This is my first post for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, hosted by Carol and her blog May Dreams Gardens. I had a lot of fun today as I wandered through the garden, taking photos and paying a little closer attention than usual to the flowers! Most of the blooms in my garden this month seem to be Iris. While the white blooms have come and gone, the purple and lavender varieties have come to stay for a while. Irises do so well in our hot, dry conditions that I continually dig and replant them to increase the size of their beds.
I purchased a six-pack of Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) earlier in the spring and divided them between two locations in my garden, planting half in the back yard and half in the side yard.
This Bridal Wreath Spiraea (Spiraea prunifolia) was really nipped by a freeze a number of weeks ago just as it started to bud out. I didn’t expect it to rebound and actually bloom, but it did and the flowers are just magnificent!
While this plant isn’t a native to Texas, I did decide to plant a couple more in the front yard, along with a bed of Daylilies and some Iris. The more drought-tolerant plants in the yard, the less water is necessary to keep everything alive.
This is the lone Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) in my garden. The plant information that came with it indicated that it was a ‘Winky Blue-White’. I don’t think so… But it’s still very pretty!
Here’s a pot of Dianthus. I planted these last spring and they made it through the winter in great shape. From far away they look more like a multicolored shrub than garden variety flowers.
These English Wallflowers (Cheiranthus cheri) grew from some seeds I planted last fall.
These pretty Blue Flax (Linum perenne) ‘Blue Sapphire’ are growing nestled beneath a tree.
Pink Wood Sorrel (Oxalis crassipes ‘Rosea’) is among the earliest bloomers in my garden. The small flowers last well into summer, before the extreme heat basically dries the plants up. When fall returns, so do the plants and the blooms.
Several Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera rosea) were in bloom today, the first of the season. These flowers — also known as Rose of Mexico — are native to Texas and northern Mexico.
This Rose Pink Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii ‘Rose Pink’) just began blooming this week. It will continue to bloom throughout the summer. Bees love these plants. Salvia greggii is native to Texas and parts of Mexico. It is very drought-tolerant and has wonderfully aromatic leaves.
I added this little plant — Salvia ‘May Night’ (Salvia nemorosa ‘Mainacht’) to my garden last fall. It was a pitiful looking end-of-season markdown and I wasn’t sure it would even reappear this spring, but it did! It’s another drought-tolerant perennial that loves the sun.
Another perennial I added to the garden last fall is this Pincushion Flower ‘Butterfly Blue’ (Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’). It’s sort of strange-looking, isn’t it? I can certainly see how it got its name!
That’s it for this month! I hope to have some different bloomers next time. If you’re interested in seeing what might be flowering in other folks gardens be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens.
The Transmutational Garden 
Bridal wreath! I’ve been curious about the name of that plant for years. Thank you! (Also, why do irises occasionally look like goat faces?)
LikeLike
You’re welcome! Hmmm, I don’t believe I’ve ever noticed that about irises. Now you’ve got me curious and I’ll have to go back and look at my photos!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m a little sleep-deprived. It could be me 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally understand!
LikeLike
Everything is looking wonderful. The irises are always so spectacular and yours are no exception!!! The dianthus are stunning – they bloom all year for me, but are prolific during spring and autumn.
LikeLike
Thanks. I love iris, they’re so easy to grow and don’t need a lot of attention. My kind of plant! The same goes for the dianthus, which also bloom until cold weather sets in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful blooms. I especially love the irises – probably because I never have any luck with them. All of your April flowers are beautiful!
LikeLike
Thanks. I seem to have great luck with iris, but not so much with certain other plants!
LikeLike
I am loving all the different irises you have going. They are so lovely and along with spirea have always reminded me of the old-fashioned southern gardens I loved as a child. I grow both here, along with althea bushes, as reminders of gardens and gardeners long gone.
That dianthus is stunning – mine struggled in last summer’s heat and then were bitten by freezing weather. We’ll see if they survive another summer or succumb. Lots of folks around Austin treat them as annuals but yours show what great results a little more patience can reveal.
LikeLike
I just try to leave the dianthus alone and let them do their own thing. They can get a bit scraggly during the really hot weather, but usually manage to recover.
LikeLike
A most enjoyable post and a lovely selection of pictures. I especially like the white spirea and dianthus. xx
LikeLike
Thanks. Dianthus are one of my favorites.
LikeLike
Your irises have spectacular blooms. You are succeeding with a cottage garden look with a nod to water conservation, good job.
