Awesome Joolie

I know! It's so exciting!

We now have a total of six redbud plants growing in the front office.

Since the last update, several more seeds sprouted, grew a little, and then failed to thrive, but these dudes seem pretty stable. I have several growing in little pots at home, too--those probably sprouted later because they are outside and subject to the whims of our winterless weather.

Anyway, another couple inches and then it's time to put them in bigger pots. I'll probably keep them on my back porch at home until they're ready to plant next winter. There's a nice blend of shade and sun back there, and I won't forget to water them if they're in a spot I walk past several times a day. 

The end about redbuds. For now. 

Bluebonnets! Last year there was a huge smashed-down dent right in the middle of our display where someone presumably plopped their kid down for pictures, the cornballs. So far, though, this season our patch has remained unmolested. The firewheels are starting to poke their orange heads up and will gradually eclipse the bluebonnets over the next several weeks.

Our neighbor's trumpet vine is going bananas right now. It seems unfair that the display is so much more robust on our side of the fence, but we aren't going to complain.

These aren't flowers, but holy crap, look at the rosemary. Here's the same bed about six years ago, for comparison. Also there appears to be a handsome man sprouting from the prickly pear. Not sure what his story is.

I don't remember what these are called, but they really are that color in real life. If anything, the blue-violet is even more intense when you lay eyes on it. I need to figure out what they are so I can buy more and put them everywhere--does anyone know?

I got a packet of Indian paintbrush seeds and planted them last fall. Exactly one has bloomed.

The link assures me that a sparse paintbrush year is normal during a bluebonnet bumper crop year, though, which makes me feel a little better, not least because those seeds are really expensive! Maybe they're just waiting for the right time.

Not pictured: lantana, four-nerve daisy, and fragrant lime and lemon blossoms. Our yard is exuberant with blooms, butterflies, and bees this month. Sometimes hard work does pay off.

Please indulge me by looking at one more picture of the bluebonnets, plus some salvia and bulbines, as seen looking up the hill yesterday afternoon. Happy spring, y'all!

After almost a whole week of rain, the sun came out and the world is blooming. I have a lot of really beautiful flowering plants around the yard I'd like to show you, but first, let's visit some of the, uh, less conventionally attractive ones.

The arugula flower is almost aggressively homely: four sparse petals with dark veins. I'll be seeing a lot of these as they bolt and go to seed. I plan to collect all the veggies' seeds this year. I mean, they come free with the plant, so why not try to save a few bucks next year?

Sometimes I stick the root ends of used green onions around the edges of pots to get another round or two out of them--they grow back pretty well. I accidentally let these get really big, and now they are flowering. The flowers are tiny and unremarkable, although it's been fun to watch them burst out of their papery pods. I guess they will produce seeds too. Probably a lot of them, judging by the looks of these things. Anyone want to plant onions this spring?

I didn't know paddle plants flowered! But this year they did, sending up big, cream-colored stalks. This particular pot of them served as our wedding table centerpiece, so I am particularly fond of it. I don't know if they produce viable seeds--they seem to propagate just fine on their own. We've got paddle plants all over the damn place here.

Anyway, the flowers themselves are small, crowded, and kind of weird looking, but that's okay. This bee sure doesn't seem to mind.

Next time: Pretty flowers!