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November 12, 2017

Coral Honeysuckle – Native Vine for Hummingbirds

Coral honeysuckle

Have you ever plucked a honeysuckle flower, turned it around and gently sucked the nectar from the tube-shaped back of the flower? If you grew up in the southeastern U.S., I bet you did. That taste of super-sweet honey nectar always makes me think of summer nights spent chasing fireflies and summer days spent running wild and free. Imagine my surprise when taking a class on native plants and shrubs in college that I learned that the yellow … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, birds, butterflies, deer resistant, flowers, full sun, hummingbirds, moist soil, native plants, spring, spring flowers, vines

November 10, 2017

October 2017 – Favorite Photos from My Garden

Blues and purples are the colors of fall in my garden with an occasional splash of red. Mostly, it's the salvias putting on a show. I do have a few mums that bloom each year, but I like to focus on those plants that bloom in fall that are a little less common. This October, we have seen temperatures fluctuate from the mid-80's in the day to one night that flirted with freezing temperatures. Fall is always a mix of weather here in Mississippi - … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / fall, flowers, wildlife

November 8, 2017

Cypress Vine: Delicate, But Aggressive

Cypress Vine

Tiny, star-shaped, brilliantly red flowers cover my cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) in spring. Although the flowers are tiny, they really stand out against the light green of the leaves and vine. My favorite part about the cypress vine is its dainty, feather-like leaves. The leaves look so fragile and fairy-like that, even when it isn’t blooming, this vine puts on a little show. The vine is pretty strong and it can be aggressive, in spite … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / butterflies, flowers, full sun, hummingbirds, vines

September 26, 2017

Obedient Plant – Physostegia virginiana

Obedient Plant - Physostegia virginiana

Deer-resistant AND it can grow in clay soil - what's not to love about obedient plants? Native plants are favorites of mine because they are particularly suited for the local conditions (soil, heat, drought or rain, clay soil) of my area. When I find those native plants with particularly pretty flowers, I add them to my hodgepodge of a garden. This particular plant was a bonus because it is native to Mississippi, it has lots of lovely pale … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, butterflies, deer resistant, full sun, hummingbirds, moist soil, native plants, part shade

September 17, 2017

August 2017 – Favorite Photos from My Garden

It's already mid-September and I realized I had not posted my favorite photos from this month. August is always incredibly hot and my garden starts to wane, but there are always a few plants that continue to shine in spite of the heat. This month, its the time for the native plants really to really shine. They can take the heat, because they are made for it. Also, the zinnias continued to produce lots of colorful blooms even as their leaves … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, flowers, Summer

August 27, 2017

A Spot of Yellow: Native Partridge Pea Butterfly Host Plant

Partridge pea flower

Yesterday morning, I was driving to an appointment and I happened to glance at the side of the road, only to see a flash of bright yellow color. It made me look twice – it was a patch of partridge pea! This is the time of the year that you’ll see the bright yellow flowers of partridge pea blooming along the side of the road or along streams and ditches. They will continue to flower from late summer to early fall. Food for Wildlife and Plants … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / bees, birds, butterflies, fall, full sun, native plants, part shade, Summer, wildflowers

August 2, 2017

July 2017 – Favorite Photos From My Garden

A harvest of tomatoes

July has been busy! It seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Well, maybe that's just what happens as I'm getting older. Now that July is over, the start of the school season is just around the corner. It also marks the end of the growing season as the heat of August starts to take over. While I'm still collecting lots of sungold tomatoes, it won't be too long before the deer come to feed on my plants and finish them off. I've collected my … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / flowers, Summer

August 1, 2017

Great Color Combinations for Sweet Potato Vine

Container Garden

One of the easiest plants to grow is sweet potato vine. Once it is established, it really is a plant it and forget it kind of plant. My favorite! Sweet potato vines make great companion plants in containers and raised beds. Match them with either a contrasting or complementary color for a great combination. Here are a few of my favorite plant combinations for sweet potato vines. Contrasting Colors My absolute favorite color combination is … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / color combinations, plant combinations

July 24, 2017

Lyreleaf Sage – Mississippi Wildflower

Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrata)

Spring comes early in Mississippi. While my friends who live in states to the north continue to fight through snow and ice, I start to see the fresh green of new plant growth emerge from my lawn in mid to late-March. The early arrival of spring weather is one of my favorite things about living in Mississippi – the early respite from the cold, gray skies of winter. With the warming of the air, the wildflowers start to get a jump on their … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants / butterflies, full sun, hummingbirds, pollinators, spring, spring flowers, wildflowers

July 18, 2017

Two in a Canoe – Spotting the Flowers on the Water

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea)

Every third weekend in the spring and summer my local wildlife refuge holds a free canoe day. They bring the canoes and you bring the paddlers. On an overcast Saturday this weekend, my friend Megan and I decided to give it a go. We packed the sunscreen, the bug spray, hats, our cameras, and some water and headed out to the boat ramp. We were running a little late that morning but we drove up just in time to claim the next to the last canoe. … [Read more...]

/ Flowers & Plants, My Stories

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About Me

Welcome! My name is Kathy and I live in Georgia Zone 7B. Gardening has always relaxed and rooted me (literally!). It's my happy place. With more than 25 years of gardening, I am far from an expert, but I learn from all my experiments. This blog talks about the plants, backyard critters, and more that have made my garden special. Read More

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