Mystery solved
Thanks to Lucy chiming in from NZ, one of the mystery plants has been identified as Cerinthe major. It's looking even prettier this week.
Waiting on the roses
I'm still waiting on my David Austin rose delivery but saw a Graham Thomas rose on clearance this week at the Great Outdoors. I'm sure to find a home for it somewhere in the garden.
At least my Texas pink knockout rose is about to burst open into bloom
Partridge in a Pear Tree
An early bloom on the pear tree that Katie and Dale gave to Chris on Father's Day the year that Tom was born. Which means we will always know how old it is...coming up on it's 7th year.
Bargain Buy
On the way to pick up a sarnie, I pulled up next to a friend at the traffic lights. He rolled down the window and told me to get to Home Depot as they had a deal on five shrubs for $10. I picked up five Fortnight Lily/African Iris shrubs. I may not be able to plant them for a few days, but I've got the perfect spot in the back garden.
Good neighbors and Lady Vera
One of the biggest pleasures of being in the garden (especially a corner garden) is getting to pause and chat with neighbors and friends walking by. And our number one neighbors are Trish and Sandy. Not only are they fab friends, but they also look out for our pets as if they are their own. Most days I come home to find Jack and Mickey peering out at me from under Trish and Sandy's fence.
One morning this week, I noticed something unfamiliar by one of my pots up front. A 'pet rock' to remember our zombie cat, Vera. Thanks, Trish!
It's raining, it's pouring
All plans for another weekend pottering and clearing up the garden vanished when we woke up to it chucking it down. Instead, we took a few photos and determined the damage from this week's frost.
Water free zone
These two pots are by the side of the carport and there are no water access points close by so it seems the perfect spot for some succulents. These were acquired this weekend and transplanted quickly into pots (usually it takes me a good couple of weeks to get around to potting new buys)!
Mystery plants
One section of the extension to Al's garden was set aside for experimentation. I threw a bunch of seeds out in October of last year and now I'm starting to see some results. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they are...hopefully, time will tell.
The bluebonnets are here
Bluebonnets are the state wildflower of Texas. They remind me a bit of bluebells in that they spread like crazy and manage to survive anywhere, even in the middle of highways. I have three different patches throughout the garden. The first was a couple of plants in Al's side garden and I transplanted a couple of plants and scattered some seeds in the extension of the garden. Here is the first bloom of 2014. Tourists travel to central Texas to take photos in the fields of bluebonnets but I don't think I have planted enough to expect any crowds journeying to Cloverleaf Corner.
Magnolia burst
This is currently the 'showstopper' bloom in Al's garden. In the past week it has gone from tight pink buds to multiple full flowers. It looks lovely but unfortunately does not have a scent (although it looks like it should). We've had quite a few folks ask if they could take a photo of this gem. An added bonus is you can see Chris' handy work from the weekend--power-washing the fence!