goodbye and hello

The early flowers of spring have gone. The magnificent blue of Veronica tauricula has been over for almost a week. The grape hyacinths have a few seed heads on them, but are otherwise barren. Rosemary ‘Blue Spires’ discarded its flowers during the wind storm. The tulips are done, leaving a few dried petals amid the leaves. Likewise, the redbud has its pale green new leaves out, but the flowers are just bits of dried confetti on the ground. All that’s left of the blue star flower are half-faded leaves and a few swollen seed pods (charming, if you can find them). But here's what's looking good now.

The Camassia is still blooming. New flowers open in the morning and the old ones will fade in the afternoon. This morning photo shows both yesterdays flowers open and todays. The flowers from two days ago have faded.


The chocolate flower has started its summer long bloom. Even if the plant is scraggly, the plant is worth keeping for the sniff factor. Yes, it's chocolate, and yummy chocolate at that.


I bought seedlings of this Iris missouriensis at Plants of the Southwest four years ago. This is the first year for flowers.


The sulfur buckwheat is opening its tiny flowers.


Salvia 'May Night' is a toughie. Last year it received very little water. If I had watered it more, the blooms would be more dense this year.


Lest you think all the flowers are blue or yellow, Penstemon clutei is beginning its show.


Ballota pseudodictamnus isn't grown for its flowers but its oh-so-touchable leaves. The flowers are attractive, just not showy. The botanical name says that this is false dittany. It is similar I suppose, but not confusable.


In the wild spaces, there is less blooming. A little searching, however, showed this Astragalus.


The claret cup cactus is blooming in the mountains as well as in the neighborhood. This one is trailside.


Nolina texana has an unexpected color in its buds and blooms: a dusky purple. Here, the stem is just emerging.