Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens where we celebrate flowers that may have been given to a Valentine’s crush. Whether planted in the garden or gracing a vase after Valentine’s Day, flowers of all sorts are always worth gushing ‘n crushing about.
It’s been a mild winter in Austin, Texas–a very April-esque February, in fact. However, winter is apparently on her way back, reminding us that it’s not quite spring yet, folks. There are blooming lovelies though, ramping up with the longer and warmer days.
Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, a beautiful native-to-Texas vine is showing off the first of its pendant-like bloom clusters,
…there will be more to come in the next months.
By March, this vine will be loaded with glorious, tubular goodness and hummingbirds (hopefully), as well as other assorted pollinators will be all over it.
Honeybees are still working the Leatherleaf Mahonia, Mahonia bealei, on warm days.
The blooms will fade soon and that’s when the bees will move on to other nectar/pollen sources. The resulting fruits are just beginning,
…and will fully develop in the next few weeks. Birds will swoop in–primarily Blue Jays and Mockingbirds in my garden. They love juicy Mahonia fruit.
Four-nerve Daisy or Hymenoxys, Tetraneuris scaposa, has blossomed all winter. There are definitely more dancing daisies as the days lengthen, 
…and visitors are stopping by for a sip of nectar or bit of pollen.
This lone bloom heralds the start of Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, blooming season.
Yippy! I can hardly wait!
Valentine’s Day is behind us and spring (or fall, depending upon where you live), is almost upon us. May Dreams Gardens showcases plenty of blooms from around the world on this February bloom bouquet–check it out.
My Gardener Says... 
Though I know a lot of the attraction is to see what is blooming ANYwhere else with these memes, I’m tickled to see what you have blooming, because when I see flowers showing up in your garden spaces, I know that the same plants in my spaces are not far behind! Your bloom day is a bit of a sneak peek for me, and I love that. My coral honeysuckle has buds, but no blooms, and honestly, everybody’s purple coneflowers seem ahead of the ones here. No clue why.
And after mention made last month, I’d struggled with whether to move a mahonia that has been struggling in shade here for years, only to discover it managed to send a spindly shoot up high enough to reach some light, and bloomed! I’d never have even checked mine without seeing yours, so thank you! Happy Bloom Day (and hopefully in a few more minutes, Happy Rain Day!).
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Those coneflowers are funny. They are the easiest things for me to grow–stick’em in the soil and forget about them and they bloom, bloom, bloom and then seed out, seed out, seed out. My neighbor down the street? The one with more full sun than I? She can’t grow them. So, I dunno–sometimes things work, sometimes not. I was just walking and admiring various rosemary plants in full bloom–that never happens on my rosemary.
I’m sure my garden stay’s warmer than yours–so I’m glad to provide a preview for you! Congrats on the mahonia–mine have been nice, really nice, this winter–the bees and I have enjoyed them.
C’mon rain and cold–bring it on!
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Beautiful!
Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!
Lea
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Thanks Lea–and to you as well.
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Oh gee. These are pretty photos. We really are ahead of schedule on the plants like are triggered by warmth. Many of the Sophora secundiflora in my neighbourhood are already in full bloom. I haven’t got any written records but my memory tells me that it is usually blooming on or around spring break.
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Thanks–I love the bee models. 🙂
Yes your memory is correct. Wow! I hadn’t seen any in bloom. Mine have the little inflorescence beginnings, but not much else. It is early for them.
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I never met a bee I didn’t like. =) The ones visiting here are all over the quince and rosemary. The paths at Mueller are saturated with the smell of grape kool-aid. Mine are always on the slow side of the curve. Must be that cold gooey heavy clay but even so they are filling out.
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My Mt. Laurel bloom sporadically. I get blooms, but only one or two years have they been as spectacular as I’d like. But then, isn’t that always the way.
Like you, I love me some bees. 🙂
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Love the honeysuckle! Our local lonicera is a pallid pale yellow-green-white, and not so warming in the garden is your Texas version. Enjoy the good things to come in the garden!
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Thanks, James. I love that honeysuckle too. Yours sounds nice–softer maybe in color, but I imagine that your pollinators are quite happy with it. I will enjoy the garden–you, as well.
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Your spider has chosen the perfect place to capture its prey while they are busy with the nectar and pollen.
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Hah! You’re probably right, though I can’t quite tell what it is. I was thinking that it’s probably one of the bazillion little beetle-type things that we have here, but I couldn’t quite identify. Regardless, he/she is welcome to hang out in the flower.
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Pretty blooms. I love the coral honeysuckle – blooming just in time for the hummingbird visitors! I added one plant to my garden last year, but it died back a bit – maybe I put it in too shady of a location. I’ll definitely need to add a couple more of them to other locations around my garden this year.
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I sure hope there are hummingbirds this year. In the 20 years that I’ve seriously gardened, the population is less each year. Sniff.
Coral Honeysuckle love the sun–mine gets morning to all afternoon west sun, blasted, in fact, and it’s really good bloom producer.
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What sort of support is your coral honeysuckle on? I’m contemplating putting one our pergola. I can’t believe you already have echinacea blooms!
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Mine is on a too-flimsy chicken wire–it’s working, but I should have done something a bit more stable. I think the chicken wire (or the like) is fine, as long as there is a structure (re-bar, maybe) in support. Also, give it room–these guys get big!!
Actually, as I’m working in the garden today, I have several coneflower blooms happening. Whoop!
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I love that honeysuckle, what a gorgeous colour. Great to see bees about. I haven’ t seen any here yet but I saw my first butterfly yesterday.
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The honeysuckle is a beautiful plant and gorgeous color. I suspect the bees are my little honeys, as our native bees are still asleep….
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I cannot believe all you have blooming….echinacea doesn’t bloom here until early summer. Glad to hear someone is having a nice winter….we are cocooned inside now for days as it is too snowy and cold to go anywhere….
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It’s been an extremely mild winter–I’ve only had one freeze to complain about. I know you (and so many other, ahem, Boston) would love to have our mild non-winter, but I fear what that might portend for summer.
Just hang in there, it won’t last forever and your spring and summer will be so worth it!! Sending you warm thoughts.
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Beautiful photos and I just love the honeysuckle. We have one growing on a trellis that I planted a few years ago. No blooms yet of course, but the leaves turned a pretty purplish color over the winter. No bees here either. I’ve seen some butterflies flitting about looking for something to land on but they haven’t stayed still long enough for me to get a good look at them. They’re orange, that’s all I know! Great post.
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It’s a wonderful plant. You’re right, the new leaves are a beautiful burgundy color–fetching alongside the blooms.
The butterflies I’ve seen are yellow, don’t land, and that’s all I know. 🙂
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Your honeysuckle looks wonderful- mine is sending out the little buds and I’m counting down to when it bursts into color! Happy bloom day and thanks for the Texan preview 🙂
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My honeysuckle is in a happy place-full sun. Yours will be colorful soon enough–enjoy! You’re welcome!
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