early-morning datura

May Bloom Day

Well, the glorious month of roses is over and most of the bushes have been pruned back. There are still a few wilting, bug-eaten flowers left on both the Rainbow and Pink Knockouts. The Double Knockout is looking pretty ragged as well. Now taking the stage are all of the early summer flowers bursting into bloom: guara, verbena, lantana, coneflowers, dwarf ruella, blackfoot daisy, blue mistflower, and pink skullcap.

And here's the rest of the list in pictures...

Verbena bonariensis:


















What I thought was the usual violet moss verbena has bloomed in an intense shade of magenta:


















Close-up, white potato vine:














Daylily, bought before I started keeping records. It picks up the cool yellow of the bicolored lantana next to it:



















The first blooms on the heartleaf skullcap:


















The second plant I bought for my back garden, bicolored lantana. The butterflies love it:



















A peachy pink verbena:














Next to the peachy verbena, Rainbow Knockout:


















My newest rose, Republic of Texas. Another rose? How could I not grow a yellow rose in Texas! I really wanted to try Stephen F. Austin, a gorgeous cross between Carefree Beauty and Graham Thomas, but it was too big for the space I had. Republic of Texas should stay under 3 feet, and work well with Rainbow Knockout and Rosette Delizy, which are in the same area. The color is usually more saturated than this.














Sad, pitiful acanthus mollis:


















Cleome, which I've never grown before:


















Ah, nostalgia. Bachelor's Buttons, aka cornflowers. This shade of blue is especially intense at twilight:


















Grasshoppers are also blooming in my garden this month:













The head gardener:

Acanthus Mollis @ Barton Springs Nursery

Pic O' The Day

Sometimes my crappy little camera really makes me happy.