Are those the dianthus usually treated as annuals, or the biennial Sweet William, Dianthus barbatus? Either way, they are lovely and fun to keep going.
Spiraea also has several cultivars, yours being the pretty one with blooms that look like tiny roses.
LikeLike
Thanks, I’m trying! These particular dianthus are the ones usually referred to as hardy annuals. They usually last a couple of years for me.
LikeLike
Hi,
That Spirea is very impressive! I’ve seen it on another blog and decided I’d get it, but seeing your photos really has made me want one!! I wonder if it’s available over this side of the pond? Often things available in the US aren’t in the UK, unfortunately.
LikeLike
They’re very pretty bushes, especially when they’re blooming. And they’re pretty fast growers. As for them being available in the UK, I don’t know! I do know they’re native to parts of Asia.
LikeLike
Lovely blooms! I adore irises, you have some beauties. Your Spirea’ Bridal Wreath’ has larger flowers than mine, it is very pretty.
LikeLike
I love irises. If I had my way I’d plant my entire front yard with them. Maybe I will…
LikeLike
Great job on your first GBBD post. You have some gorgeous blooms to share. I just loved your Irises and your Spiraea, but your Blue Flax stole my heart. Absolutely beautiful.
LikeLike
Thanks very much, I enjoyed posting and checking out others blooms! I really like the Blue Flax, but so far I don’t have very many of them. Hopefully they’ll drop a lot of seed and reproduce!
LikeLike
Your post reminded me of my favorite lupines in New Zealand. They are so tall and very healthy in their wild habitat in the woods. They are so different from those i’ve seen before in Sweden and Turkey. I also particularly love the different colors.
LikeLike
Lupines are all very pretty flowers, I think, especially in their wild state. Thanks for visiting my blooms!
LikeLike
Great debut for Bloom Day!! I love your irises and that Blue Flax–so lovely. All of your photos are beautiful. Enjoy your spring!
LikeLike
Thanks so much! Enjoy your spring, too. There’s a lot out there to love about it.
LikeLike
Wow, all that lush growth in a drought and your garden is way ahead of my English one. I also love the Blue Flax, anything that colour has me totally smitten.
LikeLike
While our drought continues, we’ve been lucky to have some good spring rains. Nothing to brag about or to fill the lakes from, but enough to keep things growing and to bring out some plants we haven’t seen in a couple of years. It’s actually raining as I speak. It’s been teasing us for the last few days, raining in every direction except right on top of us, but I guess it felt sorry for us and decided to send a few drops! We need a week of continuous steady downpours to make any difference at all in our water supply.
LikeLike
Your irises and bluebonnets are looking fantastic as well! The color of your columbine is stunning! I just have the Texas Gold variety that is blooming for the first time for me this year. Your spiraea is beautiful. Is it very fragrant (it definitely looks to be).
LikeLike
The spiraea has a very faint aroma if you stick your nose right in the flowers and take a deep whiff. It’s certainly not one of those bushes whose aroma jumps out and grabs you when you’re walking by!
LikeLike
Mmm … lots of floral goodness, including a great variety of iris. That mass of Dianthus looks really lovely. I just sowed some Wallflowers, I hope they end up looking as good as yours.
LikeLike
I don’t have a huge mass of Wallflowers, but I’m enjoying them for the first time this year! I hope they reseed for next year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spring is so refreshing. Your blooms look wonderful. I love the Bluebonnets, Sweet Williams, and Oxalis. ❤
LikeLike
I agree. Spring makes up for the rest of the year!
LikeLike
Spring is beautiful. But I have to admit, Autumn is still my favorite. I love the smell of pumpkin spice in the air, when the leaves begin to change colors, and we finally get a relief from the heat after a long Texas Summer. 😉
LikeLike
I know what you mean! That first crisp, cool day after the first cold front barrels through in the fall — there’s nothing quite like it. The clear, deep blue sky and a light northerly breeze!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your garden is filled with such beauty. Stunning Iris! Mine are reaching for the sky, but I really enjoyed all your photos of your garden-lovely:-) I am inspired + excited but today it is in the 40’s….a bit below normal, sure hope we get to where you are!
LikeLike
Brrrr. We’ve had upper 40s at night on and off, but I’m glad they’re gone as far as highs! I love Iris, though their aroma isn’t very flowery!
LikeLike
I love my Iris for they are for me:-) I know they don’t really help the pollinators, but they sure lift my spirits:-)
LikeLike
I agree with you. I enjoy the Iris because they’re just so pretty and easy. They add color where sometimes there isn’t any.
LikeLike