In a Vase on Monday: All Good Things Come in Threes

The garden is full of color and excellent cutting flowers right now, so I decided to make three vases this week - all with a similar yellow and pink theme.

The first vase is the largest of them all and is the one I used to brighten up my main living space at home this week.  The big bouquet was a nice focal point at the center of our large kitchen/dining/family room living space.

The second is simple and elegant - with just three flowers to fill the vase.  I took this one into the office to brighten up my gray cubicle.  I got several compliments on it from co-workers.

The final vase was a whimsical little concoction of some of the "left-over" flowers from the first two vases.  These were the extras, or the ones that didn't really "go" with the other bouquets - but they make a lovely little posy together.  This vase was placed on the bedroom nightstand to enjoy every night before bed, and as the first thing every morning.

The flowers used in this week's vases are:  gladiolas,

sunflowers,

shasta daisies,

and zinnias.

Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting the In a Vase on Monday meme every Monday.

In a Vase on Monday: Remembering the Fallen

Today is Memorial Day in the United States - a day in which we remember those that died while serving in the armed forces.  So, toady's vase is in honor of those that have fallen fighting for our country.

My garden has been loving the record rain we've been having, however, the heavy rains have beaten down some of the flower stalks, including the gladiola and sunflower that are in today's vase.  It seems only fitting that the fallen flowers be used as a symbol to remember those that have fallen for our freedom.

Today's vase includes:

Sunflowers...

Purple gladiolas...

Bright red zinnias that were pass-along seeds from my friend, Melissa's, garden.

Then there are the Black-Eyed Susans...

And finally, some sprigs of blooming parsley to round out the bouquet.

While the rains have been beneficial in some parts of Texas, too much of a good thing can be devastating.  This weekend, the Blanco river in Hays county (about 60 miles or an hour drive south of where I live) has seen record flooding since the 1920's, with hundred's of families loosing their homes, several dead and more missing.  My thoughts are with those that are dealing with loss from the flooding.  My husband and his paramedic co-workers are also on my mind, since they work in the area that has been hit hard by the flooding and will have several long, stressful, and potentially dangerous shifts ahead of them until the flooding subsides.

There is a lot to think about and be grateful for today.


Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting the In a Vase Meme every Monday.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - May 2015

The higher than average rainfalls in Central Texas over the last few weeks have my zone 8b garden bursting with blooms this month for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, hosted on the 15th of every month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

First, my poppies wrapped up their blooms this month, much to the disappointment of the buzzing bees, who could always be found on the blooms.

The larkspur has been putting on quite the show, adding an English cottage garden feel to my hot Texas garden.

The larkspur looks a lot like delphiniums, but does much better with the heat and drought of Texas.

Another English cottage-y garden feel flower blooming right now are my foxgloves.  I haven't had luck with these other years in Texas, since they tend to like a bit cooler and wetter conditions than we normally get.  However, we are having a cooler and wetter season this year, so they are loving it, and so am I.

Wrapping up the English cottage garden blooms are the Graham Thomas antique roses.

A few weeks ago, I added some annuals to the courtyard to give it some color and included impatients, kalanchoes and torenias.

In the courtyard, the pansies that were planted last fall are still going strong, especially with the cooler than average temperatures we've been having.

In the shade garden, the agapanthus is starting to bloom, but hasn't reached its full glory just yet.

The gladiolas are just starting to bloom.  I love these vibrant purple varieties that always bloom first.

Volunteer sunflowers, planted by the birds, are also opening their blooms.

As are other annuals, like the blanket flowers,

cosmos,

and zinnias.

The gardenias are filling the air with their intoxicating fragrance.

And the insects are enjoying the nectar of the black-eyed Susans, 

as well as the asters.

Then there are a handful of other reliable Texas blooms, like the prickly pear cactus,

bi-colored iris,

oleander,

guara,

pink skullcap,

and lantana (which the hummingbirds are absolutely loving).

That wraps up my May blooms.  Be sure to stop by May Dreams Gardens for many more May blooms in other gardens around the world.

Pretty Things

Today, I stopped to smell the roses, or rather, the gladiolas, Black-Eyed Susans, and Black and Blue Salvia that were putting on a marvelous display in the garden.

I am a huge fan of bulbs, and the gladiolas I've planted over the last few years certainly do not disappoint.  I would love to plant several more varieties throughout my gardens.  This is my first year with the Black-Eyed Susan (or at least the first time one has bloomed for me), as well as with the Black and Blue Salvia.  I'm in love with all the beautiful flowers growing in the garden today.  I love the vibrant colors that summer brings!

Spring Bulb Bed

Earlier this spring, I was at Costco and saw a large bag of about 50 spring garden bulbs for under $20.  It was a purple color mix of gladiolas, dahlias, and calla lily bulbs and I got very excited because it was one of my first gardening project of the year, and my first project at our new house.

I found a spot in the back yard along the fence that was sunny and would be a perfect place for some colorful flowers.  I definitely wanted the flowers to be in the backyard so that they would be protected from being eaten by the deer that come around our house every night.  The ground was very hard, and you can only go a few inches before hitting a layer of rock, but Jon was able to help me dig a large enough plot for the bulbs.

I planted the bulbs in mid-March and started to see the gladiolas pop up in a couple of weeks.  The calla lilies popped up a couple of weeks later.  The dahlias were the last to come up. I was worried they wouldn't come up at all, thinking maybe I watered them too much and that the bulb rotted.  Luckily, 3 of the 4 tubers ended up showing.

I loved all the different pinks, purples, reds, and oranges of the gladiolas, the lilac color of the dahlias, and the complimentary yellow of the calla lilies.

The spring bulb bed has died down recently during the extreme heat of the Texas summer days.  I'm looking forward to next spring when the bulb bed fills out even more and I can have even more beautiful fresh cut flowers for my home.