grateful for the gifts of nature
Another thoughtful gift from my sister-in-law, M., these orange Freesia blooms are bright & lovely.
I was hoping to have more blooms this year, but I think the bulbs need more sun or nutrients, or both. I received new bulbs last Christmas and will plant those this fall in the backyard bulb bed along with the Daffodil bulbs I recently dug from the crowded clump under the Hickory tree in the front yard.
This patch of Woodland Sunflowers is bright & pretty at the base of the grand Oak tree that towers over the back deck. The pop of yellow “sunshine” has really brightened the dreary, rain soaked days around here. I think we’ve had rain every day for nearly two months. I did manage to capture these in a sunbeam but, I guess the “appearance of the sun” will have to do for now.
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.
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.
This English Lavender ‘Lady’ was started from seed about 5 years ago. It needs replanting in a larger container soon to encourage more flowers next year.
Lavender is a herbaceous perennial and mint family member. Inhaling the lovely fragrance has been proven to relax, calm, and soothe. Both the tiny purple blooms and fragrant leaves dry nicely.
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
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.
Hostas I planted late last summer have returned gloriously. They have made the shady bed under the Crabapple tree bright with green, white, & yellow. I also planted Dianthus aka “Pinks” here last year. These “Pinks” are now brimming with blooms of many different lovely colors.
Deer love to eat Hostas, so I am thankful these three beauties have been spared this year.
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.
This Daffodil is blooming early even for Georgia. I can’t remember seeing blooms on these before February. Hoping frost doesn’t kill them. Daffodils, aka Narcissus or Jonquils, have been my favorite flowers since I was a child. I would watch the dull hillsides for their fast growing green tips to burst through the fallen leaves. My Mom called them Easter Lilies, as many people do in the mountains of Western North Carolina, because they usually bloomed there at Easter.
If you get close enough, most have a fantastic sweet smell. I love to cut and bring them inside to enjoy their beauty and scent. Truly a lovely plant, I am excited to get more for my landscape and containers this fall.
My husband brought home cuttings of a mystery plant 5 years ago from a friend’s porch. I had trouble identifying it at first. I found a similar plant called Jewel Leaf Plant in a random indoor gardening book I had from my bookstore employee days. It listed the scientific name Graptopetalum Amethystinum. I think this one is Graptopetalum Paraguayense. I have heard it called many things, but most commonly the scientific name Graptopetalum, Mother-of-Pearl Plant and Ghost Plant.
Those few have grown, and I have transplanted cuttings from this mother plant for my friend. I cut the longest pieces with scissors, put them in this cup of water for a few months-adding more water as necessary, and planted them in the new pot after they grew roots.
An amazingly hardy plant, roots will even sprout from fallen petals. A member of the Jade family, the petals are soft, but don’t like to be rubbed too hard. Pale green will turn to dusty purple coloring this summer. It lives on the shady back deck until temps. drop below freezing, then moves to a south facing window inside. I think it needs more sun this season, as it’s never bloomed. I hope to see flowers this year.
My friend is coming to visit this weekend. I have been promising to transplant cuttings for her for years. Mission finally accomplished.
I hope it will do as well on her front porch in Raleigh.