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Bloom Day March 2015!

In my east Austin patch, the garden party’s in gear!

lady banks rose

Some guests, like Narcissus Falconet, showed up early. In fact, these were so eager they stood in the ice and rain to get the sunny picture door prize.

narcissus falconet

N. Abba was mere steps behind, joined by the first of many larkspurs on the horizon.

narcissus abba narcisuss abba larkspur

Some plants are still waiting in traffic (especially since SXSW has hit our streets!)

salvia greggi bud

Like my narcissus, spring star flower (Ipheion uniflorum) gets a prize for longest lasting flowers.

spring star flower in cat cove

Sweet little leucojums aren’t the showiest flowers in the world, but I think the dearest. Especially I like their strappy foliage that hides cut-back perennials.

leucojum bulb central texas gardener

After weeks of blossoming perfume, my Mexican plum’s winding down to enter parenthood. The neighbor’s pecan tree is a wise slowpoke. When it leafs out, we know we’re past the last frost.

mexican plum flowers central texas gardener

Bees have been scurrying into rosemary since Christmas.

bee on  rosemary central texas gardener

And into oxalis for weeks.

bee on oxalis

‘Scotty’s Surprise’ oxalis, named for Scott Ogden, is hunkered under a boisterous crowd of aptenia—totally unfazed by icy weather.

scotty's surprise oxalis scotty's surprise with aptenia

Golden groundsel (Packera obovata) is actually a little late this year. Even though we haven’t had all the snow, even from friends as close as Dallas, we’ve had more stretches of cool and cloudy days than usual.

golden groundsel packera obovata central texas gardener

In silver and yellow, gopher plant (Euphorbia rigida) frames upcoming daylilies.

euphorbia rigida gopher yellow bract

I wished I’d planted more calendulas last November. At least for me, they’re the most tolerant winter annuals in our cold/heat swings. We can eat them, and they’re nutritious for overwintering bees and butterflies, too.

calendula winter annual beauty

I almost fell over when my fall planted globe mallow joined us for Bloom Day! I’m a sucker for apricot.

apricot globe mallow central texas gardener

Texas sedges are waving their seed heads around in the breezy, warm day.

Texas sedge seed heads central texas gardener

Yellow Lady Banks rose is soon to be frothy. I’ll shape it when it’s through, since it blooms on old growth.

lady banks rose central texas gardener

The fragrant white one will be along soon.

white Lady Banks rose

Evergreen ‘Spring Bouquet’ viburnums have been pumping out fragrance in their shady fence-hiding spot since early February.

'Spring Bouquet' viburnum fragrant flowers Central Texas Gardener

All over Austin, eastern redbuds are aglow, but I’ll take my Mexican redbud—a smaller, better adapted small tree. My house came with an eastern one, but when it threatened to crash the roof, I took it out. But I had to have a redbud!

Mexican redbud flowers central texas gardener

And when native mountain laurels bloom in Austin, it’s a sniff-fest on the grape Kool-Aid scented flowers. Say howdy to the bees scrambling in.

bee on native moutain laurel tree flower central texas gardener

To celebrate Carol Michel’s Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, check out her site to see what’s blooming all over the country and beyond!

AND it’s BLOOM WEEK FOR OUR NEW WEBSITE! Please take it for a test spin.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next time, Linda

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