Hyacinth Bean
Posted: December 7, 2020 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Hyacinth Bean, Southern Gardening, Subtropical Gardening 20 Comments
The Hyacinth Bean, Lablab purpureus, has decided to bloom again. It has made stems of pretty little flowers.
The flowers are barely gone when it starts making seed pods.
I think the best part of this plant is its beautiful seedpods. This variety is called Ruby Moon which is a perfect name.
A Perfect Day
Posted: October 31, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Gulf Fritillary Butterfly 12 Comments
It was a blue sky day. The humidity was gone and the sun ray’s felt just the way they should. A Gulf Fritillary Butterfly was enjoying the warm rays as well. I reached out my hand and the butterfly landed. It was a perfect day.
A Sign of Fall
Posted: October 15, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, leaves, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, trees, Year-round gardening 18 Comments
The change of seasons can be very subtle here on the Gulf Coast. Days are still hot and the leaves don’t change color until much later. But, one sign of fall I notice is the disappearing leaf litter in my wooded area. The leaves have done their job keeping the soil moist and breaking down into compost to feed the trees. Just as the old ones disintegrate, the trees will drop this year’s leaves to start the process all over again.
Can’t Be Stopped
Posted: October 5, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Air Potato Vine, Automatic Gardening, composter, Fire Spike, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, Subtropical Gardening 14 Comments
I am always fascinated with plants trying to grow no matter what situation they find themselves in.
I had thrown some Fire Spike cuttings into the composter and they managed to stretch their way to the light and find a slit to come through.
The Fire Spike has continued to grow throughout the summer. Somehow there is enough moisture in the composter to keep it going.
All summer I have been collecting weeds in an empty fertilizer bag and threw an Air Potato Vine tuber in with the weeds. Even the lack of soil could not stop that vine from growing.
All Dressed Up
Posted: October 2, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Backyard Critters, Crepe Myrtles, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 6 Comments
Could these two be heading out on a date? It was just too cute when I saw some that Crepe Myrtle flowers had fallen in just the right place to make her look all dressed up.
Philippine Lily
Posted: September 23, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Philippine Lily, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 16 Comments
Philippine Lilies (Lilium formosanum) are one bulb that is possible to grow in our Gulf Coast climate.
The white flower looks similar to an Easter Lily, but grows 3 to 5 feet tall and blooms in July and later.
In the evening the lily gives off a scent that attracts hummingbird moths.
The plant makes an attractive seedhead that is quite decorative. Most importantly, it is filled with seeds. I have been trying to get a colony growing, but usually, only one plant matures and flowers. It is definitely a goal to work on.
From One Small Stem
Posted: September 13, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Bat Face Cuphea, Cuphea llavea, Gardening, rosy wolf snail, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 6 Comments
One small stem cutting turned into a behemoth plant stuck in a planter.
I wanted to make sure I had a back-up Bat Face Cuphea (Cuphea llavea),which attracts all kinds of pollinators, and decided to start a cutting in my self-watering planter. It is an excellent planter to start cuttings and seeds in as it will stay damp.
Unfortunately, I paid very little attention to the size the cuphea had become until it had taken up my entire planter. It had to be removed and it was no easy job. It took a lot of time and tools to free it.
The Cuphea is looking as droopy as I felt after hard work on a hot day.
Note: The plant is much more colorful than the cutting in the first photo.
And I was being watched the entire time. I found this Rosy Wolf Snail that had crawled to the top of the garbage bag.
If You Plant It, They Will Come
Posted: August 30, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Aristolochia fimbriata, Automatic Gardening, butterflies, Caterpillar, Dutchman's Pipe, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, nature photography, Passiflora lutea, Passion Flower, Pipe-vine caterpillars, Pipe-vine Swallowtail, Southern Gardening, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening, Yellow Passion-Flower 21 Comments
I mentioned on a previous post, that I was trying to grow the correct Passion Flower to attract the Gulf Fritillary Butterfly. I finally got it right. Several have arrived.
The Butterflies got to work and laid eggs which have already hatched into a new generation.
Even more exciting, I found five Pipe-vine Swallow Tail caterpillars on my Aristolochia fimbriata.
The nurseryman was correct with his advice that the butterflies would come. The plant is nearly gone, but that was the plan. I collected some of the seeds for next year’s plants and butterflies.
Chocolate Plant
Posted: August 18, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Chocolate Plant, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Pseuderanthemum alatum, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 16 Comments
Chocolate Plants ( Pseuderanthemum alata) are heirloom passalong plants in the South. Mine was passed to me by my mother-in-law. It gets its name from its chocolatey color.
I always keep some in a pot, but I have been trying to start colonies in various beds. I am having a good outcome in the back bed near my wooded area.
The Chocolate Plant will make a flower stalk of purple flowers. The seeds are tiny and I usually let them fall where they may and transplant the seedlings when I find them.
This one planted itself in cobble rocks and became to hard to dig up without damaging it. The plants grow bigger each year and hopefully I’ll have a beautiful display in a couple of years.
Strawberry Pot
Posted: August 12, 2020 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Bluewing, Clown Flower, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, summer pansy, Torenia fournieri, Wishbone Flower, Year-round gardening 10 Comments
Strawberry pots can sometimes be hard to fill, but the Automatic Garden had a solution. Wishbone Flowers (Torenia fournieri) had germinated all over from last year’s plants. I transplanted all the free plants into the strawberry pot and was rewarded with a beautiful display. Best of all, my patio cracks will be full of plants for next year.
