Thanks for dropping in on my Bloom Day post from the new address of my garden blog. No, I haven't moved my garden. It is still located in zone 9a just north of Houston, but regular readers will know that I recently combined my blogs and, although I'm no longer posting on the Gardening With Nature blog, I will have regular posts about my garden here. If you followed me on the other blog, I hope you will now follow me here - or even if you didn't follow me on the other blog!
Unfortunately, I still don't have much to show you in the way of blooms from my own garden. Spring continues to creep slowly into my garden, like Chicago's fog, "on little cat's feet." In the middle of February, I thought spring had arrived for good, and so did many of my plants.
The shrubs, like this yellow cestrum, started putting out new tender leaves.
Perennials were putting up new growth.
Everything seemed benevolent for new life. Then, in early March, we had another spell of extremely cold weather and all that new growth got bitten back. Suddenly, spring seemed far away.
The plants have not yet recovered from the freezing weather, but now we are less than a week away from the official beginning of spring and all seems pleasant once again. Do we dare hope there will be no more cold spells until next January? We do dare hope. As gardeners, we are eternal optimists.
Since I don't have blooms of my own to show you, I thought I would share with you some blooms I enjoyed on a recent trip to the South Texas Botanical Garden at Corpus Christi. They didn't have an abundance of blooms either, but while there, we visited the orchid house and there we found plenty of blooming beauties. Though the plants were not labeled with their variety names, that doesn't detract from their lush loveliness.
Away from the botanical garden, along the beaches, we found the beginnings of the spring wildflower season.
I'm not sure of the name of these delicate little flowers but they seemed to thrive in the sand of the beaches.
Even the blanket flowers were beginning to put on a show - soon to be followed by bluebonnets, poppies, Indian paintbrush, coreopsis, and so many others. Spring wildflower season along the roads and byways of Texas is truly a glorious thing.
Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for once again hosting this monthly meme. I look forward to visiting the other participating blogs.
Happy Bloom Day to all!
Unfortunately, I still don't have much to show you in the way of blooms from my own garden. Spring continues to creep slowly into my garden, like Chicago's fog, "on little cat's feet." In the middle of February, I thought spring had arrived for good, and so did many of my plants.
Everything seemed benevolent for new life. Then, in early March, we had another spell of extremely cold weather and all that new growth got bitten back. Suddenly, spring seemed far away.
The plants have not yet recovered from the freezing weather, but now we are less than a week away from the official beginning of spring and all seems pleasant once again. Do we dare hope there will be no more cold spells until next January? We do dare hope. As gardeners, we are eternal optimists.
Since I don't have blooms of my own to show you, I thought I would share with you some blooms I enjoyed on a recent trip to the South Texas Botanical Garden at Corpus Christi. They didn't have an abundance of blooms either, but while there, we visited the orchid house and there we found plenty of blooming beauties. Though the plants were not labeled with their variety names, that doesn't detract from their lush loveliness.
Away from the botanical garden, along the beaches, we found the beginnings of the spring wildflower season.
Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for once again hosting this monthly meme. I look forward to visiting the other participating blogs.
Happy Bloom Day to all!
Visiting orchids is a lovely way to keep winter cold at bay (not least because of the warmth of the glasshouses!) but also because the colours are so cheerful. Hope spring arrives for you soon.
ReplyDeleteNo more than I do, Helen! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteHi Dorothy. I never realised before this year that it can get so cold in the southern states. I hope Spring comes to you soon and stays put! But in the meantime, what a lovely show of orchids. I grow some, with mixed results.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have extended cold periods like the more northern areas, but we have had several brief spells of two or three days where the temperatures have gotten down to 20 degrees F. at night. My plants don't like that!
DeleteI hope spring will come to you soon. What an amazing display of orchids.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope spring arrives right on schedule in a few days!
DeleteNothing like a trip to warmer areas to see some blooms when spring is slow to arrive--those orchids are beautiful! My perennials often get hit with a late freeze and recover just fine, so I hope yours will as well. I'm headed to Dallas in a week and a half to visit my daughter--I sure hope winter has left Texas by then!
ReplyDeleteSurely spring will have arrived by then, Rose. Enjoy Dallas and your daughter.
DeleteThose orchids are fabulous. So much color for these winter weary eyes. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteWe all need a little color pick-me-up these days.
DeleteI hadn't realised you get it so cold down there. You learn something new every day, right!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful orchids - such a delight and they really do lift the spirits. Happy Bloom Day
Our winters are generally quite mild and wouldn't even qualify as winter for many of our northern neighbors. But we do sometimes have brief periods of relatively cold weather and the polar vortex brought us several of those this winter.
DeleteNice orchids. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThe botanical garden did have a lovely collection of orchids. They certainly brightened our visit on what was a very gray winter day.
DeleteLove your orchid photos. I was able to stroll through Atlanta Botanical Garden's orchid house recently (and shared the photos on my blog). It was such a nice break from winter for this Connecticut gardener.
ReplyDeleteOrchids are a wonderful way to bring some color into our dreary winter days. I like having one or two around the house as well, just to remind me that there are blooms in the world, even if they aren't in my garden.
DeleteVisiting a botanical garden is chicken soup for the soul on a winter's day. Your photos of the orchids are beautiful and you do have the start of some green in your garden which is a good sign!
ReplyDeleteGreen is always a welcome sign after the brown of the last three months. Thanks for stopping by, Lee.
DeleteOh, I just moved my blog, too--isn't it stressful?! I adore orchids--these blooms are just gorgeous. I'm always inspired to grow them, but I'm not terribly successful with them. We've fortunately seen quite a few spring blooms in SC--but it's supposed to be chilly again this week. Come on, spring! Happy Bloom Day to you!
ReplyDeleteI never have too much luck with orchids either, but I keep trying. Yes, let's hope that spring arrives on time this week.
DeleteYou've had an unusually tough winter in Texas - hope it's all beautiful spring soon! Lovely orchids; thanks for sharing your visit.
ReplyDeleteOur winter would have been considered quite mild by people in Buffalo or Chicago, but we did have several very cold spells - more than usual. But we can hold on 'cause we know spring is coming!
Delete