This morning a lady stopped by that I had spoken with a few months ago when I offered up some plants for her new garden plan. Today she arrived with her son and granddaughter in tow and we loaded up her car with lambs ear, bluebonnet, rock rose, red phlox, standing cypress, Mexican petunia, day flower, and hollyhock. It’s fun to have everything established enough to have loads of extras to share with neighbors.

While we were scavenging for her plants, I noticed a few new arrivals that have been summoned by our recent rains: blossoms on a couple of the fruit trees I planted last year, aother more traditional honeysuckle and the first bloom of my Passion flower vine with loads of extra buds waiting to join this sole leader…

I missed the blooming of my Japenese honeysuckle last year so had been a bit nonplussed about it. But this past week, it has been smelling lovely as we come in and out of the front door.

And a slight disappointment that the clumps of leaves that were growing from seed turned out to be humdrum day flowers/spider wort. Not as exotic as I was hoping, but the bright blue tiny flower is quite stunning.

I was chatting with my friend, Chris about how I liked blue and white talavera pottery but I’d hit up most places in Austin and depleted their stock. Unfortunately for my bank account, she let me know about a place out by the airport so I went and stocked up. Glad I only took the mini as I hate to think how much more I would have purchased in a bigger car!

The outdoor movie screen got battered in some storm and we never removed the frame…but now I have unintended garden art!

We missed winter in Austin and it already looks like we are in the midst of Spring. The mild December and January allowed Katie and I to potter a lot in the garden during her visit. The garden went a bit wild last year so this has been a winter of pruning and tidying and all the boring bits of gardening! However, the tedious chores will hopefully lead to a blooming lovely summer!

Here are a few shots taken in the past couple of months so you can see how Cloverleaf Corner is welcoming in 2016.

Not sure what this delightful drooping trumpet flower is called, but it is brightening up the front side of the house. It almost takes the focus away from the halloween lights that are still surrounding the base of the plant!

The tulip magnolia is beginning to bloom as are the morning glories.

My David Austin rose trees arrived at the start of February and are already looking lively. Much better than the gnarly roots that arrived in the boxes. And another David Austin rose is holding on to some blooms and challenging any winter frosts to a duel.

The Mexican Flame plant has gone nuts climbing up and covering an ugly utility pole on the corner of our street. And the cosmos have yet to go dormant this year. And every day something different catches my eye.

Chris rocked some fashion-forward garden wear on Father’s Day…no rest for the wicked:

There’s not much than can improve on a pint of Banks’s:

And in what is becoming a bit of an annual habit, Chris and I managed to sneak in a quick trip to David Austin Roses. We took loads of photos but I’m sharing just a few here–mainly of the roses we are considering for our 2015 additions to Cloverleaf corner. We can’t quite decide between A Shropshire Lad, Lady Emma Hamilton, or Lady of Shallot. Decisions, decisions…

It seems that there is something new to see in the garden every day. And, despite living here for about 14 years, it seems as if I get to meet new neighbors every day. Being on a corner means we get quite a lot of foot traffic and it’s nice to have a quick chat and sometimes share any pups or seedlings that I may be digging out. So far this year, I’ve given away loads of grasses, cosmos, rockrose pups, day flowers, lilies, and lambs ear.

The sunflowers are intermingling with the cherry blossom tree (not actually a cherry blossom I don’t think, but I’ve forgotten the proper name):

The purple basil is spreading like crazy. I need to remember to keep it trimmed low so it doesn’t grow to the height of a sunflower like it did last year. I wish I knew some uses for purple basil. It smells really bitter so I don’t think it would be good to use in cooking:

I can’t get enough of the Cerinthe major that was an impulse buy at the counter at Barton Springs Nursery this year. It continues to look lovely, and the leaves have a fabulous electric blue green tint to them:

I planted a packet of hollyhock seeds in the fall as I remember the side border at Wood Road used to have loads of them. I didn’t think they would make it here in Texas, but I got my first bloom today:

This beauty of a firecracker plant keeps me company during my morning showers now that it is warm enough to take my ablutions outside!

This African Iris plant was a gift from the Lepards from their garden in Big Spring:

And these irises are from Grandpa Larry’s farm in Knott:

I planted the family plants next to this lovely orange lily that has never bloomed more than one flower in the past:

Despite the wind this week, my moonflower continues to produce showy blooms:

And the other corner (Sandy and Trish’s) is looking fab right now. Wish I could get coneflowers to grow:

For Mothers’ Day, I asked for a day in the garden. Chris and I toiled in the back garden with occasional appearances from Tom. It was nice to have a bit of a rest and try to get some shots of this butterfly playing in the fennel:

The daisies in my garden always bloom a couple of weeks after all my neighbors. Each summer, I worry that mine may have not made it through the frost. Never fear, the daisies are here: