Thursday, February 16, 2012

February blooms

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted on the 15th of each month by May Dreams Gardens. I have not participated in several months, because - well, I've had nothing blooming. I'm so proud to report that there are blooms on the hill today!

For the most part, the blooms are rather isolated. The exception: the violets. They are blooming prolifically right now. I don't know where these violets came from. They are not growing anywhere else but in my flowerbeds, and I did not bring them here myself. No matter. They are welcome. What sweet plants they are!

The next biggest bloomer is one you've seen here recently:  the trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) in a pot on my porch. We have had only two light freezes, and this jewel has not been damaged. Hurrah!

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is really hitting its stride right now. Of course, it is a pesky weed if found in the wrong place. But when growing out on my land, I think it's a beautiful and interesting wildflower!
Other stray and lovely blooms: on left, wind-flower (Anemone heterophylla); on right, a lone bloom where I sowed wildflower seeds last year - coreopsis?

Four- nerve daisies (Hymenoxis scaposa) started out in a bed, but are naturalizing. They are native to our area. Go, daisy, go!

This purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) has been blooming for the past several months. We've had no freezes hard enough to take it out.

The pink oxalis (Oxalis articulata f. crassipes) has popped out just a few blooms so far (left), while the purple oxalis has been blooming for the past several weeks. The foliage was nipped in a freeze a few nights ago.

The berries of silver-leaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) are eye-catching, if deadly;
they are supposedly poisonous. After reading about this plant on the Wildflower Research Center site ("aggressive, poisonous weed"), I should eradicate these ASAP.

That's all for me! Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in other gardens this month, and thanks for stopping by!




13 comments:

  1. Henbit is pretty out in the field, but you are right, a pesky weed in the wrong place. It is great that you have room to let it grow!
    I must look for more oxalis - your pink one sure is pretty!
    Love your lantana! Mine are still dormant (hope they are not dead).
    Great post for GBBD!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. It seems like lantana never die. After last year's hard frost, one of mine lay dormant until July. I thought it was a goner - but no! I do like the oxalis, though it spreads readily. I do not mind!

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  2. Oh my oxalis is still quite asleep in the earth-- nice to see yours blooming!

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  3. Funny that we're not that far apart and we've had several nights in the 20s here.
    My lantanas are mostly still sleeping. I have one old fashioned one that is putting out some green. I hope it does well in the place I finally put it. Poor thing has been moved several times since we moved it down here.
    Love those little violets.

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    1. I love the violets, too. Never had them before this garden. The yellow gold L.'s were coming out, but the little freeze the other night knocked them back.

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  4. Love it...I think my pink Oxalis is still a ways from blooming...but maybe next month ;-) Happy GBBD!

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  5. I am so glad you mentioned the oxalis. I was reading where it was a weed, and I had just planted some in my garden! Glad to know you love it, I think it's very pretty. Hard to believe you haven't had any freezes yet! Happy GBBD!

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    1. I have some native oxalis that can be kind of weedy, but these are larger and more showy. They seem old-fashioned to me. We have had two freezes, neither very hard.

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  6. Violets are one of my favorite flowers. They always make me smile!

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  7. How lovely. And strange that we're so close but our blooms are so different. The only one we share is the lavender lantana. I think the strange weather this year must have played a part. My Copper Canyon daisies are blooming! They're September-October bloomers.

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    1. My CC daisies died in the drought - I need to replant. What a nice treat for them to bloom now!

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  8. Dear Cynthia, You have a lot going on in your garden right now. Beautiful! I didn't feel I had enough for a posting this month. Happy GBBD! P. x

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