May Flowers

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I wish I could say that April showers brought my May flowers, but here in Austin, Texas (zone 8b), it was a dry April and so far, May is in fine copycat form as the dry late spring segues into summer. Nonetheless, there are plenty of blooms in the garden because I’m a lazy gardener and choose tough plants that withstand the tricky Texas conditions while delivering valuable and pretty blooms–a win for pollinators and a delight for the gardener.

A stunning set of blooms, the always dramatic, royal-blue Majestic sage, Salvia guaranitica,  currently reigns in certain spots of the garden.

I expect this crew to be the last of the Majestic blooms for a while, as this perennial’s blooms enjoy our gentler months of spring and autumn and then temporarily abdicates blooming during the toasty summer months.

 

Brightening a front garden is a reliable spring and autumn bloomer, the low growing shrub, Damianita, Chrysactinia mexicana.

Handsome evergreen and aromatic foliage, plus perky daisy flowers, equals floral sunshine.

 

This nice combo sits nearby and includes some of my favorite flowers: Purple coneflowers, Echinacea purpurea and Zexmenia, Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida.

Both are superb pollinator plants and almost always have insect visitors in, around, or on the blooms.

 

Red yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora, are now in full, salmon-and-yellow glory.

The flower stalks are 4-5 feet in height and bear multitudes of belled blooms during spring, summer, and through fall, nourishing insect and avian pollinators alike.

 

A spray of Heartleaf skullcap, Scutellaria ovata, dances in front of surrounding shrubs and grasses, its violet blooms a floral contrast to the other foliage-prominent perennials.

A closer look…

 

Nothing shouts summer!  like sunny sunflowers and this threesome nod approval for a fast track to the summer blooming season.

Some of this season’s sunflowers are already in seed production and the finches and sparrows are taking notice.

To enjoy more May blooming beauties, please pop over to Carol’s May Dreams Gardens and enjoy bloom-filled-blog posts celebrating blooming in May.

27 thoughts on “May Flowers”

  1. They are colorful, and since they look like native plants i am looking for butterflies. Seems like my consciousness is full of them at the moment, so looking for them everywhere! hahaha

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  6. Tina all her flowers are beautiful and the photos beautiful. I love the Blue Majestic Salvia and the Red Cassava is divine. I continue in Madrid because they are going to operate my Father. I will go to the cottage this week to connect the drip irrigation and nothing else, three days at most including the coming and going. Because for the operation call you with three or four days in advance nothing more. Happy wildflowers! Have a very good week. Greetings from Margarita.

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    • Yes, I agree! That is the lovely thing about GBBD and other international memes–those of us who love gardens, wildlife and the like can share with others. I just visited your blog and you also have beautiful blooms, but I can’t comment on your lovely blog.

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  9. I wouldn’t call you a lazy gardener, but a smart one! Like everyone, I love the red yucca. I found a plant that I can’t identify at the Brazoria Wildlife Refuge. It has a long bloom stalk with reddish-pink flowers that look vaguely yucca-ish, but it clearly isn’t yucca. Once I get it identified, I’ll pass it on as an option to Automatic Gardener. Since it was growing on the edge of a slough, it ought to be just fine for her!

    When I was in the hill country last time, there was blue sage everywhere. I’ve never seen so much — ditches full of it. It truly was glorious, and the butterflies were making good use of it all. You’re right about the seeds, too. On Nash Prairie last weekend, the roughstem rosinweed was putting on seeds like crazy on the section that was burned in October. Where the prairie hadn’t been burned, there were very few even blooming.

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    • Interesting about the non-blooming, un-burned prairie land–though I’m not surprised. I wonder if it’s the Salvia farinacea that you’re seeing in the Hill Country–that’s the sage that has been in such blooming madness this spring. I love that plant and have several spots of it–it seeds out, thankfully!

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      • I’ll bet that’s what you saw. The salvia in this post is a non-native (native to Mexico/Central America), but is tough and has those brilliant blooms…

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  10. Hi Tina! I always enjoy reading and learning from your blog. You confirmed for me that the wild beauty growing on a rocky slope in part shade in my yard is indeed a Zexmenia. I had not seen close-ups of Salvia guaranitica, either, and now I’m adding it to my plant wishlist. Enjoy those blooms!

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    • Thanks, Mary. I’m sure Zexmenia is a common plant in the hill country area where you live and I’m also sure it does just fine. The guaranitica likes more, rather than less, shade, but it’s super easy and delivers swoon-worthy blooms.

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