A New Little Family

Well I can't get really good photos, but here are some photos of the new members of Vivero's little family.  The male (I assume is the brighter/prettier one with more blue it seems and is larger) is harder to get a photo of but the female (I assume is the one I have posted) is running around.  I have put some dishes out of water for her but can't tell if she is finding them.  Apparently they like the area where the little ollie's are and behind the office.  

Here are the photos I have so far and I will try and get more but thought I'd share what I have.  It is hilarious- she walks right down the middle of the aisle at the nursery but of course by the time I get the camera out she's hidden and I don't want to chase her. 

That's all for now- I will keep trying to get new shots of them.  Oh and they make the neatest little sounds- you can hear them talking back and forth.  So cute.

Random Stuff

Four Nerve Daisy

Just a random day- no real theme.  I was out today taking photos of various things.  I spent a lot of time trying to capture this one butterfly that I knew before I started that it was not going to show up well but went for it anyway.  I was right.  

 Here he is flying away- you can almost "get" how pretty he is.

The problem is you can hardly see him in the photos.  He is bright yellow and so pretty but when his wings are together appears almost white/ cream. (i.e. hard to photo in the sun....).  He was so funny- he would fly around but come full circle every time back to the Pride of Barbados.  I finally realized this and just sat and waited for him to come back after making his sporadic rounds.

I had tons of shots of the bees though none really turned out that great other than these.  There are three types of bees that are constantly in the salvia- the yellow and black big one,(above) the all black one (below) and then the little bee.  They all seem to get along just fine. 

The front planter I think is coming along just fine- I pulled out the variegated society garlic I had at the back, I didn't like how it looked after all.  The hearts and flowers are growing like mad and have overtaken a lot of the space but I still like the way it looks and how it spills down the column so I am leaving it.  

I trim it back here and there but it is just so lush and green I like leaving it in a mass. 

The Dwarf Plumbago is such a pretty blue but so hard to capture.  I am still toying with the manual mode on my camera - not proud of any of those shots yet but this was the best shot I could get of them.  I really like the brilliant blue, I just wish it showed up better.

Little Visitors

I have had some new visitors to the nursery the last few days- the Painted Bunting amongst my favorites.  I saw this bird and thought it was the female Painted Bunting, but after looking her up, she isn't as green as it seems the female is, so I have no idea what type of bird she is but she is really sweet looking.  A bird expert I am not nor do I pretend to be.  I got a few photos of her through the glass- she was right outside where the Painted Bunting male likes to hang out in the afternoons.  I have not been able to get more shots of him though I am not giving up.  

The hummingbirds are still out in full force- they live in the oak tree at the front of the nursery.  They swoop down and are in love with the black and blue salvia- they "try" other things but always go back to the salvia.  

I have all sorts of grasshoppers, walking sticks, preying mantis but this little grasshopper I thought was neat as his coloring was unique, at least to me.

And here is my little surprise that is growing like a weed- a watermelon- who knew.  Can you see it?  It is at the bottom next to the rocks.  I have no idea what variety it is, Felipe planted when we built the bed and it is huge and taking over.  I think it looks really neat with the agave I have it with and growing below the Beautyberry I must admit.  I have not been able to get a good shot of it all together though- the sun is never right and it looks really washed out.  I am still trying to get a good shot of that bed but it is filling out and looking really good.  I think the Pavonia is the happiest of all in there next to this watermelon- wonder how it will taste... and there are about 8 more in there but none quite this large yet.

Here's the Pavonia:

Anyone Know What This Is?

You can not tell by my photos but this is one of the prettiest birds I have seen in a long time. He was hanging out by the front door in the Beautyberries.  I got my camera and he jumped over to the pot with the Birds of Paradise in it and I was able to shoot two photos through the window.   I wanted to at least have one photo of him in case he bolted.  I tried opening the door slooooowwwllllyyyy but he still flew away.  Can anyone tell from these horrible shots what kind of bird it is?  He's so pretty!!!

