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Abelia! A May/December Romance

Abelia

Ahh Abelia … I love the fragrance, I love the look of the flowers, I love the butterflies and bees it attracts. What’s not to love about Abelia? I have talked about this great shrub before.

It has gotten so much bigger since my first post a few years ago!

I was so fascinated by it that I had to find out more info. Now, I see them everywhere all over the landscapes of the South. They are ubiquitous, and I never noticed them before having the pleasure of caring for one the former owners of out house left behind on the sunny corner of the back deck.

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Summertime Catch-up

rosesblogThis rose bush had trouble this year. The leaves fell off several times, but they came back and then a few roses would bloom. The picture above was taken in May. There was another cycle of blooming in late July, and I noticed yet another bloom on the small, scraggly looking rosebush last week. The weather is still quite warm here, and it seems like the cool fall temps are a little late this year. I eventually cut the entire bush way back several times, because most of it seemed dead. I couldn’t figure out if it was a pest, or some natural occurrence, or a lack of something the plant needed.

I have not posted in several months, but have been collecting photos. I will make a few more cool posts from my garden this summer. It was sort of an off season this year. I did not plant any new seeds, but tended some plants that re-seeded in my raised garden bed, and in my compost pile inside the “Earth machine” .  I have enjoyed cherry tomatoes all season that came from seeds that started themselves in the composter!

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Gardenia

gardenia

The queen of all southern flowers, in my opinion, is the Gardenia. This gorgeous blossom is from the largest of my Gardenia shrubs. I have pruned it every spring for 5 years, but at over 8 ft. tall, it’s due for a major cutting next year. Being planted close to house on the front corner allows the flower’s lovely perfume to drift into the open windows on early summer evenings.

Gardeniavase

The crisp white flowers are so beautiful. When cut and brought inside, their heavenly fragrance fills the air for days before fading. This evergreen shrub only flowers for a few weeks each year, some varieties longer and more than once, but it’s well worth the wait to enjoy this amazing plant.

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Pink Rose

PinkRose
RoseBV

What can you say about a rose? I’ll let one of the greats speak to it.

“And the quiet, singing voice of the rose. The song that promised all might be well, all might be well, that all manner of things might be well.”

 Stephen King Wolves of the Calla

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Abelia ‘Edward Goucher’

Abelia
Abeliaclose

This is my favorite shrub in the yard. Abelia is very low maintenance. I prune it once per year in early spring. A member of the honeysuckle family, it has the most delightful sweet smell that lingers in the air of the early evenings. This pink variety is over 8 ft. tall. Abelia blooms here from May til first frost and is a magnet for bees of all types. This one is so tall you can walk up and stand with your face in the midst of all the tiny pink flowers. Lovely.

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Azalea

I’m late posting these Azalea pics. The lovely hot pink & white blooms faded a couple weeks ago. I am always amazed by the showy profusion of blooms produced on such an otherwise simple looking plant.

pinkazalea
whiteazalea
bfly
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Spectacular Loropetalum

Loropetalum, Georgia, Zone 7b, Shrub
Loropetalum

I was shocked to see my huge, 10 ft tall by 6 ft wide, Loropetalum in full bloom so early. The extra warm weather a few weeks ago may have brought this about. I jogged back up the driveway to get my camera and captured this.

Also called Fringe Flower, this beauty is related to Witch Hazel. There are many shapes, sizes and varieties of this great plant. On the left, the 10 ft. monster, badly needing a pruning when finished blooming. The other is a 10 inch tall dwarf, weeping variety. One of my few purchases, I planted it under the Crabapple Tree this past spring. It should only get 2-3 ft. tall.

Lorocrop
DLorocrop
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Nandina

The drab landscape is spotted with bright color thanks to red-berried Nandina.

nandinaNo maintenance, deer resistance, and drought tolerance allow Nandina to thrive in Georgia. Commonly and misleadingly called “heavenly bamboo”, it’s not a bamboo. The only member of it’s own genus, Nandina, the plant is toxic to some animals. While “generally classified as non-toxic to humans”, care should be taken to keep them away from high traffic areas where pets or children could ingest them.

This plant is super invasive in Georgia and should never be planted. I pull every one of them I can find in my woods. They are sold in nurseries and stores, but I have found over the years they have little value in the woods or garden, due to their prolific spread into the native forests. Maybe a variety without seeds that does not spread?

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Winter Blooming Mahonia

Leatherleaf Mahonia, Northeast Georgia, Non-native plants
Leatherleaf Mahonia

Leatherleaf Mahonia is considered invasive. Looking around, there are several more-birds love to eat the dark purple berries and have distributed the seeds nearby. Don’t plant this in your yard, and get rid of any you see, they will spread. This one was already here, and I have cut some down since.