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 …
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 …
1. This Saturday I have three blooms from the garden and three curiosities. I'll begin with the feature image, Rhododendron alabamense. This delicate deciduous native azalea, also know as the Alabama azalea, is small, about five feet tall. Its tubular flowers begin to appear before or along with the leaves, and they have a soft, …
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 …
I did not think that I'd have another six interesting observations to pass along for a third week in row, but I found that I do. Before I give my six for today, though, I want to pass along a provocative coincidence. At this past week's Master Gardener meeting, a friend showed me two camellias …
