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Saturday, April 18, 2009

THE GARDEN COMES TO LIFE

I couldn't wait to get outside this morning. "I think I will go out and clean up the greenhouse." I said.  The torrential rain of yesterday meant that the soil would be too wet to work but I just had to be outside breathing in the wonderfully fresh rain soaked air; the scent of jasmine and Salvia clevelandii heavy on the air. However, I wasn't to spend much time in the greenhouse. This is Texas, and it wasn't long before the sun burnt through the mist and it was a picture perfect day. Everything in the garden was refreshed. Of course I did the rounds.

I'm amazed at how quickly the leucojum has come into bloom. Just a week ago the leaves were barely peaking through the ground.

and this very late narcissus in the sunken garden. Wish I knew its name.

The Philadelphus "natchez" was actually blooming on 'bloom day' but I never noticed. I was so busy looking at the lower level plants. I wish it had the fragrance of the native species but it certainly puts on a splendid display.

The lemon never ceases to amaze with its bloom power. It flowered earlier on but despite visits from the bees the fruit did not set. I guess it is having another go. It will be fragrant.

Neither D nor I can resist bending down to smell Felicia as we pass by. This hybrid musk, double, pink petaled rose has the sweetest fragrance. 

This is the first pale blue nigella.

among a sea of darker larkspur.

The pomegranate crop is going to be a record this year. I have never seen so many flowers on the tree and the fruit is already starting to fill out. What I need now is one of the heavy duty, ratchet style fruit presses. 

This twist leaf yucca, Yucca rupicola, in the outer gardens, is sending up a flower. I have protected it from the deer. They love to break off the flowers. This yucca is one of several plants endemic to the Edward's plateau on which our garden sits. It is happy to grow in the thin dry soils which lie over limestone rocks.

Always on the lookout for plants for the dry gravel garden I saw this Manfreda maculosa at the Wildflower Center yesterday. I was out of town during the spring plant sale but had the opportunity to do a little shopping at discount when I was over there yesterday. This low growing tuberose has delightfully mottled leaves.

The granite pathway at the back of the house has become a wildflower meadow. Bluebonnets, poppies, vervain, dahlberg daisy and no one is eating them!! I am amazed the deer are not eating the poppies.

9 comments:

  1. Jenny, I'm glad you got "torrential" rain; I got less than an inch accumulated over the past few days here. The color of that pale pink rose, though, is amazing. I love the delicacy of the color and petals. And for it to have a great scent, too, must make it nearly perfection.

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  2. Hi RR.
    I like how your granite pathway looks as the wild flowers have moved in! The Philadelphus "natchez" image looks great, where did you get this from? Is it common at the local nurseries?
    The smell this morning was amazing, all fresh and mulchy. I hope we continue to get more moisture, the recent rains have been great for all the new spring plantings. I am really looking forward to visiting your garden, it is looking fantastic.
    ESP.

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  3. Good morning Jenny,

    Floriferous to you too :-)

    What a lot of healthy uneaten colour! The deer may have the occasional nibble, but your leaves are all wholesome.

    I too treasure the smell of rain drenched gardens. And also get up early (before light even) to breathe the fresh air and crush a few snails en passant.

    That annual larkspur is actually nicer than delphinium itself. I wonder if it is too late to sow some this year.
    This was a real Sunday morning treat.
    jo
    'nomist'

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  4. get grounded It truly was a wonderful day yesterday.
    ESP- I'm thinking we have created another garden bed withe the granite path as I do find it hard to pull out plants. The Mock orange came from BSN. I bet they have it in right now.
    Jo- I'll bet you can still sow those larkspur. I have plants in different stages of growth some even just germinated. What happens to them will depend on how hot it gets in the next few weeks. We can't grow dephs here- this is our substitute. I'm up with the lark today and it is going to be a gorgeous one. The birds are singing- they are happy too.

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  5. That nameless narcissus is so beautiful. Interesting to see your nigella in bloom already - I'm just about to dig out my seed packets and get busy sowing it and other annuals.

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  6. I love Felicia too. I had to get it for its fragrance after reading about it. Your larkspur are lovely. That's one of my favorite late spring flowers.

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  7. That shot of the entry wall and door to your garden is fantastic. I can't wait to see everything again. I'm sure there will be differences compared to last spring's visit with Carol.

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  8. Linab- the great thing about those nigella is that they just come up every year, do their thing and then provide me with great seed heads for the winter.Sweetbay- Felicia was my husbands choice when we went to the Antique Rose Emporium. It was a great choice.
    Pam- There will be a few differences as we are moving out of one season into another. I am imploring some of those spring bloomers to stick around.

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  9. You have a lot of interesting plants in your garden. I like the looks of the nigella flower, and especially the color. I plan to put in a pomegranate this coming fall. I waited too long to purchase it for spring planting, and now it is too late until maybe late September. Pomegranate is one of my favorite treats. You have to love them to spend the time getting to the seeds. I'm pretty fast at it after 50+ years practice.
    Aiyana

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