Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2021

As you may have heard, Southeast Texas, and indeed much of the southeastern corner of the country suffered an unusual and devastating freeze in February. For several days and nights, the temperatures hovered in the teens and low twenties (Fahrenheit), an event that our gardens with their many tropical plants are not generally meant to endure. On the coldest night, the temperature actually went down to nine degrees according to the thermometer on my back porch and if it was nine degrees on my sheltered back porch, it was probably colder out in my yard. After it was all over, my garden looked as though it had been swept by fire. It was all brown and black. I wondered if I would ever see green again.

But that was then, this is now.


The redbud tree is in full bloom.


And the bees are grateful.


In a tale of two Carolina Jessamines, the jessamine in one part of the garden, on a trellis near the garden shed, was savaged by the freeze and turned into a brown collection of sticks which are still waiting to be cut back, but the jessamine next to our patio, which was obviously in a much more protected area, remained green and is now blooming.


The coral honeysuckle, a native plant, never missed a beat and bloomed right on time and just in time for the migrating hummingbirds that are beginning to show up.


The plum tree probably actually benefited from the freeze and it has bloomed like never before, giving promise that we might actually get some plums from it this year.
 

The little pear tree, too, is in full bloom.


The loropetalum was in full bloom when the freeze hit and I figured that would be the last of its blooms that I would see for a while. The shrub was left, like many others, a mound of brown, but a month later, here we are. Most of the leaves are still brown and it hasn't put on many new ones yet, but the blooms are back.

Some of my blooms won't be back, at least this year. My old azalea under the redbud tree was full of buds and ready to start blooming when the freeze hit. All of those buds and most of the leaves died. There'll be no azalea blossoms this year. The Indian hawthorns died and have already been removed. The yarrow was ready to bloom when the freeze came and it died back to the ground, but it's back now and soon will be ready to bloom again. Many other of my hardy perennials died back to the ground (blue plumbage, for example) but are now coming back. Give it another month and the garden should look quite different. Perhaps by then I will have finished with my cleanup and will get around to replacing some of my losses.

Wherever you garden, I hope your garden and you are flourishing. Happy Bloom Day!


Comments

  1. A round of applause for the survivors!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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  2. I love redbuds. The redder ones grow all along the highway from Northern CA to OR.

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    Replies
    1. The one in my garden is 'Forest Pansy.' It generally blooms a bit later than the ones that grow wild here, but they are all a little late this year.

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  3. We heard about your freeze on our news in the UK, what an amazing transformation, it looks wonderful!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pauline. The garden is coming back slowly, but I will have to replace some plants. That's not all bad, of course. Any excuse to go plant shopping!

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  4. Wow! It's good to see how well your garden has bounced back after that bout of miserable cold and snow Texas experienced, Dorothy. Your redbud is especially impressive. Mine hasn't even shown signs of flowering yet.

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    Replies
    1. It is heartening to see things coming back. Nature never ceases to amaze.

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  5. I am enjoying all your beautiful blooms and I am so glad your garden has faired well despite the cold and snow. Your Redbud is outstanding!

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    Replies
    1. Well, I can't compare to your beautiful garden, Lee, but I am grateful for what I have and I'm working on it!

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  6. I was wondering how your garden was going to fare! The redbud doesn't surprise me, as they are hardy where I live in zone 5b New York State, and yours is spectacular. I've seen Carolina Jessamine in Charlottesville, VA which is zone 7a (min average temp zero to 5 above), so it surviving in your sheltered area also isn't a surprise. But I am so happy to know all wasn't lost.

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    Replies
    1. My blooms are still few but they do give me great joy.

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  7. Let me assure you, Dorothy, that if anyone here had that kind of colour in their backyard they would be selling tickets to view it!

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    Replies
    1. The color for your area in Canada is on its way and will be arriving in a few weeks.

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  8. Wow, magnificent!! Glad to see the beautiful photos of your garden!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. I'm glad to have a few blooms to show.

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  9. I happy Bloom Day.

    Beautiful pictures.

    Here in New York the temperature was Twenty Degrees Fahrenheit this morning so it still feels like winter.

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    Replies
    1. But spring is on its way, Brian. Give it another month and you'll see quite a difference.

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  10. The red bud tree a species unknown to me is stunning. We are in to the spring season, It would be my pleasure if you share your post related to gardening here at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2021/03/garden-affair-spring-flower-snapdragon.html

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    Replies
    1. The redbud always tells us when spring is here, regardless of the calendar.

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  11. I'm so glad the blooms are returning. The loropetalum gives me hope - mine is looking very sorry for itself after our 'Beast From The East' and I did wonder whether it would survive. It's fairly normal here to lose things over winter so we become complacent, especially if you tend to push the zone boundaries as I frequently do. The greenhouse is always full of insurance cuttings!

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    1. We're used to having things die back from the winter frost but they always come back. It's very unusual to actually lose things due to cold because it just doesn't get that cold here, but this has been a unique winter. Lucky you to have a greenhouse to replenish the garden.

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  12. So lovely Dorothy. No blooms here yet as it's been cold and although most of the snow is gone, small shade piles remain.

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    1. We are sending spring your way, Diane. Look for it soon.

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  13. I'm glad you have blooms after that devastating freeze. I know some gardeners who grew the tropical stuff had a hard time. The redbuds remind me of home (Alabama).

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    Replies
    1. It is redbud season throughout the South now. They are undaunted by unusual weather.

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  14. What a relief that so many came back! But I don't envy you all the work of clearing up.

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    Replies
    1. It's an ongoing process and it goes slowly, but I'll get there eventually.

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  15. SO MANY FLOWERS! And so many beautiful colors and happy bees! I can't wait for us to get some green. I see a lost flower, waiting for Spring, pop up sometimes, but not that much yet...

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    1. It does raise the spirits to see a few flowers opening up and to stand near the redbud tree and hear the steady hum of hundreds of happy bees.

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  16. I was shocked to see my azaleas in bloom this week. Look at your garden. Wow. Your garden is truly magnificent.

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    1. Lucky you to have azalea blooms. Mine are coming back a bit, slowly, but I really don't expect to see any blooms this year.

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  17. You are certainly further along in the season than here in zone 7. Isn't the native redbud great - pollinators and all!
    -Ray

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    1. It is indeed. Along with the bees, this week I've noted a Giant Swallowtail butterfly, a Monarch butterfly, and a migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird enjoying its blossoms.

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  18. I am loving these pictures! Since I live in an apartment I can't really garden like I want to so these pictures make me happy.

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  19. Wow gorgeous colors! Love the spring. Glad your garden is coming back to Life.

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