Sunday, June 15, 2008

Bloom Day - June 15th

So it is only June and the summer heat has settled in like it is August. It was 100 degrees AGAIN today. I don't even know how many records we have broken in Austin since May - at least 12, with 11 days at or over 100 degrees and most of the other days have been 98-99 degrees. My garden is acting like it is August. The hummingbird is dive bombing my new fountain, playing in the water and the other birds are crowding at the base of it taking showers and grabbing drinks. Water must be getting scarce out there. My plants are turning crispy and my lawn will be a nice shade of brown in another week or so. But the summer flowers are still a-bloomin'- let's take a look...

The Pride of Barbados looks amazing!



A close-up view of the flower:



The Shrimp Plants seem to be digging the heat:



The Rock Rose are also looking splendiferous:



A closer look:



Agave and purple Salvia Greggi:



Black and Blue Salvia:



Blue Passionflower:



The Turks cap just started blooming:



The first Sunflowers:



Oh! I just bought this nifty blue pot today at Hill Country Water Gardens. I filled it with a Gold Star Esperanza and some Salvia Splendens. The hummingbirds immediately discovered the salvia about 5 minutes after I potted them up:



Blue Dwarf Morning Glories:



Red Coreopsis:



Coneflower:



Yellow Lantana and OH! a garden friend:



The 'Hell Strip' out front by the sidewalk that never gets watered has Wright's Skull Cap, Yellow Lantana, Damianita, and Bulbine blooming:



My Fuschia 'Angels Earrings' is holding on. The flowers seem to be getting smaller as the weather gets hotter and hotter, but it is still making a go of it:



And here is a Gulf Fritillary butterfly hanging out on the seed pods of the yellow columbine:



Last, but not least, the desert willow has some pretty fabulous blooms:

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your hell strip looks great, and I like that red coreopsis too. That's cool that the hummers found your potted salvia so quickly.

Lori said...

Oh, I LOVE that shot of your hell strip! It's hard to believe that anything can look that good down here without lots of extra watering!

Anonymous said...

It is hot, isn't it?!?! I don't know how much more me or the plants can take. I'm really having to baby my veggies. I've been looking around for things that will survive in the heat and I love that Pride of Barbados. I'm going to hunt for some of that!

Iris said...

Your hell strip is FAB! I guess what I've just been calling "purple skullcap" is actually "Wright's skullcap"? And as much as I tend to avoid those hot-colored blooms, I sure am tempted by your Pride of Barbados.

tina said...

I agree with everyone else, your hell strip looks great! I love the cascading plants.

Anonymous said...

Whenever I see Pride of Barbados I wish I had one. I think I did plant one and lost it to a freeze. I just have never gotten around to planting another one. Seeing yours really makes me want one though.

Anonymous said...

I love your "hell" strip. It looks good! It is hot and dry in east Texas also. The blue pot is cool too!

Sam

Shirley said...

Hi there Lee, what a good selection for Bloom Day :-)

Yep… another vote for the ‘Hell Strip’!! I have a bit of that kind of planting going on in my front garden where it spills over here and there over the paving :-)

Again, like Pam I too loved the Red Coreopsis. I also loved the Gulf Fritillary butterfly – what a great capture!

Yep... the Pride of Barbados really does look quite stunning! I can understand why you are delighted with it :-D

Enjoy the rest of your week :-D

Carol Michel said...

I laugh everytime I see the name of your blog, but with all the hot days you've had in Austin, I GET IT!

I really like the hell strip planting. Great use of that space. Mine is just boring lawn.

Thanks for joining in for bloom day.

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Lee17 said...

Pam,

Thanks! And yep, it was pretty neat - I picked out those flowers just for the hummers. I am glad they liked them ;)

Lee17 said...

Lori,

Thank you! I do think I may give it a water sometime this week though - it is starting to look pretty crispy!

Lee17 said...

Shala,

It is WAY too hot! I too have to baby my veggies and water them every other day or they get all wilty.

The Pride of Barbados definately digs the heat. The hotter it is, the better they seem to look!

Lee17 said...

Iris,

Thank you! I bought that skullcap from the Ladybird Johnson wildflower center when they had one of their sprig sales and that is what the tag said - 'Wright's Skullcap' so that is what I have been calling it ;)

Lee17 said...

Tina,

Thanks - the cascading plants do look pretty groovy don't they?

Lee17 said...

mss,

Yeah, my Pride of Barbados never fully freeze back in the winter because they are in a pretty sheltered spot. They only seem to freeze back to the ground if we have an ice storm. Then they pop right back in the late spring.

Lee17 said...

sam,

Thanks! It seems to be extra hot everywhere in Texas this year. I am dreading the summer - if it is 100 degrees in June already, what is August going to be like?!?

Lee17 said...

Shirl,

Thanks! Gosh, that hell strip is sure popular ;) It is nice that I only have to water it once a month if it is extra-dry too!

Lee17 said...

Carol,

Well, I feel like I am melting in the sun every time I go outside in Austin! And this year is especially extra-toasty.

Yeah, my grass in the front wouldn't grow and was full of nasty weeds so I just dug it out one day and filled it with drought tolerant plantings and hoped I was doing the right thing. It turned out better than I expected. Fabulous! ;)

Thanks for hosting bloom day! It is such fun ;)

Anonymous said...

My Pride of Barbados are blooming beautifully but I've noticed yellowing leaves, especially at the base. If I don't water the new bloom pods wilt in the central Texas sun(Blanco). How does one get a proper watering regimen for this more than beautiful plant? Any answers would be greatly appreciated.