Delicacy and strength in the spring garden
A golden light shines through the new green leaves of the trees, daytime temperatures are heating to the upper 80s, and the garden is responding as if on fast-forward. Poking around twice a day is not enough to catch all the growth and new blossoms.
Some of the flowers in my garden have a delicacy and sweetness of hue, like the purple oxalis at top and ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia, above.
Others are more muscular and assertive, like the bloom stalk on the ‘Chocolate Chips’ manfreda, reaching skyward.
It’s fun to combine the delicate and the muscular, as with this pairing of ‘Bright Edge’ yucca and hymenoxys (Tetraneuris scaposa).
The motives of some—to reach the sky by any means possible—are revealed by their profusion of blooms. This ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine, not content with the top of the fence, has clambered high into a tree.
Gorgeous orange trumpets
The trees, like this crepe myrtle, show their own grace and beauty in their sinewy trunks.
Live oaks in a freshening cloak of green leaves
All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Morning Pam…. your garden looks so beautiful… you are right, twice a day is never enough. It is in the low 40s here and I am still going outside to look! Going to have to cover the next 4 nights look like. I think you put diamond frost in the ground. Did it overwinter for you? I just love that plant. Going to use it a bunch this year! Have a great weekend…. Brooke from Indiana
Hi, Brooke. ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia overwintered a couple of years ago, but that year we had only a few light frosts. The last two winters have been too cold, so I just buy new each year. —Pam
Hi Pam,
Right about 20 degrees here to start the day, can’t seem to shake winter. Wish we had some color like in your garden, a recent photo trip around my yard yielded only moss. Love the juxtaposition of the Tetraneuris against the Yucca blade, it seems to want to tell a story!
Thanks, Scott. I hope you get some spring soon. If your spring is like ours, once it starts there’s no holding it back. I just wish our temperatures didn’t feel like we’re pushing summer already. It’s supposed to be 90 F (32.2 C) here today. —Pam
We have awakened to rain AGAIN this morning but there is a promise for 70 degree sunshine in the next few days. Probably be a month of Sundays before the earth dries out enough to plant stuff in. Love that “Diamond Frost”. Unfortunately, so do my chickens!
By the time I get my computer back to post the rainy photos, we will all be roasting and looking for “cool” pictures. This borrowed antique MAC is just getting me by…. LOL
Hope you get some dry weather for planting soon, Cheryl. Digging in the dirt is all we can think of at this time of year, isn’t it? —Pam
I love the idea of the muscular and delicate together. The crossvine is spectacular. I have a bunch of cuttings of it rooting, along with jasmine, and some kind of honeysuckle with purple/green leaves and pink flowers…they can’t go into the ground until the end of April. Did you know that you can use honey if you don’t have rooting hormone to root cuttings? I also discovered what I hope are 2 red yuccas that I planted from seed about 3 years ago…I’m not sure if it is it or not…still researching the leaf texture. The pictures are always a delight and inspiring. Great job Pam! One more thing, the heat is making it hard to finish hardscaping that still needs to be done…do it while it is cooler 😉 Makes one strong like bull.
Ha–yes, get everything done before it gets hot! Good tip about the honey. I didn’t know that. —Pam
Wow, how things are moving along in your garden…El Paso was 2 weeks behind you, and home in Abq is 2 weeks behind them. Your upper 80’s means summer in the Great Lakes, and May out here! I must get Cross Vine into the trade here, as I only know of one very happy plant in the region. Thanks for sharing all those plants at present for you and a preview for my higher area.
while it is overcast and only 40F here today there are spring beauties blooming in the garden. They show no fear even though they are so delicate looking.
I love how the most delicate seeming plants are often the toughest. —Pam
I can’t wait to see the bloom on the ‘Chocolate Chips’ manfreda…and a little spring like weather here would be nice.
I can definitely show you the manfreda bloom soon, Loree, but I can’t do anything about the weather. 😉 —Pam
Upper 80’s already, makes me think your spring must be a short season. That crossvine is beautiful. I put a 6″ seedling in the ground last fall and it seems to have survived the winter. It is in a very shady spot behind some other shrubs, but I am hoping to grow it up a porch column where it will get more sun.
Yes, spring is short in central Texas. It’s also quite variable, like our winters, with hot days balanced by chilly days, and a few perfect days thrown in to tantalize us. —Pam
Thanks to the Garden Conservancy Open Garden Days and Melissa the Houston Garden Girl, I am learning a lot about what can be grown here in the Houston area – and teaching my daughter about the variety available – and where to buy good soil and compost.
I’m glad you and Melissa were able to go to the Open Days Houston tour. I always enjoy the ones in Austin. —Pam
So much color out there right now. As much as I enjoy it, I am really liking the cooler temperature this Sunday afternoon. I’m not quite ready to let the cool mornings pass.
What a treat to get another taste of cool, early-spring weather after the hot days we’ve been having! I’m with you, Roberta. —Pam
So nice to see all those wonderful combinations and more in your garden in person Pam. I think it’s that interest in soft and strong that draws me to the forced branches — shrubs and trees like Quince, Forsythia, and blooming fruit trees that show their delicate nature against bare branches before the coming of the leaves. It’s all a beautiful composition in your garden.
Thank you, Diana. You’re sweet to overlook the freeze-killed plants and oak sprouts and other not-so-pretties that I have in my garden right now. I don’t showcase them on my blog, but you’ve seen it in person—a whole different matter! —Pam
Such beautiful photos! Everything looks so great already. The Euphorbia Diamond Frost is one of my favorites.
Mine too, Kate. It’s a wonderful filler plant for shade here in central Texas. —Pam
I didn’t remember that the crossvines bloomed so early.
Spring comes early here, Greggo. Maybe a little earlier than it used to? —Pam
Temps here not as good as Lisa’s at Greenbow, but slowly rising. Can’t get over that vine taking over the tree!
It wants to be sky-high, Linda. By the way, I enjoyed the pics of Olbrich in your recent post. —Pam
Our ‘Tangerine Beauty” has been a monster bloomer this year. It must have enjoyed the cold winter.
Perhaps so, CIMS. I’ve been thinking the same thing about a clematis that’s exploded in my garden. —Pam