Sunday, April 21, 2013

spring blooms and a wasp


some pics from around the yard the last couple of weeks...

I noticed the aloe someone gave me a year or so ago is sending up a bloom stalk.




This is one of the azaleas we bought last year on sale for half price. Out of the ten we still have 9. Tthey were so root bound with a solid thatch on top that water absolutely could not penetrate. I had to basically bare root them. A couple I even had to dig up and pot because after they initially seemed to do OK, they started to fail. This is one of them that got moved into a pot. Then the ants moved in and it was not recovering, losing all it's leaves but the stems were still green. I finally had to take it out of the pot, hose it down, bare root it again, dust it with rooting hormone, repotted it, and pruned it back. It looks dead doesn't it.


Look again.



I've tried several times to get macros of the center of the red poppies because they have the most subtle colors...yellow, purple, and black but most have been unsuccessful because of the wind. Finally got a good one though it isn't completely crisp.


And another with bees but it doesn't really show the colors very well.


The pink is pretty too.



This is the area where the poppies were so profuse and tall last year. Not so much this year but the larkspur, which is just coming into bloom is pretty with the evening primrose and the yellow coneflowers are starting to come on. Yesterday evening a ruby throated hummingbird was busy on the larkspur. It would pause and hover looking at us now and then and then go back to it feeding.


Another area with larkspur. You can see the direction the prevailing winds have been coming from.



The evening primrose in the fields are at peak.



The mock dogwood has been very pretty.



I inadvertently cut a blooming branch while trying to prune out the dead wood. I brought it in the house and it stayed fresh for over a week.



The pecans trees finally came out. These 'blooms' are the next fall's nuts.



And finally, this wasp posed nicely for me while I waited for him to move off the gate so I could open it.





14 comments:

  1. love poppies! love your english garden area, too!!! beautiful wasp macro! well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I plant poppies and they last for a season or two and then they are gone. I guess we are too wet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stunning! Absolutely stunning! Those poppies are other-worldly, the wasp a giant, amazing beast.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Macro success. I loved the bees and the wasp along with the beautiful flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great shots! love the wasp on the gate! I think that I would wait for him too.
    You and your garden are the best Texas has to offer!

    ReplyDelete
  6. wow!! your photos are amazing
    the wasp shot is incredible

    I love when things start to bloom, so sweet and hopeful

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow. Your flowers are just gorgeous, Ellen. It sounds as though you know how to bring them back from the dead; I wish I had a green thumb like that but I don't.

    That wasp looks like an alien.

    ReplyDelete
  8. LOVE the flowers! Gorgeousness!

    But really, the wasp picture wins - super cool!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Are they native azaleas? I love them but have never had any success at growing them. They are so finicky about the exact soil/water conditions. Love the wasp.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your close ups are fantastic!
    And that wasp looks ready for business! Yikes!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love to see the leaves first starting to appear - I cut back my fuchsias last year; since the beginning of March I have been watching them hoping I hadn't been too severe with the cut back and praying they survived the long harsh winter - success this last week all 3 are starting to leaf up (btw this is Jane - don't ask google is being silly again)

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is the weirdest wasp I’ve ever seen.

    As always I must comment on how much earlier your seasons are than ours. I’m still battling cold days and even chillier nights.

    I’ve got a post on gardening on the boil too but, like you, I find blogging tedious at the moment.

    Could it be to do with the length of time we’ve been at it? It does seem a ridiculous thing to do sometimes. O, for a bit of enthusiasm for anything!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fun shots, i love seeing the blooms The wasp is real fun

    ReplyDelete
  14. You have some wonderful shots there, Ellen. That wasp image is amazing.

    ReplyDelete

I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.