Blooms of the Month

August has been a weird month for weather here at the nursery and in Austin in general.  First we had 105 degree days followed by rain, rain, more rain, and did I mention rain?  I snapped a few photos of things that I thought looked pretty and wanted to share.  I completely forgot to post the bloom day post- so here is a late one. Hope you enjoy!

The Clerodendron bungei are blooming and really pretty.

 The 'Mystic Spires' Salvia never disappoint. 

 The Yuccas are blooming.

The Butterfly Iris are a reliable bloomer.  I love the upright habit of this plant as compared to the Bi-color Iris.  This little butterfly was so cute sitting up there almost staring at me.

 The 'Moy Grande' Hibiscus are blooming like crazy.  The blooms are huge- hard to tell from this photo.

The Evergreen Wisteria have a beautiful vibrant purple bloom which I adore.

The Hibiscus are hard to beat- this is a double one which is really pretty.  

Managed to snap a photo of this little guy hanging out on an Aloe bloom.

The Sebania are blooming and there are seed pods all over it.  (which sound like rattle snakes when you shake them, a lot of people also call this the Rattlebox Tree).

The Magnolias... if only this were scratch and sniff.....

Hope you enjoyed the photos!  I still am having a hard time believing that September is here next week.

Blame It On the Rain!

Happy GBBD!!  

Everything is busting with color!  The Butterfly Iris are in full bloom- they are so striking.  The recents rains have been incredible and you cannot deny that the plants aren't a little excited about it all.

The Ocotillo are blooming away, not everyone's favorite plant, but a favorite of mine.

The Lady Slippers are subtle yet beautiful.  I took this photo the other day, but they still look just like this (only with even more blooms) so I thought I'd include the shot.  

Things are blooming everywhere you look, the Texas Sage are stunning and in full show off mode and the birds and butterflies have been having a ball.  

The Copper Canyon Daisy are just such happy flowers.  I love to water them and breathe in the sweet lemon smell.

 The Queen's Wreath are coming back and growing up along the fence- always been a favorite.

The Rose of Sharon are an old standby- they always remind me of Mom's house.

 The Pink Turk's Cap, another old standby that keeps on going.

 The Twisted Leaf Yucca are getting ready to open up.

 The Beautyberry Issai is blooming, I still love the good ol' American Beautyberry, but this one I think is just a softer more elegant one.  And who doesn't love the berries??

The Red Passion Vine is blooming away- a show stopper by any measure.

I have seen a dragonfly or two as well and the Hummingbirds deserve a special mention as they are going bezerk!! 

Here is one going at the Silks Dream Salvia.

Our little visitor yesterday- he brought his partner- they were hanging out around the tomato plants.  Here is a picture of both of them, though not great.

Hope everyone has a great GBBD!!
Make sure and check out May Dreams Gardens for all the other blogs celebrating GBBD today and see what is blooming all over!

Chilly Morning!!

It's chilly out there but looks like it is going to be another beautiful day.  The last few days have been incredible and the plants seem to be responding.  We have butterflies everywhere- the Monarchs, Swallowtail and a few I don't know the identity of but all are having a grand time.  The hummingbird is still buzzing around in the front area but still too quick for me to capture a good picture of him, but I am not giving up.

A few blooms I captured today- the Butterfly Iris which I never get tired of seeing (first photo).

 The Calandrinia is so pretty- I have been anticipating this bloom for weeks!!!  They are finally starting to open up.  It is such a pretty contrast against the green/silver of the plant.

 The Philadelphus Mock Orange is so pretty- it reminds me of the Dogwood blooms.

 The Mexican Bird of Paradise continues to open up- the Caesalpinia gilliesii; truly one of my favorites.

 The yellow yuccas, Hesperaloe parviflora 'Yellow', I think are just pretty- a subtle yet really unique color combination I think.  

 The Pomegranate 'Wonderful' is starting to bloom, I am excited about what is to follow- I love pomegranates!!!!  Can't wait till the fruit is on and ripens!

And last but not least today is the Mexican Olive Tree.  I finally got a shot of the bloom though I am not entirely happy with the shot but the wind started to kick up so inside I went.