Blooms GALORE!

Texas hibiscus

Butterfly gaura

Salvia 'Yellow'

Salvias going crazy!

Zinnias

 

Texas lantana

Zexmenia

Goldenrod

Prairie fleabane

More salvia

Texas kidneywood

Snapdragon vine

Branched dicliptera

Mexican sage

Mealy blue sage

Texas nightshade

Betonyleaf mistflower

'John Fanick' phlox

Rock rose

Three-lobed coneflower

Leadwort plumbago

Barbados cherry

Compact ruellia

Salvia 'Red Galeana'

Turk's cap (red, white, 'Pam's Pink')

Salvia 'Eyelash'

Texas greeneyes

Windowbox wood sorrel

Salvia 'Indigo Spires'

Firebush

Salvia 'Victoria Blue' (We planted this prior to August 2008!)

Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph' (originally planted prior to July 2008 and occasionally shows up again)

Dayflower

Obedient plant

Purple heart

Velvetleaf mallow

Mountain sage

Society garlic

Mexican bush sage

Physalis mollis var. mollis (native nightshade)

Damianita

Trailing purple lantana

Lantana 'Confetti'

Trailing white lantana

Lantana 'New Gold'

 

More dianthus

Okay, okay. I know dianthus aren't native. But we're allowed to get a few nonnatives now and then. I LOVE LOVE LOVE dianthus plants that we buy from our dear friends, Pamela and Frank, at their Arnosky at Arnosky Family Farms. This time we bought three 'Amazon Neon Purple' bedding plants. I swear these will live and bloom at least three years. Below is a photo of dianthus that I think we bought in 2017. They may be petering out. But they just got through blooming. And who knows? They may just keep going for another season! 

 

A milkweed surprise!

Yesterday evening, we were walking in the Meadow. I just happened to see a plant I hadn't noticed before growing near a lantana. Then I leaned down and got a CLOSER look. 

Then I SQUEALED.

"It's a ZIZOTES," I hollered at James. "It's a ZIZOTES! I can't believe it! It's a zizotes!" 

Why the zealous happiness and excitement on my part? Because the only pre-existing zizotes milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides) grows on our neighbor's adjoining land, which has been left native like the Meadow. I was so excited when I found that one freely growing on their property. I staked it and have watched over it through the years. But it's not mine. Someday, it will likely go to plant heaven. 

Which is why I was so thrilled to find one growing on our property. I can't believe I didn't see it before now. I have NO clue how it got there, either. The other zizotes has never produced viable seeds that I know of. From the looks of it, this one is super healthy, well established and obviously very happy living in our Meadow. Yay!

I had to pinch off a leaf to make sure it was really a milkweed. The milky white sap confirmed that it is!