Thursday, June 14, 2012

A SUMMER of OLD FRIENDS & NEW: HAPPY GBBD

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens, gardeners from all over can invite the world into their gardens. This month has me thinking about those flowers that I call old friends; they arrive every summer to say hello and bloom for anyone who takes notice. On the other hand, I have a lot of NEW flower friends up in the front garden. They haven't quite figured out if they like the place or not. Only time will tell. So let's see who's blooming this fine June day. Oh, and this is a special summer since we have kittens. WARNING: Photos of the fluffballs will be popping up between the flowers.
This Crown of Thorns is an old friend. She blooms almost every month.
Surprises are everywhere this summer. Hey, Cricket, want to help me with this edition of GBBD?
Kitten: "Who me?"
Cricket is a new friend and adorable.
The show stealer for this GBBD is this old friend that I've had around for 12 years; the White Orchid tree (Bauhinia aculeata?)
After two dismal summers of drought, this year's rains have set off an avalanche of cascading blooms.


More kittens! Hey, that's my gardening basket!
After a family vote (4 yay, 0 nay), we decided to take in a surprise; a pregnant stray cat wondering around the garden back in April. Miss Missy Hissy  has graced us with 4 cute kittens. She also no longer hisses.

It's hard to compete with that much cuteness, but the fairly cute Cottage Garden is filled with new friends, including Agave titanota and some pink rockrose.

More kittens! The kittens play until they suddenly poop out. Hilarious!
They are all new friends.

Another new friend is Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost'. It can root from cuttings and it blooms ALL the time.

The momma, Miss Missy Hissy, is one of the most devoted I've ever seen. She loves her kittens.

Speaking of love, the Salvias love Texas weather. I have tried about 10 types of Salvias over the years with just one being a clunker.

Here's Mealycup Sage,  Salvia farinacea. It was on clearance for a $1.50!
Mealycup is one of the nastiest names ever given to a lovely flower. Why not Purplechalice sage?

More kittens! That's Gandalf the Grey looking at you! With a face like that, how am I to get any gardening done this summer?

Back to some old friends. Some of my daylillies are over a decade old and still bloom each summer. This is a Bob Munson hybrid with a lovely watermark. It might be 'La Charmante'.

This Lantana 'Fruity Pebbles' is fast becoming an old friend. This is its second season in the garden.

Here it is with the Agaves and rosemary.

Melochia tomentosa is also a second year veteran and a keeper. I beg you to try it if you like charming purple flowers. It needs a common name!

How do you like my garden helpers? Oops, sorry to wake you,Little Bear.
 That's Gandalf the Grey on the left and Little Bear on the right.

Here are some new arrivals for the summer garden. In this heat, I usually put them in large pots to grow out the roots before transplanting. Plus, they look nice by the front door...sorta like an official welcoming committee. I'm eager to see how that yellow Melampodium will do.

I need to buy some more Convolvulus  'Blue Daze'. It's also an old friend and it blooms all summer.

And here's a nice little pollen bee on this yellow Gallardia 'Mesa Yellow'. The native Gallardia is red and yellow and not prone to disease.

Oh my! I think I need to go break up a 'fight'.

I'll close with a view of the new front garden that I started in February.  Hope you like it.
 Happy GBBD from Tropical Texana. Meow!
David/ :0)

26 comments:

  1. What a busy little household you have there.I see they keep interspersing themselves among the lovely flowers! Y'all have a great bloom day.

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  2. Hello David, may i ask what is the highest temperature in Celsius you get in summers? I am sure your plants will also grow in ours, but our neglected salvia looks really very neglected in their state here! I love the way you interspersed your cats with flowers, yes, if the cat looks like that how can we ever garden still! haha, i am like you too. But even if we have white cats we still cannot get an albino eyes of red like that! Beautiful.

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    1. We get up to 32C daily from the end of May to the middle of September. We can have highs of 34C and even 36C. When it gets up to 39C people notice. The highest we can get is 42C which is about 108F. That does NOT happen here every summer, thank God! But there are parts of Texas that can reach that high every summer!
      Glad you stopped by. David :0)

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  3. A wonderful bloom display, but the kitties are the stars this time around. Or perhaps the Daylily? My vote is for kitties :)

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  4. Looks like a little excitement around your place. That's a lot of animals. Your garden is starting to really mature. I suppose your getting more rain. Happy GBBD.

