Click on the picture to get a close up look. The rain has been soooo hard it has beaten up a lot of the plants. Yesterday, we had over 3 inches in the rain gauge.

Of course, the Hydrangeas, impatiens, hostas and angel trumpets are loving it (to name a few)!

caladiums up close

front of house

Pink angel trumpet with new blooms

Welcome to a garden stroll today. As you can see, my greenhouse has had an "en-lightening" thanks to my husband.

Pinecone ginger blooming (small yellow buds)

Tiny mauve daylily

Crinum

Hello!

Another "Urn" plant (Aechmea Fasciata bromeliad)

That "Pumpkin"

Big, uh?

"Let us be Grateful to people who make us Happy ~ They are the Charming Gardeners who make Our Souls Blossom." - Marcel Proust

Thanks for stopping by!

Aechmea fasciata bromeliad

I have another "Urn plant" blooming and two more on the way. Here are some pictures of it.
Their diversity of form, long-lasting flowering period and adaptability to cultivation make aechmeas possibly the most widely known and cultivated of all the bromeliad family. They make an excellent indoor potplant or adapts easily to mounting either on driftwood, old stumps, or living trees. A general growing temperature range is about 7 deg C to 30 deg C. They need protection from cold winter rain with fibreglass or sheet plastic. Summers in South Alabama provide a great outdoor growing opportunity under a big tree for protection from direct sun. A well-draining potting mixture is required and just enough moisture to prevent dehydration during cold periods. Do not plant too deeply and keep the mixture just damp. Remember to keep the "cups" of the plant filled with water. After they bloom, they will not bloom again. However, they should send up a "pup" along side the old plant. When that pup is 3/4 the size of the old plant, cut the old plant away and discard it. Now you have the next bloom potential plant!

Out to eat

We went to "Mama Lewis' Diner" in Chickasaw for dinner tonight.

Wow! Those were the best ribs I have ever eaten that I can remember! The sauce was the greatest!!

Try it sometimes. They have a large selection for meals and deserts. Good soul food!

A little of the day

Bromeliad Billbergia

Spent about 3 hours this morning in a meeting of the Chickasaw Planning Board. We had several items to review--- setback of fencing in yards, minimum sq ft of new houses, sign ordinances on billboards, requirement of cement/brick driveways and walkways on new houses. Some committees were set up to further investigate and make recommendations at the next meeting on Sep 15 at 10:00am.

Back at home we are set for possible showers in the late afternoon, which is typical at this time of year here on the Gulf Coast.
Having a little watermelon from Citronelle almost every day!




Here's a picture of an old shipwreck at Fort Morgan.

An observation

~Happiness keeps you sweet,
~Trials keep you strong.
~Sorrows keep you Human,
~Life keeps you humble.
~Success Keeps you glowing.
~But, only Friends keep you going.

Garden woes

Well, the birds got the white grapes, the blackberries have not produced as well as they should have, the butterbeans turned out to be climbing type and Ed didn't want that, so he pulled them all up and replanted bush type. We do have plenty of tomatoes and muscadines! The corn is doing well, also.

"Why did you do all this

for me?" she asked.

"I don't deserve it. I've never

done anything for you."

"You have been my friend,"

replied Ed. "That in itself

is a tremendous thing."

-Stolen quote from an American writer

Correction on the Swamp Lily

I goofed. Sorry. The correct name for the plant is Swamp Rose Mallow!

Ipomoea Alba

A tropical vine often grown as an annual, the moonflower is gorgeous, fragrant—and tricky to get started. It’s best to start seedling indoors (soak seeds overnight, or pre-sprout them on damp paper towels). Wait for the ground to warm up before transplanting. In return, you’ll get stunning 6-inch blooms that unfurl on late summer evenings.

Nuns Orchid - very easy to grow!

Future planning

Not to be out done by the heat, we decided it would be a good time to take a ride and get that special dirt to improve the growing in the garden.

Mr. Washington at Shore Acres Plant Farm on Bellingrath Road, Theodore, Al, makes "dirt" and bags it for sale. He adds slow release fertilizer beads to enrich the "dirt." Charges $10/bag.

So we headed off down there and brought back 8 bags. I got one and Ed got the rest. He will use it to improve the soil in the raised beds.

Wait 'til you see our collards this fall!

Swamp Rose Mallow

As I looked out today, I saw a bright red flower standing tall over the azaleas and camellia. It was the flower of a Swamp Rose Mallow:

Little fish pond

another daylily


little red hot

Shrimp plant


Crocosmia

Hibiscus

Front of the house-- isn't that grass pretty!

Thank you, Ed. The sprinkling system is wonderful.