This last few days Austin gardeners have begun to see and feel signs that fall is drawing closer. A drier mass of air moved in from the north making outdoor activities more tolerable. The early morning pleasant temperatures stay around a little longer and those plants that have made it through the summer's heat are beginning to wake up.
The cross vine,
Bignonia capreolata, has begun to bloom again just in time for the hummingbird migration.
The Texas lantana,
Lantana horrida, begins its bloom cycle with brilliant red flowers which fade to orange in the sun.
The senna,
Cassia lindheimerei, flowers with clusters of yellow blooms. All these plants are deer proof and survive with little or no supplemental water.
The pomegranates hang from the tree like Chinese lanterns. This year I have the biggest crop and their outer color is the brightest I have ever seen. It seems strange that the flesh around the seeds is not its usual bright crimson. Maybe they need to ripen a little more.
The cross vine, Bignonia capreolata, has begun to bloom again just in time for the hummingbird migration. 
The Texas lantana, Lantana horrida, begins its bloom cycle with brilliant red flowers which fade to orange in the sun.
The senna, Cassia lindheimerei, flowers with clusters of yellow blooms. All these plants are deer proof and survive with little or no supplemental water.
The pomegranates hang from the tree like Chinese lanterns. This year I have the biggest crop and their outer color is the brightest I have ever seen. It seems strange that the flesh around the seeds is not its usual bright crimson. Maybe they need to ripen a little more.
Jenny, I love your blog so much I awarded (you could say 'tagged') you a "MeMe" - yes, it means tagging others and talking about yourself - but even if you don't have the time to do that, I wanted to let you know how much i admire what you do.
ReplyDeletePop over to my blog and pick up your MeMe!
Is that a cultivar of crossvine? I love the color. The one that grows wild on our place is darker, but it also has the shade of the trees that it climbs up.
ReplyDeleteI am eating up this hint of fall in the air. Every time I walk outside I say a little thank-you to the weather gods. Even though I know it's going to get hot again, this is going to get me through to October.
ReplyDeleteGermi- Thanks for your kind words. I'm afraid I don;t ave any time to talk about myself I'm too busy taking care of my garden!
ReplyDeleteSweet Bay- I think this is Tangerine beauty. It is more orange than the usual one.
Pam- It's wonderful but what would make it perfect would be some rain.
Your Senna is similar to our wild Partridge-pea a beautiful native here. I am always amazed at seeing pomegrantes in a garden. They aren't grown here and I usually only see them as an artificial ornament. They are quite lovely hanging here.
ReplyDeletei've been loving having the cool mornings! with the days in the low to mid 90's it feels like winter around here! haha! garden is loving it too...
ReplyDeletethanks for the beautiful blog and beautiful pictures!
Hi RR.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back (for two weeks ago!), sounds like you had a really nice time back in Blighty. I am heading over the pond shortly myself, should be an "interesting" journey with my young hobbits!
Sorry I have not popped in recently, I have been flat out moving and setting up my new blog in WordPress.I am only now comming up for cyberspace air.
Your garden looks amazing (as usual) considering the nasty summer we have had. I am officially over carrying pales of water over to browning and wilting plants. It gets depressing after a while.
Loved that Red Dragon succulent a couple of posts back, great looking blooms. Your amaranth is looking mighty healthy as well, I have about a fifty, fifty mix of healthy and struggling ones. I am just happy I let so many seed to get the healty ones.
Your friend's garden looks amazing. I love greenhouses like that, they remind me of the screaming mandrake root potting scene in the Harry Potter movie!
ESP.
How do you know when the pomegranates are ready? I have a dwarf variety.
ReplyDeleteLisa- I think we have the partridge pea as well. Both have the characteristic pea flowers.
ReplyDeleteCat- Too bad those cool mornings didn't last and the heat and humidity are back again.
ESP- Better take your rain gear! Those hurricanes are dumping their rain on England now. They tell me there has been no summer in the north.
Bonnie- I picked some and didn't feel they were ripe. They looked ripe but inside the seeds were white. Anyway that was 2 weeks ago and the last two days we have been having them for breakfast and they are quite sweet. Usually I would be picking them in Sept. I will just leave them on the tree and use them day by day. I have so many.