Sort of Obedient Plant

If you really like perfect symmetry, then this is the plant for you.  The stem is square and the leaves march in perfect order down the length of the perfectly vertical stems.  Even the flowers match up in perfect rows.

I like this plant because it is a perennial native to Alabama and once it is established it grows completely on its own, requiring no assistance from me.  The long-blooming flowers are a gorgeous addition to my late summer garden.

Flowers in their natural formation

According to one of my sources, the reason this plant is called "obedient" is that you can re-arrange the flowers on the stalk and they will stay.  I tried this out and it works
. . . for about three hours . . . it reminds me of certain children who will agree to do a task, but three hours later, there is no evidence of any task being completed.  They are obedient . . . sort of.

Re-arranged flowers

Mistaken identity

Tobacco horn worm

Sometimes I just think I know what I'm talking about.  Research can be a humbling experience.

I had planned to write about the pesky tomato horn worms that sneak onto my tomato vines and strip them bare before I even know they are there.  I was going to tell you stories of past encounters with these evil villains in my garden.  However, I decided to do a little research first, just to make sure of my facts. 

Surprise!  There is another caterpillar that looks almost exactly the same as the tomato horn worm and people (read "I") often confuse the two. 

What was really decimating my poor tomato plant was a tobacco horn worm.  Here is how to tell the difference.  The tobacco horn worm has seven diagonal lines along it's sides, while the tomato horn worm has eight.  If you really look closely, you can see that the tobacco horn worm's "horn" is a reddish color, while the tomato horn worm's "horn" is black.  The tomato horn worm grows up to be a five-spotted hawk moth, while the tobacco horn worm becomes a carolina sphinx moth.

Sadly, in the end, the two horn worms will always meet the same fate if I find them in my garden.  As fascinating as the horn worms may be, I like my tomatoes better than either of them.

Absolute gardening principle

Grass will NOT grow in the shade . . . unless you are trying to grow a shade garden.  Then the grass grows vigorously in the shade, with hearty roots and lengthy rhizomes.  It has taken me all morning to remove grass from an established shade garden. 

Yard perfume

When I walked out onto my back deck this morning, I noticed a sweet perfume wafting through the air.  None of the fragrant plants growing near the deck is in bloom right now so I was puzzled for a moment.  Then I realized that the fragrance was my sweet autumn clematis which is in full bloom, draping over the old swingset.

I'm not sure why it is called sweet autumn clematis since it always blooms in late summer for me.  Perhaps it blooms later in cooler zones.

I also feel compelled to confess that I stole this plant from a mailbox several blocks from my house.   My husband and I walk past this house every morning.  I had noticed that the homeowners had cut the vine completely down to the ground.  In a few weeks, it was back, a few days later they cut it to the ground again.  Apparently, they were trying to kill it.  When it started growing again, I knew that I needed to rescue this plant so I pinched a few tendrils and carried them gently home to root them.  The neighbors finally succeeded in killing their sweet autumn clematis and I'm thoroughly enjoying this vine that I rescued  . . . or stole from them (depending on your point of view).

Moonlight madness

I am a morning gardener.  I love watching the sun rise and heading outdoors as soon as possible to see what is happening in my gardens.  I am busy tending my human family during the evenings so I almost never garden then.

However, there is one night-blooming, flowering vine that is a "must have" for me--moonflower!   I always plant a few of them on the chain link fence outside my kitchen window. 

One very important benefit is that
the vigorous vines quickly hide the less than attractive chain links.  Those vines not only cover the fence but everything growing nearby and then start running across the lawn.  The other reason I plant them in this location is so that as the sun starts to set each summer evening, I can look out my kitchen window to see the most amazing flower show in the backyard--huge, six-inch plus, white flowers that positively glow in the evening light.

On the rare occasion that I go out to check on them, the fragrance fills the air with sweet perfume.   The garden is not complete without moonflowers.

Pea patch

I'm not from the south originally but I married a fabulous southern gentleman (us northern girls know a good thing when we find one).  One of the consequences of this "mixed marriage" is a total disconnect when it comes to some foods.

One of those total miscommunications surrounds the meaning of the word, "pea."   For me, a pea is a sweet, bright green vegetable that is eaten either raw or cooked, included in salads and casseroles for color and sweetness.  To my precious husband, a pea comes in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and flavors and is always boiled with lots of pork, preferably bacon. 

Ever since I started to garden my husband has asked me to grow "peas" for him.  Of course, my first attempt to grow peas turned out to be the wrong peas (which don't grow well in Alabama in the summer) so we were both very disappointed.

