After a very dry late summer, recent fall rains have revived many of the shrubs in the garden, but I have very few fall blooming flowers--and those that are blooming are ragged at best. In fact, most of the shrubs and trees turned drought-brown before taking on any fall color; however, I do have a …
My six plants for today include some purple blooms, some fuzzy seeds, and discouraging visual evidence of our current Alabama drought and unseasonably high temperatures. But before the disheartening image of a dehydrated and stressed hydrangea, let me remind others that they can see photos of gardens in other climates, in fact in other seasons, …
1. The record for this Saturday pretty much picks up where my post ended two weeks ago with Japanese Anemone--only now, the buds have turned to blooms. Today, they are living up to one of their common names, windflowers, as they sway quite gracefully on their very long stalks in a gentle breeze. The Anemone …
It has been a few weeks since I've published a Six on Saturday post, but I've been following several other global gardeners and the meme site initiated by The Propagator. I hope that some of my readers have done the same. I do have, though, six things to pass along for this next-to-last Saturday in …
This week's six are somewhat of an update on last week's post about garden visitors. Readers can see what is going on around the globe by visiting the site of The Propagator, the originator of Six on Saturday, and following links in the comments. Doing so is well worth some time. 1. Last Saturday I mentioned …
This Saturday I'm focusing on garden visitors--all uninvited--but not all unwelcome. 1. Cicada, or hot bugs as my grandmother called them, have always been synonymous with summer for me. There are about 25 varieties of cicada in Alabama, but there are many more world-wide. Just within the past two weeks I've noticed the telltale small holes …
For well over a decade I have been fascinated with taking photos of bees on blooms. It all started while teaching summers for British Studies at Oxford, I think. The first challenge at catching bees on flowers that I remember took place in 2006 in University Parks while taking photos of giant sea holly (Eryngium …
I'm still enjoying some natives coming up where they want to both in the wooded area of the garden and in other open areas. One of those natives I had never seen before. I'll save that and a non-native until the end. I'll begin with a more familiar plant I have often cut to the …
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 …
