Almost Wordless Wednesday

Queen butterfly on Bottlebrush Bush

Coming in for a landing!

Queen butterfly on Vinca

Sunbathing in the Morning light

New plants for fall

The fall weather has me in a planting frenzy. Here are a couple of new plants in the garden:

Coral Nymph Salvia

Love the pale pink blooms on the Coral Nymph Salvia. The blooms resemble hummingbirds in flight. This plant is known to reseed itself. I wouldn't mind having a couple of these around the garden. 

Bear's Breeches

This is my favorite new plant. It is called Bear's Breeches. The large glossy leaves provide some structural element to the garden. It also sends up a large bloom spike with pinkish white blooms on it in the Spring.  Per Wikipedia, the leaves of this plant are considered by historians to have been the design inspiration for the Corinthian column capitals of Greco-Roman architecture. Interesting!

Smooth Leaf Salvia

Smooth Leaf Salvia was added in a partly shade part of the garden. It doesn't have many blooms, but it has large glossy leaves. It is suppose to be a fantastic hummingbird plant. If anyone has any experience growing this plant, please let me know.

Philippine Violet

Philippine Violet is an excellent part shade plant. Although it mostly blooms in the Fall, the round glossy leaves are beautiful. This one fits in nicely in a corner of the garden. Can't wait to see it fill out.

Jewels of Opar

Although this is not a new plant to the garden, it has reseeded itself in a new spot. This is a pass along plant from my Grandmother.

I see Red

When I added a couple of plants to the garden this fall I realized that most of them had red blooms or berries.

I prefer cooler colors like pink and blues, however lately I seem to be trending towards red. Maybe because it is the color hummingbirds prefer. 

Pigeonberry

This pigeonberry plant was added in a shady spot in our garden. Love the bright and shiny red berries. The birds had picked off all the berries within 24 hours of planting it. At first I was disappointed, however my husband pointed out that was the reason I picked this plant in the first place. Point taken!

Pigeonberry

This plant is very hardy, a great ground cover and provides fall color. The little red berries are prized by birds including mockingbirds and doves.

Turk's Cap

Three Turk's caps were added in the back garden. The migrating hummingbirds had found these plants within 5 minutes and were fighting over them.

Firebush

This Firebush was added for the hummingbirds as well.

Fall in the Garden

It is the most wonderful time of year to be a gardener in Texas. The 100 degree temps are gone for now and fall rains are very welcomed. The plants seem grateful that summer is over. 

The Lavender Lady Passionflower Vine has put out a couple of blooms.

Lavender Lady Passionflower

The Gulf Fritillaries are still doing their thing.

 The Eyelash leaved sage or Salvia blepharophylla has a couple of blooms on it.

Eyelash leaved sage

The Blackfoot Daisy is still blooming like crazy. It has bloomed continually since I planted it. 

Blackfoot Daisy

The bat faced cuphea looks pretty paired with the potato vine.

Bat faced cuphea

The Blue Mistflower is really putting on a show. 

Blue Mistflower

May Blooms

 I thought it might be time for a stroll around the garden. Here is what is going on this May.

The Cigar plant is producing tons of cigar shaped blooms.

It is doing well and appears to be establishing a root system.

I recently potted up these succulents.

The Blackfoot Daisy is blooming like crazy.

I planted the Black and Blue Sage next to the Knockout Roses. I like the pink and blue combo. I'm trying to work around the existing landscaping, which means trying to cover up the spindly Nandina stalks. 

The FBA's ( Future Butterflies of America ) are making a meal out of the Passionflower Vine.

There are a lot of chrysalis around. Is it just me or does there appear to be butterfly eggs on the chrysalis? I think they are starting to lay eggs on top of the eggs!

This was a recent purchase. I'm hoping this Rudbeckia Tiger Eye will perform well.

The Coral Vine is starting to put out some blooms.

The two pots in the front yard are doing well. The potato vine is making a come back.

The Firecracker Fern is still going to town.

Wilson is keeping a watchful eye over the garden.

Foliage Follow-Up January 2012

It was a beautiful day to get out in garden and snap some photos for Foliage Follow-Up hosted by Pam Penick at Digging. We haven't started landscaping yet, so this will give me a good idea of needs to stay in the garden and what might have to go. 

These Crinum Lilies have been in this garden for 30 years plus. They were a pass along from my Grandmother. These have such sentimental value to me so these are definitely staying. 

This is another pass along from my Grandmother. I love the delicate white flowers on it. I don't have an ID on it, so If anyone knows the name I would love to know it. Here is another picture of it.

I have a ton of Four o'clocks coming up from seed. They seem to love the cooler weather. They are starting to take over so some of them might have to go.

The impatiens I planted in a container this past summer are also loving this cooler weather. They seem to be doing well with neglect.

I planted this coral vine this past summer. I love the heart shaped leaves on it. 

Also planted this past summer was a bottle brush bush. There haven't been any blooms, but I still love the foliage. It kinda reminds me of an olive tree.

The diamond frost is still going after a long, hot summer. Here it is peeking through a spider lily.

I love this firecracker plant/bush. It is huge!! No blooms this past summer, but I love the fern like look of it.

This plant was difficult to get established, but now it seems very happy where it is.  Unfortunately, some of it might have to go. Here is a wide shot of it.

Gotta love annuals for some color. I love the gray and pink color on this kale.

Thanks for joining me in a walk around my garden. We have a lot of work to do this spring.

Happy New Year 2012

New Year's Eve Menu for Deux

Trying to plan a New Year's Eve Menu. So far I have this:

Image via kerryg.hubpages.com

AND THIS

Image via by peet-astn