Murky, just viewing Rose's photos above one of which is pulmonaria (lung wort). Are you able to grow these where you live? Hummingbirds as well as bees just love them. They are actually the first source of nectar in my garden in early spring.

Zeta, I bought that begonia similar to your picture and was so happy to have found a different looking begonia. It didn't last too long, early frost killed it. Disappointed me cause I was planning on trying to take a cutting, rooting it and keeping it over the winter.

What is this? Has shape and color of a tomato but is it? Could be but what then are the three green sprouts on the top.



Everybodies pictures are great! You all seem to have large properties which you have filled very well with a variety of plants. You really demonstrate your love of gardening. Lots of work there. These pictures made my day.

That begonia is a great one. mI bring it in before frost. Don't water it, it drops all of it's branches. When it is ready it reappears. I start watering. It is one of the first blooming plants I put back out. i have had it for a good 5 years now. I wouldn't be surprised if it came back up after a mild frost. It was first discovered by binoculars on a Bolivian hillside. I think it goes dormant there too.

@tigerpaws


This is a (store bought) tomato (tennis ball size) that was left on the kitchen counter for a few days to ripen. The seeds sprouted inside the tomato and broke through its skin. The image was taken 2 Sep '22. I'd not seen that happen before and figured someone might be interested in seeing it.
Al

I looked at lungwort and it might be possible on the north side of my garage. It sounds interesting, I'll have to find a few to place in that spot and see how they do.

Otherwise I found that if I start buying the hummers' favorites early, have them out by May 1st, even if just still in the little plastic nursery pots on the pavement waiting to be planted, the hummingbirds find them and start feeding earlier than ever. I stumbled on that accidentally the one year I found a few plants early. Now I make it a point to get at least Cuphea and Wendy's Wish Salvia early to sit outside, that's been attracting the males early and then they stay all summer.

Rose, love the catfish! What is the secret on the Hanoke grass, mine just kind of sits there, never getting that big.

I saw one of these on Facebook. Most of the comments were about people planting them and getting really nice plants with lots of tomatoes. I thought it looked like something from the Alien movies!



@crawgarden
I've been asked that question a lot! I think it just likes my sandy soil because I just cut a chunk out and plop it in the ground. I started out with 6 4" pots. Now they're all over my yard.

Some Spring and some last summer garden pictures.

Nice! Love the swallow peeking out of the birdhouse.

Beautiful Susie!

Thanks Rj and tigerpaws. The birdhouse is right by our patio so it is fun to watch the tree swallows as they are nesting. We get a lot of them in the numerous birdhouses and enjoy them until the babies are starting to fledge. Then they get very aggressive and if you get to close the parents dive bomb you and somehow they send a message and a whole bunch come and help them dive bomb you. My husband laughs at me when I won't go into those parts of my garden until the babies have left because they have totally intimidated me. The one by the patio has gotten pretty used to us though and doesn't get so excited if I have to get close to cut a flower or water something.

I'm not sure if all of these beautiful garden pictures are good for my soul, or making me more impatient for spring's arrival!

My guess would be both.

Al

My guess is both also . Beautiful pictures Tapla, Rose, Susie and everyone in between

You can't have too many daylilies

What is the name of those sky blue flowers please?

@Murky , Nancy I like your approach when it comes to the hummingbird . I have a big Honeysuckle vine that is a main staple that blooms from spring to frost. The hummingbirds usually leave sometime in September around here. Getting back to the Cardinal Climber among others this year.

@Tigerpaws those are Virginia Bluebells. My friend @pitimpinai otherwise known as my garden angel shared these among others from her garden with me.

Hazelcrestmikeb said: @Tigerpaws those are Virginia Bluebells. My friend @pitimpinai otherwise known as my garden angel shared these among others from her garden with me.

They are very pretty. Are they difficult to grow?

@Tigerpaws they are not. They die back after flowering and return each year. This will be the fourth year in the garden.

Hazelcrestmikeb said: @Murky , Nancy I like your approach when it comes to the hummingbird . I have a big Honeysuckle vine that is a main staple that blooms from spring to frost. The hummingbirds usually leave sometime in September around here. Getting back to the Cardinal Climber among others this year.

I love watching hummingbirds all summer. When I first moved here, I'd see them only during fall migration when I started planting the right flowers for them. Now I see them daily all summer, from spring migration through fall migration and I love it. Usually they're gone by the end of September here in Des Plaines, the 29th was the latest I'd seen one. But this past summer the last one I saw was Oct 6th because of the unseasonably warm weather we had and plenty of flowers still blooming to keep them well-fed. So they agree that I have my priorities straight!