May flowers

I don't remember throwing wildflower seeds out last fall- but I must have. The angle and light in the yard favors Indian blankets and purple horsemint - I can throw gallons of bluebonnet seeds and few pop up. I wasn't sure what the weeds were when they popped up this spring but decided to mow around them and am glad I did!

I also have volunteer Engleman daisies and brown eyed Susans bringing cheer.

The seeded natives grow easily and without much help. Other (more 'on purpose') plants that are doing well are my Peters Purple monarda, Jerusalem sage mixed with four o'clock daisies and red salvia, and a packet of zinnia seeds filling in a spot that opened after my coral honeysuckle received a massive pruning..

The flowers attract native bees and butterflies, making sitting outside fun..

Up front the lantana is waking up and filling in, attracting a katydid this morning.

 My tomatoes seem less vigorous this year (maybe not enough compost in the bed? Or I should move them to a different spot to rest the soil next year..). The small ones are starting to ripen though which makes for good snacking.

And my two year old pomegranate tree has three fruits growing. I'm hoping the squirrels leave them alone- my boys love the seeds!

Periodic update

Life has been busy with work, and kids, and pets, and politics... It's fun to look at old posts and see how the garden has changed over the last year or two though....

This was from three weeks ago. I should take an updated pic- the bushy 'weeds' in the xeriscape Thunderturf lawn have turned out to be Indian blankets and purple horsemint which is lovely.

I've had some lovely spring flowers including my self-seeding poppies and a gloriously large orange mallow bush.

And we added a puppy (Sasha, acting well behaved in this pic) to the menagerie of chickens, cats and kids. She keeps me walking in the neighborhood, and gets us outside often- which is great.