HAPPY INDIAN SUMMER~ HAPPY SEPTEMBER GBBD

I can't tell you how nice it was to have a normal summer with regular rains and temperatures NOT off the charts. The flowers seem much happier (and alive) at this point than during last year's record drought. A year ago, we were all in survival mode and blooms were the last thing on our minds. Hope you enjoy this month's garden.

I will buy about 10 of these little Zinnia linearis 'Crystal White' next year. They take the heat and bloom by the hundreds!

My favorite view of the garden this month with mixtures of flowers, grasses, agaves, and palms.

The rock rose has bloomed all summer and I love the way it looks on the stone wall.

Another view of rock rose about a month ago with the Rudbeckia in the background.

We had a new butterfly visitor this month from the tropical Rio Grande valley.

It's called an Antillean or Cearunus Blue, Hemiargus ceraunus.

It had its wings open once and of course I didn't have my camera!

It's in the Hairstreak family.

This was my first summer with Spanish lavender and we are now the best of friends!

 I found some seeds from a local castor bean tree and the babies are finally growing. Here it is next to some lime green coleus and the Spanish lavender. The deep green penta leaves add a nice backdrop.

Foliage can be just a nice as flowers!

And finally, the purple lantana has taken an early vacation this month, so we will just have to enjoy the textures and subtle blues of the agaves & prickly pear from here on out.

That's it for this month. But before I go, I want mention two things. First, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for more garden blooming fun. And second, many of the flowers blooming this month were given to me by Cindy at My Corner of Katy. It is so nice to have friends that know the local flowers and enjoy trading plants. Perhaps you have some nice garden neighbors willing to trade. Try it! :0)

***

Thanks for stopping by!

David/:0)

BEGINNINGS of a TEXAS COTTAGE GARDEN: HAPPY APRIL GBBD

After three months of steady work, the Texas Cottage Garden is finally shaping up. I find inspiration from many gardeners and their gardens. You'll find many of these dynamic diggers & superlative shovelers on my 50 fabulous favorites links. But, alas, at some juncture we have to find our own way and our own style, and especially our own plants that seem to enjoy growing in our plot of earth. Hope you like the Texas Cottage Style. (And special thanks to Cindy at  My Corner of Katy...she has it perfected for those in the Houston area!)

The front yard with xeric agaves, herbs, and flowers in the front and moisture loving perennial flowers in the back.

A work in progress earlier this month

Cape Daisy ~ Euryops pectinatus

Osteospermum series 'Red Velvet'

Lavandula stoechas (I would not recommend this for Houston. I got it as an orphan.)

Salvia x sylvestris 'Blauhugel' (another orphan that may or may not make it here in the heat)

Close up of Salvia Blue Hill ( I hope it makes it! It's a lovely plant)

The gray green foliage of rue. I love this look and the pungent smell. It's a butterfly host as well.

This was a nice mix...native bluebonnets with  Helichrysum thianschanicum. I found some broken blue glass to sprinkle around for added flavor.

My new favorite  flower is Coreopsis grandiflora 'Sunfire'.

The cottage garden green beans are currently in bloom in our front yard. Funny, huh?

A close up of the green beans. They're pretty in their own right.

These Red Pentas are great with yellow and purple flowers and are wonderful nectar sources for butterflies.

These are great colors! Have some new ones just come out in recent years? Why didn't someone call me! LOL

Another new plant I'm trying (see label below). I saw it growing beautifully underneath dappled live oak shade at a Houston Presbyterian church and instantly wanted one. I have plenty of shade for these and I think it spreads by runners. That's OK by me! I love this plant since it goes well with wisteria and blooms all summer.

Here's the label for Indigofera kirilowii. Other sources say it's good for zone 9. That's me.

 I'll show you one bloom from the tropical garden in the back yard. This is the first time this Aechmea bromeliad has bloomed. It's about as exotic as they come. My wife loves it!

Finally an update on the feral cat that showed up in our garden last month. Here it is looking at a white-winged dove.

Turns out that it's not so feral.

