If Only You Could Scratch and Sniff

If only you could scratch and sniff the photos!!!

 The Copper Canyon Daisy have a wonderfully divine lemon smell.

 The Thomas Affleck Rose- I want to cut off all the blooms off and take them inside.

The Wisteria- how can anyone NOT love the Wisteria!!!

The cactus bloom is not fragrant but it was so pretty I just had to include it anyway.

Spring is here - and I for one could not be more excited.

Hopefully we have seen the last of the cold snaps- it was 34 here this week and 78 today.  Texas.  All I can say.  Gotta love it.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful 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!

Today's Favorites

First of all I would like to send out a huge thank you to Lancashire Rose, and her incredible post on her blog, Rock Rose, about the nursery.  If you have not visited her site, it is by far my favorite one to read.  I look forward to her posts daily and she is an inspiration.  She takes incredible photographs and always leaves me with more information about plants, gardening and the combination there of.  http://wwwrockrose.blogspot.com/ 

I don't really have a theme today, I just went around and photographed the things that stood out to me today.  I don't think I can ever nor will I ever get tired of the Spanish Lavender.  I have it right by the door and do this on purpose so that I can see it pretty much all day long.  It is so fragrant and full of bees and butterflies and is just a happy plant.  We had sold out of them over the weekend but luckily for me, got more in this morning.  My day is complete.  =) 

 I think this is the most bizarre plant.  It is pretty yet fierce.  It has the berries and pretty little red flowers but will "bite" you and it means business.  It is called Mahonia baeli.

 The Copper Canyon Daisy...aaahhhh the fragrance.  Love them.  These arrived this morning and I put them in two place just so I can see them from basically every point in the nursery.  They are just happy flowers.

 The Yarrow Paprika- beautiful bright little blooms.  

I will end today's post with the bloom spike of the Yucca rupicola twisted leaf.   I have (im)patiently been waiting for this to open.  I can't wait to see what it does.  Today was the first day it looked a little different- hopefully it is ready to open soon.