To Blotanical

This rose is for Blotanical. With it I offer my thanks to Stuart for starting this great gathering place for garden bloggers.  I have found a family of bloggers who come visit me and support me in my rambles about my garden. And, thanks to Blotanical, I can visit oh so many blogs. It's like taking loads of garden tours in one day. I love it.

Sometimes I fall asleep with images from others' gardens in my head. What a wonderful way to fall asleep. My life is richer because of the gardener gathering made possible on Blotanical. I can never say enough thank yous. So I offer you my favorite peony rose in bloom as I write.

 

 

 

You can find Blotanical at http://www.blotanical.com/.

Spider Takes a Walk

Spider, spider, oh so light,

Who did frame thy symmetry,

Gave thee shape

And gave thee legs

So to walk

Amongst the flowers.

 

Who gave thee power

To spin a web

So to walk

In air, freespace.

 

 

 

 Who gave thee purpose

So to change

Thy path a-walking,

Thy way to go.

 

 

 

Who did give thee

Such a mind

To walk in shades

Of orange, blue

Red and white,

In beauty bold

Where beauty brights.

 

Spider, spider, oh so light

To walk with you

Upon this day

About my Bird of Paradise.

Paradise, paradise

About my Bird of Paradise

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, to have such a view

As spider walks

On Paradise.

They Survived!!

I think the assaults on my garden are over for now. The tree trimmers came, destroyed two plants, but, praise heaven, they're gone.  For those of you who have been following this blog, you know my garden has lived through drought, heat, Santa Anna winds, house painters, now tree trimmers. The live oak they trimmed is just above my garden. And I've got some survivors. Can you believe it?!  I've got some beautiful survivors. As I touched up their pictures to show you, I got so excited. Doesn't matter to the garden. They ARE gonna survive. Boy, can I learn a lesson.

My pride and joy is my peony rose. I've no idea what her real name is, as she was a gift from the weekly market. But her bloom is such a knock-out, so full, so fragrant, that I call her the peony rose.

 

 

 Wait until you see the blossoms that are still singin their hearts out. I honor them here.

Dragon Wing Begonia

Bird of Paradise

 

 

Echinicea

 

Begonia

Crown of Thorns

Cranesbill Geranium

Some of my champions are leaves. I'm just busting to share them with you. They're going great guns. Who'd a thought.

 Purple Oxalis

 

 Persian Shield

 

 Forget-me-not

  

Staghorn Fern

Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine

I could tell you a little story about each one. The Persian Shield lost half the plant from the tree trimmers. But this beautiful half remains. The forget-me-nots have spread to almost cover this plants. No stopping them in all this drought and heat.

The cranesbilll geranium has not stopped blooming through everything. It even has lots of buds, just as my peony rose does. That bird of paradise just keeps on giving blooms. It, too, has its beak-like buds yet to open. 

I learn so much about how to live from my garden. There will be survivors. Surviving will happen. Hurrah for the garden, one of my very best friends. Hurrah for the survivors.

My Bloomin' Ferns

My ferns are blooming.  I've never noticed such a prolific bloom as this year. And whoever heard of a fern blooming. Little white flowers is what they have.  So little it's hard to see them unless I give you a close-up.

So what are ferns doing blooming. Aren't they supposed to have spores or things like that. To put your mind at rest, these aren't true ferns.  I've always called them asparagus ferns, so I thought they were ferns.  Their foliage bears a resemblance to that of the vegetable asparagus, also from the Asparagus genus.  But, of course, they don't sport those delicacies of vegetables we all steam or boil and put butter on in the spring.  Well, the asparagus I'm talking about aren't vegetables or ferns. I'd always wondered how they could survive the droughts untouched. Now I know. They're from the family Asparagus, but not fern-related.

There are three of them, as far as I can tell. Asparagus sprengeri, meyrsii, and plumosa.  I grow all three and have been pleased each time I see them bloom.  Asparagus sprengeri blooms in the spring and by now has red berries. I'm giving you this link to go see, as my sprengeri have not done well this year, so I didn't torture you with a photo.  But the other two are looking good this year and fall blooming---- so here goes.

 

 

Asparagus plumosa

I'm sure all of you have seen this before. It's a small houseplant up north and a climber here in the south where it's almost like a weed, albeit a pretty one. Each branch that becomes a climber also has thorns on it. Makes it just that more difficult to prune.

 

 

 

 

 

 Asparagus meyrsii

I'm sure you've all seen this one too. It's also called foxtail and other common names that I don't have at the tip of my tongue.

But I like them. They're hardy plants, have a good look next to the other plants and wear a green fuzzy apparel of needle-shaped, prickly leaves that are quite handsome.  So if you haven't learned something, I have. This was kinda fun.

Now you know what I'm doing with bloomin' ferns.