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Bloom day: 11/15/09

I’m rather amazed that I’ve celebrated Bloom Day for weeks now. Gardeners in Central Texas took a beating this dry summer with 68 days over 100º.  But in my east Austin garden, the team rallied when the rains finally came, with barely a player missing.

Cosmos, chile pequin, purple sweet potato vine

The cosmos/chile pequin/purple sweet potato vine team bounced back to join Carol’s May Dreams Bloom Day, a virtual tour of what’s up in gardens all over the world.

Last year, I divided a shrimp plant for the front bed, and planted a bamboo muhly at the end of that stretch. In their infant states, it took a lot of imagination to see this as a good thing. They’ve convinced me that it was.

Shrimp plant with bamboo muhly

This spring, when I moved a sickly Valentine rose into a pot on the patio’s sunny side, I owed it a chance. It wasn’t its fault that I’d taken a chance by plopping it where it got its minimum daily dose of sun. Valentine’s rebound, since week one, reminds me yet again: don’t think you can change a plant’s mind about what it wants.

Valentine rose

New Dawn on the cat cove trellis, renewed after I cut it to nubs in February.

New Dawn rose

The Fairy rose, undaunted by its grinding hot curbside in front.

The Fairy rose

‘Country Girl’ mums in the den bed.

Country Girl chrysanthemum

And ‘Butterpat’.

Butterpat chrysanthemum Butterpat chrysanthemum

This is just a sample of what’s blooming after two tough years. I guess it’s why gardeners don’t ever give up.

Happy Bloom Day!  Linda

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