After the heavy rains and cooler temperatures of the last several days, we’re seeing a warm-up and sunshine in the forecast again. But this morning, overcast skies and new leafy textures lured me into the garden for a photo op.

The beautiful foliage of Hinkley’s columbine, purple oxalis, heartleaf skullcap, and daylily mix in the “woodland” garden. All but the daylily are native to central Texas. I bought two small pots of heartleaf skullcap at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center several years ago, and now I have a veritable carpet of it in some spots. I consider it invasive. However, it is easily pulled up and controlled. Its fuzzy, silvery, oily leaves soften the early-spring shade beds, and its flowering lilac spires are quite pretty. Afterward, it dies down through the summer, then reappears in early winter.

Lyre-leaf sage, another native Texan. This plant was given to me by a friend, who said volunteers popped up frequently in her garden. I haven’t had many volunteers from my 3 or 4 plants, but it thrives quietly in the shade of the cedar elm and Lindheimer muhly grasses. Lilac flowers appear on foot-tall stems in spring, but the foliage is what I most appreciate about this plant.

The Texas betony just screams for attention in the woodland garden at this time of year. At times, the red spikes seem almost incandescent. Here they contrast with the cool colors of the river rock in the dry streambed.

A close-up of the betony

And one more, with purple spiderwort in the background.

I went a little crazy this morning trying to photograph a bee filling its pollen baskets on the spiderwort. If you look closely, you can see the pollen she’s gathered on her morning rounds.

Another bee, another spiderwort blossom.

The spiderworts in my garden bloom both purple and fuchsia.

A few last close-ups of new flowers in the back garden:

Indigo Spires salvia’s first bloom

Confederate, or star, jasmine. Its sweet fragrance caught my attention even before the star-shaped flowers caught my eye.

Here’s a flower I hardly ever notice: yaupon holly blooms. These small trees are better known for their bright red berries in winter, but right now their branches are covered in creamy, little flowers with green centers. Kind of pretty, if you stop to look.

The front garden is more about color than foliage right now, at least to my eye. One of my cottage-garden favorites, purple coneflower, is really taking off.

An echinacea close-up.

Society garlic. When I walk by this new plant, I often get a good whiff of garlic, which generally puzzles me for a few seconds before I remember the source. I’ve read that it’s called society garlic because people believed you could eat this plant without getting garlic breath. I don’t know about that—or even whether it’s edible—but it is a pretty, delicate bloomer. For gardeners troubled by deer, I wonder if the strong odor would repel the rose-munchers. Might be worth a try.

The Autumn sage is covered in spring blooms. Though this plant does flower beautifully in the fall, it also looks stunning in spring and blooms well throughout the summer with regular deadheading. Trimming is the key to growing this plant. Several friends have told me that they hate this plant because it gets leggy and scraggly over time. All they have to do is cut the plant back by a third or even half in late May and again in early August to rejuvenate it. It will repay you with hundreds of bright flowers.

View of front garden from side path. Soon it will be too warm for the pansies growing around the large pot, but they hang on for now.

A Hinkley’s columbine under the leafing vitex tree.

More yellow. Damianita sprawls near the curb.

A close-up of damianita. The fine-textured but bristly foliage contrasts nicely with the sunny yellow flowers.

The Anacacho orchid tree is beginning to flower. This beautiful, small tree is native to the limestone soils of the Hill Country. However, mine is growing well in black clay. I’ll post a picture of the whole tree soon.

Wherever you are, I hope spring is waking up your garden too, and I hope you are out there enjoying it!