Night-blooming datura glows in the moonlight garden
August 15, 2015 Around midnight, at the witching hour, I asked my daughter if she wanted to go out and see if the datura (D. wrightii) was blooming. “Yes!” she said, jumping to her feet. “That’s my favorite plant.” Well, OK then! We slipped on our sandals, grabbed a flashlight, ...
Twilight garden on Bloom Day
April 15, 2015 I was putting together my Foliage Follow-Up post for tomorrow when I realized that I had pictures for a Bloom Day post too. The flowers of spring can be fleeting, and I want to give them their due, starting with a velvety, wine-colored pond iris that Rock ...
Water lily collection is hidden gem in West Texas town of San Angelo
September 15, 2014 Perched on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, about 200 miles northwest of Austin, the small city of San Angelo is, surprisingly, home to a locally treasured and internationally known water lily garden, the International Waterlily Collection. Then again, maybe it’s not all that surprising, given ...
When a star falls to earth it becomes a water lily
June 15, 2014 Or so it seems to me. Happy Bloom Day, and happy Father’s Day to all you wonderful dads! I’m joining other bloggers today for the Bloom Day meme. Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what’s blooming in other gardens around the world on this date. And don’t ...
Wildflowers and more in bloom at the Wildflower Center
April 15, 2014 For Garden Bloggers Bloom Day let’s go to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center here in Austin. I visited on Sunday with family who were in town, hoping to see some bluebonnets. We saw a lot more than that, including these beautiful pink flowers that resembled apple ...
Plant This: Indian mallow
September 15, 2013 In my sunniest, driest garden beds, gray globemallow (Sphaeralcea incana) is a true performer. When I first spotted this Indian mallow in the exhibition hall at GWA Tucson last fall, I mistook it for another of the many species of Sphaeralcea. Was I surprised to learn that ...
Jewel-like cactus flowers for Bloom Day
June 15, 2013 I’m discovering the joy of growing cactus, not just for the plants’ unique shapes and light-catching spines, but for their stunning flowers as well. Their flowering may be brief — generally just a day or two, so you don’t want to miss it — but what they ...
Plant This: ‘Dark Knight’ caryopteris
September 15, 2012 I’m growing bluebeard for the first time, convinced to try it by a fellow shopper at Barton Springs Nursery last spring who said how great ‘Dark Knight’ Caryopteris x clandonensis had performed for her in a hot, sunny bed. Of course I don’t have too many sunny ...
Dad’s North Carolina garden for Bloom Day
August 15, 2012 Last week I took a quick trip to central North Carolina to visit my dad, who lives in the charming Fearrington Village planned community. (Pics of the Fearrington House Inn garden coming soon.) Many of his neighbors—and this is a neighborhood of retirees—have opted out of extensive ...
Visit to Denver Botanic Gardens: Sun-drenched perennial borders
July 15, 2012 Before vacationing in Rocky Mountain National Park earlier this month, we stopped in Denver to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens, which I’d long wanted to see. Though the day grew hot, reaching 100 degrees F, the gardens did not disappoint, glowing with high-country color against a bright-blue ...
Two summer lovers for July Bloom Day
July 15, 2011 Water lilies, Turk’s cap, sweet almond verbena, globemallow, catmint, Mexican oregano, hymenoxys, flame acanthus, Mexican honeysuckle, golden thryallis, plumbago, agastache, Salvia coccinea — all are blooming in my garden this Bloom Day. But you know what? After 31 days at or above 100F so far this summer, ...
Hello, spring! The garden is happy to see you
March 20, 2011 Out of town for a few days last week, I came home to find my garden in bloom, eagerly welcoming spring—and a string of 85-degree days—with open arms. Here’s our native spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis), a shade-lover that some consider weedy but I love for its early spring ...
Vibrant Bloom Day color
November 15, 2010 To celebrate this rather wintry (by Austin standards) Bloom Day, I’ll lead with a smattering of pretty flowers on the ‘Ava’ agastache. I had high hopes for ‘Ava’ in her 2nd year in my garden, but she kind of petered out early compared to last year. I ...
Cotton pickin’ Bloom Day
October 15, 2010 At Lake Austin Spa on Wednesday, my guide, head gardener Trisha Shirey, showed me an interesting plant she’s growing in the vegetable garden—cotton! Related to the hibiscus, she explained, its flower opens white and soon fades to a soft pink. When the flowers drop, seedpods called bolls ...
Cotton pickin' Bloom Day
October 15, 2010 At Lake Austin Spa on Wednesday, my guide, head gardener Trisha Shirey, showed me an interesting plant she’s growing in the vegetable garden—cotton! Related to the hibiscus, she explained, its flower opens white and soon fades to a soft pink. When the flowers drop, seedpods called bolls ...
Bloom Day at Madison’s Farmers Market
September 15, 2010 Having just returned from a trip to Madison, Wisconsin, where my husband competed in his first Ironman triathlon, I want to treat you to pics from the delightful Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square last Saturday. Overcast skies and a little rain could not dampen ...
