I couldn't imagine dealing with 5, that's a nightmare!I really like the Texas Betony, mine sort of died back some but it's recovering nicely. What are the red flowers in the last photo, they look familiar.

Freesia laxa or false freesia. I don't know what is false about them. They grow well in dry part shade. I should try some in more sun. The Tx betony grows really easily from cuttings. Just stick it in soil . now magic powders no plastic moisture retainer. Just go for broke.

I tried to start some Freesia laxa seeds for my winter sowing project. I didn't know the betony could root so easily from cuttings.

I found a bloom on one of my Byzantine gladiolus.

Role Model bearded iris

Lyre leaf sage

Blackwillow, what an array of lovely plants!

Couldn't resist giving a quick update on Echinopsis chamaecereus to show its floriferousness. It's worth coining a new word for! ... lol It has dozens and dozens of buds and more forming every day ...

The 'thorns' are soft. It can be handled with out fear of sticking ...

Thanks Roselee! Your Echinopsis is stunning! The red flowers really pop out.

Here are the early blooms on the real Spanish bluebells mentioned earlier:

Were highly recommended for DFW shade by FWBG staff, so the significantly smaller stature and single bloom of the mislabeled Siberian squill had been disappointing.... not so bad now that I know its real identity. Have been trying early bulbs that will work in the shady spaces of deciduous plants like woodfern and beautyberry. Too soon to tell if these will die back enough before the ferns return.... but otherwise are looking good in the perpetual shadows of oaks.

My Spanish Bluebells look so much smaller than yours bostedo. They were small bulbs last year, so maybe that's why the leaves are smaller?

Blackwillow, These were large (8-10cm circumference) Dutch-grown bulbs planted last fall and look just as I'd been expecting. If your plants look right, but just smaller versions, then probably are just younger bulbs. Otherwise, the Siberian squill I planted 3 years ago thinking they were Spanish bluebells were much smaller bulbs (7-8cm?) and have a different look producing much smaller/fewer leaves and flowers - any chance your source may also have had a mix-up?

I just love that time of spring when the whole world turns yellow due to the grass and the light shining through the new oak leaves. The air turns yellow with new life. you can breathe in the golden light.

This view will turn colorful in a bit with blooms.

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Mara, I know what you mean. I love it too, and I love how you almost captured it in your photos, but I suppose we have to experience it for ourselves to truly appreciate that new spring light.

It is such a fugitive time. The best yellow light day has past a couple of days ago . We are past that apex. I would have to drive north to catch it somewhere north of Waco. We are into soft grass period which is so appreciated by Texans since the grass will gray out, but up as the summer goes. Our Emerald period is fugitive too. Not like up north who have soft bright green grass all summer.

And some of us thought that yellow light was live oak pollen! ... :-)

bostedo I got them from a gardener here in the DFW area. When she had posted pictures of her garden I think I saw a picture with the caption Spanish Bluebells. I'm hoping they're just small bulbs? I think when I planted them last year they were about the size of a dime or a little smaller.

Some of that 'yellow light' is in THIS one minute video from PBS Nature.

There will be a three-day LIVE event about spring on April 29, 30 and May 1 on PBS and Facebook. One minute trailer: American Spring Live.

Seems much of our 'yellow light' is being reflected from the pollen coating left on most everything during the incredible rain of catkins from the oaks and pistaches this season. Almost like having to shovel snow from the walks and drive every 4 or 5 days.... well, with a leaf blower :-)

Golden groundsel (Packera obovata) is going to seed, but is still the main yellow in the garden at the moment. After trying many options, it's become my favorite evergreen native ground cover for heavy shade. I usually deadhead before the seeds can disperse, so don't know how aggressively they would volunteer if left to blow away.

Of course, four-nerve daisy is back strong after a short rest in late winter:

'John Clayton' honeysuckle remains sparse but is still healthy and blooming in heavy shade:

Am looking forward to seeing the yellow flowers on Jerusalem sage (Phlomis sp) which has finally set buds for the first time after being protected from our late hard freeze. The prior two years it remained evergreen until the last freezes killed it to the ground. Am guessing it does not flower in the years it dies back, which makes it an unreliable bloomer in unsheltered sites in north Texas.... maybe why it's not seen more here:

Not yellow, but an odd 7-petal flower on the Jackmanii clematis. Flowers on this vine usually have only 4-petals and occasionally 5. This many is a first for us:

Blackwillow, Imagine your Spanish bluebells are just offset babies. Steve Huddleston's book for north central Texas recommends a time-release fertilizer in early spring... using less if you're also applying organics.

