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!
Getting Grounded 
Looks like you have some nice flowers for February Bloom Day. I can’t believe that you have a hosta up already. Some of mine are showing swollen buds, but that’s all.
Jan
Always Growing
Well, not surprising that we have some of the same things, since we bought them together! That Abutilon looks great, and I love that little succulent. But my favorite is the bloomin’ cat! Happy Bloom Day~
Jan, that Hosta is a big experiment. Austin rarely lets Hostas grow in our lime soil and dry, ridiculously hot summers. It has been growing for over a month already, so I’m crossing my fingers.
I’m planning to plant tomorrow, Diana, while my old saltillo tile floor is removed with a jackhammer. A good day to be outside, I think. Have you planted yours yet?
The cat is my favorite too! The potato vine is lovely, as are your many other blooms. I hope the iris flowers for you this year.
The cat is definitely best in show in my garden anytime. I hope the Iris blooms as well; she seems to be happy and she said to say “hey, girlfriend”.
Great photos, Robin. Can’t wait to see your glads in bloom. I’ve always wanted some gladiolus in my garden — I may have to copy you.
Check back in a month or two, Renee; I’ll definitely post them if/when they bloom. I love glads, too; it would be lovely to have enough to put into a vase indoors.
All you Austin gardeners keep insisting that you only have one bloom here, or one bloom there, but it sure looks like a lot to me, compared to what’s going on in my garden!
Thanks for joining in for bloom day!
Carol, it’s always better in the neighbor’s garden, isn’t it? Thanks for visiting.
I got one of those Byzantine glads. Mine is peeking up to. I put a small fence of window screen around it to protect it from the raiding rabbits.Hope all of ours bloom and do as well as they say.
Nancy, I’m very much looking forward to those magenta blooms! Do you think April?
I don’t think I’ve ever had a lavender-colored geranium. But would love to find one. My hostas aren’t up yet. Cold here today, in East Texas.
Brenda
I hadn’t seen one either, Brenda, until this one. It is a trailing Ivy Geranium, so slightly different than a normal mounding one. Hostas in east Texas – a pretty normal thing in that acid soil, right? Hostas in limestone-alkaline Central Texas – rare and probably it won’t make it. But I’m going to at least give it a try with this one. Your yard is gorgeous with all those great bloomers! Thanks for writing.
Okay, one too many GBBD posts on that abutilon and I gotta have it! Lucky for me I’m driving to Austin tomorrow and will of course stop at B.S. Nursery. Interesting that your viburnum is blooming. I have had one for two years now and it hasn’t bloomed yet. Hmm… Good luck on your remodel (I’ve been through a kitchen remodel so I know how much “fun” they are).
Your hosta is up now? I am keeping a small cultivar in captivity here, too. It’s lived for a couple of years, but it goes totally dormant from late fall to mid-spring. You have a fine bloom day for February, Robin!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
That Hosta actually started well over a month ago. I’m surprised, too, but I’ll just watch and see what happens.
I didn’t get the Abutilon myself until I discovered that it is evergreen with nearly year-round blooms in Central Texas. And it likes partial shade. It suddenly became my must-have plant. Have fun at Barton Springs nursery!
I’m looking for a partial shade plant for a space near the side of my house and your abutilon looks great.
As for the Byzantine glads, I’m not sure when mine will bloom.The weather is so crazy in College Station that I have some tropical salvias that never died back this winter and started to bloom this week.So it could be any time…the bulb was so expensive I could only justify getting one. If they do well, I’ll slowly buy more…
I’m glad I’m not the only one who could only afford a tiny amount of those Byzantine Glads, Nancy! But if they get established, oh, how glorious they will be. The Abutilon is a new one for me, and it does like the sun but from what I understand, it likes afternoon shade in the heat of summer. Good luck with it, and let me know which one you get.