Keep America Beautiful Affiliate
Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it. ~Author Unknown
Cuphea micropetala, a native of Central America, is a colorful perennial that attracts pollinators. An easy grow plant suitable for full sun and part shade, this perennial is a must have for butterfly and hummingbird enthusiasts. Learn more about this plant at the following website. Plant Delights
Russell Page
If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it, and understand it in a very real sense. ‘Green fingers’ are a fact, and a mystery only to the unpracticed. But green fingers are the extensions of a verdant heart.
Cotton can be grown by home gardeners. The beautiful blossoms may remind one of okra, hollyhock and hibiscus blossoms and with good reason; these plants are all members of the mallow family of plants. Click on the link below to learn how to include this plant in the home garden.
Consider making organic cotton choices when shopping for clothing, sheets and towels – an extension of a verdant heart.
“The older I grow the more do I love spring and spring flowers. Is it so with you? ” Emily Dickinson
Buddleia davidii is a sun loving butterfly magnet. This perennial comes in a variety of colors and needs fertile, well drained soil. Flowers develop on new growth so severe pruning is required in the early spring. In some areas, buddleia , a native of China, can become invasive. Removal of spent blossoms prevents this problem as well as encouraging the growth of new flowers. For more information about this shrub, click on the link below.
Michael Pollan
The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.
Daylilies are hardy perennials, needing at least 6 hours of sunlight. They can be grown in borders, beds, containers, and as ground cover. Division of clumps is required every 3-4 years, preferably in early spring or after bloom completion. As the name implies, blooms last only a day and spent blossoms should be removed to extend flower production. Learn more about these generation favorites at the following link.
Hemerocallis spp.
Minnie Aumonier
When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.
Gardens, in need of a splash of color, may benefit from the addition of coleus. Most coleus prefer shade, but sun coleus varieties thrive in part shade or full sun. Extremely easy to grow, these colorful foliage plants should be trimmed to promote fullness. Cuttings root quickly in water or can be placed directly into potting soil. Click on the link to learn more about these must have plants for southern gardens. Coleus
The following site may be helpful as well. Coleus
P.G. Wodehouse
Flowers are happy things.
What appears to be a runaway from a muppet show, is actually a spiral ginger, with a startling likeness to a Jim Henson muppet. This happy little thing can be seen at Bellingrath Gardens. While many gingers are included in their summer garden displays, this one is unique-well worth the price of admission! Go make yourself happy! Learn more about this tropical plant at the following website. Spiral ginger
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.
Mary Sarton
Bellingrath Gardens is a wonderful place to slow down. Wander along the pathways, taking in the beauty overwhelming the senses. Snap lots of pictures and plan to include a few gorgeous specimens in one’s own landscape. Shady landscapes will benefit from the above exotic, cordyline fruticose or ti plant. Ti plants cannot endure frigid weather, but container gardening will allow them to be rescued when the thermometer drops. So, now’s the time to get that dose of patience.
In almost every garden, the land is made better and so is the gardener. ~
~Robert Rodale (1930–1990)
Sunpatiens, a relatively new kid on the block, loves the sun, produces bold blossoms all summer long, and is stunning in containers or beds. So, no more excuses, add some color where it is needed.
Learn more about this beauty at the following website. Sunpatiens
~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day.
For those gardeners who find themselves browsing in the evening, looking to complete their daily five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables, Sun Gold tomatoes are a welcome sight. Perfect for “pick and pop into your mouth”, these beautiful and tasty fruits will not disappoint. Add this one to your list of “need to try in my garden.”
For more information about Sun Golds, click on the following link. Sun Golds
Thomas Jefferson
No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden.
Neomarica gracilis, a clumping herbaceous perennial, is more commonly known as walking iris, fan iris, or apostle’s iris. This long limbed lithesome beauty thrives in zones 9-11. However, it will also do well in mild Mobile winters. If temperatures dip, damaged leaves will need snipping in the spring. Plants earn the name, walking iris, by producing plantlets on the flower stalks. The stalk, often mistaken for a leaf, bends to the ground where the plantlet takes root, grows into a mature plant, flowers the next spring, and produces plantlets. And off they go! Native to tropical areas of Central America, these productive plants require shade to part shade and moist soil. In addition to garden beds, large containers and hanging baskets will house these okay to pass-along plants. Learn more at the following link. Walking Iris