Thursday, January 31, 2013

SPRING IS 3 WEEKS EARLY FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

Are you having an early Spring? We are. It's the last day in January and here's a look at our azalea bush. Spring is running about three weeks early and the azalea trail is about 5 weeks away! 
This is the second year in a row that inner city Houston has gone without a frost. That makes Tropical Texana a zone 10 garden in a zone 9 region of Texas.
Some flowers bloomed the entire winter like this Cape Daisy (Euryops pectinatus).
We did hover around freezing long enough to make for some interesting patterns like these on an elephant ear.
Or these beautiful purple veins on a salvia.
What's usually brown has stayed green. I could get used to being a zone 10 tropical garden.
The earliest ferns are starting to unfurl.
And the Aluminum plants are budding out. 
Our only rose has red buds in the joints.
...and the kittens are waking from their long winter's nap.
Spring is always my favorite time of the year no matter the month!
Hopefully a late freeze doesn't catch us all by surprise.

All for now!
Hope you get to garden soon.
David/:0)












6 comments:

  1. London is also zone 9, and in the past we have had many winters without temp below +5 Celsius, but the last 2 winters and this winter we certainly have had 'winter'. Not a lot of snow but very cold, minus 8 several nights in a row just a week ago. It has finally gone back to normal temp and everything in my garden is just taking off where it stopped 2 weeks ago. Nothing damaged this early in the year :-)

    Not sure yet if we are early or not, we were before this cold snap but it depends if this is it for this winter or if we are having more...I wouldn't mind having spring right now!

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  2. So lucky not to have any frosts so far, and hopefully no more. Lovely signs of spring there, always a delight to see! :)

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  3. Yes, yes here too. But we have had frosts and there was one the night before last which had me rushing around with sheets. But my iris are in bloom. The rest of the garden looks like winter because it has been so dry. Being a gardener I don't much care for this new trend.

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  4. That has been a nice year there and you've had some rain too. We've had a few frosty nights in San Antonio but have been quite warm. The Azalea Trail was my favorite time in Houston.

    Cute cat toy.

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  5. That's amazing - I don't think most of Fla has even had such a mild spell like you in recent years. Enjoy it for me...at 4000'+ desert, no escaping frost and whacky cold any more! You went from fall to spring.

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  6. Cute cat picture! I am ready for an early spring, and yes, it seems to be coming early in my garden, too. Our winter seemed colder than the last two, which were almost just extended falls. Amazing that you had no frost this year! But how wonderful to have plants that bloomed all year!

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