Blooming in May

Potato Vine has a bloom today :)

and on a side note - this came as my Mother's Day gift...promptly put him by the pond...glad the BF has a sense of humor...lol

rednyr, did you ask him if it's a self-portrait?

Not mine but this is an ever bloom hydrangea. No idea how this one made it through a cold winter without damage, must have been just enough protection from the cold.

Cobia should be swimming up river soon. Front yard has a nice smell to it.

"The State:
Posted on Tue, May. 10, 2011
Warning issued on eating popular saltwater fish

State warnings to limit consumption of certain fish were expanded Monday to include cobia, a popular saltwater game species that some consider one of the tastiest fish caught in South Carolina.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control advises people not to eat more than one meal per month of cobia because of mercury contamination.
DHEC’s cobia warning brings to five the number of saltwater species that carry agency health advisories because of mercury pollution. Shark, swordfish, larger king mackerel and tilefish also carry consumption advisories.
Cobia are found in the eastern United States, from the Florida Keys to New England, and in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service. They can reach 6 feet long and weigh as much as 100 pounds. Cobia are popular both because of their size and taste, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
State officials added cobia to the list of species with warnings after collecting samples from fishing tournaments the past few years, DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick said.
Mercury pollution is a widespread problem in fish in many states, including the South. Much of the mercury found in fish builds up in their tissue over lifetimes of exposure to the toxic metal. That means the biggest fish are the ones most likely to contain high mercury levels. Scientists say a major cause of mercury in fish is industrial air pollution that rains back to Earth and slowly contaminates fish.
Most freshwater rivers from Columbia to the coast carry mercury warnings to limit consumption of certain fish, including largemouth bass and bowfin.
The department’s annual advisory also reminded people to limit consumption of largemouth bass in the Catawba River basin between Columbia and Charlotte. PCBs are polluting those fish. The agency first issued PCB warnings in the Catawba basin last year and expanded those warnings this past winter. State officials are still investigating the source of the industrial poison."

On a happier note, here is my Endless Summer. I am not seeing a lot of cold damage on Hydrangeas up here. The new leaves cover everything.

I'm well aware of tilefish etc but I haven't seen a warning on Cobia. Thanks for the info it a very popular fish to fish for this time of year.

The boats were side by side under the Broad River Bridge the other day, they must be running already.

Those blue hydrangeas are pretty .. it would be nice if I could get some of mine to go blue but every time I try to change the pH of the soil around them they end an ugly half and half.

I do not try and agressively change the pH, I just use azalea camellia fertilizer and that provides enough acid to keep them a light blue. Some people add lots of aluminum sulfate and, IMO, they come out an unnatural color.

I grew some cuttings in potting mix, which usually has a neutral pH and they came out the prettiest pink. I had not added any fertilizer to them.

Core! How's your daughter faring! bet she won't help you fish for Cobia (just teasing ya!)

My very first Asiatic Lily - Vermeer. Got to get more of these guys! Anyone who has some to trade, let me know!

X, very pretty! Mine came back this year, I was surprised. I don't have great luck with lilies.

Thanks! After last winter I'm amazed a lot of things came back!

Xerantheum, some recent articles I've read (have no idea where) suggest that proper pH alone is not enough to make Hydrangeas turn blue. Seems the Aluminum content in the soil is equally important, if not more important for the blue color to emerge. I am cursed with pH ranges from 7.5-9.5(!) on my property, so I'm in a constant battle with this thing. I had been using straight sulphur to drop the pH in the various beds, but 2 years ago, I switched to aluminum sulphate around the Hydrangeas. My Hydrangeas are now almost all blue. I think they'll be ALL blue in the next couple of years, but who knows?

Thanks for the info! I'll look into it .. I fed them a few days ago with Miracle Grow and some of them are starting to get bi-color!