Does hope spring eternal?

In spite of two years of summer draught and almost endless hours spent with hose in hand, I greatly desire to plant more new plants. There are so many plants, so little time and space. It's hard to imagine weeks of 100 degree weather with abundant humidity. Last year I think we had 13 days in a row of 100 degree temperatures.
And despite that I lost a fetterbush and a Red Star Chaemacyparis, I plan to plant new ones, plus things I have never tried - like having a palm tree in the black belt,
a cabbage palm. I think there use to be one in our town, but I haven't seen it lately. Was it my imagination?

Another Freeze

My Saucer Magnolia, I thought was safe for a few days. But if the weatherman is right
- either it gets zapped tonight or tomorrow night. Everything gets excited during the
Indian summers, and then an artic chill knocks them down.

Spring Chores

Not only do I have many blooming things to look forward to - there are some things I
wish I could put off another 6 months. The oil must be changed in the push lawnmower
and the riding lawnmower. All 800 trees and shrubs need fertilizing, plus all the
bulbs that have made for a glorius spring, need a few shots of bulb food.

Yesterday I picked up pine cones. What a pain. However so many great plants like growing under pine trees.

Plenty of Rain this week

Well we have gotten five inches of rain this week in our garden. I guess the lettuce
and broccoli are enjoying it as well as all the other plants. I hope this summer we will get as much rain as we have gotten in February.

The lovliness of Rosemary

The nearness of spring is in the air. It seems as if you can smell it - what with
all the jonquils, oriental magnolias, flowering quince, and spireas blooming, etc.
My rosemary is beginning to bloom for the first time.

March, year before last, my mother and I visited the Alabama Shakespeare Festival
Theater and gardens, which is part of the Winton Blount Cultural Park. In the
Bard's Garden there were hedges of rosemary with their exquisite blue blooms. And to be sure, the smell is divine.

Dangerous Living around here.

Each year it seems to be getting more dangerous to live in the southland. It's not even tornado season, and there have been so many. Prattville, a town just outside
of Montgomery,Al. was the scene of much devastation this Sunday. It was truly a miracle that no one was killed as in Tennesee a few weeks ago.

Saucer Magnolia is fine, unless in full bloom a hard freeze comes

Our family doctor's front yard has a beautiful saucer magnolia that was in full bloom
last week when a hard freeze came. It now looks dreadful. Thank God, our saucer magnolia in the woodland garden fared much better. Only a few blooms were frozen. Hopefully when more blooms open, they will not be frozen. The fragrance is as wonderful as the huge blooms.