Foliage Follow-Up...May, 2012...

After a day of rain yesterday, today dawned sunny and cool.

Today is Foliage Follow-Up day.  The day we join
Pam at Digging,
to show off our foliage.

Let's start in front.  This is one of two Squid Agaves we have in containers,
at the front entrance.  They're doing quite well.

In the new Driveway Bed, the Mexican Feathergrass is growing fast.

Diamonds of moisture were shining in the early sunlight.
This is becoming one of my go-to plants for around here.
Last summer's awful heat and drought didn't faze the Feathergrasses we already had.
The deer don't touch it.
It's pretty.
What is there not to like?

The Unknown Agave is about to out grow it's protective covering.
I hope when I take this off, the deer will leave it alone.

Over in the Island Bed, two more of my favorites..
Lamb's Ear and Artemisia 'Powis Castle'.

We've had this Sago Palm for years.  It moved down with us from our old garden.
Last year, the hard, long freeze we had really stunted it.  This year, it's looking good.
That makes me smile, because this is the centerpiece of this bed.

Around the side to the Rock Bed.  This is a bed that gets no more than one watering a month, even in last year's hot, VERY dry summer.  You see why these are some of my favorites.
Mexican Feathergrass, Prickly Pear, Rosemary, Autumn Sage...

And, the agave I rescued from Elli's redo.  It's put on new growth.  These are tough plants.
And, that bed really needs some cleaning up and new mulch.

The Agave lophantha in the wheelbarrow is growing.

In the brand new Back Bed, the Candy Lily and Iris are adding interest next to the pot of Prickly Pear.
There are lots of 'Tunas' on the Prickly Pear.  I hope the deer let them ripen.

Up onto the deck, here's one of the three Hawthornia we have in the copper windowbox liner.
You can see why some people call this Zebra Plant.

My aim here was for a vignette of orbs.
Golden Barrel Cactus, Blue Fescue, and a hummingbird feeder that's pretty, but leaks.
So far, so good...

The Wall pocket with Liriope.
Notice the wren's nest.  She worked hard on this, then never came back.
We're leaving it for a while, just in case.

In the Fenced Yard, Liriope is a favorite.

Along with Aztec Grass.  I'd use them all over the whole place.  But, deer eat them, so they have to stay behind a fence.

The Cannas are beginning to take off.  I hope they bloom this year.  The burgundy one didn't bloom at all last summer.  It's supposed to be red.  The Striped leaf one did bloom, and it had some really nice blooms last year.

Purple Heart is a good performer, in sun or shade.

And, I like the Silver Ponyfoot, too.  It's a happy little ground cover that looks really good spilling over the sides of containers.  I'd love to have it out front, too.  But, the time I tried, the deer ate it all, but left the Holly Fern behind.

gratuitous picture of the view


We have a lot more foliage.
Foliage is a favorite around here.
It's always giving interest to the garden, even when there are no blooms.

What kind of foliage to you have?
Go over and join Pam, for more Fabulous Foliage.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

Garden Bloggers Bloomday...May, 2012...

It's a soggy Bloomday here today.

That's not a complaint.  We've had about 15 inches of rain, this calendar year.

This time last year...we'd had less than 2 inches.

We're loving the rain.
But, it does make it a bit hard for photographs.

We all join Carol, at May Dreams Garden on the 15th of the month,
to show what is blooming in our gardens.

The above is a fountain that froze up, and now leaks badly.
So now...it's a planter.

The little bird that used to spit water, now watches over the plants.

Still, I don't have many things blooming.  There are blooms, just not much variety in plants.
I planted mostly begonias this year.  Last year's impatiens plantings just didn't work out in the drought.  Who knows what this summer will be like.  Begonias need less water.

But, I like begonias.  They're pretty and they're dependable.

Speaking of dependable...so are chrysanthemums.

They brighten up the fall.  But, they also show up in the spring.

This yellow one has been here for a couple of years.  It's been blooming for weeks.
When it's finished, I'll pinch it back to get ready for the big fall bloom.

Thanks to the rain, the back bed is coming along nicely.
Also, thanks to the rain....I couldn't get good pictures of the few blooms there.

The periwinkles are coming along.  I've always liked periwinkles.
But since the deer don't bother them, they have become one of my favorite flowers.

At the other end of this bed, the Lion's Tail is beginning to bloom.
You might notice it's in a cage.  Deer aren't supposed to like it...I'm not taking that chance.

Over in the Veggie Bed, volunteer cosmos....

...and, Zinnias are blooming.  They lure the pollinators in.

Not a bloom, but I like it.

In the fenced yard, I planted basil for color.
The Thai Basil is blooming.  I like that purple, against the bright green.

The strawberry puts on a bloom now and then.  I still love those leaves, though.

I planted a Gomphrena Fireworks yesterday.  That counts, right?

The Hawthornia we got recently are blooming.

It has a delicate, interesting bloom.

The Jerusalem Sage is winding down.

It's 'starry' seed pods are interesting, though.

By far here, the biggest bloomfest is in Elli's Meadow.
Mexican Hats and Thistle are showing off.

There are three different types of the Mexican Hats.

The Thistle is pretty, too.

Then there's this...
Seems somebody had some Nopales for breakfast.
Sigh....it's always a challenge.

One Impatiens basket.


So, what's blooming in your garden?
Hop over to May Dreams Garden, and see some pretty blooms.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~ 

San Antonio Mission Trail...Part 2...

Here we are at Part 2, of our recent tour of 

the San Antonio missions.

Our second stop was
Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuna...
better known as Mission Concepcion.

The missions website, says this is the oldest unrestored church in America.

Unlike Mission San Jose, the walls here have mostly fallen in.

Although there was no restoration going on at the front, they have you enter from the side here, too.

Hmmm....not bats in the belfry.  But, they were busy.

This entry takes you beside this stairway, up to an office.

Don't you love the way the light shows off the Moorish influence of Spanish architecture?

Inside, there are remnants of the frescoes that used to cover both inside and out.

This is a rather primitive solution to reaching the rope for the bell.

The altar is simpler, but no less beautiful than San Jose.

The ceilings reminded me of the Painted Churches, we had visited.

This Baptistery has seen many events.

The front is much less ornate than San Jose.
But, it's beautiful in its simplicity.

The outside was once decorated with bright frescoes.  They've all worn away, leaving this wonderful patina of worn stone.  It's endured for 250 years...amazing.

Masses are still held here.

This day, they were setting up for some kind of Fiesta.

I love the colorful flags, against that beautiful, blue Texas sky.

Over in the Prayer Garden, this aloe was blooming with more color.
Gotta love that, too.

As is typical of us...we missed some of the things that the brochure told us to watch for.
That's what we get for reading them AFTER our self-tour.
We should have gone on the guided tour.
OK...next time.

There are two more to tell you about.
Stay tuned.

Have a Great Weekend...
~~Linda~~