Garden Bloggers Bloom Day May 2009

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day has become an international hit on the fifteenth of each month; created and hosted by Carol; May Dreams Gardens.

Double Delight, a fragrant passalong from Lori, Gardener of Good and Evil, gave me double the fun for bloom day.

The Bicolor Iris is getting going, and should last through June.

The Butterfly Iris have had a few more blooms than this, but nothing spectacular really. I may end up taking them out.

So far, 2 of my new daylily purchases have bloomed. After agonizing for weeks over what to purchase so that I would have a variety of colors, so far everything looks just alike. Pretty, but not much difference really.

Here’s Byzantine Beauty:

and the slightly pinker, Princess Ellen. Both are very large blooms, which is nice.

The Pink Sunburst Canna is starting to bloom in the bed. I hope it continues all summer, I love it.

I’m beginning to love geraniums. They are one of the few dramatic flowers that really like the dappled shade of my yard.

A new purchase, Clerodendron Ugandense, also known as Butterfly Bush, has a spectacular bloom in mostly shade here. It’s a tender perennial, and supposedly I can cut it back in the fall and mulch over it for winter protection.

Citrus Splash, a passalong from Pam/Digging has given me several blooms in this first year. They start with yellow streaks in orangish-pink, then fade to an all-rosy color. Quite fun!

Moss Verbena is hardy and happy in several places in the garden.

And I have several colors of yarrow, another plant I’m loving. I’ve heard it’s very aggressive, but so far it isn’t in my garden. Once it blooms, I can cut off the stalks and it leaves a hardy, yet fern-like, groundcover that attracts beneficial insects.

And here’s the red yarrow. I didn’t picture the white.

A neighbor gave me a passalong 5-gallon Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow plant. Hers have been in  her yard for years, and are spectacular every spring. This one looked a better a couple of weeks ago, but here’s the last blooms.

Stella D’Oro Daylily, with Molly Ivans Salvia Coccinea in the background.

Why is Copper Canyon Daisy blooming now? It’s normally a fall bloomer.

I like how this shade container is turning out. Annual impatiens give bright color in the shade, and this is the first time I’ve used Spotted Dead Nettle as a trailing plant. I don’t know how it will fare through the summer heat, but I’ll let you know.

I like the bright red of this Salvia Greggii against the white rattan.

Persian Shield isn’t a bloom, but I love the purple color in the deep shade. If it were in brighter shade, the purple is almost neon bright and gorgeous.

Other blooms, not pictured, are Verbena in various colors, Purple Heart, Lantana in various colors, Bulbine, dwarf Pomegranite, Bottlebrush, Pink Salvia, Oxalis, Pink Turks Cap, Petunias, Nemesia, Begonias and Society Garlic.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day- April, 2009

Many thanks, as always, to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for creating and hosting this monthly event in the world of garden blogging.

Many of you read my recent whine about feeling like my yard  looks just like the local Whataburger, so I set out today to prove myself wrong. With this bloom from a passalong rose from Lori/Gardener of Good and Evil, I think I achieved that!

Double Delight Rose is gorgeous, with a scent to match.
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The Primrose Jasmine is at its peak.

The Mock Orange is just beginning. It will probably peak next week, especially if we get the “promised” rain in the forecast.

I didn’t even know that this recently planted Pittisporum bloomed, but it was covered with buds a week ago and these sweet, light yellow blooms have a fragrant scent to boot.

And I’m still loving my Double Ranunculus. It is going strong, with more buds to follow. These were bulbs picked up on a whim at Barton Springs Nursery last fall.

This most recent bloom on the same plant, though, is a single form.

This is my latest Ivy Geranium, a winter hardy geranium if I protect it from cold.

Another look at Double Delight from the front.

I finally got a decent photo of the bulbine.

The Abutilon is blooming. I love the variegated leaves with the busy, veined blooms.

And yet another Ivy Geranium. I love how you can see a bloom through the sheer curtains of the gazebo.

The Byzantine Gladiolus, an indulgence purchase from Southern Bulbs. Great color, aren’t they?

Coral Nymph Salvia Cocciniea. Molly Ivans is blooming in the front yard as well.

White Salvia Greggii, Pink Sunburst Canna, and The Flash peeking at me.

The Bottlebrush is just about to burst into blooms all over. I’m anxiously awaiting that, it’s a sight to see every spring.

Spotted Dead Nettle with Impatiens; a nice shade combo in a container.

A close-up of the Gladiolus.

Verbena is blooming in several colors now.

And this newly blooming plant just popped up as I was strolling through the garden taking pictures.