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  5. Aw, what adorable kittens, David. Kudos to your family for giving them a home. It's clear they're well-loved.

    What wonderful blooms in your garden. Love the crown of thorns. DF Euphorbia has become a big favorite of mine too. It's so versatile in containers and goes great with plants that prefer both dry and moist soil. I love the texture and the non-stop bloom.

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  6. Flowers and kittens... lots growing at your home!

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  7. I'm curious to know which salvia was a dud for you, David. I grow lots of salvias and sages, but Salvia'Wendy's Wish', supposedly cold hardy, did not return for me, even after our mild winter. It's the only one I've ever tried that was a bust.

    The kittens are adorable. I just rescued Gandalf's doppelganger that someone cruelly tossed out, except she's female.

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    1. It was a long time ago and I can only recall that it was a very deep purple with a purple stem. I think it was 'Indigo Spires'. It was probably my fault, but all I can recall is that it was in bloom when I bought it and then it did nothing else the rest of the summer.
      Here's a great study group and picture link for salvia over in Australia. I just found it!
      David/:0)
      http://salvias.org.au/list.htm

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  8. The gardens are looking great ... love that Bauhinia! The kittens are so darned cute!

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  9. Flowers and kittens! Well, what a treat. Those kittens are so adorable. I have had crown of thorns as a houseplant, and it is a showstopper. Love your garden and your little cuties!

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  10. Loved seeing your blooms, especially the Orchid tree! What a beauty! The kittens are adorable, too. Now you know why Miss Missy Hissy was so hissy! I know she appreciates you and all the love you have shown to her and her kittens.

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  11. Nice to meet your old friends and your new friends, but I too must admit that the kittens are the winners.

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  12. Ok I don't know what I enjoyed more- the flowers or the kitties!!!!! Nothing cuter than a kitten other than perhaps a puppy.... or baby anything animal. Just being honest! haha. Those kitties are way too cute and how sweet of you to have taken in the mamma - they all seem very happy and have found a great place. The flowers are all beautiful by the way. =0)
    Happy GBBD!

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  13. Well the blooms are beautiful and the kittens are just adorable! Love, love the white Bauhinia! I also grow the 'Diamond Frost' and the Salvia farinacea. They do so very very well here. Both are just wonderful plants ... and I need more of them!!

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  14. Your returning old friends are gorgeous and they will brighten up any garden. The lovely kitties are the star of the show here. They are so cute and I haven't seen a cat with such lovely eyes.

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  15. So much happening at your place. The kittens are gorgeous. I'd love a little one like Gandalf, but I fear the pups would give it a very hard time. Your day lily is beautiful.

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  16. Excuse me for my ignorance, David, but I haven’t thought of such profuse blooms in the tropical area. Salvias love western Japan’s weather, too. Cherry sage salvias will be blooming till autumn in my garden. Kittens are so adorable.

    Yoko

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  17. Getting a kick out of the alternating of felines and flowering! Salvias are pretty tough, overall, even with some of their delicate issues out here. The softening with foliage and brilliant flowers, and the way that works there, looks like such a pleasant pay back for high humidity.

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  18. Lovely photos, the kittens are adorable and I like that stone wall I saw in one of the photos.

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  19. Happy GBBD. The kitties steal the show.

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  20. OMG...as great as the blooms are, the kittens are even better!!!

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  21. Oh my gosh, those kittens are irresistible. Lovely blooms too!

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  22. Great fun, especially the kittens! Who needs to look a flowers all the time....

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  23. Darn you... Now I feel the need for new kittens! Really, they are the cutest little bunch and I love the names you've chosen for them :)

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  24. Your new bed is looking great! I hope to have the room someday to over winter some agaves... so striking. Happy GBBD! Julie

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I always appreciate your comments & questions! Happy Gardening from David/ Tropical Texana