Sundays after church, my dad would pile the family into the car and take us for a drive through the countryside just outside boundaries of the big city. We would see miles of delicate pink flowers lining the edges of the roads, the cracks in the sidewalk, and the banks of the hills. Pink evening primrose is one of the wildflowers of my childhood. Some people may call it a weed, but this plant holds a special place in my heart. When I see them … [Read more...]
Coral Honeysuckle – Native Vine for Hummingbirds
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...]
The Delicate, But Aggressive, Cypress Vine
When my cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is blooming, it is covered in tiny, star-shaped, brilliantly red flowers. Although they are tiny, the flowers 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. But don’t be fooled by the delicate … [Read more...]
Low-Maintenance Container Gardens
With the hot sun and the high humidity of our Mississippi summers, having a lot of container gardens sprinkled around my yard usually means I'm going to have to do a lot of watering each week. Watering my garden is a tedious chore. The hose gets tangled on everything, my shoes usually end up getting wet, and it gives the mosquitoes plenty of time to suck my veins dry. It's a Catch-22. If you have container gardens here in Mississippi, … [Read more...]
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...]
A Spot of Yellow: Native Partridge Pea Butterfly Host Plant
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...]
Lyreleaf Sage – Mississippi Wildflower
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...]
June 2017 Flowers From My Garden
The weather this late spring and first days of summer have been hot, wet, and sometimes in between. It may be a little hard on us humans, but my garden seems to be enjoying it well enough. June is the month for Asiatic lilies, hibiscus, zinnias, and echinacea. These flowers have been blooming their little hearts out. These are some of my favorite photos I took during the month of June 2017 from my garden. I hope you like them! Click on an … [Read more...]
How to Keep Your Gladiolus Flowers From Falling Over
The gladiola flowers have been putting on quite a show this year. Pink, white, red, greenish-yellow, and purple gladiolus have graced my garden. I really like gladiolas but whenever there is a heavy rain or higher-than-usual winds, the glads dip over or break off. How to Keep Your Gladiolus From Falling Over Option 1: Plant your Gladiolus bulbs in a grouping, against a garden structure If you have a lot of gladiolus bulbs, plant them … [Read more...]
May 2017 Photos From My Garden
The early spring flowers have come and gone and now we're into warmer temperatures and lots of rain! Things in my garden have been growing quickly and starting to put on quite a show. These are some of my favorite photos I took during the month of May 2017 from my garden. Hope you enjoy them! You can click on an image below to see a larger size photo. … [Read more...]
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