A Coastal Alabama Garden: Mostly Bees

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Mostly Bees

I haven't seen any hummingbirds for a few days. Maybe the last of them have moved through our area-- or just the two or three that had been hanging around here.

On sunny days, there are still quite a few butterflies (mostly sulphurs, skippers, and Gulf fritillaries).

But mostly, in recent days, I'm noticing the bees.

Bees on "blue bedder" sage...

Bees on "pinata" lavender...

Bees on swamp daisies...

Bees (though unpictured) on marigolds and Mexican petunias...

And even more bees on blanket flowers.

The other evening, we noticed bees sleeping on the blanket flowers, and Donald took a photo.

There's something sweet and calming about bees sleeping on flowers.
It makes me sleepy, too, just thinking about it.

Welcome!

I'm a lazy gardener located in a coastal county of Alabama, within a short drive of the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay.

My garden is in zone 8b (sunset zone 28), which means we have mild winters, hot summers, and a long growing season. Rain can (and will) fall any/every month of the year, sometimes by the bucketful, and humidity is a way of life.

We can grow a wide range of plants, including subtropicals, but anything that needs a good winter chill is out, and some plants just can't abide our delightful combination of relentless summertime heat and humidity. (Can't say that I blame them, to be honest...)

My gardening style is informal and eclectic. I love old-fashioned plants (and gardens)-- cottage gardens-- and exuberant, jungly plantings. I'm always in search of plants that are tough enough to survive my imperfect gardening practices-- but I'm trying to do better, year by year.

My husband (Donald) and I dabble in vegetable gardening, but it's not a passion. We share our large, fenced yard with two Eskies (American Eskimo dogs) named Trixie and Luna.