April 15, 2009

Bloom Day: April 15, 2009

Happy Bloom Day, a monthly tradition started by Carol at May Dreams!

I sure hoped this guy would make it in time, but I can’t resist a sneak preview of the flowers any day now on my first flower stalk on my first Yucca pallida, planted last spring in the front room bed.

Beyond, at the back corner, the year-old passalong butterfly iris (Dietes grandiflora) is on a roll.

In that bed and the other side of the sidewalk, the Salvia greggiis are on their first wave, this one with a zexmenia behind it.

Here’s that self-seeded zexmenia against the silver germander.

On the opposite side of the walk, here’s zexmenia with Berlandeira lyrata (chocolate plant).

The Satsuma orange on the side keeps flowering, though older blossoms are showing off their tiny progeny.

In back, here’s Knock Out rose in the crape bed, engulfed by pink evening primrose.

At the back edge of that bed, here’s my spring favorite, Byzantine gladiolus.  Some escaped to the lawn, so they’re bordered with rocks until they bloom and I carefully dig them out.

I’m so glad I seeded the larkspur in the crape bed, seen behind the Byzantine, and showing off nicely against the primrose and ‘Powis Castle’ artemesia.  It took over as the poppies formed their seedpods.

Here’s Packera obovata against larkspur.

Gulf penstemon in that bed.

Here’s Salvia lyrata, one of the first native plants I ever got, though this one’s only a year old.  I like them for groundcover in partial shade, a replacement for ajuga.

The columbines are still in bloom, including the biggest flowers I’ve ever seen.  This ‘Denver Gold’ measures 3-1/4″.

Here’s a spuria iris  in the den bed against columbine.

In the rental side, this demure Columbine candadenis is getting up the courage to ask the big guys for a date.

Flanking the cat cove rose arbor are more spurias, revealing their flexibility–full sun, part sun.  The roses I cut to the ground two months ago will probably bloom in two days.

And daylilies.

In the cat cove, one remaining Texas betony joined calylophus, winecup (white & purple), Gulf penstemon, spring star flowers and the Lady Banks rose and spiraea still in bloom.

Here’s Cecile Brunner on the shed.

And another passalong poppy on Amelia’s fence side.

Framing the corner of the patio bed, the star jasmine we trained over a trellis as a “shrub” has taken over the fragrance department for now.

Marie Pavie can’t quite keep up with that olfactory performance, but it’s sure trying.  Thanks to my directional pruning last year, she’s fanned out as a fragrant “wall” between the patio and its cove.

Here’s what else is blooming.

In front
Columbine
Gulf penstemon
oxalis
butterfly iris
Geranium ‘Little Carmine’
Pelargonium sidoides
daylily (by tomorrow morning)
verbena
Mexican heather
coreopsis (by tomorrow morning)
lantana
plumbago
roses:  Mrs. Oakley Fisher, Iceberg
grass lily (Anthericum saundersiae)

In back
Roses:  Marie Pavie, Buff Beauty, Mutabilis, Maggie, Peggy Martin
winecup
calylophus
Gulf penstemon
Penstemon cobaea
Cobea penstemon
Blackfoot daisy
toadflax
Saliva greggii ‘Teresa’
Salvia microphylla ‘Hotlips’
evening primrose
abutilons
larkspur
freesia laxa
columbine
Linda lily
bulbine
coral honeysuckle
viburnum
shrimp plants
‘David Verity’ cuphea
Vines: Clematis armandii, potato vine, crossvine, coral honeysuckle
Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’
Zexmenia
grass lily
spring starflower

Containers
petunias, geranium, ornamental peppers, begonia, sambac jasmine,
carnation, bougainvillea

Happy Bloom Day!  Linda

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