Other blooms are a kolanchoe, an aloe, ice plant, ajuga, red salvia, pink salvia, purple heart, and society garlic, bicolor Iris and butterfly Iris are just beginning.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – March ‘09

This newly planted Columbine may not survive in the garden because it isn’t a native, but I added it to encourage my native Columbines to bloom. You know, set an example or something. And I adore looking at it!
(Update: I discovered this species is called Winkie, or Winky, a heat-tolerant variety that has been shown to be hardy here in Central Texas over recent years. There is the possibility that it might be a perennial after all!)

I love the delicate flowers of the Columbine, and I’ve moved them into the new bed that I believe gives them appropriate sunshine and moisture; under a deciduous Cedar Elm so they can get a bit of winter sunshine and lots of summer shade. Perhaps next year’s blooms will be more prolific.

The Amethyst Flame Iris is still quite happy in her new home, with only 4-5 hours of sun during the winter. I’m surprised she has so many blooms, frankly.

I added this trailing lantana in a bright white to be groundcover in the bulb bed. I love the color, it’s such a true white. Difficult to photograph, though.

The Ivy Geranium recently pulled from her makeshift greenhouse winter home is happy in her usual place over the waterfall, where she gets constantly splashed lightly and has plenty of humidity, even in the drought.

In the front yard, the Mountain Laurel blooms are winding down. It was a lovely year for the Mountain Laurels, despite the lack of winter rain.

I didn’t get this leggy trailing Lantana in purple trimmed back in time before it burst into bloom. I’ll let it have a nice bloom time, then trim it as the season heats up near summer to shape it up and help it bloom more. It’s part of my purple and yellow color scheme for the front yard.

This Bulbine was moved into a new spot in the yard to get more sun. I’m creating a new bed around it, with plants that have yellow and orange blooms. Currently there is a Citrus Splash rose and a recently added yellow/orange Lantana. I plan to add a Pride of Barbados this year, and then perhaps an Agave for structure and contrast. I do like the silver blue of the Agave with the hot orange and yellow combination. It’s a slow work in progress.

Thanks to Carol, May Dreams Gardens, for sponsoring GBBD every month.

Bloom Day, February 2009

Thanks to Carol, May Dreams Garden, for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

At first I wasn’t going to bother with bloom day, because I didn’t think I had much to post. Today is the final day prior to kitchen remodeling, which commences tomorrow morning, and much work still remained to get ready. However, in pursuit of a much needed break, I decided to roam around the garden with my camera. Pleasantly surprised, I found more blooms than I realized. Of course, each of these blooms is just one on the entire plant, so don’t get excited and think that spring has come early to Central Texas. I’m anticipating one last cold front or freeze before spring arrives in March.

A little cheat here; I purchased a new Abutilon with gorgeous variegated leaves last week with Diana, Sharing Nature’s Garden, when we went to Barton Springs Nursery. I love the combination of the variegated bloom with the variegated leaf. A busy plant, but I have just the place for her and her drama queen behavior.

Tucked away into my tiny, portable and overcrowded greenhouse, this hardy Ivy Geranium has given me another sweet lavender bloom. I’m loving this plant more and more as I observe her survival instincts.

The Chinese Fringe Flower, or Loropetalum, is just starting to bloom:

Another recent purchase (perhaps a month ago) is this white potato vine that I added to the shady latticework intended for privacy between me and my backyard neighbors. If I can get this plant going, it will be stunning when filled out and in bloom.

Technically not a bloom, but showing off some seasonal color is this Flapjack Kolanchoe:

And my first true spring bloomer of the season, a baby Spring Bouquet Viburnum. This one was put into a container once I received the large viburnum passalongs from Diana last Fall. Those large transplants are still in a bit of shock, so I’ll look for them to be covered in blooms next spring once they have recovered.

This little succulent certainly looks like a flowery bloom, doesn’t it?

And I can assure you, when my newly planted bulbs bloom, I will be so excited that I will be posting pictures immediately! And I’ll probably even cheat, and put them on the next Bloom Day post, even if it isn’t the 15th. Here are the promises of things to come:

Grape Hyacinth

Passalong Iris from Pam/Digging

Byzantine Gladiolus from Southern Bulb Co. These were the bulbs that cost $10 EACH, so I only purchased two. I had been concerned that the squirrels had eaten one of them, but fortunately, it showed up as well as you can see. If I can get these established, it will be worth the expensive bulbs.

At one of the seminars I took at Zilker Gardens last year, I heard that Guacamole Hosta might grow okay here. I purchased a bulb online (actually I purchased 4 others as well, but they aren’t up yet) and this one immediately went to town. I hope it continues.