Bostedo, I need to get some time-release fertilizer. That should definitely help them. The golden groundsel you gave me a couple of years ago is doing great and it's multiplied nicely. I see it's covered in seed heads. I know it's not an outdoor plant but one of my Denbrobium orchids is blooming again.

St. Joseph's Lily

A couple of flower clusters on my coral honeysuckle

Cedar Sage

It seems to be a good morning for oranges. I even caught a hummer on a kniphofia . It has taken years for these to hit their stride. Soil not rich enough site not sunny enough, drought and more. The small tornado took out a cedar and I removed a large evergreen sumac. and now they bloom. The cross vine FINALLY bloomed. Usually it blooms before the oaks leaf out. Some flowers are really out of wack daminitia are still lagging and they are early bloomers.

I just scrolled through all the beautiful photos above again. Isn't this a wonderful spring?

Some very small solitary wasps have moved into the bee house. As you can see many cells are filled. Anyone know what kind they are? How could I find out?

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On to the garden; nothing quite surpasses the serenity of morning light ...

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The 'bonsai bougie' is coming alive with flowers before leaves ...

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This little red flowered cactus just keeps going and going and going with fresh flowers every couple of days and is not near done yet. The one next in line is showing its second and last big pink flower ...

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The light was shining through these pieces so prettily I took a photo. They are are on the green house shelf awaiting just the right placement ...

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Wish I had a before picture. I refinished this old pot to highlight the design and planted it with a card board palm. Looks much better ...

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Remember those lamps from way back that circulated drops of oil on little fish lines to resemble rain drops? I've had an old rusty one for years before deciding to do something with it. Whatcha' think? ...

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For some unknown reason the white veined pipevine that seeded itself in the gravel under the table is doing great! Come on Pipevine swallowtails ...

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If the Fanick's phlox insists on growing only on one side of the pot then the cat rock that Mizan gave me will be happy to curl up in the space ...

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Cleaned out the green house yesterday and am about done with any more projects, pot painting or otherwise. How about you? I know Mara's working hard on a biggie -- the building of her home. Time for an update Mara.

What projects are you working on?

Dallas Red lantana finally started last week.

Filling up a tiny front yard, Year 5. Belinda's Dream rose on right. Bougie behind it. The short dark-leafed flowering plants in center are SunPatiens; they survived two winters by covering with a 50 gallon jumbo Sterilite bin for a day or two during severe weather events.

I ordered some fragrant antique roses including Rose de Recht (shown below at 7:30 & 10 am the same day). Surprising (to me) the stems and buds on Autumn Damask are so small it look more like a vine than a shrub, & makes most of my hybrid tea roses look like gigantic monsters.

Grapes and blackberries.

roselee: That white veined pipevine is gorgeous...something I'd like mine (which is now just in a pot) will aspire to. So, sounds like you also had your PV in a pot on top of the table? And the seeds simply dropped below? I have a large crape myrtle tree, under which would be the perfect home for some volunteers.

Dan, thank you for the beautiful photos. Looks like a great crop of grapes and blackberries coming along.

Javiwa yes, the white veined pipevine is beautiful this time of year. I think I harvested some seeds, laid them on the table and some rolled off.

Just noticed this morning that the native guayacan from Eric is blooming. The flowers are small, but a nice color ...

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They are generously sprinkled all over the bush. Notice how the leaves close for the night and haven't opened yet in this early morning photo ...

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The whole bush is behind and around the rusty farm implement. I like the irregular shape, bright green leaves, and the white stems. Nickel silver dyckia is blooming in the small 'dish' as is the brake light yucca below it ...

These tall bearded irises are the last of ours to bloom each year. The red and white "autumn" sages each have a few discrete flowers, but the purple ones are showing no regard for the season:

Cedar sage, lambs ear, and other volunteers in the neglected corner:

A swap gulf coast/Brazos penstemon blooms among Carrie's wood ferns that are finally taking hold around the shumard oak where nursery bought ones repeatedly failed - Thanks! :)

Damianita started blooming last week. Its sandy dry bed along a south-facing brick wall is the only site where it has been reliably winter hardy on our Dallas lot. Tropical milk weed apparently also survives there:

Gaura is a favorite, but they tend to suffer core rot by 2 or 3 years in our Blackland Prairie clay and have to be rehabbed or replaced. Flowers on this new 'Belleza' show more red when they first appear than any other clutivar we've had, but quickly lighten to this pink:

Blue false indigo ( Baptisia australis) is finally blooming after more than five years:

The other false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa) still hasn't bloomed, but looks much happier with the shade of the Chinese fringe flower finally gone:

Here's an updated shot on the unusual Jerusalem sage flower:

I have a few more new blooms.

