1. Leading up to this Saturday, climate chaos was the primary thing going on here in Blount County, Alabama. The high temperatures during November have ranged from the 80s to the 40s F. There have been very dry periods and very wet ones; on Tuesday evening 7 inches of rain fell in the area as …
Last week I noted that there is little flowering in the garden right now. And such is still the case. I also noted that while the leaves are changing, they are struggling to take on vibrant autumn colors. And such is still the case. Nonetheless, I was able to pull together six photos of leaves …
There is just not much blooming here at the lake. October is traditionally a dry--maybe the driest--month in Alabama, but this year is exceptional. The last measurable rain was 13 October. Before that we go back to 5 September, for less than half an inch, with 1.54 inches the day before. Autumn colors are more …
My six for this Saturday really date from 2 September and a visit to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in South Africa, which advertises itself as "the most beautiful garden in Africa," and it might well be. One of its signature plants is the Mandela Gold bird of paradise (Strelitiza reginae), as foreshadowed in the featured …
It is rather difficult writing about what has been going on in the garden these days because I have not been in the garden these days, or in fact, for most of the summer. Rather, I have been in a Star Wars storm trooper-like orthopedic boot. Consequently, things have gone on essentially un-manicured, unmanaged, and …
Last week's post focused on trees and was very green. I promised some color for the next post. A promise fulfilled below. 1. Throughout the garden Althea, also called Rose of Sharon or Rose Mallow in the UK, provides white and purple hibiscus flowers in a range of shades. Hibiscus syriacus is a non-native originating …
I love trees. I really do. In fact, I this spring I completed a six-week workshop on the identification of trees held by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. In the last two decades, though, a tornado and various straight line winds took down three large oaks and four very tall pines, punching through the lake …
Black-eyed Susans head up this set of six on Saturday entries in part because I especially like them--in fact, rather consider them name sakes. They bloom in mid-June right around my birthday, and I am a Susan. But they also signal a shift in my work routine in the wooded area of the garden. Until …
1. I begin this week's six where I began last week's with the Blount County Master Gardeners' plant sale. But instead of announcing the sale, I'm reporting on my purchases: marigolds, wave petunias, hydrangea paniculatas, impatiens, columbines, coleus, Asian lilies, basil, a massive hanging pot begonia, and one very tall Japanese maple that was just …
A pretty quick six today. It is Blount County Master Gardener plant sale weekend. There was setup on Friday, labeling, pricing, and arranging plants at the Oneonta, Alabama, Agribusiness Center. Then the sale is today. I think that our own Master Gardeners buy just about as many plants as we sell. These plant sales are …
After Eden 