More Spring Rains Bring Bluebonnets

The moderate-to-strong El Niño continues as last night another Spring thunderstorm rolled though dumping a bunch of rain. It is SO nice to have rain this year after a few years of awful drought, which as a result, produced very few and very small bluebonnets the past couple of years. Oh!, but this year there are bluebonnets! Big bluebonnets!

Species Tulips, etc.

Ever since moving down South from up North, I have mourned the loss of Tulips. But then I discovered Species Tulips! These are so much prettier than those big hybrids and they grow AND naturalize in the South. Outstanding!

I picked up these red and yellow ones last year at a local nursery. I'm not sure what kind they are exactly, but last year I had three and this year I have 6! Yay!:





Open:



OK, so Pam from Digging says these are Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia'. Thanks for the ID, Pam! Here are some more photos of these open. You can see how they are all yellow inside:





New this year Tulip clusiana. I am completely head-over-heels in love with this one and will need to acquire more for next year:







Also new this year Tulip Saxatalis. I am going to get some yellow primrose to plant around this one (Actually, I am going to try and rescue some native yellow primrose from just down the road. They are widening the road and about to plow over a bunch of wildflowers. We'll see if I get there in time to save them from the bulldozers.):





Here are some naturalizing narcissus 'Thalia'. They have quite doubled since last spring:





And look at the redbud blooming. So pretty against the blue spring sky:



The Mt. Laurel is also beginning to bloom. Soon my garden will smell like grape soda:

Spring Flowers

More spring flowers are blooming in the garden now, including the bluebonnets.

Bluebonnets:





Hoop Petticoats. I have had these 2 years and they only first bloomed for me this year:





The Scarlet Quince continues to bloom:



Tulip Clusiana:



Tulipa Saxatalis:

Cedar Waxwing Invasion

My garden was invaded by a flock of Cedar Waxwings this morning. I heard a bunch of high pitched meep-meeping and looked out the window to see them all grouped atop the orchid tree. They came to gorge on the berries that were left on the various holly bushes in the garden.

These guys are so stylish looking I think; always appearing as if they are all dolled up to go to a masquerade with their slick looking feathers and neatly outlined-in-white, black masks:



Grouped in the orchid tree:





Wider shot:

First Hummingbird of 2010 Season

Just a note that I spotted the first hummingbird of the 2010 season in my garden today - a black-chinned hummingbird.

Here's a pic. He kept flying away when I opened the door, so this is a through-the-window shot:

Bloom Day - March 15th 2010

It's been a cold winter this year and my flowers are just now beginning to pop out. I've got a plethora of narcisus right now. Check them out:

A double. I really love this one:



Hoop petticoats:



Various narcissus:





Some big daffodils. I really don't like these as well as the wee wildflowery ones, but I bought some to try them out just to see how they do. Plus, they remind me of the silly, goofy daffodils in Alice in Wonderland and they make me smile. I do think they would look better in a more formal-like garden instead of my wildflowery-native-type garden:



Leucojum:



A windflower I rescued from the lawn before it was mowed over:



And some cardinals that have been visting my garden. They fly away if I step outside to take a photo, so these are through-the-window snapshots:





Happy bloom day everyone! It's springtime - get outside and plant some seeds! That's where I'm headed...