The Mexican plum is in bloom. It’s taken a few years for the young tree to decide to flower, but it was worth the wait.

Another picture of the plum

The shade-loving native spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) sends its dainty, bluish-purple flowers skyward. Its strappy foliage can resemble that of daylilies, but this plant disappears entirely during summer, reappearing in the fall.

Like daylilies, each spiderwort flower blooms for just one day, closing up by afternoon.

This is the dry streambed in the shady back garden, which handles the overflow from the rain barrel. Those beautiful, rounded stones are New Mexico river rocks. Tall spiderwort foliage is visible at the back of this garden. Texas betony grows under the cedar elm on the left. And in the foreground on the right are daylilies and heart-leaf skullcap (an invasive native, but easily removed) growing under the Southern wax myrtles along the fence.

In the sunny front garden, Carefree Beauty is one of my earliest blooming roses this year.