You're 2 to 3 weeks ahead of me, I haven't even seen any buds on the roses yet.
Morning Surprises! What did you find this monring?
Here is a purple Cestrum and my cute companion.
I know that spring is finally here now that the crepe (or is it crape) myrtles are putting out the green leaves. The loquots are are getting ripe and we gather and eat these right off the trees - we have 5 trees. I have a red mandevilla blooming it's little head off and growing nicely. The little rose bushes that I bought at the grocery store that has the beautiful pink blossoms- Tiffany - are budded out and ready to bloom within the next day or so. It's so nice in the gardens because the fall/winter/spring plantings of annuals are doing so well and the new perennials - salvia, stonecrop, coral bells, encore azalea,and the Confederate Rose I am raising from a cutting (and the rest I am raising from cuttings) are looking so good. The regular azaleas have finished their bloom as have the lorapetulem but the latter has all that beautiful new growth which is the same shade of fuchsia as the flower are coming on as are the live oak and pine trees, brugs and plumerias leaves. "They" were saying that we were going to have 40° temps this weekend but the front appears to have stalled (fingers crossed that it did) and maybe won't get here. Hate cold weather. We put out 3 different tomato plants - nothing special - this weekend so maybe we'll have tomatoes this year. I have 4 o'clocks (seeds) planted and one of the Pride of Barbados seedlings planted. That should bloom this year, hopefully, unless the squirrels decide to decimate it. I wish I could take good pictures but my camera has one speed and one setting even tho it is a digital (cheapie) and no matter when I take a picture and where I stand, stoop, kneel - whatever - I get a picture that is practically worthless. Maybe I can talk Jim into getting me a decent digital for my birthday or Christmas or for Just Because.
Ann
Poppy update, the blooms are coming strong now!
Closer up.
Austin...the fluffy poppies are great!
Stephanie... I have loads of poppy seeds to share, I will bring some to Arlington with me.
Sheila, I love these poppies. Of course, the seeds are sooooo small that some of them are on top off each other and I have tried to thin and give to my friends.
Thank you.
I am glad to see you have some red and pink. They don't transplant well though. I have a lot of seeds I will bring to the RU.
Sheila~I still have half of the seeds you gave me last fall, so I'm good on seeds for awhile!! Maybe someone else will want them. :)
I've really enjoyed watching the poppies this year. My neighbor had some bloom last year that she'd planted 2 years before and hadn't seen anything of them since!
I have some that I sprinkled seeds for just after last freeze that are tiny, they would get lost in most gardens. Then I have those that I put seeds down for last year that came up larger. So I am sure that those sown in the spring have a better chance to grow. IMHO
AustinRealtor - my mother is moving into a house that has those pink flowers all over the back yard! I took a few pix when I was there on Sunday . . . I'll post a picture tonite once I get home from work. I had no idea they were some kind of poppy! Although, that would explain the odd "poppy" looking bloom amongst all the fluffy blooms . . .
I had a new to me, previously named iris this morning. A friend that grew iris had lost the names to a lot of rizomes due to a dog tearing up the paper bags. My fortune his loss. Anyway I would love to know if you recognize it.
Here is another beauty. It bloomed a few days ago.
HAIL!!!! They were pretty this morning! We just got rocked by Hail! My poor plants. :-(
Awh, that is the pits Austin. We got a little hail but very short and small.
Let me fix the pic.
You can turn it any way you want, it is still sad to see. Good thing is they will bounce back.
So sorry the Poppies were pummeled by hail! At least you got some good photos of them beforehand. I hope we dodge that bullet...
Pretty Iris blooms too Sheila. I've no clue on IDs but that are definitely lovely.
Hi Syrumani ~ I haven't seen you around lately. Hope all is well there. I would love to see a photo of that backyard. I'd bet it is stunning!
Cocoa ! I've not eaten a loquat but Ann generously shared some small trees with me. I passed some on and have 3 that overwintered outdoors and are fine so far. I realize this winter was fairly mild but I intend to try them. Would you care for a tree while they are still small? I would gladly share. Need to go look for the canned loquats to sample but I prefer honey on my vanilla ice cream or else, just plain vanilla! LOL
Oh, podster, I've been around . . . I haven't posted much, though, 'cause we just moved into an apartment, and well . . . you know how moving can go! I've had to cut WAY back on my growing space - only pots on the patio for me! Which is why I was eyeballing my mothers future yard . . . here is a group shot of those flowers . . . you can see that plants have grown wherever the seed landed . . . there is a least a dozen of these that are going to be pulled . . .
