Happy GBBD May 2013!

 Happy GBBD to everyone!!!!

 Hope everyone is having a great May so far- it has been wonderful here in Austin.  We have had rain off and on and the weather has been beautiful!!!  Enjoying it while we can.

 Posting some photos I have taken this week- I have not been to the nursery much this week, so relying on photos I took earlier while out there this past week/weekend.  The above is the Brugmansia which blooms like upside down trumpets- I love them- in Houston (where I used to live) my neighbors had a HUGE one- it was stunning!!

 The white Leucantha are blooming away- always have been and always will be a favorite.

 The bees are all over the Bulbine!!!

 The Palo Verde 'Desert Museum' is blooming away.  I can't believe how much this tree has grown in the past year!!!

 The red Passion Vines are blooming- love them as all the Passion Vines but something about a red one.... just love it!

 The little Peanut Cactus- love this guy- such big blooms for such a little cactus.

 The Chollas are blooming like mad.  Pretty purple.

 The Bat Face Cuphea- interesting little blooms- they look more like little pig faces to me but intriguing nonetheless.

The Goldenball Lead trees are in full bloom as well.  Our neighbors tree is solid yellow.  They look like little golf balls to me all over the tree.  Hope everyone is having a great GBBD and be sure and visit May Dreams Gardens to check out what is blooming all over the world!

This Week....

 Things are really starting to bloom and take off despite this crazy weather we are having.  This week alone we saw temps ranging from 41 and 91.   The Agastache is blooming like crazy and the hummingbirds are zipping all around it.

 The Anacacho Orchids are stunning.  I love the classic white flower and small leaves.

 The Fire Spinners are "spinning away".  Such a cool looking little flower!!!

The Wisteria are blooming and fragrant as ever.

 The Pomegranate trees are full of blooms- can't wait for the fruit!!!

The Pineapple Guavas are blooming- fruit to follow. 

The caterpillars are everywhere- love watching them!!!

Thought I'd share a few blooms that stood out this week.  

Hope you enjoy!!!

April GBBD 2013

Happy GBBD April 2013!

It has been a cactus fest lately- they are blooming left and right!!

Such vibrant colors- pinks, yellows, reds....

The blooms are so big- that's what I love about them, but then, the little ones pack a lot of punch too- see below....

This one little cactus cracked me up- looks like it's a smiley face hahaha

He's all of 6 inches tall but a really heavy bloomer- every day this week had one to five blooms on him. 

I just was partial to the smiley face.  

The Texas Betony is blooming away.  I put some in the front bed and it is doing just fine blooming away.  Tough little guys that I think don't get a lot of attention but they are pretty.

The Helen Borcher Peaches have started blooming this week, well, I guess they started last week but didn't look photo ready until this week with all the wonderful rain we have had.  Yes, rain- we've gotten some this past week and it was fabulous!!!!

 The Icebergs continue to bloom away.

 The Spanish Lavender- oh the Spanish Lavender.  It is wonderful.  

Covered in bees and smells divine. 

Hope everyone is having a great GBBD!!!!

Please visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming all over the world!

And Then There was Rain!!

Yes, we got rain!  It was wonderful.

Parts of Austin got hail, but I think just about everyone got rain.

Today it is supposed to be a high of 60 and then slowly start creeping back up.

Spring has definitely sprung!

 The Dianthus in the front bed is blooming like crazy.

 The Spanish Lavender is blooming and fragrant as ever.

 The Bottlebrush are blooming away.

 The Lady Banks are doing their thing.

The China Snow Trees are solid white full of blooms.

Everything is so happy and showing off as if screaming- Look at me!!  Look at me!!

Then you have little Agaves trying to compete doing all they can do to show off next to the blooms- I love these little Squid Agaves- they look perfect in pots with little spillers.

Going to make one of those up today in a little pot.  

Just trying to decide which spiller to use!

Diving in the Dianthus

 The Swallowtails were having a heyday this week in the Dianthus. 

 They were all over it!  It was so fun to watch. 

 They looked like they were falling into the blooms!

  They could have cared less that I was right there with them- 

they were totally content in "Dianthus love".  

                                                      I got a couple of double shots too!!!

He was looking right at me- it was so funny!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I am personally loving this weather.  Things are blooming all over the place and everything is coming to life!

Little of This and a Little of That

 The Swallowtail have been out in mass numbers all week.  They are all over the Mexican Flame Vines, the Mountain Laurels, the Dianthus in particular it seems.  They are so neat and seem HUGE this year- maybe it has just been so long since I have seen them, but they seem really large.

 The Spanish Daggers are blooming- such a pretty soft bloom for such an appropriately named plant... the dagger in it's name is no exaggeration.....

The Erythrina I have posted before but it is still just stunning and deserving of another shot. 

 The Horse Cripplers are blooming- such a pretty little pink flower for such a "mean" cactus!

 The Grandma's Yellow Roses are blooming away- I like the vibrant yellow of these.

The bees are everywhere working everything they see in sight- love it!

My little Agave 'Blue Glow' pot is rockin' and rollin' along.

Just a few random shots of the week I thought I'd share.  The weather here has been nuts- earlier in the week we had days in the high 80's and this weekend and tonight, mornings of low 30's. You just never know- just have to roll with it- all part of living in Texas.

The Hummingbirds Have Arrived!!

The Hummingbirds have arrived at the nursery!!!

I have had so much fun watching them and decided to go capture a few photos of them,

and you probably know where this is going....

I didn't get a single shot.

BUT I got great shots of the Hummingbird Moths!

These little guys are so neat!!!!

 This little guy was working over the white Salvia.

 He just couldn't seem to get enough of it!

 I was happy of course as it allowed me to get a bunch of shots.

 Some better than others... but he was so fun to watch!

Finally I got both his wings!

 Hope you enjoy!!