Tag Archive for: February GBBD

Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day!  This is one of my favorite meme’s.  I love participating each month and I always look forward to seeing what my fellow garden bloggers have blooming in their gardens.

On another note, I got it.  I thought I had escaped it completely.  With such beautiful spring weather, it is just incomprehensible to me that I succumbed to it the flu.  Isn’t there a rule or law somewhere that states you can only be sick with the flu when it is cold and rainy outside?  Not when it is gorgeous and sunny outside.

Thankfully, I am feeling better and was able to go outside (in my pajamas) to take pictures for April’s GBBD.  The following flowering plants are in my backyard because I did not want to venture out in the front garden in my pajamas 😉

April Garden Bloggers

This is the first cluster of flowers this year on my Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Orange Jubilee) shrub.  Since it is located up next to my house, it usually does not suffer frost damage in the winter.  Soon, the hummingbirds will be fighting over the blooms.

April Garden Bloggers

 Closely related to the Orange Jubilee, my Yellow Bells  (Tecoma stans stans) is located along the back wall of my garden.  It is covered in yellow flowers from April through November.

April Garden Bloggers

I am extra excited about this one because these are the first blooms on my Whirling Butterfly Bush (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Siskiyou Pink’).  We planted this back in March.

April Garden Bloggers

Okay, technically this Cat Claw Vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati) is not planted in my garden, but in my neighbor’s.  But, it is blooming in my garden, so that counts, doesn’t it? Cat Claw Vine does suffer frost damage in some locations in the winter, but quickly grows back. It can become invasive and so I would use caution when considering growing this vine.  I cut back the portion that hangs over my fence about twice a year when it gets too close to my shrubs.

Geraniums

Geraniums in our new vegetable garden.  This was recently moved from our Children’s Flower Garden as it was being deconstructed.

Mexican Bird-of-Paradise

It is not very easy to see all of the yellow blooms that are covering both of my Mexican Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia mexicana), but they are lovely just the same.  Although they are commonly grown as shrubs, they can also be trained as small trees as I have done here.  In our area, they bloom off and on all year.

I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to some of my flowering plants in the back garden.  Please visit May Dreams Gardens for a list of other garden bloggers who are participating in Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.

Now I’m off to visit my fellow garden blogger’s gardens to see what they have blooming…..

The weather has warmed into the low 70’s this week and the flowers are beginning to burst out of their buds….

full bloom

 Pink Beauty (Eremophily laanii)  The first few blooms are beginning to appear on this Australian native. Grows up to 6 ft. high and blooms spring through fall.

Desert Senna

Desert Senna (Senna artemisiodes sturtii)

Another of my Australian favorites and are drought tolerant and extremely easy to grow.

Grows up to 6 ft. high and flowers in the spring. 

Firecracker Penstemon

Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii)

This Southwest Desert native has reached full bloom, causing hummingbirds to eagerly drink of it’s nectar.

Grows up to 2 ft. high, when flowering.  Blooms winter through spring (removing spent flowers, will cause more blooms to form and prolong the flowering period).

Palo Verde

‘Desert Museum’ Palo Verde (Parkinsonia hybrid ‘Desert Museum’)

It’s early, but the first few blooms on my Palo Verde tree are starting to appear.

This beautiful tree grows approximately 30 ft. high and wide.  In late spring, the tree will be a mass of beautiful yellow flowers.

Bower Vine

Bower Vine (Pandorea jasminoides)

This blossom is ready to open and join it’s neighbors and reveal its magenta heart.

Grows on a trellis for support and blooms fall through spring in the desert. 

full bloom

Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violaceae)

My second favorite Australian native, is in full bloom and is buzzing with bees.

Grows on a trellis or as a groundcover.  Blooms in February. 

full bloom

Violas and Alyssum

My annuals have bloomed non-stop all winter and show no signs of quitting any time soon.

full bloom

Valentine (Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’)

My favorite Australian native who is aptly named for the time of year when it reaches full bloom.

Grows approximately 3 ft. high and wide.  Blooms December through April.

This is my monthly contribution to Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, which occurs on the 15th of each month.  Please visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming in other gardens around the world.