New Flower

Ironweed

Another new plant has come to the garden, Ironweed, again courtesy of my arborist son. As with the bluebells, this is their second year but first to bloom. Maybe it was all the rain. Whatever the cause, the flowers are out and they look great. Now we hope they propagate. It’s not always as easy as one might think. Nature is relatively capricious that way. For instance, the false mallows he planted long ago, are still just two.

Crape Myrtle season is also starting. The miniatures are in full bloom, and the big trees are putting on buds and waiting for the heat. They’re not natives except they’re ubiquitous these days throughout the south because they’re easy to grow, they look nice, and they tolerate the heat without griping. They’ve been part of every garden I’ve ever created for their flowers and their shade.

Normally, we’d be entering the low water phase of the garden cycle. But this June has been different. It still looks like spring everywhere. I suspect I can point my finger at the Super El Niño as the cause. The weather in Texas certainly has been turbulent with more to come throughout the rest of the year. I’ll take it, because it sure makes it fun to take my morning walks on dew covered grass to check out the flowers and see what’s up. It’s the gardener’s private show, and it’s why I dig in the dirt and try to make things grow.