Here is close-up of two blooms. I can only guess one is a male, the other a female bloom? Or could these actually be two different plants? Or is one mutating?
Those are 2 different varieties of poppies.
How cool, I'd love to have a big patch like that!
There're both P. somniferum but the paeony type is a paeoniiflorum x somniferum, I think you have to weed out the singles to keep the paeony type pure. Since it's the same color it looks like it's reverting to the single form.
I looked on line what makes certain poppies illegal to grow. By vague legal definition "if you know it's an illegal species, then it's illegal to grow it" LOL So I won't tell ya!
Pod, that's so sweet. I have a tree tho, it's about ten years old and never set fruit. I think it gets too cold. I looked through plantfiles and can't find if it need another pollinator. Anyone happen to know?
Sheila, if you need takers for your poppy seeds, please put me down! I planted Christi's seeds in December, but it was late and only a few germinated--and they're still only an inch tall. Don't know if they will bloom this year or not.
Just got in from Baylor Gaston Ave. MIL live 70 miles from us at Lake Tawakoni. DH went this morning to do some chores outside for her. Came back to the house for something and she had fallen and broken her ankle in two places. CareFlight landed in her yard and took her to Baylor where she had immediate surgery because the bones were through the skin (sorry that is gross). She is 91 and will probably still outlive me as she is a very strong woman. Don't know what the future holds. The immediate future is definitely going to be different from I had in mind. May or maynot be at the RU.
Pray for her comfort.
Christi
O.K. Poppy question... will they come back next year from the same plants? I thought they were an annual and would only reseed? Biennual... will they bloom in the 2nd year if they are too small this year?
Syrumani ~ When you said
Quoting:
Why don't you leave them till they deliver seed pods and then uproot or mow or... Then, you will have plenty of beautiful poppy seeds to share and swap. I do understand you are anxious to put in a garden... Pretty poppy patch though. Those different blooms are are seperate plants aren't they?there is a least a dozen of these that are going to be pulled . . .
Oops ~ if the Loquat needs a pollinator tree I had better keep two and only spare one. I was given two delicious yellow plum trees a few years ago. They do well for everyone here. They are 8 feet tall and healthy and have never even bloomed. I am ready to amputate them at the roots. The guys were telling me that is because I got two male trees. Is that so? Never heard of that... I think my chain was being jerked and not too gently... LOL
LouC ~ just read about your dear MIL. I am so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you all. My Mom broke her leg in 2000 and was told she would not leave the nursing home. Not true. She is 91 and fiercely independent in her own home. Your MIL is so similar that I just know she will recover. Best to your husband as he is the necessary quotient... looking after his dear wife and his Mother.
Oh Christi, what terrible news. I'm sure you're exhausted and need sleep. What a day. Hope your MIL is resting comfortably tonight. Isn't it strange how things work out? Your DH being there was a fortunate coincedence. She might have laid there for hours before getting help. Take care and try not to stress...and I hope you got your shingles shot.....you're gonna need it.
Sandi
Oh Christi, that is a bad thing to happen to someone that on in years. Hopefully they will keep her and do therapy until she can learn how to get around. Good thing you are on the mending side! It is a blessing that Mike was there for his Mother indeed.
As for the RU, you may need a break by then!
LouC - our prayers are with your MIL . . . I'm sure she'll be up and around soon- she sounds like the kind of person that won't let an injury get in the way . . .
podster - the ones that get pulled will be the ones growing in the grass . . . there are at least 3 dozen of these growing in the "safe zone" - which is to say, behind the brick border that divides the flower garden from the grass. We definitely won't be wanting for seed.
Unless there is someone local that is interested in some? Could always carefully dig up instead . . .
Sheila, what do think?
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/104411/
Lynea....That is so close, it could be. I pulled up my pic next to that one and there is a color diff, but that could be camera. I would say yes, if it wasn't for the "reddish" in the description. Mine doesn't have a hint of burgundy shading but it does have the yellow beard inside. I will save it as a could be Autumn Joy Spoon though. Thanks for finding it!
Well, I'm spending the morning looking through the iris forum. Honestly it could be a million others that look like it.lol
Here's another, http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/7733/ Jessie's Song.
Patricia gave me one last year, it's suppose an old, no fuss, wonderful iris.
Perfect match! I also got one of the "Jessie's Song" from Patricia but didn't remember where I planted it. Guess I know now!! This one from the photos is the same in every way as mine.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/79715/
Thanks Lynea!