Finally Flowers!

Posted: April 1, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

I’ve been slightly jealous of my northern gardener friends’ pictures of daffodils, forsythia, hellebore, and other early bloomers. My plants are finally coming back from the freeze and there are a few in bloom. Above is my “mulch pile” Iris. The Iris arrived in a mulch delivery over 30 years ago and proved to be very hardy. It has managed to reproduce too.

White Soldiers or Drimiopsis maculata is a great plant for this area. It is reliable and spreads. The flowers are not that exciting and after the bloom, they will make bulblets and new plants. They are also called African Hosta and are the closest to a Hosta we can grow here.

One of Cannas has bloomed already. Another plant that reproduces easily.

The Gulf Coast Penstemon is really putting on a show. The only thing is that I did not plant them in this bed.

Black-eyed Susans have also started to flower and make a nice spring mix with the Gulf Coast Penstemon.

The Purple Oxalis is having a very happy spring. These are in two pots I have next to each other and they make a great display. I also have the Oxalis in two beds and they always come back every year.

Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?

Posted: June 18, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Gardening | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

During my morning walk through the yard, I noticed my little bed of Drimiopsis maculata was partially flatten.  What critter decided to curl up in my bed?  I will probably never know, but I sure don’t like it.

Drimiopsis Maculata grow really well in the Southern garden.  They are a great substitute for hostas and are sometimes called African Hostas, as they are originally from South Africa.  The plant grows in shade, any kind of soil and easily reproduces which makes it the perfect plant for the Automatic Garden.