Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, when Carol of May Dreams Gardens invites us to share all the beautiful blooms in our gardens.
Because we basically enjoy nine months of summer here in Austin, and so many of the plants bloom for most of that time period, I decided to focus my post today on a few unusual things that are blooming instead of the normal laundry list.
Rest assured, the lantana and blackfoot daisy and other annuals and perennials that were blooming last month as still blooming. The one big change that I am seeing since our 90 degree spell — the beautiful magenta snap dragons are starting to wilt. About half of them have died and don’t appear to be coming back.
You’ll find a few favorites I couldn’t resist sharing, but also several blooms on the vegetables growing in my garden with the promise of delectable veggies yet to come. Here are my first day lilies blooming. These are not from my new bed, but ones that I planted last year. I got the full “frontal” shot for you (tee hee) but was more intrigued by the look from the back, so I took one of those as well. Isn’t the back of it lovely, too?
This is a Mexican Hat native wildflower that I planted after grabbing a handful of seeds on the side of the road during a walk last year! I crushed the dried head into an open meadow area where we have our bird feeders and they came up this year! I am so excited that my experiment actually worked!
This is a terrible picture, but I wanted you to see Mr. Lizard who was hot-footing it away from me down the driveway. Think he’s camera shy?
First blooms of the lovely Guara.
The Damianita in the front bed in its full glory.
This Black and Blue Salvia is one of my favorites. It’s so rare that we are able to get true blues in our gardens and I just love these.
A collection of little pots that I SWORE I wouldn’t plant this year. (When we get to 100, it takes a LONNNNNNNNG time to water all those little pots every single day without fail….and every year I swear I am not going to plant them again …… I lie!)
More little pots…
More little plants and more little pots into which I will someday put the plants!
My new Spiderwort who is still WAITING to go into the ground and has decided to shame me into planting it by blooming!
Rudbeckia that came from a mail order and I am so pleased with its lovely color.
These are Tomatillo blooms.
These are bush bean blooms. By the way, we have lots and lots of beans, so I am planning to cook homemade green beans on Sunday night for dinner…with bacon and onions! Yum…like my Grandma used to make.
The cucumbers are looking very healthy and started blooming this week. 
A little garden art I picked up at a nursery across town — this is on the fence by our playscape.
And, finally, my Pavonia – or Rock Rose, that I have gleefully planted behind the fence out of the range of the hungry deer. Over the years, they’ve eaten 3 on me, so I’ve learned my lesson and was excited to think of a spot to safely plant one. This is across the way from the new daylilies on the edge of that bed. Tonight two Mexican heathers and an Idigo Spires joined her, but that was after photo time. I snuck in three plants while Kallie was brushing her teeth and putting her jammies on!
It’s so nice here in the evenings these day, it’s just plain hard to come inside until it’s dark, but Mommy duty calls, so I only get a few stolen moments!
Happy Blooming Day, Diana – and thank you for the true confessions about all the little pots, something I do too. And guess who else has a tradescantia waiting in a pot? I still don’t know what to do with ‘Sweet Kate’ but at least she’s blooming!
That’s a pretty daylily, front and back and the vegetable garden flowers promise a nice crop!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Diana, I really like that rudbeckia. I’ve never seen one in those paler shades … very cool. And like you, I swear every year that I’m not going to plant so many containers that have to be watered during our endless summer. Also like you, I break that vow! I’m a sucker for succulents and even those drought tolerant babies need a drink now and then. I’ll have to start getting up earlier.
Annie – it’s amazing how our plants will bloom in spite of us sometime. I always have a pot or two lying around like a lady in waiting!
Cindy – I thought the Rudbeckia was interesting, too, and really different. It was a mail order impulse buy and I’m glad I did it.
We’re going to have to start a PPA support group — Pot Planters Anonymous! I think I’ll blog about that tomorrow. Maybe I can be the honorary chair!!!
I’ve planted a couple of little black & blue salvia seedlings, and none of them are growing. I’m impatient for that awesome shade of blue!
I have the same problem with pots. This year I swear I’m going to swap out the high-upkeep flowers for something xeriscape and architectural!
Diana, I love that daylily and I did notice that rudbeckia in the White Flower Farm catalog. It is a much easier color than the others. Your little pots are very pretty and when it gets hot, what is better than having a hose in one hand and a mojito in the other! Okay, maybe a lemonade with the little ones around.
What a lovely post…you have flowers we dream about at Clay and Limestone. Not enough sun but I would love to throw down some Mexican Hat and get that fab bloom going in my bit of prairie!
Isn’t Black and Blue wonderful, it’s a Salvia so it has to be!
Love the Pavonia and am going to check that one out to see if it could possibly be happy up north!
Have a lovely day!
gail
Lori – Hope your Black and Blues come up. Pots are fun to water now, just wait until August!!! We can comiserate together then.
Layanee – you must be reading my mind. One of the plants in yesterday’s set of pots is Mint! The heck with Lemonade – I’m for the mojitos – you should come join me!
Gail – good luck with the pavonia. It likes the heat, but might well work up there as long as you don’t have deer.
That is so funny- my patio looked exactly like that 2 weeks ago until I got threatened y my husband to get them in the ground or the trashcan, my choice. Harsh. So I planted them. He’s so fussy!
Diana I have a daylily that resembles yours. It had a different name though. I can’t seem to grow Gaura. It dies on me as do the Snap Dragons. A couple of flowers I really like but don’t try to grow any more.
Bonnie – I know – I like to have plants sitting around waiting to be planted so I have something to do when I get some time and don’t have to include a nursery trip. When I explained this to my DH, he said, “oh.” But I still think he wonders why I’m not getting it done!
Lisa – I love those lilies, but I can’t wait for the new ones to open. It’ll be a while though. Sorry you can’t grow guara, but it is pretty drought tolerant, must love the hot hot summer here. It’s just hard to give in, isn’t it?
Your blooms look lush and happy, and I’m glad the deer are leaving your beauties alone (I know you plant wisely). And hey, I recognize that Mexican tray from Tesoros!
Diana… I really enjoyed this virtual walk around your garden to see what you have in bloom. The back of that daylily is very pretty and reminds us to sometimes look at our flowers and gardens in different ways.
I have lots sitting around to plant up, too, after a week off, lots of rain and many trips to my favorite nursery/greenhouse. I’ll be busy today!
Thanks for joining us for bloom day again.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Pam – the deer have been limiting themselves to the grass on the septic field, for the most part. And yes, you do recognize that tray — pretty, isn’t it?
Carol – thanks for coming to peek with all the posts you have to look at! You’re amazing. Enjoy your planting – hope your weather perks up there so you can have a nice day outside.