Bloom Day, September 15, 2009
September 16, 2009
Here it is again; bloom day. Bloom day is the day of the month where bloggers from around the world photograph what’s blooming in their yards and post it online for the rest of the world to see. Many thanks to Carole at May Dreams Gardens (http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/) for coming up with this idea. It’s a real blast.
The main thing on my mind on this bloom day is rain. We finally got some of it here in Central Texas. When you’ve had a summer like we’ve had here, the sight of storm clouds and rain can give you an indescribable feeling of euphoria. Even after the rain was gone the sight of clouds – big, fat, heavy-looking storm clouds is something to marvel at. Along with the rain came the much-welcomed cooler temperatures. We missed the record of days over 100 degrees by one day (we had 68 days over 100 so far this year). Some people may think it’s a shame to have come that close to the record and not have broken it. I call those people idiots.
Enough with my rambling. Off to the photos.
Hibiscus coccineus
This is the Texas Star Hibiscus a.k.a. Swamp Mallow. It’s doing great in a pot (although the limbs keep breaking off of the main trunk) but my friend, Cheryl isn’t having very good luck with it in the ground. I think it’s the lack of rain this summer.
Portulaca 'Giant Jewel'
Next up is the giant jewel portulaca which has been faithfully blooming all summer with no notice as to whether it gets any water or not.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Red Hot'
I have several of these tropical hibiscus that have been thumbing their noses at the intense Texas heat.
Leucophyllum laevigatum
Check out the blooms on the Cenizo a.k.a. Barometer Bush. They were all covered in purple flowers and buzzing bees the day after it started raining.
Dalechampia dioscoreifolia
The unusual flower of the bow-tie vine peeking out. This little vine has been growing at an amazing rate since I put it in the ground a few weeks ago. I’ll definitely keep him around.
Zinnia 'Profusion Orange'
Blooming their little zinnia hearts out!
Jatropha integerrima
The Peregrina has been blooming very well all summer long.
Thunbergia alata
The Black-Eyed Susan vine has really kicked into overdrive recently.
Senna alata
The Candle Tree is really starting to push up the blooms. This is it’s season to shine. I planted a couple of these last year and this year they came up EVERYWHERE. If you choose to put these in your yard be sure that you have plenty of room as they do spread and reseed freely (which is fine with me).
Passiflora incarnata
How about this Purple Passion Flower? I just love this vine. It was already taking over a corner of my back yard when I bought my house. My next door neighbor said she planted it several years ago in her yard and decided she didn’t like it and yanked it out. She’s been fighting it ever since. I welcome it in my yard. It climbs up the nasty Hackberry Trees that sprout up in the area between mine and my neighbor’s fence.
Lantana horrida
Texas Lantana
Duranta erecta
The Sky Flower has been blooming all summer but has really started putting on a show the past couple of weeks.
Tibouchina candolleana
The Princess Flower sat in the shade of my big pecan tree and didn’t bloom all summer. I moved it into more sun a few weeks ago and it’s gone mad with flowers.
Musella lasiocarpa
This has to be one of the longest-lasting blooms I’ve ever seen. It’s bloomed for about 3 months now and still going strong.
Tecoma 'Sunrise'
The Texas Yellow Bells have been blooming all summer long.
Galphimia gracilis
If you find that Thryallis grows in your temperature zone, plant it. You’ll have these gorgeous and fragrant yellow flowers from spring til frost.
Salvia farinacea 'Blue Bedder'
The Mealycup Sage putting on a show of color.
Melampodium leucanthum
Blackfoot daisy.
- Asclepias curassavica
Asclepias curassavica
The Mexican Milkweed is popping up all over the yard.
Orthosiphon aristatus
Love the Cat’s Whiskers.
Euphorbia milii
Flowers and thorns of the Siamese Lucky Plant.
The shocking red of the Egyptian Star Flower.
Ruellia elegans
The non-invasive Thai Ruellia.
Plumeria rubra
Frangipani.
Ipomoea hederifolia
Scarlet Morning Glory
Ipomoea carnea
The Morning Glory Bush which has grown to over 10 feet tall in one season and covered in blooms.
Pavonia braziliensis
Brazilian Rock Rose
Hibiscus calyphyllus
I think that this Lemon Rose Mallow looks a lot like an Okra flower.
