Lycoris are a striking easy to grow bulb

For those of you less familiar with the colorful common name for Lycoris radiata, otherwise known as surprise lilies or spider lilies, they are often referred to as such because the bloom stalks emerge before the foliage. They are a fall blooming bulb (blooming right now as a matter of fact) but are usually not available in garden centers during spring. You should find them in the garden center now. You'll find the classic red, Lycoris radiata as well as the less common yellow strain of the species. You'll also find the pink species, Lycoris squamigera. Plant them in the fall and you'll have blooms the following fall. Occasionally, bulbs you plant right now might shoot up a bloom this October, but no guarantees. Beeeeautiful.

I'm not an Aggie, but I do love me some Aggie Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum. This great heirloom annual tends to come and go. Folks forget about it for a while and you won't really see it in the nurseries for a few years, then it shows back up again in small quantities. Just like all that bad 80's fashion we're seeing right now! Well, except that's really, really bad...Aggie cotton happens to be very, very pretty.

The flowers and foliage are reminiscent of a burgundy leafed hardy hibiscus with lovely pink and cream flowers. The flowers are followed by small cotton bolls that add interest and texture to the garden. The burgundy foliage gives you some really nice foliage contrast mixed with salvias, ornamental grasses, and other annuals like angelonia and lantana. It's blooming in my garden now and through the fall will reach about three to four feet tall.

Fragrant Blooms for Partial Sun/Shade

Yay! The first blooms on my the butterfly ginger Hedychium coronarium, have finally appeared. This is a tropical perennial native to India and a cousin of the culinary ginger, Zingiber officinale. Plants reach about five feet tall here and can be planted in part shade (morning sun/afternoon shade, or dappled sun throughout the day) and plants like lots of moisture. They are also nice in containers. Plants will die down to the ground in our area, zone 8, but come back up the following year. The fragrance is to die for. Plant some near your patio or where you can enjoy the fragrance.

Lovely.

The hummingbirds showed up very late this year. I was fretting they would not show up at all. But, we've had two female Ruby-throated move into our garden in the last couple of weeks. So exciting. Over the last week, they've become more accustomed to our presence and are now zipping around just a few feet from us. (click photos to enlarge)

I have a bounty of blooms in the garden for them to feed on such as the bog sage, Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue', above. They also like the Rose of Sharon, Rattlebox, and the multitudes of other salvias in the garden.

They've also finally discovered the feeder that hangs right by the front door above the salvia. You can see a few red droplets in the neck on the one to the left. As they are territorial, I've found them perched close to the feeder more often, guarding it. I can't tell if these two are working together or if they are fighting for the feeder. They zip around in the air together in a sort of dance, but it's possible they are fighting over the turf.

We got some good video of them feeding at the feeder. As soon as I have a good format in which to post it, I'll get that up. Bees, butterflies, dragonflies, and hummingbirds...the front yard is abuzz!! So fun.

The hummingbirds finally started showing up last week. Yay! I was really surprised at how late they finally made it to our garden this year. I have lots of plants in the front garden they can feed on, such as the Rattlebox tree in the photo, Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue', Angelonia, Autumn sage, Salvia 'Mystic Sprires' and so on. We also hang a feeder or two near the front door. We currently have two females that are either competing for the turf or are youngin's from the same nest. I think they are nesting in a large crapemyrtle next to the house. They put on a show each morning at about 8am, where they will zip around the yard together. On Sunday morning, I came face to face with one.

Hummingbirds will make visual associations with people, especially ifthey see you around their feeding area consistently for about a month.They you might find they'll come right up to you or feed in yourpresence without being afraid. Good times. I tried getting some photos of them on Sunday, but couldn't get a clear shot. Will keep trying...

Nature takes care of things for you! So if you happen to be less than aggressive about getting your okra harvested on time, you'll find that the pods will dry on the plant and drop to the ground. There the seeds will germinate, giving you your next fall crop of okra plants. Convenient, eh? Now is the time to plant either new okra transplants or start them from seed for fall harvest. I just do mine the lazy way!

It's tomato hornworm season. You know, those big fat green striped caterpillars you find on your tomatoes right about now? The ones with the big horn on their backside? Yep. If you and I were having this conversation together...I'd probably tell you that's some big, fat, meaty, moist, juicy larvae...LOL. You have to be careful when you pick these guys off your plants. If you're not, and you squeeze just a little too tight, they will regurgitate lots of green digestive juices on you a la Alien style. No joke. I usually pick off the tiny branch they are latched on to in order to grab them. Then...they go to the chickens!

Exhibit A: The hornworm. Exhibit B: Mona licking the hornworm, then grossing out.

Honkers turns up her nose at it. Eunice gives it a try...then gives up.

Phyllis shows it who's boss. LOL

By the way, hornworms do turn into very cool sphinx moths...in case you're wondering.