And then, of course, that bloomin’ cat!

January ‘09 Bloom Day – a little late

I didn’t cheat, really – I took the images on the 15th, but didn’t get to post until today. Above is a little green-leaf Oxalis that is the brightest thing in the garden right now.

This ice plant has continued to bloom, despite the fact that it is unprotected through the below-freezing days and nights, as well as a bit of snow that we’ve had this year.

The picture turned out bad because the Northeasterly wind wouldn’t stop blowing, but this is a purple lantana. It’s the only bloom on it right now, but I’m impressed it even has this much.

These leaves are on that same Lantana. I think they are so pretty right now, even though what I’m actually seeing is frost damage, I believe.

And this concerns me; some bulbs that were planted in November are already starting to grow. This is several Pink Double Ranunculus bulbs with vigorous growth already. We haven’t yet hit the coldest weather we will have this year, and I’m concerned I will lose them to freeze.

And this is good news, bad news. The bad news is that I believe this is my Heirloom Byzantine Gladiolus bulb starting to grow already. I’m concerned with the early growth on it, too. The good news is that the squirrels didn’t get it! I only bought two of these bulbs, because they cost $10 APIECE from Southern Bulb company. I felt if I could get them started with a couple, they would spread out eventually. Then, soon after I planted, I found holes in the ground and I was so PO’d! Hopefully, this one will survive.

And last, another non-flower GBBD photo like the last couple, is some beautiful foliage from the dwarf Nandina. These are the only form of Nandinas I enjoy; they stay small and get this great color in winter. They also do not berry, so they aren’t invasive.

I enjoyed the GBBD posts myself yesterday, thanks for letting me be late to the party! I was so excited about my new Tools, that I forgot to write about the garden…

Thanks to Carol, May Dreams Gardens, for creating Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Visit her post for a list of other Bloom Day posts.

December GBBD

Garden Bloggers bloom day is sponsored by Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of every month.

It’s easy to see how Christmas got its definitive red and green signature colors from this Nandina, or Heavenly Bamboo. It’s the last one in my yard – I’ve removed over 5 of them. Once my new plants have gained some height, this aggressive, non-native plant will be removed as well.

My Ivy Geranium still has a couple of purple blooms, surprisingly. It’s fun to see this time of year.

This Purple Heart has one bloom left.

The dwarf Pomegranite has a few small blooms left.

My favorite Bottlebrush seems to love this weather, even though it is a semi-tropical plant!

This cute little Shrimp plant was a new addition in the fall, and though the blooms are faded, it still provides a bit of color.

Again, another semi-tropical plant that hasn’t tucked tail and run in our unusually cold and windy December.

This bleeding heart vine is another fall addition to my yard. It has a few sweet purple blooms left. It appears that my yard is all purple and red!

And though it isn’t really a bloom, the Pyracanthea is still lush with berries. More green and red for the holidays!

The Plumbago, another semi-tropical that flourishes in Austin from spring to fall, has just one small bloom left.

What’s blooming in your garden in these snowy times?

Bloom Day, September 2008

It’s Bloom Day, and we are having fall-like weather!!! Most of the day was in the beautiful 70’s, with a mild north wind to cool it down even more and lower the humidity. Wow, what a great day! Still no rain, but this is a vast improvement. I waited until evening to take my bloom day photos, because I spent the day outdoors running errands and having a great time.

I’m sure most of you recognize the Esperanza (Yellow Bells) above; it’s one of my favorite plants and blooming right now all over Austin. I love seeing it – such a brilliant, vibrant yellow that never fades in the heat.

My favorite part of my bloom day (besides the cool weather) is this bed that is starting to fill in. All of these plants are new this year, and struggled to survive. Right now, though, they are singing the praises of Autumn.

I love it that in this picture that you can see the Esperanza, some happily blooming Plumbago, a Hibiscus that decided to give me four – count ‘em, FOUR – blooms today, a canna, and even my Ivy Geranium that is really enjoying cooler weather.

Here’s the Canna – what a great color. This one has variegated striped leaves that I love.

Do you recognize this? It’s the brilliant tiny blooms of a succulent – sempervivum gelsenium succulenium helsinkium – okay, you’re right, I have no idea the name of it, but I think it’s some sort of Hens and Chicks. Doesn’t matter, its my favorite one and I have had it for 8 years now. She’s frozen several times and keeps on coming back. What a girl!