Texas Sundrops in full bloom(the seeds were from Mara).

Prairie Phlox

More Spiderworts

Indian Blanket

Wright's Skullcap and Four Nerve Daisies

Brazilian Verbena

Blackwillow, glad to see success with the black centered sundrops. They are looking healthy and happy. I can smell the phlox pilosas from here.

My cat claw tree gives me joy from my bridge and from below.

my wild sweet peas are taking over their corner. They volunteered from last year/ They were a surprise

The Knipnophia continues to entertain. I see a second flush making appearances in the throats of the large rosettes

The blanket flowers and some other stuff are fighting through the sea of seeding bluebonnets.

Lets not forget the small hiding Aristolochia fimbriata

My Anacacho orchid tree is a real slow grower but I do love it. It lights up that area of the garden.

Thank you Eric for this beauty

The amyrilla I smuggled from Hawaii. It was once in a garden that I grew there. I gave some to a friend when I left. Her house got taken over by a botanical garden and now it is considered a weeds by the phillipino gaedeners whose job it is to unroot and toss them. They uprooted some and gave them to me to stick in my purse to get past the guards at the cash register.

Thanks Mara! I couldnt believe how large the Sundrops grew this year. They really stand out in my garden. Your Cat Claw mimosa is beautiful! I have some seedlings that I started from seeds from your tree that are doing really well. I may start some more since they're such pretty trees.

I have a question? Is it normal for it to produce white flowers? I just now noticed the white flowers mixed in with the purple.

I'm loving seeing all the color in the wide variety of plants in everyone's garden! Thank you to all!

The little cactus Echinopsis chamaecereus is still going strong. It's been blooming every day for over a month! Does anyone know of a small cactus that blooms longer?

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The two Retama trees are laden with flowers. I'm so glad Mara recommended them when my search for 'Desert museum' Palo Verde was unsuccessful. This is the younger one ...

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And as seen through the graceful green trunk of the older tree. They bloom off and on throughout the summer ...

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A closeup of the flowers ...

I touched up the cobalt blue on the pigeon loft ...

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When I went to buy more 'dragon wing' begonias which have been so successful for me they were out, so I got this one called 'baby wing'....

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This is the 'dragon wing', newly planted. It will get much larger ...

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I hope you all are getting just the right amount of rain like I am. Happy gardening!

I was in Dripping Springs when the thunderstorm hit yesterday. 60 MPH winds, and 8" of rain in an hour. IT was crazy. It took 2 hours for me to get home. I had a pull over to the side of the road, there was water over the road all over. Two hours of great lightening watching. I got 4.5" at my home. A friend of mine from California was driving a drugged outRancher ( cancer drugs) home and he was goading her into making water crossings. She dropped him off and on the way home followed a large truck over onion creek and the water got almost up to her hood. She is lucky to be alive.

Mara, what a harrowing experience! That was not a good time to be on the road! It came down hard here for a short time, but only got two and one half inches which was fine with me. But even with that a low water crossing near my house flooded. Yet people still try to drive through it despite warning signs, get washed off the road, and have to be rescued. Now they have to pay a hefty fine for ignoring the signs.

I gave my friend a lecture. I told her pull over and wait and see if a smaller car makes it through. Do not mindlessly follow large trucks. It does not take much to wash out my Honda fit. She realized that she was doing bad in the middle of it. A man died about three miles from me on a water crossing I go over daily. He is from a ranching family and has lived here 6 or 7 decades . It is sad. I tell you the walls of water in 60 mile an hour wind looked like a hurricane .

A few to add if not too late.

Henry Lauder Walking Stick Red Dragon. Waited a bit too long to add but wanted to wait until it was full. About 5 feet tall now in an amended bed.

Chocolate wee[ing mimosa. I kniow there is not a lot of love for mimosas but I always want something different. Cam't remember the size purchased but I've had it 2-3 years.

