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| An overwintered pipevine emerged yesterday |
I’m not keeping track of what day it is, but we’re still
here, hunkered down against the spread of the coronavirus. With this being the
busiest plant season of the year, the count of cancelled activities is downright
depressing: plant sales, meetings, workshops, field trips, and even simple visits with friends at
their gardens! I know a lot of us are grateful to have our gardens—and even
a chance to tackle some of the tasks we’ve set aside in busier times.
I've been thoroughly enjoying the new blooms each week. Spring really is magical for the amount of floral goodness that gets pumped out over 4-6 weeks. The azaleas were the show-stopper for me this past week—the fragrant blooms of both the Piedmont azalea (
Rhododendron canescens) and the Florida azalea (
R. austrinum) were much appreciated every day. The bright blooms of what I think is a natural cross between
R. canescens and
R. flammeum fooled my husband into thinking our dwarf palmetto (
Sabal minor, located just behind the azalea) had some special flowers!
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| Rhododendron canescens |
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| Rhododendron austrinum 'Earl's Gold' |
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| A natural hybrid of R. canescens and R. flammeum (Sabal minor behind it) |
I probably spent most of my time this week very close to the ground, exploring lawn flowers and weeds. In recognition that people are spending more time outside, several Facebook pages have been posting regular pictures of natural things (birds, plants, insects) that are visible now. My contributions have been roadside flowers and lawn weeds (including the dreadful
Youngia japonica that I mentioned 3 weeks ago). I sure hope that this moment in history brings a lasting affection for being outside on a more regular basis.
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| Potentilla canadensis on left; non-native Duchesnea indica on right |
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| Native Krigia virginica (dwarfdandelion) with regular dandelion for comparison |
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| Bigseed forget-me-not (Myosotis macrosperma) |
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| Oxalis violacea (woodsorrel) |
Cool.
ReplyDeleteJust saw atamaso lilies in bloom at Panola Mountain, beside the boardwalk that they built over rock outcrop. THey were about 75 yards away so hard to get good photo of them. THey were dazzling in the sunlight!! Happy Easter.
ReplyDeleteWow, that austrinum looks so pretty.
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen. I'm thrilled to discover your blog and a fellow native plants lover. My three daughters and I are are establishing a large garden and landscaping our property with as many natives as possible. We're new to this zone, one year in, and the strange weather here has created quite the learning curve. We are doing an experimental orchard design based on Miracle Farm (outside of Montreal- I'm Canadian) permaculture strategy. I'd love your thoughts/feedback. The approach for creating an ecosystem based orchard us basically N.A P- nitrogen fixing shrub, apple tree, pear/plum and repeat. Well, that's not so easy in GA!! The girls and I have purchased two native Mullberries, two Elberta peaches, 2 Chickasaw plums, one native crabapple, 2 native tart cherries, four native elderberry, 2 scuppernongs, 2 paw paws, 2 figs/brown turkey and Celeste. We will plant comfrey near the trees and sow white clover around them. Our dilemma is finding out the best nitrogen fixing shrubs that are natives too. Then we will plant the mini orchard, native pollinators, and see how it goes in a climate notorious for aggressive pears and problems for fruit bearing plants! We are reading your archives now. Thank you so much fur taking the time to share your knowledge. It's rare these days to find gardeners passionate about native plants!
ReplyDeleteI think if you google 'nitrogen fixing native shrubs and trees' you can find some good information. It's not an aspect that I have ever looked into. Best of luck, you certainly have made some good selections so far. Consider also adding nitrogen fixing annuals and perennials; partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) is one of my favorite annuals.
DeleteI'll look for partridge pea. Are there any favorite sources for native seeds and starts that I should support and buy from?
ReplyDeleteI mostly buy from small seasonal sales (most of which were canceled this year). In the Atlanta metro area, joining the Georgia Native Plant Society gives you access to sanctioned plant rescues; it's a good way to find and use truly local plants.
DeleteThanks Ellen
ReplyDelete