If you remember my post from last month on our Gulf Coast’s Six Seasons, it won’t surprise you that we are transitioning from spring into American Summer. I feel sorry for those of you who are still getting snow, but I’ll envy your wonderful summers when we’re sweltering in a four-month sauna that doesn’t let up.

Spring’s flowers are quickly fading. The azaleas are almost gone, pansies are taking their last breath, and my lettuce has all gone to seed. My first photo is a flower from a red tipped photina shrub. They looked good last week, but the rain caused them to shed all their blooms.

April showers beat up April flowers. Never fear, we’ll have lots more flowers in May.

I should have thrown some fertilizer out there before all this rain we’ve gotten. Everything could benefit from a boost of NPK.

However, things have greened up quickly this past week. These photos compare the southeast corner of my backyard only three days apart.

My big banana shrub (michelia figo) is flowering and scenting that area with a soft fragrance. If you like the way bananas smell, this tree-like shrub might be for you. The only thing I don’t like about it is the blossoms are delicate and fall off too easily in a hard rain. And it doesn’t grow bananas.

The blue flower spikes on the ajuga have been beautiful this year. This groundcover, also known as carpet bugleweed, is happily settled into several locations in the garden. It’s not invasive and provides colorful foliage color all year.

The knockout rose in the center of the backyard is blooming. That’s almost an understatement. It benefitted from a good pruning this winter, rejuvenated, and is covered in buds and blooms. I love that it flowers off and on for most of the year.

I’m visiting the locally owned garden centers to support local businesses, but also because they specialize in plants suitable to our area. Nothing against the big box stores, but they don’t always accommodate regional quirks. What grows well in one part of the country may not do well in another. Believe me. It’s an expensive lesson I’ve learned the hard way. I may as well have planted twenty-dollar bills in my flower beds.

Thank you for reading my blog and looking at my photos. I love it when people make comments, so I welcome your responses.

Have a wonderful week. Get out there and really notice God’s world. Something may surprise you. May God bless you.

Shalom, Dottie

I want to give credit to the guy who started this fun Six on Saturday idea. He lives in Great Britain, and his Twitter handle is @cavershamjj 

You can find his blog at  https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/