Treasures in the Out of Doors

I got the notion to fill a wire tiered basket in the greenhouse with greenery from the garden and a few trinkets from a half century of collecting Christmas.

I clipped greenery from junipers and boxwoods. I decided a few cuts from loropetalum might make good contrast to the greenery. I was surprised to find fringes of blooms on some of the loropetalums.

One dogwood still had red berries but I abandoned cutting berries when I realized the same twigs had next year's buds. Just before I came in out of the wind, I found a last orange rose.

All the treasures went into bottles on my tray where I put bits and pieces to enjoy.

Charisma, the last floribunda bloom.

Dogwood berries and late leaves.

Loropetalum fringes.

... and the Christmas decors for the greenhouse, including

a rose campion plant, pecans and a red nutcracker.

Flowers and text are from the garden of Nell Jean blogged on Dotty Plants Journal in hot, humid Southwest Georgia.

Laura Pedlum Is Back and Still Lovely

One of the most frequent searches that finds my blog is for Laura Pedlum. My Loropetalum pictures in full bloom are sometimes downloaded. I noticed today that one is already putting on the little fringes that we usually begin to see in August, a rebloom of the spring show but with fewer flowers.

Hot pink fringes of Loropetalum against lilac pink blooms of Crape Myrtle. A few Loropetalum leaves are already turning red.


Around the pump house I have a border of shrubs with white blossoms which includes a white Loropetalum. It isn't blooming now.  Reblooming is a white Crape Myrtle.

Janie had mentioned the scent of white Crape Myrtle. This morning before the sun was hot and everything was still damp from dew, the fragrance was wonderful in the shade.

White Crape Myrtle and a bottle tree in the pumphouse bed.

White Crape on the right in the front garden.

Loropetalum blooms before the Azalea show starts in Spring and lasts past the last Azaleas. As years pass, Loropetalum tends to grow into trees unless pruned hard.

Loropetalum in bloom in the early spring.

Laura Pedlum is a welcome visitor. She has come to stay.

Butterflies are welcome visitors, too. Here's a Spicebush Swallowtail happily working Pride of Barbados. He is momentarily joined by another butterfly who soon flies off to a greener vista.