The first flowers to show their faces after winter are the native wildflowers. By mid to late-March, they are usually in full bloom, even after a quick dip in the temperatures. Choosing to incorporate native plants in to your garden is a great idea if you want hardy plants that can tolerate the local soil and weather conditions. Native plants are just that - perfectly adapted for the spot in which they naturally grow. Some of my favorite … [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...]
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...]
Buttonbush for Wet Soils and Cool Blooms!
Nature produces some interesting shapes and this is very true for the flower of the buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). Common buttonbush (or buttonwillow) produces these crazy looking little spiky ball-like blooms of compound florets. They’re pretty cool, actually, and both bees and butterflies agree. I caught this skipper butterfly feeding on a buttonbush flower while hiking in Choctaw Lake Recreation Area in the Tombigbee National … [Read more...]
Bringing in the Beauty of Spring
Spring Beauties Just when I reach my limit with the bleakness of winter and cold temperatures, the tiniest of pink striped flowers start to poke their heads out of lawns and ditches. To me, the Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) is a harbinger of spring and warmer weather. These flowers bloom just before the false garlic – so they fill up the lawns and ditches before the taller flowers begin to grow leaves and bloom. In … [Read more...]
Spotted Jewelweed: Touch-me-not plant
If you've got soil that stays wet most of the time, then this is the plant for you. It's native to most of the lower 48 states and it prefers shade to part-shade - even better! In its native habitat, you'll find it alongside roads in ditches that stay wet most of the time, alongside a river or stream, in wetlands or boggy places, and in other moist soil areas. It prefers shady areas, though it can take some morning sun. Wildlife Uses The … [Read more...]
Louisiana Irises
If you want an iris that has a lot of color but is very low maintenance, maybe the Louisiana iris if for you. The wide variety of colors and shapes in these irises make them very popular. This is a favorite of mine and I find the unique flowers gorgeous. The leaves are attractive, providing texture in the garden long after the blooms are gone. With such easy care, what’s not to love? There are five species of Louisiana irises. These are … [Read more...]
Swamp Mallow: A Hardy, Native Hibiscus for Wet Soils
Perfect for Wet Soil Got swampy soil? Then this is the perfect flowering plant solution for your garden. Native to the marshes and swamps of the southeastern states – from Louisiana to North Carolina –swamp mallows (Hibiscus coccineus) actually prefer wet soil and even standing water. I had one spot in my front flowerbeds that none of my favorite plants would grow in – the roots of the plants were just rotting. The soil was pure Mississippi … [Read more...]