This is a new succulent bowl that I’m really pleased with. A really cool terracotta-underneath-turquoise-on-top bowl from Great Outdoors, with beach glass from Pottery Barn as a mulch. The Rabbit Ear succulents are velvety and soft…the seashell is one I gathered myself from the bottom of the Caribbean many moons ago, and the rusty swimmers came from an art fountain that I used to have indoors. I think it looks like an underwater ocean scene, and since I’m such a water junkie, it really takes me away when I look at it.

Another look at all those colors in my backyard. Plumbago, Hibiscus, Esperanza.

What a beauty! I love how this picture shows the progression of the berries on this appropriately-named Beautyberry as they turn from green to vibrant fuscia.

I tried to capture how cool this Ruffled Leaf Echevaria is, but it’s hard to do.

The Elephant Ear came from Barton Springs nursery, and the Sword Fern came from Natural Gardener. Both of these are next to the waterfall on my pond. It really softened the whole thing when I added these.

My sweet and brilliantly hardy Bottlebrush tried her best to bloom, but this is as far as she got. There just isn’t enough water for her.

Does anyone know anything about this plant? It’s a Mussaenda Luteola (Dwarf Mussaenda). I found it at Natural Gardener, and the bloom is so sweet I had to get it. Before it blooms, the leaf nearest the buds turns completely white (making it very challenging to photograph, I must add), and then these tiny  little bright yellow blooms show up and last quite a while. Supposed to get 2-3 feet tall, and likes the sun, according to the label.

I gave the Senna a long slow drink of water this weekend once it became abundantly clear that we still weren’t going to get a drop of water from the sky. She’s doing well, considering it’s her first year.

Wedelia…I thought I had gotten rid of all it, since it likes to take over so much. Here’s a hardy piece that I decided to let it live and see if I can control it this time.

Other bloomers today are Mexican Oregano, Society Garlic, Bulbine (SO hard to photograph!), a bit on the new Snail Vine, Althea (Rose of Sharon), and Lariope.

And since it was so gorgeous, I did have to end the day at a nursery, of course! It really wasn’t my fault…I had to return something to Home Depot and I just happened to walk through the plants as I was leaving…anyway, here’s the back end of my SUV…

That’s it for bloom day! I had a great day today, I hope you did, too!

Bloom Day, August 2008

Since my last bloom day post was so pitiful – I was worn out and discouraged from the heat and my garden was reflecting my own dismay – I decided to get in gear and give it some much needed attention, despite the odds. So over the past month, I battled the heat, sweat, mosquitos, water bills, etc and used seaweed on my plants several times. I also babied them a bit, talking to them and encouraging them to hang in there. So things are looking a bit better in the garden, as is my attitude. Oh, it still looks meager – with so many new plants that just couldn’t flourish in the shockingly early heat wave that never left this year.

Fancy Hibiscus, non-native, not winter hardy

So, I guess the Garden Fairies decided to reward my positive attitude and I woke up to find 4 hibiscus flowers open today! Those hibiscus are so delicate, and rarely bloom, and this is only the second bloom of the year for one of the plants. So for me to have multiple in one day, bloom day especially, is an amazing sight for sore eyes.

Plumbago, Esperanza, Canna

Here’s the whole bed. You can see the still empty lattice behind, though the new Tangerine Beauty Crossvines are blooming even while they are tiny. I think they will be gorgeous once they are grown.

The Plumbago makes me happy; I love the color and it cools me off when I look at it. Every evening I get out and just sit for a few minutes and stare at it. As the sun sets, the lavender color seems to glow. I’m definitely going to plant more of that. The Esperanza (Tacoma Stans, yellowbells) is so new that it is just blooming slightly since the seaweed. The Canna, which hasn’t bloomed in a month, also joined in the fun and sent out a bloom this morning to add to the party.

So while it doesn’t look like much to the rest of you with aged gardens, or those of  you who have life-supporting weather, this is a major triumph for me. Not quite at the level of Michael Phelps, but who’s counting?

Aloe Vera with bloom stalk, bloom buds are yellow

My new succulent container garden seems to be doing well. I had no idea that Aloe Vera plants sent up bloom stalks, yet mine has a healthy one! And the hens and chicks is happily blooming away. They love the seaweed, I have to say.

And since the 1/4″ rain we had last week, my Crape Myrtles are finally blooming for real. They just weren’t doing much of anything, but now I’m looking at more lavender-pink colors in the trees. Gotta love that!

My flowering Senna is about to bloom for the first time ever; I planted it early spring, and it seems to be very happy in its new home. I believe next bloom day I can show it off – it’s just covered in buds.

And last but not least, my Bulbine is finally taking off. Some of them aren’t blooming at all , but several of them are really showing up. Sorry for the bad picture; my light was poor and I couldn’t keep the camera from using the flash, which blew out the plants.