I have repeatedly attempted to grow southern "peas" without success--not because the peas wouldn't grow but because they weren't the "right" ones.  I was completely baffled by all the choices and poor Bob had no idea what kind of peas his grandmother grew and fixed for them when he was a child; he just knew how they should taste.

This year I tried "pink hull peas" and I am reporting success!  May you enjoy your version of "peas" wherever you garden!

Pop Quiz

What plant grows best during a wet, hot August in central Alabama?

WEEDS!!!!  I need to dedicate some serious time to weeding--I know I have some gardens in there . . . somewhere.

Surprise! Surprise!

Last fall I picked up some seeds at our annual Shelby County Master Gardener seed swap that were labeled "Texas Star."  I had no idea what they could possibly be and when I looked up the name on the internet, I picked up a wide variety of plants and flowers that go by that name so there was no telling what I really had.

The seeds germinated easily and I planted the seedlings in a mostly shady spot because that is where I had space for them.  That first summer, they grew to be about 12 inches tall and didn't bloom. 

This spring as I was cleaning up for planting, I noticed new growth at the base of the bare stems of those strange "Texas Stars" so I gave them a second chance.  This summer they seemed a little taller and sturdier and I could see that they were leaning pretty hard toward what sun they could get.  I knew then that I needed to move them to a sunnier spot and determined that I would give them another season before disposing of them for being non-performers.

Then I visited the garden of some friends who also had picked up some of those seeds at the same plant swap.  Oh my!  Murry and Wayne's "Texas Stars" were six FEET tall and had HUGE red blooms! 

This week, my poor, badly planted Texas Star Hibiscus started blooming, even in the shade.  They are stunning!  What a lovely surprise--I can't wait to move them into the sun next year.

Mini water garden

This little garden is one of several "mini" gardens that gives me joy within my landscape.   The tub was a gift from my children one year for Mothers Day and the tall umbrella plant is a cutting from my Mom's umbrella plant in Minnesota.   Each morning, my three goldfish are waiting for their breakfast as soon as I step out my back door. 

There is something soothing about water features in my backyard.  I have a "larger" pond and five bowls that I keep filled with water.  The birds and butterflies love them. 

I don't have standing water in my garden--I refuse to become a mosquito breeder.  The bowls are rinsed out regularly and the pond and water garden have comet goldfish, for whom mosquito larvae taste like candy.

What is wrong with this picture?

This is my flower "bed."  I've enjoyed planting this "punny" bed for about 10 years, but it has never looked quite "right" to me.   This summer the problem has finally penetrated my brain.  My flower bed looks "unmade."   Although I have brightly colored plants, I haven't "made" the bed correctly.  In this case,  "making the bed" means landscaping, and what I have here is a mismatched hodge podge of heights that is confusing to the eye, and down right messy, just like an "unmade" bed. 

Now that I know what's wrong, I need to figure out how to "make it up" for next spring.   Should I put the tall plants in the center, so that as we walk around the bed, it appears balanced from all sides?  Should I place the taller plants on the far side as I view the bed from the house?  Or, should the taller plants be placed along the headboard, just as taller pillows are placed at the head of a "real" bed?  Any "decorators" with opinions?

Grateful for rain?

About five years ago, we experienced a significant drought here in central Alabama.  For three years, we suffered from a severe lack of rainfall.  We watched our lawns turn crispy brown, trees and shrubbery died, and even drought tolerant plants struggled to survive.  Communities restricted watering and we all looked for creative ways to water our gardens. 

During those days, we often prayed for rain.  We looked longingly for any dark cloud in the sky.  I promised God that if He would send us rain again, I would never complain about a rainy day again.

This year, I must confess, I have come very close to breaking my promise to God.  It has rained so frequently that I have only used my soaker hoses once this summer.   There are parts of my yard that have taken on a bog-like consistency.   I'm considering calling powdery mildew a "plant" that I'm cultivating this year. 

Of course, I am truly grateful for the rain.  I say that I grow my gardens, but the reality is that I'm only the caretaker.  Only God can provide the rain and the sunshine that my gardens require to grow. 

A guest in my garden

Look who came to check out our back yard.  We think this is a young cooper's hawk.  The nest is just a few blocks from our home and this "little" guy spent the day at our house, checking out the accommodations.   Much to the displeasure of the other birds who hang out at our house, the hawk thought the bird feeder made a great perch.   After just one day, our guest flew off on other adventures.