Friday, May 15, 2015

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.

14 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! You're way ahead of Austin! And what fabulous plants. Reminds me that I need to add Lion's Tail again and I want that silver Dyckia. Happy Bloom Day!

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  2. The mild winter was a friend to your garden with the beautiful lion's tail and duranta. I love your wildflower meadow but my favorite is the photograph of the santolina with the ruby crystal grass. Hapy Bloom Day.

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  3. You all must be so overjoyed to get rain! Re: Your comment on my blog. We lived in Burlington, near the Lexington border. I don't think I knew that you used to live near Hanscom. What a small world. I used to visit Lyman too and Mahoney's was also a favorite haunt. Goodness, so funny to think we might have passed each other. Happy GBBD!

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  4. While I have some of the same plants in bloom, you're well ahead of me with respect to the Gomphrena, Santolina and Justicia. Your Saliva 'Amistad' looks great! I've had mixed results with it - one of my three plants, sandwiched between 2 Solanum xanti, has done well but the other 2, given plenty of space and sun, look so pathetic I'm on the verge of pulling them out.

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  5. Yesterday I decided my Dyckia 'Frazzle Dazzle' wasn't earning it's keep in a special planter. I've been trying to decide if I plant it in the ground or just cut my losses and toss it. Thanks for reminding me what a cool plant it really is.

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  6. I can see the bat face :) nice blooms and like the way you have grouped them in shades and tones

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  7. That is a whole lot of gorgeous you've got going on this year. I love that the blanket flower and others simply seeded themselves in from adjacent fields. When drifts of flowers appear that way you know you (and others nearby) are treating your beds with a proper respect for native plants.

    The deer have mostly left our hesperaloe alone too this year - we've had more bloom stalks that didn't get munched off to stubs than ever before. I'm wondering what the reason is - maybe just enough of their other favorite plants to eat they passed them by? Regardless - I'm happy to have the blooms!

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  8. A wonderful show! I love the Mexican Hat...looks like the rain and cooler days have really brought the flowers out!

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  9. The little bat faces made me forget all the other wopnders.

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  10. Amazing! That Gray Santolina is a plant I'm not familiar with. The colors and form are so interesting. I'm so glad your drought is over. Yay! I remember the Shrimp Plant from our trip to New Orleans. Your other plants are more familiar to me, and very beautiful!

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  11. You have succeeded in finding so many plants that do well there, or some found you! Your wildflowers are so decorative. I love the Duranta, so pretty, you can grow so many cool plants there, it's great you are getting so much rain this year. Santolina, St. John's Wort, and Yarrow do great here, and I started some Blanket flowers that I hope will bloom this year.

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  12. Gorgeous! The rains are great, but not so much weeding is being done! Love all of the color you've got going.

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  13. Everything looks fantastic!!!! So many blooms! Love it!

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  14. Your garden looks great as usual! Love all of the plants you selected! Especially I like Ruby Crystals grass, which I've never seen.

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