Garden Blogger's Bloom Day May 2015

It's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and time to join bloggers from all over to share what's blooming in our gardens.  GBBD is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of each month.  If you've been reading Central Texas blogs you already know that it's been raining for weeks.  In San Antonio our rainfall for the year is seven inches above average and our nearly four years of drought are officially over as of this week.  Here's a look at what's blooming in my garden the last few days.

Indian Blanket or Firewheel.  I just love having wildflowers take over the back garden.  Most were not planted, they just seeded themselves in from a nearby field.

Mexican Hats

Greenthread or Navajo Tea

Native Monarda, Bee Balm or Lemon Mint is just beginning to bloom pale purple backed by those bright Indian Blanket flowers.

There are plenty of cool hues in the garden this week.  Purples in the form of Larkspur still blooming due to our cooler, cloudy spring.  The red accent is Gomphrena 'Strawberry Fields' which reseed every year and there's even a remaining Bluebonnet tucked in the mix.

Salvia Amistad which attracts hummingbirds

Verbena Bonariensis continues to hold up in the stock tank garden though it is listing a bit.  I've been trimming it back a bit at a time so as not to upset the butterflies.

Duranta 'Sapphire Showers' is almost eight feet tall since it didn't die back this year.

Pink phlox, no tag and I don't remember seeing it before.

Delicate pink canna bloom with an oddly colorless canna bloom.  These canna were grown from seed so just about anything can happen.

Clammyweed draped in Mexican Feather Grass



Bunny Ears cactus blooming bright yellow with Larkspur.  The silvery foliage is Wormwood started from a 4-inch pot several years ago.

Iris Dietes (left) and St. John's Wort (yellow), an invasive that I keep contained in a small area.

Heading back to the warmer side of the color wheel.  The flowers of St. John's Wort are so delicate.

Yellow Cestrum, another plant that did not die back so it's blooming much earlier.

Dyckia 'Frazzle Dazzle' with cute yellow blooms against silvery foliage.

Gray Santolina topped by yellow blooms.  Ruby Crystals grass in the background.

Reds supplied by Shrimp Plant

Yarrow 'Paprika'  with its gold centers fits right in to the spring garden.  It will retreat when the heat sets in.

Bat Faced Cuphea is both red and deep purple.  Can you see the little bat face?

Magenta Gomphrena 'Fireworks'.  Gomphrena will always have a place in my garden, it's so reliable and drought tolerant.

Coral blooms on the Hedgehog Cactus and ...

Hesperaloe which the deer are leaving alone this year.

Lantana 'Bandana' brings in the orange hues.

Lion's Tail, another plant that did not die back this past winter and is already blooming.

A very special pair of orange Zinnias.  Not only are the flowers a color I loved adding to the garden, they were gifts from our garden club president in recognition of my service in putting together several programs and field trips this past year.  Thank you Karen!

There are two Zinnia plants because I have volunteered to be club historian next year (or two).  I'll attend all the meetings, events and field trips to take photos.  It's something I look forward to and expect to enjoy since I blog about most of our trips anyway.  I just need to work on including more people in my shots.

See May Dreams Gardens for more from Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day May 2014

It's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and time to share the plants blooming in my garden.  It's been a very dry spring in San Antonio but substantial rains in the last few days are helping out quite a bit.

The biggest and best bloom surprises are these Color Guard Yuccas planted just over two years ago, which are sporting their first ever blooms.  With more than 10 hours of direct sun a day during summer months these plants have grown to nearly four feet diameter in a very short time.  The third bloom was caught on a leaf and is lagging behind.  I will look forward to these creamy, bell-shaped beauties each year from now on.

Silver Foliage Shines for Foliage Follow-Up - March 2012

For March Foliage Follow-Up sponsored by Pam Penick at Digging I'm highlighting the silvery foliage in my garden.  I'm a bit tardy with this one since I've been getting new plants in ahead of the rain forecast this weekend. 

First up is the Elaeagnus, which I featured in my plant ABC's a few weeks ago.  The new foliage has since turned from bronze to silver, and recently with our slightly overcast days it's been very pretty.

Elaeagnus is a a pretty backdrop for the pale yellow-green leaves (just now visible) of the American Beautyberry by the driveway (Callicarpa americana).

The Elaeagnus also makes a great backdrop for the Texas Mountain Laurel 'Silver Peso' (Sophora Secundiflora) we added to the front garden last fall.  It surprised with two tiny blooms this spring.  The blooms never fully opened, but with plenty of new growth this spring it won't be too many years before we see full sized blooms.  The new foliage is very soft and the deer have been nibbling so I am going to put a cage around it for a while.

Artemesia Powis Castle in front of the Eleagnus and Beautyberries is beginning to spread out a bit.

Artemesia Wormwood out back by the creek is doing well among the wild verbena and rocks.  It's also known locally by the Spanish name Estafiate and is used as a medicinal herb.

Gray Santolina with the sages in the front island bed.  Santolina smells like new tires so the deer don't bother it.  Easy to grow from cuttings and takes heat and drought well, Santolina is a great edging plant for the gravel garden.

To see more foliage photos check out other garden blogger's Foliage Follow-Up posts at Digging.