THIS AND THAT

Cone flowers, Echinacea purpurea, often look rather pale before their petals fully open but they always end up the same old purple. So this flower has really taken me by surprise. It is in the front rockery, where several cone flowers popped up this year, all of them pink, except for this one. I am delighted.

I have been pulling out cone flowers all week long in the back garden. Around the pool they just like to take over and, delightful as they are when blooming en masse, they are invasive. No matter how many I pull they will be back again next year. More white ones please!

I also bid farewell to the cleome, Senorita rosalita, but not before picking her final blooms to use in the house. The only negative thing I have to say about this flower is that it has a slight skunky smell. This was only evident when I brought the blooms in to the house. I'm pleased to say not detectable in the garden. This will be on my list of to buy plants next spring. This plant was in full sun and full sun in Texas means full sun.

The least colorful of my gardens is the front courtyard. I probably don't pay it enough attention. I am also trying to cut back on the workload by planting only those plants which grow easily, with little care and attention and less water. It falls to the members of the agave and cactus family and other less fussy natives. Here an A. augustifolia among several barrel cactus. narrow leaf zinnias peeking through in the back ground.

I have a major project underway in the front courtyard but more about that later.