A FIRST EVERY DAY

You walk around the garden and spot the first bloom on the ....... I'm sure you could easily fill in the blank. Surely every gardener shares this experience. And spring is the time when every day seems to bring that 'first flower' experience.
Here are some of my first flower experiences this week and most of them natives.

First I saw the bud then overnight a flower on the Ladyfinger cactus, Echinocereus pentalophus. These flowers last for at least 3 days and usually arrive in succession.

The blue gilia,  Giliastrum rigidulum. More commonly found in west Texas but I found one small patch growing on my lot and was successful in moving it to a place where I can see it and enjoy its beauty. It is almost at eye level so cannot be missed. It usually opens in the afternoon. Do you see the weevil? Not the dreaded agave weevil though.

Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium angustifolium, seeds among the gravel and between the pavers. As does the Engelmanns daisy which has seeded alongside.

the pink evening primrose, Oenothera speciosa. Oh! Yes, it will run wild but that' fine. A quick pull here and there will keep it under control.

Baby blue-eyes, Nemophila phacelioides. I only have a little patch of shade and that's where they grow.

Everyone else may be able to grow the spiderwort, Tradescantia sp with ease. For me it is a rare event.

What's that I see through the shower window? It's the first blooms of the Anacacho orchid tree, Bauhinea lunarioides.

And the cross vine, Bignonia capreolata. has found tis way 20' from the mother plant.

And I have a mental block on what this plant is called. Help me out will you, please? Update. Thanks to Lyn for the id of Pavonia lasiopetala if I remember the species name correctly.

And wood sorrel, Oxalis.sp. For some it is a weed, for me I am happy to have just a few flowers in this shady corner.

Oh! How I love that morning, spring-time stroll around the garden. There will be more tomorrow, I'm sure.

THE END IS NIGH

Our long summer will end this weekend with a frost.

By Monday there will be no flowers draping over the open greenhouse door. It has been the latest bloom on the cross vine in my memory.
The window box against the potting shed will be replaced by a box of winter annuals patiently waiting in the wings.

Seeds will be collected from the narrow leaf zinnias that have performed through the hot summer.

All the cactus and succulents and citrus have left their summer homes for the potting shed greenhouse and house.

The anole is wondering what the heck is going on. All his favorite plants have disappeared.

The two large plumerias are inside the house.

And what will become of my lovely papaya tree.Too big to try to cover it will undoubtedly be a shriveled mess by morning. I might try putting a fan underneath it to keep the frost from settling but it will only be a temporary stay. But let me think about that some more.

Only a crazy gardener would try to protect such a plant.

I am praying that a papaya will not seed itself in my garden next year. I'm getting too old for these kind of antics.

I FEEL A CHANGE OF SEASON

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.

CROSSVINE MANIA

Unaffected by the heavy downpours, temperatures in the high thirties and strong winds, the crossvine Bignonia capreolata delights us on a cold Saturday morning.

This vine growing on the pool wall had been chopped to the ground, three years ago, and every root removed. Or so I thought. 

It came back again with equal vigor and has now draped itself over the wall in a delightfully attractive curtain.
The cucumber trellis outside the greenhouse has also been taken over by the vine. I have enjoyed it for a few years and I admit it does shade the greenhouse, from the fierce summer temperatures and those hot days in the spring when temperatures soar into the 80s, but I will just have to rely on the shade cloth next year because it is coming out after the flowers fade. No doubt it will be back.

IT'S LOOKING LIKE SPRING AGAIN

The cooler morning temperatures are having a positive effect on my garden. In some areas plants that were at their peak in the spring are coming back into flower. Zephirine Drouhin is offering up a few flowers with their delicious fragrance.

In the sunken garden the blanket flowers are coming back to life along with the white Alyssum.

Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) have reseeded in among the Blackfoot daisies, (Melampodium leucanthemum).

The Cross vine  (Bignonia capreolata) is also sending out new blooms.

This is one plant I am having difficulty with. This Texas sunflower seeded in my herb garden and grew to be 6' tall whilst we were gone. How can I pull it out when the goldfinches invade the garden in the evening to feed on the seeds and it makes for a splendid vase of cut flowers for the house.We may even have bluebonnets for Christmas judging by these which started growing in an empty bowl.