We're Still Bloomin'!

One of the most difficult times for a gardener in Southern Mississippi is the July and August months. The heat here can be unbearable, even for the flowers. My mixed baskets are heat exhausted, so is My John so it's pretty low maintenance for now. When we grew our seeds this year we focused on things that would be natural bloomers in the heat to fill the gaps of blooms during these months. Wanna see?

Peach Hibiscus

Moonflowers, these are night only bloomers. Love to walk out in the moonlight and see these beauties. A moonflower is a vine, started out small, and now is covering the front gate. Looks a little aggressive will have to keep the cutting shears near by on this one. This is the starter for what will someday be my "moon garden."


Pink mandevilla. This one is not scared of the 100+ temperatures here. Just start it on a trellis and let it go.


Yellow Hibiscus. The yellow flowers are my favorites. Even with roses, I want the yellow dozen that no one ever buys at Valentine's Day.


Cajun Hibiscus, a return investment year after year. These babies get it when it comes to bloomin'!


We have enough to share with co-workers, fellow chefs and neighbors. As a matter of fact, I have enough to share with you too, because everyone else is sick of me dumping on them. The peppers have gotten out of hand. This is one morning's pick.


This is Tibouchina, also known as a princess flower. This is John's favorite plant, and he really knows plants. Rare to say the least. I had one a couple of years ago, that was stolen. It took me forever to find another.

Here is my Plumeria. I am really proud of this one. Plumeria is very hard to grow. I really had to work at this one. You know how some flavored things don't smell like it originator at all? Like, grape flavored things do not smell like grapes. Well this smells exactly like the Bath and Body Lotion. Amazed me at first, and one little flower can fill my garden with this scent for days.

Thanks, for stopping by the garden, take some blooms home if you like!
Love,
The Bumpkin

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Impatiens for the shade.....just beautiful dontcha' think?


I've have been raising a fuss about John spilling the bird seed on the front porch when he feeds the birds. Hurts your feet! Sorry Honey! I found the culprit!
Oooops!



Remember the little yellow bloom? Squash anyone?

"Oh, let me step in the garden, and I'll cut us fresh lettuce for the salad."

Fresh steamed green beans....Yummmmmm!

Look at my tomater plants Y'all! Fried green tomatoes are on the menu!

Brussel Sprouts, odd little growers. Looks like the leaves are tightening in the middle? Where are they gonna come from?

6 months before Mamma died, she went blind from Diabetes. We would sit in the garden
and she would ask me to tell her about the blooms. John and I took a trip, and he found a White Angel Trumpet plant. Knowing she could see some things in shadows, and the blooms being white, and 1-2 ft long..My John thought just maybe, and he bought this plant for her. I took her outside, and she said, "I can see them, I can see them!" A priceless memory for me! This plant blooms around Mother's Day and Christmas. Do you think it could be a message? I miss my Mamma I'll take anything...........Happy Mother's Day Mamma, can you see them?

Looks a little different now. My Valentines Day greenhouse!

Inside the greenhouse we are starting again. This time radishes, carrots, new flowers, and WATERMELONS!!!! I love Watermelon...He saved the seeds from some fancy schmancy watermelon last year. Can't wait!

A salvage from Katrina, that John brought home from New Orleans. This is a antique sugar cane cooking, cast iron pot. In the wintertime, it's my fire pit, in the spring it turns into this......








I promised to share the "vegetables of our labor" with all of you. It ain't much but it's a start!



Love,
The Bumpkin

I'm Loving It!

I found a little project for My John today over at a new site I found.
Completely Coastal is soooooo The Bumpkin's kinda place, and I'm Loving It! I will be a regular daily no doubt. Jump over there for everything coastal, click on the picture over there for complete instructions (how cool is that?). (GRITS this site is sooooo you too!)

Now wonder what I can do for My John to coerce him to take on this project? I'm thinking it's gonna take a chocolate cake for sure, and I'm sure he'll have a suggestion or 2. Oh, what we women must do...........

Love,
The Bumpkin

Look What's Blooming!!!!

Bottlebrush Tree:
Callistemon rigidus for you plant nerds!

I love this tree, it is in it's second year in the Bumpkin's garden. This particular one is patio formed.

Can be grown in Zones 8-11, so can only be enjoyed by you deep south belles and beaus, but for you others I will share a tip. Container grown, can be moved into a closed patio for cooler months. Needs full sun though. It is also drought tolerant, which is really great here in "dry as the desert" Mississippi. This one is cutting into the power lines, in just one season, and will have to be moved, but I made John wait until it bloomed in the spring before he shocks it's little system again. Beautiful evergreen foliage when not blooming as well. Blooms in late winter/early spring, mid spring, and Late Spring/Early summer.

The butterflies, and hummingbirds love this beauty as well.

The bad part, so do the bees!
More updates from the greenhouse and garden later this week!

Love,
The Bumpkin

We Mean Green!

Spring is in full swing like The Bumpkin here in Southern Mississippi, so is the pollen, and my allergies are responding properly. We have been oh so busy in the greenhouse. Originally built to help stimulate our grocery budget, we have been potting and planting nonstop for two weeks. We planted the expensive items from the produce aisle, tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers, jalapenos (a must since I'm a Cajun belle), bell peppers and lettuce, just to name a few. It will be so suave to say during future dinner parties, "The lettuce was cut fresh from the greenhouse!" The Barefoot Bumpkin instead of Contessa. One thing I love about the greenhouse, is that I planted these seeds 4 days ago, and lookie, lookie, what has happened already.

See the flats of color in the greenhouse?

They have all now been turned into these lovelies! Mixed baskets are one of my favorite features of our garden. This one is newly planted. I will post a picture in a few weeks when they have matured so that you can see just why we go to all this trouble. They will be tall, full, and cascading with the glory of gardening.

They are proudly displayed in the garden, in the most prominent places, plus they will provide some mad money for The Bumpkin at the open air market on Saturdays in my town. See Jibbs, he is the only four paws allowed in the garden. One, because he literally follows Mamma every step she takes, and will be down right pushy, if I don't allow him to. Two, because he is the only one I have sucessfully trained not to pee on my flowers. He's such a good boy!

This monster is a Century plant, or Americana Agave for you garden techies. It only blooms once in it's lifetime. The bloom is usually about 35-40 feet tall. Century plants are very rare, and the blooms even more rare. I have seen two blooms in my lifetime. One when I was 15 as tall as the two story house where it was planted. It takes everything the plant has to bloom, this I know, because the plant dies right after. What an amazing last tribute.

This particular one has been very busy over the winter. Just look at how hard it worked.
Lots of babies............More mad money for The Bumpkin at the open air market.

We Mean Green and the flowers of our labor will be regular features here at The Swing. I plan to provide some gardening tips, and welcome any questions. Sad news though, I simply won't be able to share my top secret gardening strategy. Not just yet anyway.
Here's a quote dedicated to all my bloggie friends that fits well with this post.
I recently stole this from someone's site, but did not note from where. I have now learned better. So here is the disclaimer.
This photo is from some unknown wonderful blogger, whom I'm sure I really dig your blog, and read faithfully, but neglected to note your info for proper credit. Sorry! If this is your handy work, send me a note, and I will promptly correct.

Love,
The Bumpkin