All purchased from the iris society. Sorry I bought 10-15 at the time in a grab bag and have no idea of the variety.

It's not at all too late for anyone to add photos of their spring blooming plants!

tjayars1 I dearly love the red foliaged walking stick plant. I didn't know they would grow that well in Texas, but wow -- it's looking good!

I'm equally smitten by your Summer weeping chocolate mimosa. Even though I'm "cutting back on plants" I'm already scheming how and where I'd plant it. I saw some large very tall pots at Big Lots recently ... Hmmmm

But it also looks good in the ground.

In San Antonio there is a large, but non weeping chocolate mimosa growing close to the 1604 access road about a mile after you turn right from 281. I crane my neck looking at it every time we go that way.

You did good on your grab bag of iris. Thank you for all your pictures.

The magical appearance of water drops on newly emerged sago palm fronds drove me inside to get the camera. I wasn't successful capturing what I saw, but here's what I got ..

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It seems the 'Striped beauty' canna and purple heart combo is going to work nicely ...

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Isn't 'Autumn joy' sedum supposed to bloom in the fall? This one has three huge flower heads. Will it repeat in autumn as its name suggests?

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Bird cage arrangement ...

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Here's one way to have color before flowers start blooming ...

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I love striped cannas like 'Pink sunburst' ...

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It seemed like it rained all night, but only a half inch shows in the rain gauge. How about you?

If I'd known we were going to have this much rain I would have planted banana trees!

We were deluged (11-12") Tuesday night, then again Thursday evening. Local forecasters predicted non-stop rain from Friday straight through to this afternoon, so I battened down the hatches. It hasn't rained since Friday morning, and it's been dry today: they were so far off!

Backyard is absolutely saturated, but I managed to poke out and grab some pics.

White veined pipe vine has taken off - this little guy decided hiding beneath leaves just wasn't going to be his thing. Sitting next to a newly purchased yellow shrimp plant. I don't know that it's the same hummer/flutterer attracter yours is, Roselee, but I couldn't resist:

White and purple buddleia davidii finally happy in my garden -- Year 2:

Duranta has been non-stop blooms for a month, but the butterflies haven't quite discovered it yet (fennel to the right for the Eastern black swallowtails which are slow to appear this year):

^^^ (Oh, yes: and my completely ignored, 25-year-old gardenia going nuts in the background. Smells amazing, but can't get my nose too close or I'll end up with a snoutful of thrips!)

A tiny pink pentas (7" tall) from a cutting I rooted last fall -- blooms are almost taking up more space than its leaves:

The mother plant is one of the taller varieties that butterflies and hummers love, and comes back year after year.

The thryallis is in 'about to burst wide open' mode, with a happy, fall-planted blue porterweed (purchased from Houston Museum Butterfly Center in October) on the right:

My ever faithful esperanza, doing its thing -- yes, another blue porterweed flanking.

And leaving the best for last, a bud in "I'm fixin' to" mode on a P. caerulea rooting Omar (thank you!!!) generously sent me. The vine barely has any leaves, but it's decided to bloom already -- I am NOT complaining! So cute...looks like a little cabbage. You can see #2 just to the right/rear -- cannot wait to see these flowers!

I happened to come across this posted about the same time a year ago. It was fun to look back and see what the yard looked like last year. I thought I would be the same for you all.

Haven't heard from some of you for quite a while. Y'all doing okay?

I can't believe how much my yard has changed in just one year. I'll start by following up on what I pictured last year.

My pipevine (A. fimbriata) has exploded with lush new growth, this being its second year:

I've got more growing in another shady section of the yard, hoping to attract pipevine swallowtails.

The two buddleias: gone and good riddance. :) Replaced with two beautiful Amistad salvia which the bees are just loving.

The duranta continues to be a super star:

I've since rooted multiple cuttings, giving most away and planting one in the front.

My little pink pentas is huge, with its bed buddy darker pink pentas: let's see the butterflies resist THIS mass!

OK, I'm going to start another post in case GWeb/Houzz punts me, and none of the text is saved.

OK, this is frustrating yet again (Houzz!). I just posted another set of five photos, along with descriptions, etc. I clicked submit, and it's all gone. Sorry, folks, if you don't see me back here very often. This is why.

