Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - December 2009

A November freeze wiped out most blooming things outside, with the exception of some scrappy Mexican mint marigolds and sheltered purple lantana, neither of which photograph well right now. So, here's the best color around the house:






The rosemary's got a couple of flowers still on it; purple lantana; some kolanchoe which may bloom if we get a few warm days in a row; the Christmas cactus (again); and my neighbor's pear tree is looking beautiful today.

Cactus in full bloom

Last zinnia bouquet

before the freezing weather kicks in.

Pre-Christmas cactus

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - November 2009

Everything's looking a bit scraggly right now but still plenty of stuff blooming around the house. From the top: copper canyon daisy w/artemisia; Mexican bush sage; zinnias; cypress vine; golden thryallis; honeysuckle; some herb (label said clary sage); more zinnias in the veggie garden.

Today's garden roster

Got almost an inch of rain yesterday. From the top: raindrops on canna leaf, lady's slipper, firespike, pyracantha berries, bloom on pineapple sage, honeysuckle, and zinnia bouquet

Color in the sq ft garden

Today's zinnia bouquets

Inside Austin Gardens Tour - Fall 2009

For more photos, check out my flickr set.

In the garden today

I've got new colors of zinnias coming in everyday: lovely, exciting colors. Planted my square foot garden with some fall veggies (kale, beets, and bok choy from seed; broccoli, arugula, cilantro, dill, and strawberry plants), but the basil and zinnias are being sun and space hogs right now (the chard seedlings are getting shaded out).

Zinnias

Today in the backyard

Wyoming cannas

patio tomatoes that survived the summer heat

cypress vine

zinnia patch about to start blooming

sweet basil

grass in need of mowing

rain of gold shrub

Rain

So, it's been forever since I last posted, but this summer has been so long and hot and dry that my garden's in survival mode. Which means lots of dropped leaves and not many thriving plants. But we got a little bit of rain this morning and here's Lloyd scanning the sky for any more that might come our way. Ironically, the plumeria that I used to be unable to get to bloom has had flowers for the past two months.

Honeysuckle

Bee paradise in the backyard