Do you smell rotting mushrooms or fish when you're outdoors right now? Don't worry; it's not just you. It's the dreaded scent of Pyrus calleryana or the Bradford Pear tree. The Bradford pear tree puts on a lovely show of branches thick with white flowers. But, this tree has a dark side. It's invasive! Native to China and Vietnam, these trees were introduced to the U.S. in the early 1900s, and the popular 'Bradford' cultivar became widely … [Read more...]
What are all these trees dropping on the ground in Spring?
It’s springtime! The sun is shining, the flowers are starting to bloom, and pollen is coating everything, including our cars. Even the trees are getting in on the action. We have been finding all sort of tree seeds and tree reproductive parts laying on the ground around our neighborhood. From the brown stringy stuff to the tiny helicopters and funny little worm-shaped things, spring tree droppings are clogging the gutters of our streets. The … [Read more...]
The First Spring Wildflowers
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...]
Purple and White Container Garden
The colors for the Easter season are purple and white, so this Easter-themed container garden is just perfect. It sits in front of a church with another paired on the other side of the door. The plants in this container garden include: White Nancy lamium (Lamium maculatum) Pansies (Viola spp) Wallflower (Erysimum linofolium 'Bowles Mauve') Dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima) All of these flowers are early spring bloomers and … [Read more...]
Early Spring Flowers for Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies
This early spring sky is filled with butterflies! I am seeing so many eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus) feeding on colorful spring flowers that it has really brightened my days. Eastern tiger swallowtails are quite large - with a wingspan of 3 to 5.5 inches and with their bright yellow wings with blue spots, they put on quite a show. If you want to bring them to your garden, there are some early spring flowering plants … [Read more...]
Japanese Honeysuckle vs Native Honeysuckle Vine
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...]
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...]
Spring Tour of Colonnade Garden in Columbus, MS
As part of the spring tourism season, the city of Columbus holds a Spring Pilgrimage that includes tours of antebellum homes, live music events, arts, food, a 5K race, and stories from the town’s history. We selected the tour that included Colonnade Gardens. The original gardens were installed in the 1860’s and include a boxwood maze, gazing pool with fountain, kitchen and herb garden, and a pleasure garden. Pleasure Garden There were so … [Read more...]
When Do You Put Out Your Hummingbird Feeders in Spring
The first hummingbirds start migrating northward in early spring, showing up in southern Texas, Louisiana, and northern Florida in late February and the first week of March. It takes a little while longer for them to start showing up in my garden, but they usually show up just when the red buckeyes are in full bloom. This tends to be around mid- to late-March. This is when I’ll hang my hummingbird feeders in my garden. There is a great … [Read more...]