Southern Smorgasbord

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

My Glads Make Me Sad

Gladiolas are so lovely. But I simply cannot manage them. When I first bought my house I went crazy buying all kinds of bulbs, including glads. I have some purple ones that come up every year and promptly fall over.

This poor glad is leaning on top of a nearby day lily. These purple glads have come up every year for the last four years. Now I ask myself: why purple?

If you like to see gorgeous bulbs, go to the website for American Meadows. This pretty pink glad came from their catalog.

American Meadows also has a Biltmore Collection, featuring varieties grown at the Biltmore Mansion in North Carolina. The next two photos are from that collection. These didn't bloom last year at all. In fact I had forgotten all about them until I saw them blooming a few weeks ago.

It pays to walk around my yard every day. I never know what I might find!

Glorious!

This is my Gloriosa lily, also known as the flame lily, and climbing lily. One of my worst habits concerning my garden is to buy something on impulse, with no clue as to how it will do or fit in.

I saw a photograph of the gloriosa lily in a catalog last year and ordered three. They bloomed again this year, even better than before. I will definitely order some more for next year. After the hard freeze in January I wasn't sure they had survived, but they did indeed.

Buds!!

Come on, you can do it!

At last!

Their stalks have little tendrils that will attach to whatever is nearby. One got tangled up with the nearby bridal wreath. They really don't need staking, though.

I like them because of their height. They grow above the fence, which is about 3 1/2 feet high.

My daughter and I saw a house with these on either side of the front sidewalk. They were absolutely gorgeous.

Simply glorious!

Rudbeckias for the Heat of Summer!

I love these flowers! Why? Because they love the heat and don't need any attention at all during these hot summer days. In fact, they prefer it if they don't get their feet too wet. Better known as black-eyed-Susans, there are several varieties to choose from.

Two plants in my back yard.

From what I have read they are biennials; they should only live two years. Well, either that's not correct or mine have put out new growth and divided on their own, because they keep coming back each year bigger and better than before.

I really like their dark green hairy leaves. They are very unusual. These plants don't need staking at all. I probably should cut some and make an arrangement, but I just love seeing them in the yard.

I have some other rudbeckias around the yard too, but they don't put on such a show of color as those above.

Yes, this is a variety of rudbeckia. The greenish tint is very unusual.

I have no idea what this one's name is, but would venture to guess the word 'pinwheel' is included somewhere.

Just beginning to open.

A little bit wider open.

Ta-daa!!

Another bud starting to open.

Look at the center of this flower. A bee-magnet for sure. Pollen everywhere!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Hello, Old Friend!

For sentimental reasons going back many years, I've always enjoyed feeding ducks and/or geese. Every morning on my way to work I pass two duck/geese habitats. It's always a great way to start the day, especially when there are young out and about with their parents in the spring.

This particular duck, whose name is merely "Duck," lives near my office. I discovered him by accident over three years ago, when it became necessary to take a detour to and from the office. Once I saw him, it was a mission of mine to make sure he had plenty to eat.

His situation saddened me a little bit, because he was always alone. He would always be near the road, hunting for what food he could find in the grass and dirt.

I first started with bread, but later learned from a dear friend that ducks loved corn. My friend would take me to a local feed store where we'd get corn and just keep in our cars until it was all gone. A fifty-pound bag of corn cost $6.00. Not too bad a price!

This lone duck got me through a medical problem I had three years ago, in that he gave me something to focus on other than myself. Even though I didn't feel well, I was determined to go and look for him in order to feed him, even on weekends. Sometimes if he was on the water, he'd take off flying and land near my car and get several double handfuls of corn. I'd just call "Duck" and sometimes I'd see him paddling along. He came to know my voice.

This ritual went on regularly for a long time. Then last year I no longer saw him. I'd take corn and call for him but he wouldn't come. Once or twice I'd see him in the water, but he wouldn't come to me. But he was always alone. I felt sad for him, but figured he just wasn't hungry.

Then, about a week ago as I was driving to work early one morning, I saw him! He was on the opposite side of the pond where I used to feed him. It just so happened that I still had corn in the back of my car. What to do? I made a decision in a split second and swerved into a parking lot across the road from where he was pecking around in the dirt. By the time I got out of my car, opened the trunk and grabbed a handful of corn, "Duck" was crossing the street, heading my way! I got him to follow me back across the street, then ran back to the car for more corn. When I crossed the street again, "Duck" had a friend enjoying breakfast with him.

The next day both "Duck" and his friend were out early, so again I parked to take them corn. This time, they were both crossing the street, so I coaxed them back across before feeding them.

The bottom picture is "Duck's" friend. I don't see them every day, but at least I know "Duck" isn't alone any more. Every one, including ducks, need a best friend, don't you think? The one thing I can't help but wonder, though: did "Duck" recognize my car? I'd like to think so.

It's a Moth, It's a Hummingbird, It's a Hummingbird Moth!!!

This little fellow was spotted in my daughter's back yard a few days ago. Well, not this one; she tried taking pictures but none turned out because they were all blurry.

She said at first she thought it was a bug, but it moved like a hummingbird. Finally, she found out what it was: a hummingbird moth! I never knew there was such a thing. Isn't it cute?

It sort of looks like a bumblebee, too. And it's fuzzy-looking, like a bee. But its movements are like that of a hummingbird, because it flits very quickly from flower to flower and hovers while it eats. Unlike most moths, it comes out during daylight hours. It even hums like hummingbirds do, probably from the quick beating of its wings.

From what we can tell the one she saw was a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. Although its wings don't appear clear in these photos, usually the wings are covered in scales, but some species lose the scales; thus the name 'clearwing.'

Hummingbird moths are sort of plump and their tails open into a fan shape. They have a very long tongue which stays rolled up under their chins until they come upon a flower with the nectar that interests them. They tend to like phlox, monarda, honeysuckle, and verbena.