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Saturday, July 14, 2012

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY JULY 2012

A surprise rain early this week resulted in Texas' favorite weather related bloomers bursting forth. The Texas sage, Leucophyllum frutescens, will be putting on a show all over town for the next few days. I planted this one, located on the rocky hillside above the house, about 8 years ago. It has never received any supplemental watering but yet its spindly branches burst forth with blooms following a rain fall. This plant always looks better when allowed to grow with a minimum of pruning. Hedging always spoils the big show.


And of course the rain lily, Zephranthes citrina.



The Texas fish hook cactus started to produce flower buds about 6 weeks ago, then halted the bloom cycle. It was waiting for the rain. Today it bloomed.


The blanket flower, Gaillardia always around for Bloom day. Here paired with the ruby crystal grass, Melinis nerviglumis.


There are a number of flowers that are blooming out of season. This unknown day lily seems to have extended its flowering into July.


and this spring blooming columbine continues to flower. It's a topsy turvy year everywhere.


This is the coreopsis that came from the Seattle Fling. It survived the mild winter and just started blooming. It must still be on West coast time.


Hooker's Palafoxia, Palafoxia hookeriana, is a pretty native that self seeds.



Dahlberg daisy, Thymophylla tenuiloba, with its clusters of pretty yellow flowers.



Celosia spicata always manages to find a place to grow.


Gomphrena 'fireworks' along with the spider zinnia, Zinnia tenuiflora.


The echinaceas.


I did manage to pick up some more plants of the chocolate flower, Berlandiera lyrata, this year and they seem to have settled in well.


and the rest


and a riot of colors gathered together in a vase.


Happy Bloom Day Carol, our host at Maydreams and gardeners wherever you may be.

31 comments:

  1. From the looks of your colorful GBBD offerings, Texas must be having a better summer than last year.

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    1. We certainly are and right now I am driven inside by another rainfall. Too much all at once although people will scream at me for saying so.

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  2. Hey Jenny, love that Texas sage! I love that pool border with grasses even more :-D

    A very nice collection of images and selection of blooms, what colour and variety of blooms you have there in Texas - quite different from my garden and post. I’ve listed my plants this time and have a selection of great spotted woodpecker shots and a video. Happy Bloom Day from Scotland :-D

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    1. Thanks for visiting Shirl. My motto is if it grows it stays but it is nothing like the huge variety of plants that grow in the UK. I was green with envy at all the garden we saw. Even the rotten summer and all that rain seem not to have had much impact on the beauty of the gardens. It is some time since we were in Scotland but remember well the sound of a cuckoo while out walking. My husband is determined to hear a cuckoo again. did you know the roadrunner belongs to the cuckoo family. We have them coming into the garden all the time. I think they are after our lizards.

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  3. Everything looks fantastic Jenny!

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    1. Thanks Brooke. It is the surprise rain which is doing it.

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  4. That vase of flowers---WOW! Beautiful. The rain has certainly helped to put on a show.
    Does your celosia self sow? Two years in a row I have wanted to get that going in my garden only to get sidetracked. I love it.

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    1. Yes, Sue it does self sow and mostly where I don't want it. I do like the odd one for the pretty blooms and they dry well too.

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  5. Jenny, if that Zephyranthes reseeds or you have enough to share, I'll trade you Crocosmia for it! Like you, I've been thinking it's a crazy year: many of my daylilies are still blooming and I spotted a bloom on Aquilegia canadensis yesterday!

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    1. Will do Cindy. Unfortunately this plant tends to get overgrown with others and I forget about it. I really am doing it an injustice but plan to make a lot of changes and free up the better plants.

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  6. beautiful! I particularly like the Dahlberg daisy photo. Every year I regret not planting chocolate flower. I *must* plant some next year!

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    1. Yes, chocolate daisy is a winner. I m hoping these new ones will multiply from seed. The original plant I have never seeds out.

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  7. Beautiful blooms as always, and I love your bouquet of floral wildness! It's a summer party in a vase.

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    1. Thanks Amy. A little riotous but reminds me of how many blooms we have in July.

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  8. Your vase of flowers is gorgeous, and Palafoxia hookeriana is very pretty! I wonder if I can get it and some chocolate flower to grow on my hill side... Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures!

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    1. I'll save some seeds for you. It seems to grow easily from seed but does like plenty of sun. Just an annual.

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  9. You're right; crazy year on the blooming front. My unknown cream yellow daylily just finished blooming and now it is re-blooming again immediately rather than waiting. All the columbine, native and hybrids are blooming again, too. I know they are, but I keep being surprised when I see them.
    I love those spider zinnias, Jenny. Did you find them as plants in nursery flats or start them yourself from seed?
    Everything looks great in your gardens.

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    1. The spider zinnias I save every year. I bought the original packet and very often they self seed. They are great for the summer as they hold their color.

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  10. Your rains are being kind to your patch of rocky ground. And the gaillardias and ruby crystal grass is incredible to just stare at...OK, I will sow the seed for the latter this evening! It is by my door.

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    1. Let me know how it goes because I have seedlings coming up all over the place.

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  11. Lovely, lovely, lovely. You are getting much more rain than I am. I hope for fall rains to keep everything from just giving up. Thanks for joining in for bloom day.

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  12. Hi Carol- and it is raining again. I have never heard so much thunder since we lived in St Louis!

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  13. I love that vase of your blooms...so colorful...and even more special because it comes from your garden. The celosia is beautiful. We just got some rain last night...so glad. I hope we all get more rain.

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  14. A stunning collection of flowers for GBBD. I forgot, again. We're getting plenty of rain this year but we've got less flowers this year than last - go figure.

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  15. The Texas sage blooms are lovely! I planted some Zephyranthes citrina bulbs last year, and was so sad that they didn't come up. My regular white rain lilies, however, are bursting with buds and starting to open after this last week's rain. So glad to see some rain after the heat! So very strange that you have columbine blooming..

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  16. What a difference a year makes! This July is definitely an improvement over last July. I bought my first ruby crystals grass this year after seeing it in your garden. My plant just sent up it's first flower/seed head and I'm very excited. Thanks for all the great pictures.

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  17. aloha,

    i love that full vase of flowers from your garden and the unknown lilly now thats a nice fuschia color!

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  18. The chocolate flower is showing promise in my front gravel garden this year too. So glad to hear you're getting rain -- sounds like a lot!

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  19. Everything is beautiful...but I'm particularly smitten with the Melinis!

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  20. Well, I was deciding on which was my favorite until I saw your vase of flowers at the end. How can anyone choose with all those beauties? Your garden is thrilling this month.
    I'm trying to find chocolate flower as well and I was able to smell one the other day. Amazing, isn't it?
    Happy GBBD!
    David/:0)

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