Lemon Coral Sedum

My new favorite plant!

A stroll around the garden in April

 

Baby Chickadee under Mona Lavender

Purple Oxalis

Spanish Lavender

Poppies

Sweet Peas

Happy Friday!

Spring is in the air

We have been getting some nice rainfall which is helping to green up the grass and rejuvenate the garden. It also comes in handy after the dry winter we have had. Hopefully, the precipitation will help the newly planted tomatoes establish a nice root system. The showers are one sign of Spring. Here are few more I have noticed....

Several bluebonnets have been spotted in the backyard and around town.

 The Sweet Peas are starting to flower.

The Cyclamen from last year are blooming.

My favorite sign of Spring though is Miss Wren sitting in her nest. 

Happy Spring!

Fabulous (New) Foliage Follow-Up

After debating what to plant in shade bed at the back of the house I finally decided on Mahonia 'Soft Caress', Japanese Aralia, a small Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) and Creeping Jenny. I always try to do my due diligence and research a plant before planting and I happened to have a wonderful resource in a local Texas garden blogger, Pam Penick from Digging, who had featured the Mahonia and Japanese Maple on her blog. It is nice to know how a plant will perform in your area. The established Autumn Ferns were planted in a circle in anticipation of planting a tree in the middle. Please excuse the lovely garden hose we are using as edging in the "before" picture.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

As you can see this area gets dappled light and it only gets morning sun. In the afternoon it is in full shade.

Japanese Aralia

I love the large, glossy leaves on the Aralia. They remind me of a houseplant.

Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum)

 The Japanese Maple should be beautiful when it turns red in the Fall.

Mahonia 'Soft Caress'

 The Mahonia resembles Cousin Itt and is doing a great job catching the leaves from the Oak trees. While researching this plant I found out it is related to Nandina. Hopefully, with its soft foliage it will be just as tough.

Chocolate Ball Stonecrop Sedum

 I was smitten with this Stonecrop from the second I saw it. It has a coppery, red color to it and is extremely delicate. I was thinking of planting it between flagstone, however I think I might have rethink that decision. It looks like a plant that might stand up to our Texas heat in the Summer. I guess I will find out:)


Thank you to Pam Penick for hosting Foliage Follow-Up. This past Winter I definitely realized how important evergreen foliage is to a garden.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Oxalis Rainbow

The last few days have been rainy and cold, however there are little signs of Spring in the garden. For instance, the Oxalis are lush and in full bloom. The plant is a pass along from my Grandmother's garden. The bright pink blooms bring me so much joy and remind me of how my Grandmother loved gardening.

Oxalis

Old-Fashioned Balsam Flowers

This Spring, I planted some Balsam seeds under a large Oak tree in the backyard. I like to think of these flowers as the original or heirloom variety of the hybrid impatiens we have today.  The flowers are vibrant in color and grow vertically up on a single stem.They also produce seedpods and I have had several reseed and come up again in one season. One word of warning though, the seeds are very difficult to find. I called all over town searching for the seeds before I gave up and ordered them online. They do brighten up a shady spot!

GBBD March 2013

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day March 2013

I'm joining Carol at May Dreams Garden for this GBBD. Here is a look at what is blooming this Spring in my garden. 

Chinese Ground Orchids

Pincushion Flower

Redbud Tree

Four Nerve Daisy

Nasturiums

Fernleaf Lavender

Marigolds planted in the Veggie garden

Spring Teaser

With temperatures being in the 80's today, I'm having a difficult time believing we still have a chance for a freeze. I know in Texas the weather can change within 24 hours, except in the summer where temps are hot and hotter. Judging by the plants in the garden, Spring is right around the corner. Here is a look at what is blooming or budding in the garden today.

Lavender Lady Passionflower Vine

Bulbine

Knockout Rose

There were lots of bees and butterflies flying around. The broccoli blooms are buzzing with bees. This my first attempt at growing broccoli. It bolted way before I was really able to enjoy it. I was glad to learn the bees like the flowers from Ally at Garden Ally.

There are SO many bees that I decided to get them a house. The purchase was inspired from Jenny's  at Rock Rose adorable Bee House.

Purchased this bee house from Shades of Green in San Antonio, TX

Lovely Swallowtail butterfly enjoying the Vincas.

I chased this one around the garden to take its picture.

Moth Mania Part 2

Is it just me or do the moths seem to be out in full force this Spring? Maybe it was the mild winter we had or all the rain, but I've been seeing a ton of them around the garden. When I first noticed this gorgeous pink month I thought it was part of the pincushion bloom. Upon closer inspection, I was amazed when I realized it was a tiny pink moth. I've seen plenty of moths before, but never a pink one. After some research, I was able to identify this moth as a Southern Crimson Moth. Seems they prefer Salvias and Sages.

This pink and orange moth is a Southern Purple Mint moth. Well, it was located pretty close to a pot of mint.

I couldn't resist showing you another picture of a Polyphemus moth I found in my garden a couple of years ago.

Spring in our Garden Part Deux

Since we are having such a fabulous Spring here in Texas, I thought I would share with you more pictures from our work in progress garden.

We added some Knockout Roses next to the Lavender. They looked so pretty in the rain.

These Irises were planted many years ago.  

I just purchased this Alstromeria. I had these in my old garden and loved them.

 

The Coral Honeysuckle Vine was recently added to attract the hummingbirds. 

The Firecracker Fern is blooming. This plant is huge! I'm going to have to divide it.

We planted this Bottlebrush Bush last year. It is finally blooming.

Is it just me or do the blooms look like red yarn?

Rain Drops

 

We are getting some wonderful Spring rainfall. Should be a great wildflower season.

Little Miss Wren

A couple weeks after Christmas, I was on the hunt for something to spruce up the front doors. I purchased two lovely Spring wreaths from Hobby Lobby and my husband quickly hung them up. Within minutes of the wreaths going up, my husband informed me there was a bird in the wreath. This comes as no surprise, since this being my childhood home, I'm well aware this is a favorite nesting place for the wrens. Sure enough, a tiny stick was purposely placed in the wreath. I could just see  little miss Wren announcing to the other birds, "Mine!" I watched as the wrens feverishly built their nest. Within days, the nest was completed and the eggs had been laid. I counted four, which I know is sort of an insurance policy, since sometimes not all the eggs hatch or not all the babies make it. Nature is tough!

Miss Wren did have a choice in which condo she choose. Condo 1, on the left, is basically the door we NEVER use. Or, she could build in Condo 2, the door we go in and out of a couple of times a day. Of course, she choose Condo 2! Now we have to give her a "courtesy knock" each time we open the door to make sure she flies out of the nest and NOT into the house.

With the arrival of the wrens nest and the blooming bulbs around town, I know Spring is on its way. Guess we better enjoy it because it is short lived in South Texas before the summer heat and humidity kicks in. Hope you are enjoying the early Spring!