It's no longer running away from us. We think at some point it was somebody's pet before being dumped in our neighborhood.

It's very sweet and it's getting along with our other cat so we now have two.

It's so tiny we named it Pip-Squeek or Pip for short. Our other cat is named Pepper or Pep for short.

So now we have Pip and Pep!

That's it for this month. April is the nicest weather month in Texas.

Thank-you Carol, at May Dreams gardens, for inviting us to share our garden flowers each month. Happy Gardening & thanks for stopping by our Texas Cottage Garden.

                                                                               David/:0)

MARCH, THE MAGICAL MONTH: HAPPY GBBD!

Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, invites gardeners near and far to share what's blooming on the 15th of each month. Here in Houston, March is indeed a magical month where everything goes into hyperdrive to bloom and flourish before summer's unrelenting heat. Let's take a tour:

The blooms of our little Box Elder tree shimmer and wave like a green cascade. (It's a blur because they would never STOP moving in the night breeze)

This perennial morning glory (Impomea indica) is currently on trial. The verdict is still out on whether or not to let it grow on the fence or to stop it before it takes over the garden.

The 'Pride of Mobile' Azaleas enjoyed this past week's 5.50" of rain and are just about bloomed out.

I have many volunteer native Redbud trees and they are indeed the cheeriest harbinger's of Spring.

The star of the show has to be Pittisporum tobira. The hundreds of bloom clusters fill the air with the scent of honey.

It was easy to sneak up on this Red Admiral butterfly. It hardly cared that I was there. Four of them were flitting about playing butterfly games and lapping up nectar.

St. Patrick's Day is coming and these shamrocks are in full bloom to greet the Irish holiday.

Most of my garden is always shady, so it's nice to see these horseherbs and yellow Wood Sorrel blooming between the stones before the trees leaf out.

 

Finally, I'll show you the latest on my front project. It's 90% complete. It almost looks good enough for one of those gardening magazines. Now if I could just finish pulling the last of those pesky weeds.

Well, that's it. Hope Spring has Sprung in your part of the world or the rain has turned on in Australia's Autumn season. I haven't a clue what happens in South Africa this time of year, but wish you some happy gardening as well.

Happy (Magical) GBBD!

David/:0)

FROST FREE FEBRUARY GBBD & FOLIAGE FOLLOW-UP

Carol at May Dreams Gardens and Pam at Digging invite one and all to post pictures of what's blooming (on the 15th of each month) and what's leafing (on the 16th of each month).  Since my garden has squeaked by the many frosts and freezes of the winter, I can show you much more than during a typical February.

BLOOMS

Carolina Laurel Cherry closeup. I wish there was a rule that said 'once it's in bloom, no more freezes'.

I'm still not certain we will make it to April without a late freeze here in Houston. We shall see.

Purple lantana has won the show again for this month.

First Azaleas are in bloom. Usually it blooms in early March.

Canna indica~ a species canna good for butterflies.

SPIKEY FOLIAGE

Agave victoriae-reginae compacta

Agave ferox

'Agave Row'

TROPICALESQUE FOLIAGE

Pittosporum tobira is budding out.

Canna indica 'Red Stripes' with our hens. This is funny; every time I stop to take a closeup of a plant,  the hens run to see what food I'm dropping for them! That's why they are in this photo.

The Holly fern is leafing out with its beautiful fronds.

The silvery foliage of Buddliea davidii 'Nanho Purple'. I'm really excited about this plant and hope it likes Houston. I give it a 50/50 chance since it is actually for colder zones.

WEEDS

This dandelion rosette is stunning against the colorful gravel backdrop. Should I keep it for a while?

Hey, don't dandelion greens taste pretty good?

A striking display of chickweed and pesky oxalis. Here chickens! Dinner is ready.

And finally a touch of class. I potted up some hair sedge, gave it a nice haircut, and put it in a classy piece of pottery.

I might open a new business; haircuts for hair sedge. It was actually quite fun.

Thanks to all for stopping by this month. Spring is one week closer.

David/:0)

Hair Sedge ~ my new lawn awaits!