Easter Egg Colors Abound

Easter weekend in San Antonio means local parks are filled to the brim with family campouts.  The tradition is generations old and families begin arriving on Thursday when park curfews are lifted to hold their regular Easter cookout spots.  A local website features a fun montage of photos on the techniques employed.  Saturday brings Easter Egg hunts taking place all over the city.   My own garden is bright with Easter Egg colors so let's see how many colors I can find blooming during Easter week.

We'll start out front with Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus), a native beauty which enjoys wide distribution in Southwestern states including Texas.

Planted several years ago as one tiny pup, it will eventually form a three-foot hedgehog mound covered with bright blossoms each spring.

Bright yellow Damianita at the foot of Agave ovatifolia.  I'm pleased with the performance of this evergreen native which replaced 'New Gold' Lantana last year.

Iris purple just says Easter.

Orange Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) brightens up a front corner with Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' in the background.

Deep pink Salvia Greggii in the streetside garden.

More golden color from Four-nerve Daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa) nested in fresh green Flax Lily.  Four-nerve Daisy is an evergreen repeat bloomer making the list of easiest plants to grow in my garden.



Red Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana) blooms gradually turn from pink to red.

Yellow Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a bit hardier and blooms earlier than the red variety.

I've had a challenge keeping Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea munroana) alive in my garden.  With encouragement from gardening friends I planted another last fall and so far, so good!

Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) is another easy care native plant I'm trying in the sunny tank garden this summer.  Blackfoot Daisy blooms throughout our mild winters.



Typically an annual, the Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus) continued to bloom throughout our mild winter.  Planted by accident (I thought it was a different plant), I'm looking forward to seeing how it does in August heat on the full-sun arbor.

Larkspur with their upside down bunny ears.

Bright orange Nasturtium will be finished soon.

Bilbergia Nutans produces gorgeous, delicate blooms.

Now that's my kind of Easter Basket!

With all these blooms, no need to hide Easter Eggs to find bright colors in my garden.

Happy Easter!

February showers bring spring flowers

Our especially mild winter weather this year means an even earlier spring.  By the time April showers roll in our spring flowers will be finished and by the end of May we'll see only the toughest of summer flowers.  It's been nearly a month since we had measurable rain and yesterday morning brought light showers of just .01 inch.  Sometimes we celebrate what's known as a "trace" of rain most places and it was just enough to freshen the garden for sharing a few early spring photos.

Tazetta Narcissus 'Golden Dawn' are naturalizing up to Zone 9.  This is their first year in the garden so next year will tell if they make it through our hot summers.