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A few little garden early birds…

Most of my garden is awash in a sea of browns, grays and deads. Everywhere you look, there are dried limbs, waiting, desperately waiting to be pruned.
But thank goodness for my passion for early spring bloomers. They never fail me. There are daffodils scattered all about … Yellow Fortune, Tete a tete, Dutch Master, Double Campernelle, Jonquil Simplex. These are Dutch Masters above, also known as King Alfred.
And here we have one of the newer Hellebores. I believe that this one is Phoenix, but I’m not sure because the two about to bloom are not tagged, I didn’t keep the receipt, and I didn’t blog their names or record their names in my master notebook.

I hate it when I do that! I do have two that have tags, but they are sad and pathetic and not blog-worthy! That’s how it goes, isn’t it?!
This is the Double Campernelle Daffodil. See how fluffy and full it is?
And right behind it I have this lovely Japanese Quince that blooms and heralds the spring every year.
Not sure which one this is. I keep meaning to take photos of them all and try to pin point which is which, but that’s low on the list of garden-to-dos!
This one I can ID – it’s the Tete-a-tete. They are tiny little Daffs with a nice upright shape and lovely, neat little blooms.
Unknown variety hyacinths from a grocery store bulb planter I was showing off inside the house two years ago — see it here.

So, while I’m waiting to prune, purge and plant in the garden, I can always count on these pretty early birds to perk me up.

Who’s perking you up in your garden? Any signs of spring yet?

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:24-06:00February 28th, 2011|Blog, daffodils, double campernelle, dutch master, Hellebore, hyacinth bulbs, hyacinths, Jonquilla Simplex, Sharing Nature's Garden, tete-a-tete|0 Comments

Spring awakening…

The Gardening Gone Wild photo contest theme for March is “Awakening.” Our challenge, from photo judge, Saxon Holt, is to cheer the blogosphere with images of spring bursting forth in our gardens.

My entry is Miss Phoebe Hellebore, as she stretches out her delicate petals, braving the rare Texas snowfall. With dewy drops of melting snow gently perched on her bloom she waits patiently for warmer southern spring days to come.

Happily, she’s tougher than she looks, and the following week she greeted 70-degree weather by opening two more blooms.

Now we just wait to see if her friends that were eaten by the deer come back in time to bloom before it’s too hot for them.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:32-06:00March 17th, 2010|Blog, GGW, Hellebore, Phoebe, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Crazy Mixed-Up Garden World

What is up with Mother Nature? Last year on February 18, I had beautiful grape-soda-scented Mountain Laurel blooms all along the driveway.

Today, the Mountain Laurels are not even forming buds yet. The caterpillars are eating them already, but no buds. I wonder if the recent freezes killed them entirely.
And, yet, a month behind in our blooms, we already have May flies! This is a lousy picture (YOU try capturing a flying May fly on film (well, not film, either). And I saw a 3″ long grasshopper on the back of the house today. By all rights, he should have DIED in the big freeze. Sigh.

But there are a few reliables in my garden, even if many things are topsy turvy. Ms. Phoebe Hellebore’s two sisters joined her yesterday – one pink and one with a greenish tint.
And since I am so infatuated with the Hellebores, I did order another from Springhill — see her here above in her little cage? Her name is Ice Wine, and she’ll make a nice contrast with the Phoebes, don’t you think?

Does this look suspiciously like someone forgot there were already a different variety of bulbs planted in this very same spot? Hmmmm…
I was lying on the driveway to take this picture for you. Sure wish you could scratch and sniff your screen. It is Yellow Grape Muscari “Golden Fragrance” — a variety very different from the traditional grape-y muscari, known for its scent, which is said to smell a bit like a mix of gardenia and banana. I stuck my nose in it and WHAM! So full of scent – what a wonderful smell, though I had forgotten how it was described. As I smelled it, I thought it smelled like pineapple and cinnamon. Interesting, huh? But boy was it great.
And here are a few of the different Daffs popping up all around the garden. Dutch Master, Tete-a-Tete, and Yellow Fortune.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:34-05:00March 9th, 2010|Blog, bulbs, daffodils, Hellebore, May flies, Phoebe, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas Mountain Laurel|0 Comments

A few early bloomers showing their colors…

This Garden Bloggers Bloom Day finds my garden rather sad, covered with the dreary blanket of winter that’s covered us for quite some time this year. In spite of that, Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, invites us to brave the cold and see who’s popping up in our gardens for a little bloom.

