plumeria Archives | Page 2 of 2 | Diana's Designs Austin

Hot blooms in the hot town tonigt…

I know it won’t be summer for quite some time yet, but for those of us living in Central Texas, it’s already here.

Luckily for us, the plants in my garden are happy to see it arrive, and are showing off some of their hot blooms in honor of our hot weather.

Bog sage

This is the passalong I got from The Gardener of Good and Evil‘ — a Wisconsin ditch lily!

Coneflower

Geraniums

My first Plumeria blooms of the season, with a wonderful, heady lemon scent.

This amazing Allium is not a bulb I planted (THEY all died, or rather, they are still dying a slow and hot ugly death!), but this is an onion in my garden whose bloom I didn’t remove!
Need a plant ID on this one. This is one of only a handful of plants left from the original owner. I love it, but have no idea what it is. It’s a BIG shrub – I prune it to 3×3.

A little knockout rose bloom ready to knock our socks off with color.

A little mix of Damianita and trailing Lantana.

The Pitcher Sage I bought LAST spring at the Wildflower Center sale finally grew and bloomed this spring.
This is the Buddleia that I pruned into a small tree shape this week. It looks so much better with a haircut, but it was hard to cut off some of those stunning hot purple blooms.
Everyone should have a little Parika Yarrow – and I got some more today from Robin at GettingGrounded to add into the mix!

Up close and personal with Senorita Rosalita Cleome.

And this delicate little beauty is a Blue Curls, given to me at the last swap by Bob at Gardening at Draco. I cannot get over how sweet this little bloom is, yet the plant is growing fast and hearty as it can be.

It’s so nice when the summer bloomers are young and happy and not yet stressed!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:28-06:00May 22nd, 2010|alliums, Blog, blue curls, bog sage, Cleome, Coneflower, ditch lily, pitcher sage, plumeria, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

I am NOT in charge!

See that pretty little yellow bloom? That’s a Mexican Mint Marigold. Just started blooming yesterday.

It’s pretty and the next photo shows you that it will soon be full of bright blooms.

BUT. (There’s always a but, isn’t there?) I planted these 3 little plants last summer when we put in this bed. The purpose of the bed was to provide a place for lots of colorful vines to cover the fence. This picture below is what it looked like last September — everything behaving according to PLAN. See the beautiful orange Mexican Flame Vine behind the little Marigolds? Nice, isn’t it?

Well, this is how it looks now. NO Flame vine, spindly leftover morning glories. All thanks to the thirsty, overgrown, block the sprinkler Marigolds who have hogged the bed.

So, after they bloom – OUT they come, to be replaced in the Spring by something much lower and slower growing so that the Flame Vine – which is still there, but just 6 leaves at the base of the plant – can reach up to the sky along the fence. I don’t know WHERE they are going, mind you, but they ARE going. I will have things according to plan, I will, I will!

And here are some signs of our cool 55 degree night last night. The Plumeria is not happy about those cool, damp temps — see the yellowing leaves inside there?

It’s a desperate cry for the Greenhouse to get here soon!

12 days ’til Greenhouse Day!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:06-05:00October 23rd, 2008|Blog, greenhouse, Mexican Flamevine, Mexican Mint Marigold, plumeria, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Sneaky…

Sometimes our plants are just sneaky. This is my Saucer Hibiscus, foolishly planted in the front walkway bed, where the deer and the antelope play! (Just kidding – but only about the antelope part!)

I periodically walk out front to find that all the new buds have been stolen and all that I have left are green stems, hastily chomped off in the search for a tasty green entree.

But today, my hibiscus was sneaky. Somehow, she evaded those does, and burst forth with a bloom unequalled anywhere in my garden. The sheer size of these just makes me shake my head in awe. They are just stunning. And even though they are few and far between, I love seeing them there, towering above the Lantana and the Euonymous and the Skullcap.

The Indigo Spires are very happy in the back yard – full of tall purple…well… spires!

And then, of course, are the reliable Crepe Myrtles with all their beautiful colors.

Surprisingly, this exotic little bloom is a Morning Glory.

This trio is white Echinacea.

I realized that I totally ignore this Buddleia, because the deep purple color on my other two is just so amazing. But this bush is tall and hearty and very pretty in its own right.