In looking at the photos of my yard this time last year I see that this year growth and flowering are a month behind due to a freeze in Feb.. I'm in a low spot so it gets colder here than a few blocks up the street. It's even behind Omar's yard in Kyle and Carrie's in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Javiwa yes, it's very discouraging when you lose a post. I don't know why that happened especially when you were watching the number of photos.

With me I decided it was because I attempted to post more photos than what was allowed at the time. Since that number seems to change I try to remember to copy the text so at least I don't loose that and can try again.

Please stay with us. Maybe start a new thread to show us your garden. I loved seeing your photos above.

Not to wander too far ot, but seems the failed/lost post problem (and ambiguous photo "limit") is somehow related to the processing Houzz does when compressing/reducing in-line images. Have just noticed fewer problems when submitting smaller files shot in (or converted to) lower-res.

Have been meaning to try uploading to the Houzz photo space and attaching from there. Does anyone know if that avoids this problem?

Bostedo, good observation!

Once when Omar was having trouble posting photos I suggested he try that. It was just a whim on my part, but it worked.

It's not a big deal. You just click on the "Houzz photo" icon, then click on "Browse" which takes you to your photo file, click on the photo, it goes to your post.

I don't know if he is still doing it that way or not.

Thanks, bostedo. After ragna's comment, I started to wonder where this photo limit is stated. And realizing file size might be an issue, I usually grab screenshots of my larger images. I just don't want to annoy everyone with a notification every time I post a separate pic.

I'll try again: will limit to four pics and see if that works.

Yup, Omar warned me about the P. caerulea. :) Here pictured with a little ol' bat face cuphea I purchased as a 4" plant last year -- I've since taken cuttings and have 8-10 more in the front yard, HOA be darned.

I ended up removing the esperanza, which reliably ended up with very bad rust issues over the past few years. I've planted a wafer ash (started from seeds) in its place, and it's doing very well so far.

I didn't get too much traffic on the blue porterweed, but the hummingbirds and butterflies went to town on my red porterweed:

And my A. elegans (host to pipevine swallowtails) really took off starting last autumn, after spending most of the year as a spindly, 2' long, sparsely-leafed vine.

I've really gone full bore this year, converting the yard into predominantly a host plant garden for Monarchs, Queens, pipevine swallowtails, Eastern Black SWTs, Giant SWTs, sulphurs and Gulf fritillaries -- if they'll have me. :) The Monarchs have been non-stop this past week, as have the frits (finally -- last year was too quiet).

One of the fennel that came back from last year is sulking a bit in the recent heat.

Some of my new additions:

Spicy Jatropha

Lemon Sorbet shrimp (cuz I wanna be just like Ragna when I grow up!)

DH kept walking past this bush and wondering why the leaves were all yellowing. :p

Cowpen daisies started from seed -- a first for me!

And, finally:

Turks Caps (all taken from cuttings last year) are bushing out, and I spied a lot of blooms today.

Finally got my hands on some red salvia Greggii:

And I'm trying my hand at larkspur (Consolida ajacis) -- blooms are imminent!

And zinnias and milkweeds everywhere. :) Hope to share more in the coming weeks!

Javiwa, everything looks fantastic! A butterfly haven for sure. I find your comments very helpful. For instance, that butterflies prefer the red porterweed over the blue.

I'm glad you found some wafer ash seeds. It's a beautiful small tree. Mine is starting to bloom now. I'll probably have seeds later if anyone wants them.

How 'small' is your wafer ash, and does it attract Giant swallowtails?

My wafer ash is not in the best of locations, but here's a photo which will give you a general idea of it's size and shape. It's taller than the roof and leaning away from the neighbors tall ceniza and oak tree.

I haven't seen Giant swallowtails mobbing it, but I seen the result of their visits; their caterpillars as well as freshly eclosed offspring ... :-)

Oh, it's perfect! Thank you for sharing.

Everyone's Spring blooms are beautiful! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I have a few pictures.

1. Hardy Amaryllis
2. Byzantine Gladiolus blooms
   3 Drummond's Hedgenettle is a hardy native plant.
3. Pink Champagne Clematis
4. 'Vinicolor' Louisiana Iris
5. Native Columbine that I started from seeds from wantonamara.
   
   

OK Every year I try not to show the same plants but I just have to share this repeat my Catclaw tree always makes me stop and admire.

Here are some first time bloomers. My Golden Leadball tree has been a really slow grower. This photo is taken from above so it is a bit incomprehensible in it's perspective

This iris came from a trade to Alabama. I love this color.