My first of today's six is a wonderful find--a gift of Mother Nature--and an absolute delight. But before going there, I want to direct readers to Jim Stephens', Garden Ruminations. Jim is the hub of our Six on Saturday bloggers, maintaining guidelines for taking part, and providing the space for comments and links to Saturday groups …
1. Today's six are all native azaleas. I am fortunate to have several Alabama natives that are truly native to my place at Highland Lake in Blount County, Alabama. These I did not plant; they have appeared on their own in wooded areas. In several cases, my contribution to their growth has been clearing area …
From time to time, a couple of my friends politely remind me to stand up straight --shoulders back, head facing ahead not down like I'm trudging through mud or snow. But if I did that, I'd miss lovely little plants like my six for today. In fairness to my friends, I do often walk like …
The weather here in Blount County, Alabama, remains wildly changeable--hot and windy to cold and wet in oddly rapid succession . Today, Friday, is one of those cold and rainy ones. It's a good thing I took a few photos yesterday because now just about everything is closed up and droopy. What I have for …
Just about a year ago, while I was engaged in rather far-ranging reading in garden history, I became fascinated with pinecones. My reading journeyed from the 6th-century BCE Chahar Bagh gardens of Persia to the 20th-century arts and crafts herbaceous borders of England. Familiar with decorative pinecone elements in garden hardscape, I had not, however, …
Finally the rain and clouds have cleared away from Blount County Alabama, but the cold and wind remain. Breezy and 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 C) as I write. But there is sun and that makes it all much better. The patches of daffodils beginning to bloom throughout the garden and wooded area help considerably as …
After Eden 