GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY, MARCH 2016

I'm in love. Well, who wouldn't be with these little beauties, Tulipa praestans,  Persian pearl. I planted these in the fall and with the rain and warm days they opened all at once.

 They are like little jewels in dry gravel landscape.

These species tulips are the only kind of tulips that grow successfully in Central Texas. I have Tulipa clusiana, Lady Jane and Tulipa clusiana var. chrysantha.

Tulipa clusiana Lady Jane

Unlike Lady Jane Grey my Lady Jane seems to be here to stay unlike chrysantha whose numbers have dwindled over the years.
Among my other spring bulbs the Ipheion uniflorum, star flower is a reliable bloomer in early spring. The bright blue star-like flowers spring from strappy foliage.

An impulse purchase of freesias was a success. Many years ago I grew some in pots and then plant them in the ground. They return year after year. Hopefully these will do the same.

This is probably the only flower that is blooming at the correct time. The native anemone, Anemone berlandiera is usually the first flower to bloom in the spring.

 

Ten weeks stocks started from seed in the fall .

Ten week stocks

California poppies with alyssum and dianthus

Blackfoot daisies, Melampodium leucanthus, and Four nerve daisy, Tetraneuris nervosa.

And the Lady Banks' Rose, Rosa banksiae. I purchased this as a cutting from the rose at the Rose Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. The rose there came from an original cutting of the one at Kew Gardens which was the original one brought from China!
This year she is gorgeous and outshining the yellow one at the front. There are many more blooms to come.

Of course always plenty of bluebonnets although not as many this year.

 We are having an unprecedented early spring after little in the way of winter. Today the temperature was 90º It feels like summer on this March bloom day. Have you had an unusual winter? An early spring? Catch up with your favorite garden bloggers on this bloom day. Thanks Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the day.

WARM DAYS BRING ON THE BLOOMS

Usually the first blooms of the season are the windflowers, Anemone berlandieri, and sure enough today I spotted the first blooms.

The recent warm days have brought on a flurry of spring blooms.

Clusters of daffodils.

Violets

Grape hyacinths, Muscari

Gopher plant, Euphorbia rigida. Spring is on the way. Hurrah!

PURPLES, LILACS, BLUES, SPRING IS ON THE WAY

My hellebore opened up its petals today and turned its face to the sun. Oh! I love it. Where can I get more? The color has not disappointed me. After all, it was not in flower when I bought it and you know how those labels are sometimes erroneous. But it was not the only flower to open today.

The native anemone has lost its spot for being the first to open. Usually blooming in early February, our unusually cold weather resulted in a later bloom time. It is the only one I can find but I am sure more will follow.

Last year the weather was favorable for the appearance of tens of wine cup volunteers and they are flowering remarkably early. One of my favorite colors. In fact, it is the blues, lilacs and purples which are first to bloom this year. I have gardened in many places and have always favored these colors. In Texas any color that does well here will have a place in this garden.

The diminutive Siberian iris, Iris sibirica, were planted for the first time last year. I wasn't sure if they were to come back but here they are. That ring of coat hanger wire is my reminder that I have bulbs growing in the ground in that spot. I am far too handy with the garden trowel and labels never seem to last.

The lanky foliage of the grape hyacinths is not enough to deter me from enjoying the first bloom.

I am too English not to have stocks in the garden. I love their sweet smell which brings an immediate breath of Spring into the garden. They seem to do well here, reseeding and wintering over to bring an early spring bloom.

IT'S A NEW GARDEN YEAR

Returning home after a month away, and and with all that cold weather, I was really nervous to pull into the driveway. Yes, much is lost but I have decided that I am not going to dwell on what can't be changed and look forward to a new year in the garden.

Imagine my delight, when this morning I spotted the first of the windflowers Anemone decapetala. This white one was just glowing in the morning sun.

And then a second one, this time one of my favorite blue flowers. These wildflowers are always the first to bloom, usually in February.

It won't be long before this viburnum is in bloom. The pink buds open to white flowers. The leathery leaves are evergreen which make it a good plant for winter structure.

I can't help myself. There was quite a bit of this but.....

underneath the soggy rotting leaves of this one in a pot, new life. Removing pups is no easy matter but I managed to deliver three decent ones. I don't care whether A. desmettiana is hardy, I love it and it pups so easily that there are always plenty of replacements. I believe I am partly responsible for their demise as I do water them. However, this year it really didn't matter because the temperatures dipped well below the 25 degree.

In fact well below the 20 degree label on this agave I bought in the fall. I thought it too late to be planting so I put it in the greenhouse. The photo paints better picture. This agave is sodden and has no hope of living.

I think this might be a good idea. Spotted on the campsite in west Texas.