04 April 2006

Tiptoe Through the Tulips

Since I've been so busy with work I've barely had time to enjoy the explosion of spring blooms. RV'ers from all over Canada and the US have been bombarding San Antonio, which makes me happy but overly occupied with the mundane and unable to drink in the wonders of the season. Spring flowers and Spring birds are some of my favorite associations with the vernal season but the interaction with the growth process makes flowers so satisfying. I took pictures (no scent included, unfortunately) so I could revel in the things about spring that I long for all winter long. Thought I'd share. The TX drought has been very damaging to many of the wildflowers here but some have refused to stay entombed and others have been the beneficiary of the common household hose. A good imagination might fill your olfactory with joy. Wild Lantana (pungent, minty leaves)
Spiderwort (beds of these bloom in the midday sun but appear as mere grass when their purple heads sleep in the early morn and eve.)

A xeriscape succulent with summer-long lupine blooms. Don't know the name.
Most recognize these state of TX flowers. Bluebonnets sneak up threw the grass all over TX and the highways are loaded with large splotches of purpley-blue. I call this ranch cactus, grows right out of the rocks.
Even plain old photinias have an intricate blossom.
A lady Bank's rose. Not a very good pic but the little pink roses smell like heaven.
An iris bed just beginning to come alive.
A patch of scarlet amaryillis halfway thru it's short life of bloom. These aloe vera's bloom in yellow and orange but I prefer the yellows.
Not sure where this yucca plant got it's nickname but it's called Adam's Needle. This one's got a double bloom. Flowers are wonderful sauteed in butter.

Well, sorry, no tulips and I'll save the bird pics for another time. I apologize if I named a plant erroneously. Let me know if I have.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love seeing these pictures. The flowers are so different from what we have here in the northeast and it's fun to see what spring blooms mean in other parts of the country. I miss spring in California and in Memphis. Remind me to write about it one day.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait till the roses bloom.

Lena said...

These photos were interesting for me as well and for the same reason that Loretta mentions...so different from the Pacific NW where I live. We tend to have either woodsy with rhododendrons gardens, Japanese influenced or English cottage type of gardens here. Thanks so much for sharing these!