Spectacular Sophora Secundiflora

Stunning, spectacular, amazing.  Words commonly used to describe many plants.  Blooms on our native Texas Mountain Laurel are all that and more this year.

Just take a look.  Spring rains have brought on the best blooms in years.

Up the street our neighbor's trees make a striking curve of blooms

Cooler weather has kept the bud-chomping bugs at bay and the light freeze we had recently didn't damage them a bit.  Dripping pendulous grape-scented blooms abound.

At least 30 years old, the Texas Mountain laurel next door is the largest on our street.  Loaded with blooms this year.

Offset by the blue Texas sky



Our view from the front porch.  You can also see the live oaks are dropping their leaves now and there is no way to keep up.

Looking back from the street this view literally stopped a couple of walkers in their tracks last evening.

Planted by the original owners of our house, these trees are now more than twenty years old.

Did I mention they are native to our area and grow wild along the creek out back?

Lilac blooms are a big deal in the northeast, this display is even better since Texas Mountain Laurel is native to Central Texas.  Commercially grown varieties were rare until recently so these blooms are much the same as those enjoyed by my great-great grandparents more than a century ago.

Yes, there are a lot of photos in this post.  I edited it down from hundreds.

I can't stop looking.  No need for an intervention, the season is fleeting and I will miss them.

I went outside just to inhale the incredible grape kool-aid scent on the evening air last night.  Fragrant and yummy yet not overpowering.

To read more about Sophora secundiflora check out my detailed post here.  I will link this to "My favorite plant" at Danger Garden later this month.