A Few Beauties on This First Monday of August

A few things of note on this first day of August - can you believe it is August!!??!!  The Erythrina x bidwillii Coral Bean look beautiful- I have seen these grow into trees which are magnificent but here in Austin they are more of a perennial.  They are really pretty and have a rich colored red bloom. 

The Donkey Ears are getting really big!! The Silver Pony Foot is cascading along the sides just as I had envisioned.  I am happy with the way this turned out.

Here is a closer shot:

The Mexican Olive trees are blooming away.

 I think this a sweet subtle flower.  It just looks dainty and soft to me.  Very wispy yet elegant.
I decided to end this post with the Skeleton Leaf Goldeneye bloom- a small little flower that is tough as nails.  These are little Texas natives that bloom all summer regardless of how much heat is thrown at it.  They are a happy bright little flower that I think deserved a little attention today!

Have a great Monday!!!!

Finally it Bloomed- Now To Wait!

I have been waiting for this to bloom forever and here it is!!!!  What a pretty flower!   Now I have to wait for it to go to seed!  But I am halfway there, right?  This plant has intrigued me since we planted it last year.  It is called Sesbania tripetii 'Rattlebox'.  They call it that as first it blooms, then it makes seed pods which hang down, the seeds inside dry up and when the wind blows, it makes sounds like a rattle box.  I might not be explaining it well but I am excited for it to happen.  Apparently it will bloom yet again and have the seeds/ rattles and blooms at the same time- I can't wait.  It is a really pretty plant.  I had no idea what to expect.  It is tall and reminds me of a Caesalpinia in that the leaves are small and it is tall and grows resembling one (at least to me, I am sure there are those that would disagree).  Anyway, I think it is really pretty and am really excited to see it finish and do "it's thing".

Another plant that started "doing it's thing" is the American Beautyberry.  I love these.  Always have.  The bright purple berries are such a pretty color and add a pop to wherever it might be planted.  I have one planted along the fence with a watermelon vine growing underneath it.  (this was not planned... Felipe snuck the seeds down there and I think it looks really cool by the way).  I plan to photo that today and get those photos posted soon.  

The bottlebrush are in bloom as well.  I love these.  A lot of people's froze last year which is why we brought in a different variety that is more cold hardy from NC- the Woodlanders.  The bees are happy it is blooming as are the butterflies.

Everything looks great right now and seems to be doing it's thing.  If only the rattlebox would start shakin'!!!  

Ok, I realize there are other plants out there...

Ok, I realize there are other plants out there other than these Cereus that I have posted a few times but I just saw THIS.  A fruit!  Who knew.  See, still learning so much.  I thought it was a going to be a purple flower and got all excited and went to show Michael who informed me it is a fruit.  Who knew.  Pretty cool though.  

I went out to the nursery for a bit just to visit, I have missed it so much.  Everything looks so happy and is in bloom.  The Pride of Barbados that I planted have just exploded along the fence line.  I can't believe it!  I planted these just at a month ago and when I did they were really not that much to look at - look at them now!   I snapped a few photos of some things but will take more when I am more up to it.  I can say however, that you can totally tell it rained, if only a little.  The plants have really responded.  It is crazy (in a good way) how much they really seem to transform with a little bit of rain.  

I am worried my little succulent pot that I planted is getting too big for it's britches.  I guess I will have to put it in a bigger pot.  I really like this style of pot though.  I got it from the guy next door that sells pots.  I am not so much into this style of pottery but I did like this one as it was plain and straight lines and thought it looked good with the succulents.  

This is a close up of the Desert Rose bloom which I think is so pretty.  This is a new one for me and I really like it.

  I am undecided on the mix here.  I think it just needs a little more time.  The Tecoma have exploded as they tend to do, the Furcrea still looks really good and the Ice Plant is growing like mad. I guess it is just not done doing what it is supposed to do.  The Pink and White Salvia (at the back) was cut back, I think when that fills back out (and it is on it's way) I will like it more.  I am happy with each plant individually, the Hamelia looks good, the Queen Victoria, I just don't know... I guess it just needs a little more time to fill out.  Like I said, when I look at them individually I am happy, it is just as a whole I guess it isn't my favorite, at least right now.   I am going to give it a little more time then I might mix it up.