Wildflowers Archives | Page 3 of 3 | Diana's Designs Austin

Happy Day…

Here’s wishing you a warm spring Sunday and a Happy Easter, if you are celebrating that today.

In the spirit of rebirth and renewal, I wanted to share with you these beautiful Texas wildflower photos taken by my sweet husband this week.

Even though we are weeks behind in the emergence of spring flowers, thanks to our unseasonably cold winter, most things are making up for it now.

With a wet fall, winter and spring, our wildflowers here in Central Texas are bursting forth right now.

They are prettier and more widespread than they’ve been in years.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:33-05:00April 3rd, 2010|Blog, blue bonnets, Easter, Sharing Nature's Garden, Wildflowers|0 Comments

A-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n………….

No, I’m not writing about ketchup. The most exciting thing, after the long wait of winter, is finally seeing mini green shoots and sprouts, peeking out from mulch and dead leaves.

I’m all aquiver with the anticipation of plants yet to come, so I thought I’d share my eagerness with you. (Unfortunately, they just plain don’t photograph as well as blooms and full-grown plants!)

Ok, this isn’t really a test, but if you don’t scroll all the way to the bottom of the pictures, you can guess what’s peeking out, looking for Spring! Tell me how many you get right!

‘Victoria Blue’ Mealy Cup blue sage (Salvia farinacea)

Un-identified lilies — I’ll post about these later when they
are blooming, because I need help to name them.
They are my red mystery lilies that aren’t Oxbloods.

‘Gold Star’ Esperanza (Tecoma Stans)
Appropriately, Esperanza means “hope” in Spanish.

‘Trailing lavender’ lantana (Lantana montevidensis)

An unidentified wildflower in the ditch on our dog-walk!

‘New Gold’ yellow lantana (Lantana camara)

‘Black and Blue’ Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)

Coreopsis of some sort, I think!

Did you guess any of them? (I know – a few baby leaves isn’t much to go on! And I can’t even name them all and I planted them ; )

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:52-05:00March 3rd, 2008|Blog, coreopsis, esperanza, Lantana, lilies, sage, salvia, Sharing Nature's Garden, Wildflowers|11 Comments

This is no joke!

I cleared my calendar today in anticipation of 84 degrees and a full day of planting. It turned out to be 92 – unbelievable!

So, here’s what happened in my gardens today. I went to the nursery early this morning and bought every thing they had in stock that was deer-resistant and then scurried home like a little ant to begin my planting. I WAS the ant today.

I planted about 35 plants – and got most of the new bed in place, dirt spread, rocks removed and leaves scooped out. I will certainly add more, and some things with different blooming seasons like some wildflowers and some cutting flowers, but for now, this is a good start.

In the new bed, I planted:

3 Blackfoot daisy
1 Flame Acanthus – Anisacanthus wrighti
3 Damianita – Chryactinia Mexicana
3 Delphinium – bellamosum
1 Mexican Oregano – Poliomentha
5 Indian Paint Brush – Castilleja
9 Rosemary Shimmering Stars – rosmarinus prostratus
5 Society garlic
1 Crepe Myrtle tree that I propagated last summer

Elsewhere, I planted:

1 Nicotiana – pink
4 Snapdragons
1 Cherry Laurel

I started to post a picture of the horrible dirt and rock that I had to dig and crack through to plant these things. I added several inches of garden soil, but the natural dirt was nothing but rock, caliche and black clay so hard that it was just like clumps of rock. Ugh! I hope this amendment will be enough to help the plants grow. Many of them are tough by nature, and deer and drought resistant, so maybe they will feel right at home in my rocks!

Other people were working at my house today, too. The fence is finished! YEAH. The gate was built and hung and it’s lovely. Well, maybe not lovely, but functional and it makes me smile. And it WILL be lovely, after I’ve added some doo-dads and thing-a-ma-jiggies.

My back hurts and I’m the “good” tired. I’m off to bed. Tomorrow, it’s supposed to be 63 for the high, after a front blows through tonight. 30 degrees difference in 1 day — crazy Texas weather. I’ll be working inside!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:53-05:00February 25th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, statue bed, temperature, vegetable garden, Wildflowers|0 Comments

They’re Baaaaaaaaack!

Oh my. Oh my my. This is the first bluebonnet of Spring. I’m sure it must be one of the first in Central Texas because it is MUCH too early! I can’t say that it’s mine, though. I noticed it yesterday while walking the stupiddogs in our neighborhood. (That’s my new name for my mutts who are causing me unbelieveable grief!

My neighbors have this small clump of blue bonnet leaves — probably a foot square — that’s been as green and happy as it can be for a month now. Their whole front area by the street is usually a field of bluebonnets in March or April, but this is the first little clump to appear.
And I can’t for the life of me get the name of these daisies off my tongue — are they nerve daisies? Anyone know? I think that’s what they are, but we have so many daisy wildflowers that I can’t always keep up with them. Wildflowers. On February 10. wow. Not much else to say but that. Enjoy.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:54-05:00February 10th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring, Wildflowers|10 Comments

Wildflowers

Happy Day…

A-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n………….

This is no joke!

They’re Baaaaaaaaack!

Escape in the garden