-green Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora) was beginning to bend softly over to …
As I begin writing this, it is cold in Alabama—not cold for Alabama, cold in Alabama. It is midafternoon and only 26 degrees, with a wind that makes it feel like 16. It even snowed a snow that stayed around for more than a few hours a couple of weeks ago. Another winter storm threatens …
After Eden 