Creeping sedum gets the boot

My friend, Karen Kendall got me interested in using footwear as planting containers.  Some didn't work so well, tennis shoes mildewed, sequined slippers faded, but this old work boot filled with creeping sedum looks fabulous on my back steps. 

One neighbor's trash

Years ago my elderly neighbor discovered a snake sheltering in a densely planted bed of crinum lilies.   She was so upset by the experience that she dug up all the bulbs and tossed them into a trash heap to be hauled away by the city.   I didn't know what those flowers were back then, but I knew they were pretty so I asked her if I could have them.   I planted them in a wet spot of a flower bed in which nothing seemed to thrive. 

It was work to dig holes large enough to accommodate bulbs the size of softballs!  (I've since learned that crinum lily bulbs can grow to the size of basketballs.)  Those lilies have never failed to bloom, no matter what kind of summer we experience in central Alabama.  This summer is no exception. 

Crinum lilies have been cultivated for many years but have fallen out of favor with gardeners in recent years.  Mine are creamy white, with a delicate pink stripe but I'm told they come in dozens of color combinations.  They are basically indestructible; they will thrive in wet or dry conditions, sun or shade, and will regrow after even the most abusive treatment.  My neighbor's trash is my backyard treasure.
 

Annual picks and pans

My gardens are planted primarily with perennials and reseeding annuals.   I fill in the "empty" spots with a few annuals from a garden center.  My favorites are the wax begonias.  They come with many variations in foliage color, are always covered in blooms that don't require dead-heading, seem happy in both shade and sun, and tolerate the feast or famine rainfall that characterizes central Alabama summers.

This year, I decided to try out two new (for me) annuals as fill-in flowers.

Torenia

The first one I chose is torenia.  Although it is "officially" a shade loving flower, mine get some hot afternoon sun.  They are exceeding all my expectations.  They have been covered with blooms since the day I brought them home, require no dead-heading, and went through the June/July dry spell with only a few splashes from my hose.  I will definitely be using more of them in the future.

Riviera Midnight Blue Lobelia

Not so successful was my attempt to grow lobelia.  I was originally drawn to their dainty, dark blue flowers and foliage.  I only purchased one cell pack, planting them around a white water bowl that I put out for the birds.  I envisioned how lovely it would look to see the white bowl surrounded by the striking blue flowers.  However, no amount of compost and regular watering produced any growth from these plants.  Two of them died shortly after planting and the remaining two plants still look pretty much like they did when they came out of the little cell pack.  I won't be trying this annual next year. 

Zany zinnias

What flower can I count on no matter what the weather, how much rain fall we have, or whether I even plant them deliberately?  Zinnias!  There are zillions of varieties, from short, bushy types with single petals to four footers with dense blooms four inches in diameter.  They come in a wide spectrum of colors from white to deep purple.  I've even seen lavender shades.  I think my original seed packet was State Fair zinnias, tall stalks with large blooms but since they happily reseed wherever I plant them (and some places that I didn't) they have morphed into my own backyard variety--Zany Zinnias.  During our recent try spell, the zinnias were the only flowers that kept right on blooming without skipping a beat. 

The Alabaster "Dome" is firmly in place

I'm a firm believer in compost tea, a natural, foliar fertilizer which I apply to my gardens regularly through the summer months.  But, for compost tea to work the microscopic stomata (think pores) on the leaves must be open.   That means that compost tea absorbs best during the cooler morning hours and when plants have  been well watered.

It was time for my gardens to receive another dose of tea so this past week, I began brewing a large batch of it.  Brewing compost tea takes about three days so I timed the brew to be ready to apply right after the forecast that included an 80% chance of rain.

It has not rained in my garden for more than three weeks.  I've been watering some and have soaker hoses in some of my beds but it is not possible for me to water everything so there are many plants that are looking a little droopy right now.  The stomata on the leave's surfaces are tightly closed to preserve whatever moisture they contain.

I was ready, the tea was brewed.  The skies repeatedly clouded up, the wind began to blow and I thought, "the rain will soon be here."  I would check the regional radar and I could see rain storms popping up all around the area, but not over my backyard.  I am convinced that there is an invisible dome firmly established right over the city of Alabaster preventing any rain from falling here. 

