HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL: larkspur

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Behind the Garden Gate

Favorites on the 1st

May 1st

Favorites on the First

~ Flowers ~

Our garden was recently featured

on a neighborhood garden tour.

Come along, and I'll show you

what's blooming here in Texas.

It's still a bit early, so not everything

has flushed out like the roses have.

The firecracker ferns are blazing,

but the golden thryallis that you see

here hasn't shown its color yet.

Larkspur seed that I scattered last fall

have happily grown into this lovely bouquet of

pink, lavender, purple, and white.

Gaillardia Arizona Sun, a perennial,

is also known as Blanket Flower.

Orange Daylily are

just beginning to bloom.

The Iceberg Rose patio tree was

happy and in bloom for the tour.

Blackfoot Daisy looks sweet and delicate,

but it is a rugged little plant that

tolerates heat and drought conditions.

Gerber Daisy and Petunia

add seasonal color.

More seasonal color fills

containers on the front porch.

Geraniums are one of my

favorite flowers from my childhood.

The scented geranium that is growing in

the large urn offers a delicate lilac bloom.

I like to grow geraniums in containers

that I can mix in among plants in my beds.

This one is tucked in among fern,

oakleaf hydrangea, and caladiums.

Here I've mixed in some other

bloomers among the scented geranium.

Impatients are perfect for the

shade in this area of the garden.

They need to be

protected from the Texas sun.

The tall green plant to the left is Shell Ginger.

Though it isn't in bloom yet,

it has the most amazing flowers.

Dozens of blooms

grow on long stalks.

Each one opens to show

this gorgeous red and yellow mouth.

Fresh cut flowers often fill

a vase for alfresco dining.

Thanks for joining me in my spring garden.

Click here to see more of my garden from last spring.

Joining

Favorites on the 1st @ The Polohouse
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants
Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life
Open House Friday @ Bernideen's Tea Time
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Fresh Cut Friday @ Rose Vignettes
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House
Be Inspired @ Common Ground
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Festive Friday Fiesta @ The Home Girl
Oh The Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper
Cottage Garden Party @ Fishtail Cottage
Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound
Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life
Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings
Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicted House
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Pretty Things @ TwelveOeight
Tuesday Treasure @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Your Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E
The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Happy List @ Art At Home

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Green Was Her World

flowers

Today couldn't have been more beautiful.

The sky was blue, the sun was shining,

the birds were singing, the air was crisp, and

a group of neighbors and friends gathered together

to dedicate a small neighborhood garden

to an amazing lady we lost two years ago.

It's just a small plot

where an oak tree towers overhead.

A daily reminder and tribute to an

incredible lady who gave of herself to

family, friends and community.

We miss you, Gail!

I realize we still have a week of

February ahead of us, but it feels like spring here.

A small patch of larkspur has begun to bloom in my front garden.

It's giving me hope of what's to come.

This is my first experience growing larkspur.

These are from seeds that a friend shared with me last fall.

I planted poppy seed at the same time,

but so far no evidence of poppies.

Larkspur is in the delphinium family.

In the Language of Flowers during Victorian times,

larkspur symbolized a pure heart and laughter.

Both of these traits are characteristic of my friend Gail.

It makes me smile to see them springing

up in my garden this week.

In early March last year, bluebonnets

were flourishing and blooming in my herb garden.

Only one small plant sighted so far this season.

Mid February is the time to prune one's roses.

The photo above of my knockout roses

and blue plumbago was taken last spring.

This bed looks pretty bare now,

waiting for the first flush of new spring growth.