In the front courtyard area it's a colorful time in the spring.
Among my favorites are the square bud primrose, Calylophus berlandieri, and the blackfoot daisy,Melampodium leucanthum.
This year we only have a few bluebonnets which is probably a good thing as one plant can cover an area 3'x3'
The first of the Claret cup cactus, Echinocereus triglochidiatus, buds opened today. I have three small clumps but not quite so many flowers this year. It isn't easy to find these native to Texas cactus but I would love to have more. I'm not the only one to love them. The ants have been particularly annoying this year, mounding up the soil around them. I had to take serious measures.
There is even a double take on this area. The reflection in the dining room window.
At this time of the year there is less color in the raised bed on the other side of the path. A few columbines and the mallow under the arching branches of the Lady Banks' Rose. Later there will be day lilies on the upper tier.
This is the area we removed damaged plants from last year. I added a few rocks along the dry creek and the pot. For the time being it will hold and Agave weberi 'Arizona star'
Although there is a good display of bluebonnets outside the walls it is not as prolific as in prior years due to the loss of last years bluebonnets to hail. ( Will I ever stop talking about that hail damage? Probably not as the damage is far reaching). Thank goodness for nature always leaving a few behind in case of such happenings and for garden friends who share their seeds.
Around the side of the house there are only a few in the pathway that was completely filled last year. I think I like it better this way. So much easier to walk without trampling. I wonder whether the large Agave weberi will live for another year or will the agave snout weevils found in this area last year have found a new host?
In the sunken garden more native plants. Skullcaps, erigeron daisies, chocolate daisies and the fading seeds heads of the gopher plant.
Our spring is about one month early this year but at least the temperatures have moderated. Let's keep it that way for a few more weeks.
We've had about 20 inches less snow than in a normal winter but our March has been fairly typical. At this point we are on schedule rather than ahead as so many other areas are. I think I saw photos of your garden in Pam's book.
ReplyDeleteWork with what you've got! Your garden is beautiful, and all those plants look so nice set against the rocks. It does seem like it would make for some rough weeding, though. I just love the look of the agaves with the bluebonnets. Such a pretty combination! We had some early warm temperatures as well, but things have cooled off again with night temperatures dropping below freezing. The daffodils have started blooming, so it won't be long before the season really starts!
ReplyDeleteI love your garden so much! Especially your rock garden and sunken garden. :)
ReplyDeleteYour springtime garden is glorious, Jenny. The bluebonnets may be fewer this year but they look like a lot to me. I love how they look scattered around the large agaves and rocks. I too like rocks and wish I had more to shore up both my sloped areas but I'll have to buy them as there are none scattered about, even though my entire neighborhood was once the site of a rock quarry.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful grouping of plants and rocks. Each photo was interesting and I enjoyed each one.
ReplyDeleteNice rocks :)
ReplyDeleteI have some rocks in my garden, but many of them tend to be embedded deep with mucky clay.
Sometimes when the clay dries I have a hard time discerning what is 'rock' and what is 'soil'! ;)
I like rocks too. I also love that you said we should use what we have. We should. It makes gardening so much easier. Your Texas garden is so lovely. Thank you. ~~Dee
ReplyDeleteA really lovely time of year in your garden! You're so smart to not fight nature and use the rocks to their best advantage...and boy have you! I hope your agave survives, these critters that our killing our trees and plants are hard to fight.
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous. I ran out of time to comment on my first visit to your post because I spent so much time mooning over your photos! A lot of local gardeners have rocks Ms. Jenny but honestly, very few are able to garden "with/around" those rocks to such advantage. I'd say your example is certainly one of, if not the finest around!
ReplyDeleteLooking at the photos, without your commenting it would be impossible to detect you'd sustained such widespread damage last year from hail. Everything seems to have bounced back enthusiastically but of course that is the illusion created by your hard work to clear out damage and preserve the survivors to assure the view. Well done, well planted and well displayed ma'am!
The immediate damage caused by the hail was to the soft plants, tomatoes, peppers etc. The real damage was to the woody plants whose bark was damaged so severely they could not survive. It continues. Just yesterday we noticed we are losing one of the live oak trees at the front. It is a tree of dead wigs and branches. Yes, we have removed most of the shrubby plants that were damaged and are still nursing along a few like the bauhinia, roses and pittosporums. Only time will tell. A hot summer may be too mush for them to cope with.
DeleteI like rocks, too. I've hauls lots of them, up from the creek. I don't have those wonderful boulders that you have. I think the largest ones must have been hauled away from this yard, years ago.
ReplyDeleteRocks make great backdrops for plants, good edging, they don't need watering, and most of all...the deer don't eat them.
What's not to love?
Your garden looks great...as usual.
Beautiful flowers and what is Texas without rocks? I decided 4 years ago that I should just go natives and rocks, at least where the deer roam. I would love to find a Claret cup cactus...do you know of any place?
ReplyDeleteI enjoy seeing your gardens...they inspire me.