Saturday, April 30, 2011

Celebrating Wildflowers Part II


Like the Atamasco Lilies, Sweetbay has been in bloom for a month. If we get much rain this year it will bloom on and off all summer.


The silver-backed leaves are as beautiful as the lemon-scented flowers.


The tiny flowers of Blue Toadflax are covering fields in Johnston County with a fine lavender haze.


I planted Green and Gold 'Eco Laquered Spider' 14 years ago, and two plants now cover a semi-area of approximately 20' by 35' near the old house site. Neither drought nor flooding bothers it, and it would seem the more it's ignored the happier it is. Its only drawback is that the leaves mildew during the humid heat of summer.



Spiderworts are a treasure for their bunches of low-blooming flowers. Given enough moisture Tradescantia virginiana will bloom on and off for the rest of the year. I don't know if it's because I'm too far north for them to be rambunctious, but they are not spreaders in my garden, giving only enough seedlings to spread around where needed.


Spiderwort 'Zwanenburg Blue' with the rugosa 'Foxi Pavement'


Phlox pilosa var. ozarkana quickly makes good-sized drifts.




Phlox 'Minnie Pearl' has filled out nicely this year, creating a big bouquet of perfectly snow-white flowers.


Currently the native stars of the show currently are the Baptisias. They've been beautiful already for a month in their bud and early flower stages. They are both elegant and cottagey at the same time, and look great with irises, roses and foxglove.


In my garden Baptisia australis ranges in color from soft lavender

to blue-violet.





Baptisia alba is so striking with its charcoal gray stems, shown here with Cl. Old Blush.


'Purple Smoke', an offspring of Baptisia alba and B. minor


Baptisia alba and 'Purple Smoke' with rugosa rubra, rugosa alba, Foxi Pavement and white iris.


Thank you Gail for hosting Wildflower Week!


Celebrating Wildflowers ~ Part One


All week I have been thinking of posting to Wildflower Week, hosted by the delightful Gail of clay and limestone but have had a hard time getting my act together. I am "suffering" from an excess of garden photos and indecision about what to do with them. An excess of weeds too.

Earlier this month most of what was blooming in my garden was native, both hardwoods and perennials.

Piedmont azaleas with woodland phlox and Iris brevicaulis.


Pink Piedmont azalea





White Piedmont azalea




Florida Azalea



Those azaleas finished up last week while woodland phlox (shown
below in mid-April) is still in full bloom in some places in the garden.



Coast Azalea is a little later than the Florida and Piedmont Azaleas. I love the pink fuzzy buds and blue-green leaves. I think it could stand more sun than those azaleas too, as it's the only one that leans toward the light.


The fragrance is just like inhaling the fragrance of cotton candy.


This azalea, just arrived in the garden last year, is labelled 'Choice Cream', which I've read is a R. austrinum x atlanticum hybrid. The yellow blotch makes me wonder if it could be an Alabama azalea hybrid though.


Also new to the garden last fall, Alabama azalea. The fragrance has strong delicious lemony notes.


Geranium maculatum, a beautiful find from the farm.




Atamasco Lilies have been blooming in various places ~ in the garden and in the fields and woods ~ for a month now.

Commonly known as Easter Lily, this lily actually bloomed on Easter this year!


Thursday, April 28, 2011

On a Tuesday Morning


'Hansa'


with Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' and B. alba


'Hansa' and 'Cl. Old Blush'


Rugosa rubra








'Foxi Pavement'


 
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