Bloom Day August 2009

It’s difficult for me to believe that it’s already bloom day again.  I’m not sure why as this past month with it’s relentless heat seems to have been dragging by.   Texas continues to cook.  The last public boat ramp on lake Travis was closed last week as the precipitous drop in the water level has rendered it unusable and I’ve got cabin fever.  It’s so hot outside that the only time it’s safe to step outside is early in the morning.  I try to do all I can between 6 am and 11 am and even then it’s up into the 90′s.  Not exactly gardening weather.  I wanna give props to Carol at May Dreams Gardens (http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com) for coming up with the idea for bloom day.  Bloom day is on the 15th of every month when gardeners from all over the world post photos of what is blooming in their gardens.  I’m particularly grateful this month as it opened my eyes to what plants can withstand this oppressive heat.  The things that are blooming in my yard today will always find a place in my garden.  In fact, several of them will find additional space in the garden.  So here we go with the blooms.

Indian Carnation

First up is the very fragrant Indian carnation

Tabernaemontana divaricata ‘Flore Pleno’

Next year there will certainly be more of these planted in the garden.

Bowtie vine

This is the bowtie vine

Dalechampia dioscoreifolia

This was blooming all over Costa Rica when I was there a couple of years ago.  I was very excited to find it for sale at The Natural Gardener.  I’m not sure yet how it will do here in Austin as I just put it in the ground last week.  Stay tuned.

Devil's Trumpet

Devil’s trumpet or

Datura metel ‘Double Purple’

is a faithful bloomer from spring til frost.  I planted my first one a couple of years ago and now I have them coming up everywhere.  I tend to just let them go and grow where they want.  With fragrant blooms like these can you blame me?

Rock Rose

The rock rose

Pavonia braziliensis

was putting on quite a display.  I have several of these that came up on their own around the yard and all of them were covered in blooms today.

Chinese Golden Banana

This is the Chinese Golden Banana bloom.

Musella lasiocarpa

That’s a really vivid yellow!

West Texas Mistflower

The mistflower has been blooming nicely all summer long.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle loves the heat!

Catharanthus roseus

Zinnia 'Profusion Orange'

Melampodium leucanthum

a.k.a. Blackfoot Daisy

Cleome hassleriana

Scaevola aemula

Scaevola or Fan Flower is another heat-lover.

Asclepias curassavica

Mexican Milkweed

Datura metel 'Double Purple'

Galphimia gracilis

Thryallis is covered in blooms from spring to frost.

Allium schoenoprasum

Petunia

Ipomoea hederifolia

The seed packet on these said they were scarlet morning glory.  I think they got the color wrong.

Plumeria rubra 'Edi Moragne'

Jatropha integerrima

Hibiscus syriacus

Aloysia virgata

The sweet-smelling almond verbena.

Pachystachys lutea

Portulaca grandiflora

Petunia grandiflora

Ruellia tweediana

Oleander

Ruellia elegans

Mystery flower with bee

I can’t remember what this flower is.  I purchased it at Barton Springs Nursery this  past spring.  It was just in a little 4″ pot and it has grown to about 3′ tall and wide.  It’s covered in blooms all morning and they close up in the afternoon.  Next year I plan to plant several more of these.

Clock vine?

When I purchased this at The Great Outdoors it said it was a clock vine.  It looks more like a blue sky vine to me.  Doesn’t matter as it’s really pretty.

Abutilon 'La Vie en Rose'

Cosmos sulphureus

Lagerstroemia indica 'Catawba'

Berlandiera lyrata

First bloom of the season on the chocolate flower.

Senna alata

I planted a few of these candletrees last year.  We had such a mild winter that they didn’t die all the way to the ground and are blooming now.  I have hundreds of these coming up all over the yard.  Can’t wait til they all start to bloom in the fall.

Senna lindheimeriana

These Lindheimer’s Senna plants grew big fast this summer.

more periwinkle

Buddleja davidii

Ipomoea adenioides

The morning glory bush is covered with blooms.  Next year I’ll be planting more of these.  I just read that they can grow to over 40′ tall!  Wow!!

Passiflora incarnata

When I moved into my house this purple passion flower vine was already growing in the back corner of the yard.  It covers EVERYTHING.  I don’t mind as it is constantly in bloom, has a sweet fragrance and is really stunning.

Another view with bee

And that’s mostly it.   I had a few other things blooming but this was the best and brightest.  Hope you enjoyed the show.

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