One of my favorite spring blooms. Blue sandhill lupine (Lupine diffusus).

Iris verna bloom.

Iris verna, is a dwarf iris that actually enjoys drier conditions. You get short tuffs of grass like foliage and these amazing blooms in the spring, even when growing in a drier garden bed! It's native range is all across the Southeast with some rare populations in North Florida.

A rare fruit I had the opportunity to try in Peru. This is the fruit of the Inga edulis tree native to South America. The most common name in English is the Ice Cream Bean. Locally called guaba.

Off season phlox bloom.

A beautiful off-season phlox bloom in the snow.

When you have historic winter weather on the gulfcoast, there is less to worry about with native plants! See below. My citris tree needed a little help!

Native azalea in bloom.

Spring and native azalea blooms are right around the corner! It's definitely a beautiful native plant worth considering in the Southeast!

Picture of local phlox wildflower patch.

Most of the plant nurseries in my area will say, "you can't grow phlox on the gulf coast". That may be true if you buy plants from New Jersey. Growers using seeds from local wild flower populations of Phlox pilosa know better (caption below). Lesson - local ecotypes and local growers are important.

Blue-eyed grass flower close up.

Winter is here, but spring and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium) blooms are just around the corner.

This is how I cold stratify my seeds. Christmas is the perfect time to start native plant propogation for the spring!

Far away photo of Procession flower.

Close up 1 of the procession flowers.

Close up 2 of the procession flowers

Polygala incarnata, or Procession flower, is a diminutive but beautiful flower when viewed up close. It looks like grass when not in bloom. Its growing range goes across all the Southeast and more sparsely up north into Canada and Michigan.

Something I do a lot of this time of year is seed collection. I have a tip in the below video to help prevent collecting and trying to germinate dud seeds.

Asclepias Tuberosa shot 1

Asclepias Tuberosa shot 2

Asclepias Tuberosa flower close up.

Asclepias Tuberosa shot 3.

Asclepias tuberosa, or butterfly weed is a native garden favorite. Native butterfly weed is a host plant for the monarch butterfly. It is very adaptable and drought tolerant. Local seed sources always perform best for this plant. Its native range is across most of North America.

Hamamelis virginiana, Witch hazel ! I saw some on a bike ride today.

Monarda fistulosa, or wild bergamont, shown in the below photos, is one of my favorites. I'm collecting seeds now in preparation for the end of winter. They look amazing in mass.

Asemeia grandiflora, or showy milkwort, makes a very beautiful, almost pea like flower. It occurs naturally in the Southeast, typically in pine savanahs. It is not typically available for purchase, so enjoy it if you have the opportunity!

Nice! Hey at least you know it's healthy.

Melanthera nivea, or Salt and Pepper Bush, is another absolute pollinator magnet. It ranges all the way up to Southern Illinois and well down into South Florida. It is very easy to grow, though it can grow large (5ft tall), making it more favored in pollinator gardens and wild flower plots.

An angry swallowtail caterpillar??? Nothing cooler.

Rudbeckia maxima, or giant blackeye Susan has gained some popularity in my area. The cabbage like leafs and unique flower shape make it a wonderful addition to a native flower bed. It grows to 5-8ft in my garden and puts on a show with giant flowers swaying on green poles when the wind blows.

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) always seems to bloom right at the end of fall for me. The long string like petals are captivating. As a bonus, the plant is used for many medical benefits, mostly related to skin care and healing.

Cover the Warden Burger in Baldwin County Alabama. One of the Alabama Jails (of which Alabama is under federal orders to improve overall) is serving a punishment food to inmates. The warden curses and takes some typical movie style southern stances on punishment. It's pretty entertaining.

Trilisa odoratissimus or deer tongue is a beautiful purple fall flower. As a bonus, the plant's dried leafs smell like vanilla and were traditionally crushed and used to cover up a hunter's scent.

Asclepias obovata.... it's clearly butterfly crack, or I never would have noticed it on the side of the road.

Just a bee enjoying a nap on a passion flower (Passiflora incarnata). This climbing vine is a host for the gulf fritillary and makes an edible fruit!

Gaillardia aestivalis close up.

Gallardia aestivalis

Gaillardia aestivalis petals emerging.

Gaillardia aestivalis, or the lance leafed blanket flower. It's been a wonderful plant for me in the Southeast and is also found throughout the south and southern great plains. It's very prolific and hardy.

Centaurea americana, Plectocephalus americanus or commmonly called the American basket flower. A beautiful annual flower found across Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Bee in false foxglove flower.

View of false foxglove in bloom.

Agalinis fasciculata, false foxglove. One of the more beautiful fall blooms. Interestingly, it also acts as a hemiparisite.

Asclepias humistrata (sandhill milkweed) one of my favorite milkweeds!

Longleaf Pine Savanah. A beautiful native forest in Alabama.

Bushy Bluestem. Andropogon glomeratus.