Garden blooming and buzzing!

I'll admit, I scare off the birds in my yard when I go outside. Cardinals, wrens, chickadees, doves, blue jays and grackles all vanish from my feeders and bushes when I bring out my camera. But the bees are cooperating (a little) better this spring. My wisteria and mountain laurel have settled down but my salvias and coral honeysuckle keep putting on a show that everyone seems to enjoy..

Honeybee holding still. 

I cleared out the oregano and passionflower vines and this red salvia (autumn sage if I remember) has doubled in size. You can't see the buzzing all around it from this far..

Fat bumblebee holding still

This is a Biergarden culinary sage- not native, but that hasn't stopped the honeybees..

I caught the other flowers on their own, but have enjoyed their colors..

Dutch irises coming back faithfully in the front with surrounding volunteer oaklets I need to pull and a chili piquin waking up for the season to the right

Red poppies in the back

A blurred explosion of Old Gay Hill roses in a dry spot in the back

Blackfoot daisies (tasty to the chickens so protected unfortunately)

Allium flowers that pop up in the front

Not big yet, but I'm celebrating my first pomegranate bloom.

Purple sweet peas amid colorful chard (need to get around to eating it soon!)

I hope everyone enjoys their Gardener's Bloom Day hosted by Carol at www.maydreamsgardens.com! I love seeing what is blooming in everyone's yards this time of year.

Garden potpourii

Wide angle from the back

Wide angle of the front

Happy things:

Ghost plant thriving in neglect

New potted aloe throwing up flowers

Amazing smells from my sweet peas

Damianita and an agave pup

My first long lasting gaura!

Lavender in the dry bed sending up subtle blooms

Ignored horseherb thriving in a neglected dry bed along the house

Alongside it this.. which someday I'll identify but like it's cheerful sturdy yellow blooms

Why did I throw away the plant ID tags? Not sure if this is a sweet pepper or jalapeno!

Ooh, ooh, first tomato of the season!

Fruits on the hand-me down pummelo plant..

A new iris ("Batik" I think) 

Hand-me down iris from the house my husband grew up in (now demolished..)

These have become....

despite the chickens..

Munching on broccoli..

At least they give me these!

No eggs from this guy, seen on a neighborhood walk in the recent wonderful rain..

Tougher than they seem..

Snowy sweet blooms on my pyracantha shrub in the front. It finally recovered after a too vigorous trimming from some fellows my husband hired as a "treat" for me a few years ago. They left it gangly and thin but it is filling in again. It isn't a native (the plant comes from Southeast Europe to Southeast Asia) but it is tough and produces red berries that the birds love to eat. Despite it's soft look in the picture it has sharp long thorns (and makes a great barrier!).

Bee? Fly? The furry legs make me lean towards bee (as well as it's complete focus on this pummelo blossom). 

Pumpkin looks sweet but has taken to pecking us to get our attention. She stops when we pick her up. I have a chicken that thinks she's a lap cat!

A flurry of activity today, getting muffins baked, veggies and fruit chopped, baked french toast prepped. We are going to have both sides of the family here with an Easter egg hunt (if it is not pouring rain). I love having a garden big enough to have nooks and crannies to stash the eggs! Happy Easter everyone.

Good morning

A brief sweet good morning on my walk to the car. I love spring..

Spring in Llano and Mason

We headed out to my parent's place in Mason this weekend, hoping to catch some wildflowers (and let the boys frolic in this gorgeous weather). The highway wildflowers were ..not-yet ready, simmering with bluebonnets, but not the symphony of colors they might become in the next few weeks (if.. it rains, stays nice, etc etc). Out in the Hill Country the trees are a week or two behind the city trees: branches are still bare (or have buds) rather than the bright new light green of fresh leaves that popped up around town when I wasn't looking. The live oaks look yellow with old leaves still needing to fall. Some areas are bright with lush spring grasses (so verdant!), others have a dry look to them (all that caliche..).

Instead of zooming through Llano (with the habitual donut stop at Chrissy's Homestyle Bakery), we paused at Robinson City Park a mile or so west of the town square, located along the Llano river. It was a great place for the kids to get out and romp, and seems like a fun location to put in kayaks and swim on a hot summer day (note to self..).

They even have bluebonnets amid rolling boulders

Requisite close-up :)

Imagine this spot in summer when the tree is full of leaves.. I would laze on the bank and watch my kids frolic (avoiding the turtle sunning itself on rocks of course)..

Perfect hopping rocks for a 5 year old..

Spiderwort plants have popped up in between the boulders.

At my parent's place, the flowers were still subdued and waiting. Mason is apparently 1000 ft higher than Austin, so it will be a couple of weeks before the hills are bursting. There are many early starters that caught my eye though..

These are Blue Gilia (Gilastrum rigidulum), which I found along shady draws in caliche soils.

This early Huisache daisy has a plump bee as a fan.

All along the hills I could see the soft white mounds of Spanish dagger flowers peeking out.

This white prickly poppy (Argemone albiflora) is a wonderful combination of toughness (cows and deer won't eat them) and delicateness (look at those paperysoft petals!).

I found a few claret cup or Hedgehog cacti- they epitomize the word tough- growing in limestone cracks where not much else can survive..

Even if we didn't get rolling fields of flowers, we did get beautiful spring light and color. I snapped this picture of my youngest leading us on an early evening adventure hike, through dirt roads, prickly pear stands and draws. He always seemed to sit down near the carpenter ant piles (!), but hopefully he'll remember having his mother and Abuelita's attention as he told his quirky stories and chased his own shadow..

Happy spring everyone!

So much promise this time of year!!

I wish I kept bees so I could turn the amazing honey smell of my Wisteria into reality. It is practically vibrating with fat bumblebees..

And the mountain laurels.. of course!

Can I acidify this potted blueberry bush enough to get these flowers to bear fruit? A volunteer red poppy will stand watch.

Fireworks? Pinwheels? Coral honeysuckle in its glory..

From a 4" pot to a sturdy drought tolerant small bush: the Old Gay Hill rose I planted last year has so many ..almost blooms.. It is named after an old Texas homestead where the plant was found growing.

Almost tropical Mexican honeysuckle tucked into lush flat parsley..

Seasonal transition: yaupon holly berries brightening up my waking-up Turks cap..

Off to wander through country roads and see wildflowers this weekend. We are in the sweet spot of the year- I hope everyone is enjoying it!