Flowers – Page 7 – Sheila365

Afternoon excursion.

We dashed out to Mayfield Park today to see the peacocks and the pretty grounds, found a geocache, and then climbed atop Mount Bonnell to enjoy the view.

A nice day, indeed.

Very verbena.

I’m enjoying watching this verbena that I planted this spring thriving.

A bit of pink for your Wednesday.

The hibiscus bushes are in bloom. So lovely.

Fuchsia fuchsias.

As long as we are blessed with rain and mild spring weather that we haven’t enjoyed for years, I’ll keep snapping photos of what’s blooming in our yard.

This is a fuchsia I planted about a month ago. It’s over transplant shock and loaded with buds. So pretty!

Future margaritas.

The lime tree out back is loaded with bunches of baby limes (the green centers of those white blooms). Each of the ones that make it is destined to become part of a refreshing frosty beverage.

High society.

This society garlic was one of the perennials I planted this year. I’m happy to see it putting up new blooms.

When we moved to this house, I scoped out all the plants and trees in the yard, looking forward to taking care of them: the amazing live oaks all over the place, a couple of pecan trees that are majestic but don’t seem to want to produce nuts, a redbud that has since died (sniffle), the ginormous red oak in the front yard, the (now ailing) flowering pear, the resilient Texas mountain laurels, several red yuccas that I love to watch bloom, silverado sage that forecasts the rain, a mimosa tree in the back with its fine pink puffy blooms… just to name a few…AND one tiny cactus that seemed to be too much in the shade.

It was small in the beginning. Monte mowed over it accidentally way back when, after which I staked it out with a ring of limestone. But now after 9 (!) years and much thinning of the small forest under which it sat, it has sunlight, and has thrived. And I am happy to see two buds on it this year! The first one opened today. I’m enjoying my flowering prickly pear cactus. Perhaps this is the yellow rose of Texas?

Red zinnies.

My first zinnia picture of 2015. 🙂

Last fall we visited Wildseed Farms on our way home from a trip to Fredericksburg. We picked up some zinnia seeds. We have a patch or two every year, but they always tend to be shades of fuschia, orange or yellow. Monte was looking for something more vibrant so he chose seed for red zinnias and planted them this spring.

They are just now coming up and are lovely.

Bed time.

I got a bit of a late start, but I finally tended to my fenceline flowerbed. Plumbago, liriope, red salvia, autumn sage, gaillardia, may night salvia, tickseed, geranium, flowering sage, and a couple white annuals.

I’m looking forward to some color!

Spring at the homestead.

Monte brought home these lovely yellow tulips yesterday. So, Spring arrived early for us. They are so pretty!

Ides of March.

We enjoyed a beautiful night on the lake. I came home early today to get some Work things done before tomorrow. Boooo!

The calendar says we are midway through March already. The late freezes haven’t killed everything though. The bluebonnet patch out back is coming along.

Only one more week of winter !

Floral harmony.

I love fresh flowers in the house. I picked up a bouquet of pretty hydrangea and mums … trying to hang in there til spring arrives.

And poof … 5 years gone by.

Sunday was the 5 year blogoversary for sheila365! I meant to draft a post ahead of time, and post it bright and early on March 8th. But I just looked at the calendar and time has snuck by on me once again.

That’s ok. In these 5 years sheila365 has evolved, and I think I have a bit, too. My blog started as a post-a-day 365 project during the first year or two, which had me snapping photos during the day to make sure I had something that I judged “share-worthy;” and now it has become more of a leisurely, post-every-week-or-so project, which I have to say has been much easier, though less artistic in terms of trying to capture beautiful photos, but rather just moments from my day that struck me as special or interesting in one way or another.

So happy blogoversary to me! 🙂 I thought I’d go back through my posts from year 5 and pick a photo from one post from each month that especially makes me smile. I have to say it was very hard to pick just one picutre from each month.

March 2014: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. A visit to the walled El Morro. Beautiful Caribbean views.