So many blooms, so little time.  What can I say?  There are so many plants blooming in my garden during this abundant spring that I don’t have enough time to talk about all of them.  It’s a problem I’m glad to have.  After a mild, wet winter and an early, wet spring, there are loads of blooming perennials/annuals in the garden.  Thanks to Carole at May Dreams Gardens for hosting  Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day.   Here are a few of the lovelies gracing my little garden:

This Firecracker Plants (Russelia equisetiformis) bloomed  all winter.  Normally a herbaceous perennial in Austin, this year mine remained evergreen.

I have several Prairie Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) blooming.  A very common spring wildflower and a great pass-a-long plant.   It’s a tough plant and a great early bloomer.

The first Pink Autumn (or Cherry) Sage (Salvia greggii) blooms.  I prune mine to about 8 to 10 inches and they grow to about 2 feet in height and width.  I also have the red and white blooming S. greggii.

And, the still floriferous Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) blooms.  It’s loaded with gorgeous red blooms, just waiting for the hummingbirds to visit.

A German friend gave poppy seeds to me years ago.  I tossed them out and reliably, every spring, these eye-catching beauties bloom.  With the rain this winter and spring, they’re especially prolific.  And HUGE!!  One group is  well over 3 feet tall.

The first Iris to bloom in my gardens this spring.  This is an unknown Iris, given to me by…someone a long time ago.  Every spring, it’s a  hardy and reliable bloomer.

To me, the Yellow Columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana) is the harbinger of spring.   In the past, this perennial wouldn’t bloom until mid-March.  Now, it starts about two weeks earlier.

And, since the two species naturally hybridize, I have a number of these perennials shrubs in which the flowers are yellow, with a blush of red.  I love that!

The Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), is a very well-behaved vine.  I cut mine back a couple of years ago and with the drought and heat last year, it’s made a slow recovery.  But it has plenty of tangerine/yellow blooms this year.

The ubiquitous Mt. Laurel (Sophora secundiflora), has been stunning this year in Austin, including the one in my back garden.  I even saw a magnificent one in Corpus Christi, recently.

And, finally, the Guardian of the Blooms protects the Old Gay Hill Rose and the Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), from the invading butterflies.

Goofy cat.