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Friday, March 19, 2010

EARLY SPRING FLOWERS

Although the more common, orange California poppy blooms in huge numbers in my garden a few white ones show up every year. This selection is called 'white linen' and has seeded itself from one of last years plants. It is always a surprise when the first flowers open.

This white hyacinth may only bloom one time as hyacinths are not commonly seen in the Texas spring garden. It was one of the bulbs in the white selection of bulbs I received as my prize in the Gardening Gone Wild photo contest. It will be interesting to see if they return next year.

Other white bulbs from this selection are the white grape hyacinths. As they fade their foliage will be covered by the creeping wine cup.

The Tulipa clusiana, seem to be a little bit of a mixture. The red underside of the closed tulips opens to a brilliant yellow.
Bluebonnets are waiting in the wings for their day.

Winter must have been just what the stocks were looking for. They have put on an incredible display. All mauve, but the second ones to open were doubles.

Only one scabiosa plant made it through the winter and the first flower opened this week. I don't know anything about the structure of this flower but I noticed tiny flowers inside the center. Are they the flowers or is the whole flower the flower?

Columbines would probably take over the garden if I were to let them. The Hinkley's yellow seems to like sun or shade.
Too bad the garden is going to get another dose of winter this week. A likely frost on Saturday night following another bout of rain tomorrow morning. Time to get those plants indoors again!

12 comments:

  1. I bet they smell as wonderful as they are beautiful!Great photoing! enjoyed it very much.

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  2. Lovely, lovely spring flowers. I can't imagine frost in Austin in mid-March, and what a scramble it must be to protect plants or move them inside for the night. You have my sympathy!

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  3. Love those tulips.

    I hope this freeze is the last one. Moving things in and out is getting pretty old. I guess it could be worse, though.

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  4. Wow, Jenny, I can't believe you already have Columbine blooming. My plants are healthy, but no buds yet. And crossing our fingers for the last freeze of the season, right?

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  5. You have some beautiful blooms Jenny. I'm so envious!

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  6. I haven't heard of that White Line strain of poppy. What a beaut. Are the stocks reseeding for you too? Beautiful variety of spring flowers.

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  7. Carol- It happens almost every year and tonight's the night and tomorrow as well. Just went to Home Depot to take advantage of their 2 for 1 hardwood mulch and they are taking things very seriously over there. Store jammed with racks of plants and outside completely covered with frost cloth + half price on 6 packs of annuals. Never seen that before.
    Patchwork- Moved everything back into house and greenhouse. What a pain.
    Ruth- Thanks for visiting. I'm sure spring will be visiting you soon.
    Get grounded- All those flowers will be sorry tonight. I;m worried for my Lady Banks rose- about to come into full bloom.
    Jayne- I'm sure your beds will soon be full of blooms.
    Denise- Botanical interests. White linen.

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  8. Beautiful flower photos! You have things I wish I could grow here--I sowed multicolor Eschscholzia californica hybrids, which included white, red, orange, yellow and violet, and not one came up. The seeds were expensive compared to the regular California Poppies, so I was very disappointed with the experiment. However, I have a decent stand of Eschscholzia californica in one section of my front yard.
    Aiyana

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  9. Aiyana- This is the only non orange poppy I have success with. It is from a packet of seeds by Botanical interests. Always a success. O once had some pink ones but they were puny and short lived.

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  10. Ah - I have plant envy. I love your Tulipa clusiana - they are so wonderful. With deer on one side and Dakota dog on the other, I am afraid to plant any. But I want some after seeing yours. And the stock is loving this weather, isn't it. Such a classic flower.

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  11. I must add some of these whites next year. Just luscious.

    My columbines still a few days away from blooming.

    I got some gift hyacinths one year & they did actually come back a year later, maybe even two. But yes, mainly enjoyed as a sweet one for this year.

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  12. Very pretty blooms you have! I am sooo going to do columbines for next year. I love red columbines the most but that Hinkley's yellow is very nice, too!

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