This Autumn Joy Sedum really should be named, Winter Joy, because she seems to love this winter weather. In spite of a freeze last night, today she’s still bright and perky and posing for me.
My grape hyacinths from last year’s indoor arrangement are still blooming strong, with lots of other bulbs yet to come from the original 3.
Ms. Phoebe Hellebore is still a sleepy little bud, but she’s so close, I decided to stretch it a little and let her join in our bloom day fun.
Several more Daffodils have opened up, but the best is yet to come.
The Japanese Quince is in full bloom and beautiful.
The Leather Leaf Mahonia still has the most interesting blooms on it — even more unusual with a reddish spent bloom on the stalk when the yellow bells are done blooming.

That’s all that’s blooming outdoors in my garden.

But I haven’t shown you the greenhouse this winter, so I thought today would be a good day for a little tour of what’s blooming there.
This Rose Kalanchoe has sent up a giant stalk and is blooming like crazy! And I have thousands of babies — that fall off the ruffle-edged leaves into every pot I own. (Austin gardeners, if you want one I’ll be bringing a bag ‘o them to our design event.)
This is the annual impatiens plant that my Mom and Dad gave me 2 years ago in March when our beloved Sierra dog died. I’ve managed to keep it alive this long and it is amazing to see it in bloom like this.
This is the Bougainvillea given to me by Robin, of Getting Grounded, so it would have a sunny home in which to bloom. It misses you Robin, but its happy!
This is a Cowslip that I bought a few weeks ago at the Natural Gardener. I have no idea if it will survive the heat or the deer in my garden, but I had to have it.
Here’s another close up of the Rose Kalanchoe – look at all those blooms!
And now we’re indoors. This is the bouquet that my son (26) brought me for Valentine’s Day. He came over yesterday and took his little sister (7) out to dinner for Valentine’s Day — just the two of them — as a special treat, and they brought me back flowers. So sweet, those two.
And this is a rose from the stunning bouquet I got from my husband for Valentine’s Day, along with chocolates and a singing card. I’m eating my chocolate right now as I post! I am so blessed.

Our temperatures have been about 10 degrees below normal on average here this winter, which put us down to freezing for several nights this week. Spring may be a little slower arriving here this year, but we have so much to look forward to.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:35-05:00February 15th, 2010|Blog, bougainvillea, cowslip, daffodils, echevarria, GBBD, Hellebore, hyacinths, impatiens, japanese quince, leatherleaf mahonia, sedum, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Surprise!

Imagine my delight when I walked outside yesterday and found that Miss Phoebe Hellebore is getting ready to herald her arrival! I love the delicate contrast of her soft petals and whisper pink color against the harsh winter surroundings. She clearly hasn’t minded this wicked winter.
Her cousins haven’t fared quite as well. These two Hellebores, purchased this year to join Miss Phoebe, were apparently yummy deer food at some point in the last few weeks. (Yes, they are supposed to be deer-resistant, but we all know what that means — nothing!)
They ate one plant down to the nubbins, but they’re both still green at the base, so I am assuming they will return in their own good time. (If someone doesn’t snack on them again, that is.)

Any Hellebores peeking out from under their little green umbrellas at your house yet?

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:35-05:00February 11th, 2010|Blog, deer, Hellebore, Phoebe, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Revitalizing Rain

After our recent slow, soaking rain, I heard my plants in the garden give a collective sigh of relief.

Then the sun came out and several sad little specimens started lifting their frazzled foliage upward – reaching for the warmth radiating once again onto their little world.

Many things are very dormant. Some: dead-dormant. And most of the plants, while salvageable, are still sad. But the Aralia, above, once bowed over and brown, perked up again and was very pleased to be sporting some ravishing raindrops.
The teensy Bluebonnet plants are all still alive and beginning to grow again.
Many daffodil bulbs are popping up around various beds.
My Hellebores are a little worse for the wear, but they do have some fresh, new leaves. I can’t wait for the first blooms. Three of my 4 plants are new from last year and have never bloomed for me so I’m eager to see what they look like.
These darling little Hyacinths were a totally surprise when I happened upon them today. Forgot I’d planted them!
Who knows who this guy is! But he’s on the fast-track up.

This Autumn Joy Sedum survived all the cold – 18 and lower, without anything more than a few yellow leaves. And it’s blooming. Wow.
Then you turn around, and on the other hand…