Pretty and Pink
Posted: March 18, 2024 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Azaleas, Chinese Fringe Tree, Formosa Azaleas, Gulf Coast gardening, Loropetalum, nature photography, Pipe-vine Swallowtail, Southern Gardening 20 Comments
I was amazed that my Azaleas were so full of flowers this year. They have not looked well most of the year and we had water restrictions over the summer. Of course, they are not as nice as my six-foot-tall ones that died.
Every flower bud opened making the shrub lush with pink flowers.
I had been watching this Pipe-Vine Swallowtail butterfly in the backyard looking for a flower(they all froze) to feed on. It took a couple of passes by the sugar feeder, but it did not know how to use it. I was happy to see it feeding on the Azales.
Many years ago I had a Loropetalum struggling in the backyard. It had some life left, so I planted it in the front with a little prayer. It ended up living and growing 10 feet tall. Normally, they are trimmed to 4 feet and kept bushy.
The Loropetalum is very graceful with fluffy pink flowers and is also known as the Chinese Fringe Flower.
Azalea Preview
Posted: March 5, 2018 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Azaleas, Encore Azalea, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Loropetalum, Southern Gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Tulip Magnolia, Year-round gardening 13 Comments______________________
One of my most viewed posts is Azaleas. I can only take that to mean that gardeners really like looking at them, so I am doing several posts. Azaleas do well in my area and are planted in just about every yard.
More Azaleas are opening and this coming week should have them in full bloom. I am a little concerned about the heavy rain that is coming, but fingers crossed the Azaleas won’t be ruined
These two Azaleas are Judge Solomon and are supposed to be pink. One is much more orange. Luckily that one was planted in the back of a hedge of Azaleas.
The first Azalea is a much darker purple than the photo picked up and I have lost the name of it. The next is an Encore Autumn Embers, which blooms several times a year and the last is a George Tabor.
The final photos are not Azaleas, but they are planted near by and compliment them. The Tulip Magnolia is in full bloom (I love the star shape on the inside), as are the Loropetalums.
Azalea fans can click on the photos to make them larger.
Blooming Bushes
Posted: April 8, 2015 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Azaleas, Bottlebrush, Flowering Olive, Fringe Tree, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Loropetalum, Year-round gardening, Yesterday, Yesterday Today & Tomorrow 11 Comments
The best part of spring is the flowering shrubs. The Loropetalum is one of the early bloomers. It has a slight scent.
Flowering Olive has tiny flowers with a big scent that drifts across the garden. It will bloom on and off throughout the year.
The flaming red Bottle Brush is a beacon that attracts hummingbirds in the spring.
Azaleas are always a show stopper in these parts, inspiring communities to put on azalea trails.
One bush that has it all is Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each flower displays three different colors and it is heavily scented.
This small tree had to be included for the fanciful flowers that hang from the Fringe Tree.
Automatic Gardening & Real Gluten Free Food 