It is always fun to come home from a weekend trip and see what all changed around the yard while we were gone. When we are at home we keep a watchful eye on all of the plants and it can sometimes feel like waiting for water to boil. The more you watch and monitore the slower all the blooming and sprouting goes. When we are gone it seems like everything bloomed and sprouted so fast and all at once.
After unloading the car and before unpacking we set out to water and take a look around. After seeing that a lot was happening I decided to snap a few pictures. Hope you enjoy!
We picked this bulbine (bulbine frutescens orange) up at the Master Gardener’s sale and I am very happy with the purchase. I love the delicate, tiny orange flowers against the more hardy looking green plant. This plant likes full sun to light filtered shade and seems to like the spot that we have chosen for it. After closer inspection it looks like we will be having more flowers soon!
Also landing itself in the front flower bed is this Texas Primrose, Sundrops (calylophus drummondianus var. berlandieri). This was also picked up at the MasterGardener’s sale and the description says that it can tolerate the heat. Our weather forcast shows mostly 80’s and even a couple of 90’s for this last week of April, so I would say that heat toleration plays a huge part in most of our plant selections.
When we moved in this oleander was already established and huge. Being a fan of these I was excited to see the first bloom of the year! There are so many blooms ready to open up and when they do this plant will be a sea of pink. I. Can’t. Wait.
The first bloom of this yellow bells or gold star esperanza was actually sometime last week, but over the weekend a whole new group of flowers opened up. James has been wanting one of these for awhile and when we started looking for bushes to continue what the oleander started, this spanish esperanza was the first to get a spot on the back fence.
Last but not least in the bloomers of the weekend is this Ms. Huff lantana (lantana camara). My mom has always grown beautiful lantana and I hope that mine will be as great as her’s someday. I love the stage right before flowering as much as the flowering part. Isn’t it neat how you can tell the color of the flower before it actually blooms?
Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures and had a nice, relaxing weekend. We feel relaxed rejuvenated and ready to face another work week.
I hope you realize that the oleander is poisonous. It makes nice straight sticks and kids are attracted to using it…
omigod – oleanders are poisonous! let’s rip them all out …
PLEASE. In the 15 years I have been gardening in LA, where oleanders grow like weeds, there has been one case of the accidental poisoning of a child by the ingestion of oleander leaves. One.
Your oleander is beautiful – if it makes you happy, ENJOY!!!
Mike – Yes we realize that the oleander is poisonous.
Germi – Thanks for stopping by and yes I am going to enjoy our oleander. I’ll try to refrain from making some soup with it or adding the flowers as garnish. 😉
Oleander soup, huh? Maybe you should accidentally leave some “special” brownies someplace that the evil witch at your work will be tempted to steal them. 😉
Oleander soup, huh? I can TOTALLY think of a good use for that! hehehehehe… kidding… really…
Now… where are you growing that bacon???
Zealot – Brownies aren’t a bad idea!
Shibaguyz – I too can think of some uses for it, but I’m a nice girl (most of the time) so I won’t do it!