You got more rain than I did. Only half an inch here, but I love seeing all the flowers your showers helped along.

That Tithonia is certainly vibrant to say the least. I noticed when at the SABG they attracted a lot of butterflies.

Right now I'm enjoying Hopi red amaranth. The seeds were passed along by Jolana years ago ...

Yes, it seeds itself around a lot, but for the easy color it offers I don't mind pulling them. It's six feet tall ...

By mid to late summer it starts looking a little bedraggled and I pull it.

Thanks, Ragna. Love the look of the amaranth. Do the birds like the seeds?

I have seven tithonias planted in various parts of the yard for the butterflies and they just started blooming in the last week. I have a bunch of large flowered zinnias that I need to find space for too, as those are popular with the butterflies and hummers.

Those tithonias are just lovely! How tall does the salvia get and does the foliage hold up in the heat? Your blooms are lovely Briustex!

Roselee, that amaranth is really striking!

The salvia is around 18-24" tall. The stems grow longer, but as they do, they tend to lie over. It scoffs at the heat and is mostly evergreen year round unless we get a really cold snap. It's pretty drought tolerant as I have a patch of it in my front yard that only gets watered once a week by the lawn irrigation system. The deer leave it alone and the hummingbirds love it. It willingly spreads out, but is easily trimmed back. It continually blooms throughout the summer.

It is rated to zone 8a, but I'd wager that if it was mulched, it'd be fine in 7b. It does set seed, as well.

This is blooming now in my field . I am not happy about it. I think it is the invasive Cardus nuts , Musk thistle. I think I need to pull it tomorrow morning,..... with gloves and some armor.

This is much preferable. Thank you Blue Girl!

Looks nice, Mara. I like the second kind of thistle. What is it?

Same kind , just an unopened bud. I am thinking that this is the invasive nodding thistle. I am going out their this morning to pull it out.

Love the salvia

Is spider plant aka Cleome?

bromeliad is absolutely dreamy. Does it need winter protection?

we got 3" of rain but soil drank it all up, it was kinda thirsty. The mini tornado that hit Sealy TX affected me. Losing 2 trees and numerous branches. Guess what my exercise will be this w/end?

i lost the canopy on my tree shaped Thyralis, sniff. I have lots of growth at the base So should recover.

Yes, the spider plant is cleome. It starts to look ratty when the intense heat arrives, but does well in the spring. It's always self-seeded a bit, so I usually have a couple of plants around.

Sorry to hear about the storm damage.

Bossy, I Still haven't cleaned up 8 trees from a mini tornado a couple of years ago. I have killed some similar to those bromeliads by leaving them out years ago in the bad freeze in 2010.I think it got to 13 . I moved it close under the eves. Not enough . Second might , I moved it in but the shop got under freezing too. I just got these as a replacement from Blue Girl a couple of years ago after years of looking for them. The ones that I killed have even broader leaves and longer blossoms. I just visited a old girlfriend that I gave some to before I killed mine. I had forgotten that I had given her some. She lives in Houston off of the Katy freeway just outside the inner loop. She puts hers under the eves and they have made it. She repotted and saved me some. They were given to me as 'Queens Tears'. Maybe 'Queens Tears Gone To Heaven'.

Ha.

did your gray (fuzzy) tml make it? Mine is all gray and fuzzy now but will turn green in summer. Then back to gray

The salvias (greggii, farinacea, and guaranitica) and pink skullcap are the stars of the show right now.

Michelle

Some of today's blooms