Soggy Day

The date palm I planted from a seed 2 years ago is still going strong.

Poppies under the bench

First rose bud of the year.

Bluebonnets and WEEDS.  Hard to tell them apart.

Everything is so green in this soppy, wonderful wet weather we are having.

Big fireant pile almost covering this small boxwood.

Long view of the perennial bed.  Lots of larkspur, poppies, four-nerve daisy, verbena, and weeds of course.

Mountain Laurel trees are loaded with blooms.  So pretty.

Another view of this Mountain Laurel

Primrose Jasmine is blooming.

The big darker green mounds are clover.    They are overtaking the bluebonnets.

How to plant a dog

• Fill a nice planter (a wire basket, say) with good potting mix
• Add some pretty blue pansies
• Place on a sunny porch
• Wait

Voila!

Fall Color

I love the Bradford pears in the fall.  Gorgeous color.

Great old Cedar Elm

Hmmmm ... lots of wildflower seedlings in my pathways.  They love that granite. 

Great spot to rest and view my garden.  The palm on the left was started from a pit of a date I ate.  It's doing great in this fairly sheltered spot.

WHAT?   My bulbs are blooming already.  Sweet little paperwhites.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - Sept 15, 2011

Didn't think I could find ANYTHING blooming but surprisingly a few hardy souls were shining.  This is Grandpa Otts morning glory.

The white lantana looked terrific.

The nicotiana is a very reliable bloomer but I don't particularly care for it.  Impossible to get rid of.

The butterfly vine is just starting its bloom cycle.  This is a really drought resistant vine.

I tried to get rid of this Vitex tree but it keeps sprouting.  And blooming!

There are a few citrus blooms on this variegated lemon plant in a pot.

Not exactly a bloom.  This toad had been spending his nights in my garden shoe.  To escape the snakes??  Haven't seen him in awhile.  Hope all is well. 

I'm a lonely frog(toad).  Ain't got no home.

Dog Days

 Grandpa Otts in the citrus.

In good years, the coral vine swallows this fence.  This is not a good year.

Flame Acanthus is blooming well.  Good for the hummers. 

My little nursery under the oaks.

 I've propagated dozens of mountain laurel.  You will get almost 100% germination rate if you plant the seeds at the first hint they are turning pink.

 Zoey the arbor dog!

 Ha Ha!

This perch lets her see over the fence and into the front yard. 

I need to hang some netting up to keep her from crossing over to a limb that she could use to hop over the fence.

Sticks and Stones

Something is eating the bark off my apple tree limbs.  I suspect those pesky grasshoppers.

My neighbors new stone walls at the entrance to their driveway.

A closeup of the end.

I love this look.  Very good work.

My cute little pink turk's cap.  This is somewhat blurry.  My camera skills are not too good.  I'm having a problem with closeups.

This is beach vitex.  It is about 4 feet wide by 2.5 feet tall.  Lots of little blue blooms now.  Most of the time it is insignificant.  Very drought tolerant.

The pomegranates are getting bigger.

Time to clean those bluebonnet seeds!

Blooms After The Rain

This 'Green Cloud' cenizo blooms more profusely than the usual grey variety.

The two varieties together, Green Cloud on the right

 Passalong plant, crinum.  Thanks, Esther

Pavonia is blooming great.

The coral vine is my favorite vine.  It will take over the fence and the entry arbor of the kitchen garden by the end of the summer.

The perennial morning glory is starting it's mission of swallowing the potting shed, starting with the rain barrel.

T

This rock rose by the wood pile gets no extra attention or water.  Another one nearby is blooming just as heavily.  Such a pretty and reliable plant.  It creates lots of seeds and seedlings so there are plenty to transplant.

I love the 'Strawberry Fields' gomphrena,  another tough plant.

The salvia farinacea is in it's second bloom cycle.  It blooms all summer if you regularly deadhead and cut it back a third or more occasionally.

Salvia gregii and pavonia together.

 Nothing much going on in the kitchen garden, just a bit of chard and some parsley going to seed.  The drought and water shortages just make it too difficult to keep going for now.

Zexmenia looks nice with the daylily.

A wider view of the garden.

My leaning tower of .....purple martin house.  I did have purple martins this year.