With the opportunity for rain over,  I could no longer use my compost tea--the microbes only live for a short period of time.   I poured it onto the compost heap with a sigh. 

There is a new forecast for rain this weekend.  Maybe the dome will leak over my backyard.

Imitating an artist

My materials

I am not naturally artistic, but I'm very good at imitating the talents of others so when our Master Gardener meeting featured a floral arranger willing to teach us how she does it, I jumped at the opportunity to participate.

We were supposed to bring a container, something called "oasis" soaked in water, clippers/scissors and plant material cut 2 1/2 times longer than my container is tall.  I had a container I thought would hold a nice arrangement and I found some "oasis" at the thrift store for fifty cents!  But when it was time to cut my flowers, I realized that all of my favorite cutting flowers were in a blooming lull--no flowers!   Not wanting to miss the chance to learn how to arrange flowers I started cutting greens:  cedar, loropetulum,  eucalyptus, ferns, ivy, and Mexican petunia. 

Mary Carr, the floral artist

When I arrived at the class, we discovered that none of us had many flowers blooming, including our instructor, Mary Carr.  She had to go to a market to purchase most of the flowers she used in our demonstration.

My finished arrangement

Mary is an excellent teacher and I tried to be a good student.  I learned that "oasis" is a dense sort of foam that holds water.   If you put it in a container, you can stick plant stems into at any angle and the foam keeps them moist.  Mary taught us some simple principles that even I can remember and she encouraged us to experiment until we figure out what works.

Even though I didn't have any flowers, I think my arrangement turned out pretty well.

I already miss my blueberries

I harvested my last bowl of blueberries this morning.   I've been picking blueberries every other day for a month--the longest harvest with the most berries I have ever experienced.  I used the berries I picked today to make my favorite blueberry dessert, Blueberry Crunch Bars, to take to my Master Gardener meeting tomorrow.  There are enough berries left to sprinkle on my cereal in the morning.   I've become accustomed to eating blueberries with every meal and will miss having fresh berries in a bowl on my kitchen counter.

There are still some berries on the bushes but they are small and struggling to ripen in spite of my best efforts to keep them fertilized and watered.  I removed my bird deterrents; they will enjoy the leftovers.   I also pruned the shrubs to keep them short enough for me to reach and to open them up to more sunlight. 

There are 12 cups of blueberries in my freezer so I will be enjoying some special blueberry delights while I wait until next June for the blueberries to ripen once again.

For my Auburn fans

It isn't football season and I'm not a football fan but I'm a huge fan of tiger lilies.  I rescued these lilies years ago when a neighbor dug them up and threw them away.  They have anchored the top of a border garden in my yard for years now and always look fabulous.  They don't mind droughts, floods, heat or cold.  They bloom profusely without any fertilizer, deadheading, or thinning.  

These lilies are Asian but I understand that there is a native wildflower version, although I've never seen it.  Supposedly, the buds are edible and taste something like a potato.  Other parts of the plant are edible too.  I have never tasted them. 

I have created some amazing flower arrangements with them, but learned the hard way that the pollen will fall off on everything and it stains so be careful what you set the vase on. 

If I were an Auburn Tigers fan I would have to grow these lilies! 

Which crape myrtle do you prefer?

We are well into our summer season so it is time to check up on our crape myrtles. 

March 2014

Just to remind you of what they looked like this spring,  here is the comparative photo I showed you in March.  These are the same variety of crape myrtle.  The one on the left is hard pruned down to the stumps each spring; the one on the right is allowed to grow in its natural shape.

July 2014

Here is what they look like now.  The hard-pruned tree (once again on the left) has put out oodles of branches from the tops of the stumps and from the base of the tree, creating a bizarre lollipop shape.   There are no blooms, not even any buds. 

The natural tree (on the right) has been blooming for several weeks and is covered with additional buds.  The canopy is dense enough to provide significant shade for a car parked on the street nearby. 

Which crape myrtle do  you prefer?