99 Reasons to Love Gardening

Here's a combination of two of my favorite things--photography + gardening.
Welcome Spring!

African or Butterfly Iris



Texas State Flower
Bluebonnet

Bluebonnets with Pincushion Flowers and Salvia

Springtime Blues

Bottlebrush Tree

Crazy Bloomer this year!

:~D  Trying to grow a bottle tree . . .

Feathery Bronze Fennel in the Herb Bed

Calendula

In the front yard--Snapdragons, Dusty Miller, African Iris

Citronella in Bloom

My neighbor's Jasmine peeps over the fence
and fills the air with its fragrance.

Fern Leaf Dill from last fall has gone to seed.

Dill Seed Heads

Lovely

One of Three Birdbaths



Red Blooms -Pineapple Sage

Black Swallowtail Butterflies love dill,
these plants will be gone before the butterflies arrive.



Ladybugs keep company with my dill.

Here's a showstopper! Duranta

Duranta

aka Brazilian Star Flower



Waxy yellow berries are hold-overs from last fall.

Two years after freezing back to the ground, Duranta is back
in all its glory.

And I am thrilled!

Bluebonnets go to seed while Duranta is covered in bright purple.

 

Hibiscus

A Peachy Sculpture

When I eat breakfast in the garden,
I see a squatter in the house.
Chameleon has laid claim
to bask in the sun on this little porch!

Loquat Tree

The first year we've had fruit!

The view from our Breakfast Room

Mockingbirds love Loquats.
I like them too!

My dream spot for a small fountain.
In the meantime, pots of kalanchoes brighten the space.

This Spring, a crew came to weed, mulch, and fertilize.
Microlife (chicken poop) is magic.

Can you see 2 of the 4 utility boxes we have in our back yard?!
Reworking this corner after taking out 2 small trees and 5 sage.
The neighbor's star jasmine is a treat.

Looking South

Looking North



New Pergola adds a lot to the space.

Looking West

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From the gate on the East side

Mandevilla

Pretty in Pink

Mexican or False Heather

Milkweed is the host plant for Monarch Butterflies.

Onion Chives in the Herb Bed

Drifts of Cool Blues

Bright lime Sedum and striped Variegated Yucca
contrast with Pincushion flowers and Salvia.

Possum Haw Holly couldn't wait
to pop leaves and blooms.

Purslane explodes as soon as the sun shines.



A Knock-Out Rose

Bloomer

Perfect single blooms

Neon Bright

My Knock-Out Rose
Tree!

A Giant's Bouquet

My Favorite Salvia--Hot Lips



Hummingbirds Love It

It's happy in the sun.

Another Salvia whose name I don't know.
But I like the purple spikes.

Spring Time

Here's still another--Summer Salvia

It seeds very freely.

With absolutely no help,
Summer Salvia finds its way all over the garden.

Sedum in Bloom

Snapdragons with Ornamental Kale (gone wild)

Mexican Heather bookends Snapdragons

My first attempt at Strawberries
was well-received by the birds.

Purple Homestead Verbena
Gotta' love it!

A very thick mat of blooms

Cascades

over the edging



Another Bird Bath enjoys the company of
Marigolds



Red Yucca blooms attract lots of  honeybees.

This bee's legs are so loaded with pollen,
I'm not sure how it kept flying.

The Red Yucca's coral-colored bloom spikes
last for several months.

A Sculpture for the Xeriscape Garden

While the plant is a spikey 2-3 feet tall,
Red Yucca blooms reach 5-6 feet.

Hope you enjoyed this tour of my gardens for Spring 2015. Come back again, okay?