Heirloom gladiolus in Cades Cove
Exploring Cades Cove with Ma and Pa--
Exploring Cades Cove with Ma and Pa--
Hunting for Heirloom Gladiolus
Monday July 6, 2015
Ma- Bobbie Crawford-Hubbard
Pa-Ron Hubbard
One of the brats-Dana Koogler
Pictures are here: Cades Cove Pix
Blackberries ripening and heirloom gladiolus blooming of many shades!
Pa walking across the fields.
Ma doing her thing checking out all the beautiful flowers and taking pictures.
These peach colored glads are Gladiolus x gandavensis "Boone" cultivar.
They were introduced in 1925. They are some sort of hybrid and are quite hardy.
They do not have to be dug up and stored but over winter quite well.
All the shades of color were beautiful, but this one really stood out.
Gladiolus dalenii "Bolivian Peach"
Above: both these photos show the peach colored glads in North Carolina along a road.
They are very similar to the ones in Cades Cove. They also are an identical match to ones in a nearby yard!
Da doh doh doh... Scruffy Bear loping across the road near us!
He came out of the wood within arms reach by Pa!
Ma doing what she does! Taking photos of beautiful flowers! Enjoying them all.
We also saw some yellow butterfly weed! I have a picture of it at the top and the typical orange at the bottom. Both growing near one another. I had only seen yellow butterfly weed in one other place!
I saw something else I had not seen before. I knew dragonflies ate other insects, but I had never see one at work doing so. The dragonfly in this photo is eating a butterfly!
Another beautiful and different shade of gladiolus with a slightly different shape!
Pretty cascade along Forge Creek Road. The heavy rains had the streams gushing!
White gladiolus. This is some form of Parrot glad hybrid.
One of the last stops for the day was Gourley's Pond. I only thought I knew where that was.
Ma and Pa had to show me where it really was. It had no water in it today, but was instead filled with wildflowers and grasses. It was beautiful. We'll go back again and see it when it has water.
We'll go back and see the other little pond too!
We saw purple headed sneezeweed and lots of meadow beauty in various shades. Hot pink, white, and pale pink! Gorgeous stuff!
Finally we eased out of the cove and back to my vehicle. Hugs and kisses and promises to do it again soon! What a perfect day.
We have families we are born into. We have families God puts together for us.
Monday I spent time with the family God put together for me. Ron and Bobbie Hubbard have been my friends for a number of years. We just kind of adopted each other. They needed an extra kid.
I need parental supervision. Plenty OF IT! I was blessed to spend an entire day with them traipsing
around the meadows of Cades Cove exploring. It was great fun. Pa told lots of funny jokes that I can actually remember and that are fit to share with anyone! Ma and I ooed and ahhed over all the glorious shades of color in the meadows of flowers. We found far more heirloom gladiolus than
either of us ever expected. We had a rather humorous bear encounter with Pa trying to pet the bears.
Just kidding, but we thought he was going to! What a great day! Kenny was impressed and a little jealous. He's pretty rotten too and a little bratty so he is keen to get back out there and spend some time with them too!
I don't spend time anymore worrying about the fact that my biological family doesn't always
share my love of outdoors. I now believe its best to wallow in the Glory of God's Created works with my God Given family. I can hardly wait til next time!
Misty, foggy view across the cove.
These peach colored glads are Gladiolus x gandavensis "Boone" cultivar.
They were introduced in 1925. They are some sort of hybrid and are quite hardy.
They do not have to be dug up and stored but over winter quite well.
Some of these heirloom glads I have been able to locate in heirloom garden catalogs or online bulb companies. Some have histories and dates and names. Others do not because they have been forgotten. I am wondering if these gladiolus in the fields are all cultivars or if they are hybridizing on their own creating new colors and types? I did find a patch of peachy coral glads in the mountains of Western North Carolina that give me at least part of my answer. They appeared to have spread down the road from a home site where they were planted. They all stayed true to color and form. I think all these were planted and at one time I expect whomever planted them could tell you the lineage of each one and the name of the cultivar.
They are very similar to the ones in Cades Cove. They also are an identical match to ones in a nearby yard!
He came out of the wood within arms reach by Pa!
Ma and Pa had to show me where it really was. It had no water in it today, but was instead filled with wildflowers and grasses. It was beautiful. We'll go back again and see it when it has water.
We'll go back and see the other little pond too!
We saw purple headed sneezeweed and lots of meadow beauty in various shades. Hot pink, white, and pale pink! Gorgeous stuff!
Finally we eased out of the cove and back to my vehicle. Hugs and kisses and promises to do it again soon! What a perfect day.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you!
Dana 🐝