The Day of the Dead, I mean, Bloom Day July 08

I’m a day late with my bloom day images because I was truly uninspired to get out in the 105 – yes that’s a one-hundred-five degrees to take pictures. Needless to say, there isn’t much to take pictures of. A lot of my plants are new this year, so they withered a month ago. The ones that are established are hanging in there, but not in a very pretty way. So here’s my favorite bloom right now:

I’ve decided to let you enjoy some of my favorite Garden Art, since it is the most colorful thing in the yard right now, and will be until the fall.

Wait, I forgot! The Crape Myrtles are sort-of blooming, but I didn’t get a picture of them. They are 30 years old, and just don’t bloom a lot anymore. But I do love the trunks, summer and winter.

Here are some “bugs” that have landed amongst the greenery:

And here is one of the new beds this year, showing the Plumbago blooming a bit, the Esperanza green but no blooms, and the Hibiscus covered with buds that never open, just fall off without blooming… sigh. Another good reason for me to move into more succulents. I don’t think I’m a good enough, or caretaking enough gardener to worry with tropicals, as much as I like them.

I suppose this must be an AFGE (You know what those are, right? “Another ….. learning experience.” I seem to have lots of those.

The Bicolor Iris still has a handful of blooms, but even my lantana is green with no blooms. The Flowering Senna isn’t. Daylilies have abandoned all hope. The Bulbine occasionally sends up a little yellow and orange, but it’s so minor I hardly can see it.

Hmm, sounds more like Whining Day than Bloom Day…

June 2008 Bloom Day

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for getting everyone involved in Bloom Day each month.

The heat wave is getting to everyone, my dear flowers most of all. The Lily of the Nile Agapanthus normally blooms in May and the blooms last for weeks. This year they are already almost gone because of the hot dry winds and scorching heat. That makes me sad, as I always enjoy their longevity and brightness in the front yard.

This one is interesting; it’s a new plant added this year to join the other Agapanthus. When it bloomed, it had one lavender bloom and one darker purple. Nice!

This is most likely the last of the daylily blooms . They are fading fast in the record-breaking heat that seems to be never-ending.

This is a sweet little unnamed Sedum that I picked up at Natural Gardener and it immediately took off in the back garden. It looks great around the large rocks.

I put a new lattice behind this Primrose Jasmine this year so it could climb easier. It took off and finally grew after I followed my Dad the Farmer’s advice and sprinkled my beds with Ammonia Sulfate. He grows peanuts in western North Texas, and years ago his County Agent told him this trick. The ammonia helps the plants absorb the available nitrogen, and the sulfate is acidifying. I usually try to just use compost, but I had things for years that weren’t growing and weren’t blooming, and this year they took off. I guess he was right, but don’t tell him I said that.

This is another plant that never bloomed for 3 years, and never grew at all until this year after the Ammonia Sulfate application. Now it’s gorgeous! I never knew what it could look like, and I’m so glad I didn’t just give up on it. Pam at Digging identified it for me as Mexican Oregano. I planted it so long ago and never saw it do anything that I had forgotten what it was.

And finally, my hibiscus are finally flowering! I bought these in April at Emerald Gardens. They were leftovers that didn’t sell last year, and the store had no idea what the blooms were going to be like. Because of that, I got these huge (3 gallon) plants for only $7.50 each. Since I adore Hibiscus and buy them every year anyway, I splurged on 3. I have been holding my breath in anticipation to see the blooms, and I haven’t been disappointed. They aren’t prolific bloomers, and the blooms only last one day (typical of hibiscus), but these are worth it. I managed to get all 3 in recent days.

This bloom is nearly 6″ across! Quite spectacular, and the color is incredible.

No slackers themselves, these two are about 5″ across, and I adore the colors. Since they close up permanently the evening of the day of their bloom, I’ve been cutting them in late afternoon and bringing them inside to enjoy through the rest of the evening.

Other things that are still hanging in there with a few blooms are the Bicolor Iris and Althea (Rose of Sharon), pictured in May. Other bloomers without pics right now are Guara, Coral Honeysuckle, lingering Pomegranite flowers and one fruit, Hydrangea, Caladiums, Salvia Gregii, Tropical Sage, Petunias, Geraniums, Cannas, Bulbine, Society Garlic, Crape Myrtle Trees (those blooms are too high for me to see, much less photograph) and a bit of Lantana – I don’t think they get enough sun to be big bloomers. Same with my Bulbine and Society Garlic. I need more sun for all.

I can’t wait to see everyone’s bloom day as I browse blogs on Father’s Day. And tomorrow, the Pond Work continues.