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 …
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 …
With this post I'm joining a host of gardeners who post six things going on in their gardens on Saturdays. The point is just that, to comment and provide photos on six things, usually plants, but not necessarily so, for as The Propagator and originator of the meme states, these things "could be anything. A …
I had been writing the next post for After Eden in my head for days—all while working at the lake, mulching leaves, cutting back energetic and wayward ivy, burning fallen debris, and just generally tidying things up. Then I realized that the next post was not in my head but at my feet. Various …
Over a year ago, I mentioned an intent to write a post about a few of my favorite books on gardens (bloom and seed, 30 December 2018); however, I went on to a very different topic after briefly mentioning three works: Lorraine Harrison’s, How to Read Gardens: A Crash Course in Garden Appreciation, A Short …
In my initial posts, I characterized After Eden as an investigation of gardens as places of repose in an otherwise chaotic world, as places of beauty reflective of the age they were created in, as cultivated, enclosed places that protect us briefly from the unruliness without. Or, as I wrote at the conclusion of the …
