Lion's Ear is very attractive to hummingbirds and also the occasional butterfly. Leonotis, or Lion's Ear as it is more commonly called, has lots of orange flowers in the fall and it attracts all manner of creatures not the least of which are gardeners. A tall 3 to 4 ft. perennial it has great drought tolerance. The orange tubular-shaped flowers are arranged in whorls around the stalks. A late summer and fall bloomer, it shines just as the hummingbirds start to become frenzied trying to eat enough to make it to their winter home. So to top it all off, Leonotis has great timing too.

Check us out on 'Facebook'. Blake is helping us become 'Hip'. Well he is giving it his best shot anyway. Become a fan and get the latest updates.

Container Gardening is becoming more and more popular. It makes a statement, adds accents and color and draws the eye to a focal point Plus there is less weeding

Save your clear plastic boxes from salads, etc. They make perfect seed germinating green-
houses. Moisten the soil before adding it to the box, smooth the surface, add you seed, cover lightly with soil if needed, close the cover and place in a brightly lit spot that does not receive direct sum. Once the seeds germinate open the lid a little longer each day until you can just leave it open. Then it is time to transplant. Recycling at its most fun.

Please join us for our Christmas Open House December 5th and 6th.

Remember to avoid fertilizing or cutting back plants after the first of October. Both fertilizer and trimming often stimulate new growth and soft new growth will be tender to any frost we have.

Recipe for Sugar water for Hummingbirds: 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water. No food color needed

Things to plant this Fall:
Cabbage
Lettuce
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Kale
Collard Greens
Turnips
Beets
Raddichio
Arugula
Cauliflower
Carrots
Bok Choi
Tatsoi
Kohlrabi

If you love spring blooming 'Wild Flowers" don't forget to sprinkle out your seed this fall. Poppies, larkspur, dame's rocket, coreopsis, corn flowers and Drummond Phlox are all best when planted from seed in the fall, between October and January. If you add mulch in the fall plant your seeds after you're done. Just as mulch helps keep weed seeds from germinating it will also 'help' keep flower seed from germinating

The Bulbs are arriving soon.

Yeah! Remember the fall is the time to plant most of the spring blooming bulbs. Daffodils especially can be planted early in October. Getting them in early gives them a chance to get rooted in nicely so they are ready to collect every hour of chilling we get in the south. Be sure to choose a well drained area that gets plenty of winter and early spring sun. Tulips cam be planted later, once its cooler. Remember squirrels and chipmunks etc eat tulips so plant them near the cat's favorite napping spot

Berries for the Birds
So many shrubs and trees are great sources of food for birds it's amazing. The neat thing is lots of them are also really attractive landscape plants as well. Some of our favorites include Viburnum opulus, Ilex decidua 'Warren's Red' and 'Finches Gold', Ilex verticillata
'Red Sprite", Sunset' and 'Winter Red, Carolina Buckthorn, Grancy Grey Beard, Serviceberry, Dogwood and Coral Honeysuckle, Vaccinium, sp.

Harvest Schedule:

Muscadines August 25 to Oct 1

Asian Pears: August 25th to Sept 15

Persimmons: About Oct 1 to Oct 30

Satsumas: Oct. 5 to December 5

Most Salvias are attractive to Hummingbirds, bloom late into the fall, are drought tolerant and generally just pretty. The perfect end of the summer plants.

Come Visit us at Pepper Place Market in Birmingham on Saturday's 7 to 12 through mid-October

Our winter cloth is a white polypropylene material that can help maintain temperatures 8-10 degrees warmer than outside air temperatures. Here in the middle of the state that means it must be below 24F before we have real concerns for anything we cover. Neat Right?