Senna corymbosa
The Texas Flowery Senna trees are starting to pop.
So far no-one has been able to identify this flower. This plant was about 3″ tall when I bought it this spring. If I’d have known it would grow into a 4′ x 4′ shrub that is constantly in bloom, I’d have bought a few more. The flowers open up in the morning and close in the afternoon. The honeybees love em.
Nerium Oleander
The Oleander next to the Hawaiian Ti Plant and the Frangipani.
Salvia leucantha
Mexican Bush Sage.
Callicarpa americana
I know it’s not a bloom, but isn’t this American Beautyberry something?
I’ve gone blank on the name of this jasmine, but mainly I just wanted to post this to show off my Alphonse Carr Bamboo. It’s really looking great right now and this area looks so tropical with the bananas too.
Well folks, that’s it. There are a few other things blooming in the yard, but I think you get the idea. Good gardening to everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again in October.
September 16, 2009 at 2:00 am
Randy,
Your blooms are great. We have so many of the same plants in our yards. what is the Musella lasiocarpa?
I love the tryallis also. I have one.
I have a senna totally in bloom in my yard that came from my last school’s garden. It is usually covered in sulphur butterflies. do you have hummingbirds now? This is their main season in Houston.
September 16, 2009 at 2:43 am
Great blooms in your garden this bloom day. We have many of the same things. Are you on the google group and are you coming to our Austin blogger gathering to meet our new extension agent? If you hadn’t heard about it, you can email me at dianackirby@gmail.com for more info. Happy Bloom day.
September 16, 2009 at 4:09 pm
You have a gorgeous garden! I’m just starting my new garden at our new house, and I planted a jasmine by our porch to hopefully screen it from the neighbors. How long did it take yours to get that huge, and what do you have for them to climb?
September 16, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Thanks everyone for the compliments. John, the musella is a Chinese Yellow Banana. I have had a few hummingbirds, but not as many as my parents have had. I don’t have a feeder. I think I’m going to get one soon tho.
Diana, I am on the list but I won’t be able to make it to this meeting.
Leah, my jasmine grew pretty fast. It’ll get really big in it’s first year and huge after two. If you have the same type that I have it may freeze back in really cold weather, but it’ll come back fast when it warms up. For support, I buy the grid type metal that is used to put under the concrete for sidewalks. It comes in sections that are a perfect size for a trellis and it’s really sturdy. I just attach it to the fence. You can get it at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
September 16, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Everything is looking great — I love the pictures showing your yard of old compared with the new. What a difference! How exciting that you’ll be on the tour in October. Hopefully I’ll remember to keep that weekend clear for some fun garden visits!
September 22, 2009 at 3:32 pm
You have some plants there that I have never even heard of. Must check them out. Bow tie vine looks interesting but is it a rampant climber like many we have here.
September 23, 2009 at 12:09 am
Hey Randy, does that cat whiskers spread? I’d like a cutting plz:) Really awesome show!
October 23, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Wow, it’s lovely! Can’t wait to see it in person and meet you tomorrow morning.
October 26, 2009 at 1:41 am
Dude, I loved visiting your garden yesterday. I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done in such a short amount of time! It looked great, and I especially loved that area in front of the street with those little planters built into the retaining wall. I really wish I’d done something creative like that in my yard instead of using cheapass prefab landscaping blocks.
Also, your birdbath with the skull? That was my hands-down favorite bit of garden art on the entire tour. I want one! Where on earth did you find the skull?
I also have a question about the mirror on the back fence. I’ve wanted to try something similar in my garden but I was worried about how it would deal with the weather. Is it just a regular mirror? Have you treated it with anything to make it more durable? Any idea what kind of shelf life a garden ornament like that has in this climate? I am intrigued.
Anyway, thanks for having us! It was a pleasure.
October 26, 2009 at 3:26 am
Randy,
Thank you for opening your garden. I really enojoyed getting a look at the back. I’ve seen the front quite a bit. I’m the neighbor that rides her bike and stops and stares at your yard.
Cindy
June 14, 2010 at 12:23 am
Your mystery flower looks like Turneria trioniflora, or Cuban Buttercup. Great photos! Just found this now while searching for thryallis pics. Just planted two and I love them!