Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2023

 Just a few blossoms from my garden on this Bloom Day:

Crape myrtle, of course.
 

Lantana, also of course.

The unobtrusive but very sweet-smelling blooms of almond verbena.

 

The ever-reliable bloomer Hamelia patens, aka firebush.

Duranta erecta, aka golden dewdrop.

Inland sea oats "blooming" by my little goldfish pond.

Beautyberry has, of course, finished blooming and is now full of its namesake.

Sometimes called "devil's trumpet," the night-blooming datura.

A single beautiful datura blossom.

Thanks for visiting my garden and a happy Bloom Day to you!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2023

Here we are at the fifteenth of the month again, a day on which I used to regularly participate in Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I haven't done a Bloom Day post in recent months but I decided it was time to jump in once again. So here are some pictures of what is blooming in my hot - very hot! - Southeast Texas garden this Bloom Day. Full disclosure: These pictures were taken earlier because it is just too damned hot to be out there with a camera today. Our high today is expected to be 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not quite there yet, but it will be.

The heat doesn't bother 'Pride of Barbados,' of course. In fact, it seems to relish it. The hotter it gets the more it blooms.

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that in the hottest month of the year, many of my blooms are also in very hot colors, like this Justicia 'Orange Flame.'

Nothing discourages this old crape myrtle.

And, of course, neither heat nor our lack of rain is a problem for the water lilies.

That is also true of the blue plumbago, one of my few "cool" bloomers.

Purslane blooms in a pot on a patio table.

And here it is in another color.

'Turk's Cap' is another bloomer undaunted by heat. 

The old milkweed, butterfly weed, likewise seems to relish the heat.

Hamelia patens, aka Firebush. Its common name describes it well. It blooms from spring until about late November or December when our first heavy frost finally knocks it back. 

And there you have it - a tour of the blooms in my garden that are able to survive drought and heat. Tough plants all and how I do appreciate them!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - December 2022

There isn't a lot of blooming going on in my garden at the moment, but here's a taste of what is.

Wedelia, always a dependable bloomer.

If it is December, then of course the loquat is in bloom. 

Turk's cap.

The little lemon tree, gifted to me by my children to replace my old tree that finally succumbed to the cold last winter, is now in bloom.

Purple oxalis, constant bloomer.

Sweet-smelling almond verbena perfumes my entire backyard.

                                                 Yellow cestrum.

                                                      Carolina jessamine.

This azalea, the variety name of which I've forgotten, was gifted to me on the death of my mother in 2004, so it has significant sentimental value for me. I think it holds the record for the longest I've been able to keep a potted plant alive.

The glowing orange of the Cape Honeysuckle blooms light up my backyard.

                                             Lantana - always in bloom.

                                                 'Pink Knockout' rose.

                                                'Julia Child' rose.

                          'Belinda's Dream' rose - always dreamy in bloom.

And that's about it. As I said, not much going on, but these "old dependables" are very much appreciated.

Once again, thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting this monthly meme and a very happy Bloom Day to all. I hope you and your garden are flourishing. 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2022

There's not much to show you from my zone 9 garden here in Southeast Texas on this October Bloom Day. We are in an extended period of drought stretching all the way back into mid-summer and that has been very hard on my plants. I haven't provided much supplemental water, having decided to let the plants make it or not on their own. And they are making it but they are in survival mode which doesn't leave much energy for blooms.

Coral vine might be an exception to that; it seems to have more than enough energy for blooms.

Turk's Cap blooms are not very showy but there are plenty of them.

The almond verbena blooms also are fairly unobtrusive unless you have a sense of smell in which case you will never be able to ignore their sweet fragrance.

The yellow cestrum does not seem to be bothered by the lack of rain.

The American beautyberry bloomed profusely and now is full of colorful berries which don't last too long because the birds love them.

Blue plumbago is a dependable bloomer regardless of the weather.

Justicia 'Orange Flame' is another tough bloomer.

If it is autumn, then the autumn sage must be in bloom. This one is a bit past its prime.

The Duranta erecta is another bloomer that seems impervious to the weather.

And, of course, if it is October then the "Naked Ladies" (red spider lilies) must be showing their stuff.

These tough old plants gladden my heart with their blooms every time I walk into the garden. I only hope that their toughness will soon be rewarded by a plentiful amount of autumn rain.

As always, a thank you to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for this monthly meme. Happy Bloom Day! 

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2022

Why bother with a Bloom Day post this month, I thought to myself. I don't really have many blooms in the garden, do I? But I took my camera out to the garden anyway and found that I probably had more blooms than I had realized.

By my little pond, the inland sea oats have already "bloomed" and ripened into oats. 

Likewise, the beautyberry bushes have already bloomed and are now full of tasty berries for the birds. I would show you my white beautyberries but those are already gone. The birds pounce on them as soon as they ripen. Apparently, they are very tasty. The purple berries last longer.

It wasn't 4 o'clock yet so this 4 o'clock plant (Mirabilis jalapa or marvel of Peru) was not yet in full bloom.

This pink one though always seems to bloom a bit early.

The crape myrtles are full of their flouncy blooms all summer long and into the autumn.

Pride of Barbados, aka peacock flower.

 

Sweet-smelling almond verbena.

Single-flower zinnias.

 

Tropical butterfly weed. The bloom cycle of the native butterfly weed is long since over.

The blooms of the Duranta erecta ripen into yellow berries that are devoured by the birds as soon as they appear.

An old canna blooms on.

As does the oleander.

The yellow cestrum, of course, blooms year-round in my garden.

The old lantana still has some blooms.

Hamelia patens, aka Mexican firebush. 

My 'Julia Child' rose is still good for a few blooms.

And 'Belinda's Dream' is still dreamy, although the blossoms are a bit battered.

Last but not least, wedelia blooms among the rocks.

Thank you for walking through my garden this month. I'm always happy to be a part of Bloom Day.