Too Bloomin' Busy ...

Carol at May Dreams Gardens invites garden bloggers to share what's blooming in their gardens on the 15th of each month. I had completely forgotten that it was Bloom Day until I checked a few of my favorite blogs Tuesday night but I do think I have a good excuse. Since last weekend, we have been blessed by absolutely glorious weather here on my corner of Katy: low humidity, temperatures in the 70s, sunshine and clear skies. With summer closing in on us, we gardeners in this area take full adantage of such days. Since most of the gardens in the back get full sun, I've been working on those. I figure I can move around to the shadier front gardens as the temperatures rise. That's my plan, at least ... it's subject to change, especially when I walk by the daylily bed and see how much work needs doing there. The weed situation along the edge of the bed is deplorable: mulch may suppress germination of the seeds under it but those that blow in and land on top of the mulch are quite happy to sprout and grow where they find themselves. There's also the matter of the Verbena bonariensis, Purple Knockout Sage and zinnia seedlings and plants that have taken up residence there. Yikes ... so many plants, so little time.

I've been mulling over my garden design since attending the Garden Bloggers' Spring Fling and seeing the beautifully composed gardens that blogger Pam Penick of Digging has created. As much as I love the look of barely controlled chaos here on my corner of Katy, I'm feeling the need to simplify. As I Twittered recently, I say this every year but "this year I mean it". (I believe I say that every year, too.) I am finding that each passing year imposes more limitations on my physical abilities ... even more so since last summer, having had to recover from both bunion surgery and an appendectomy. There was a time when my plan was to create such intensely planted beds and borders that no bare soil would be visible, happily discounting the fact that while such plantings are beautiful, they are also highly labor intensive. During my recent recuperation, when my time in the garden was spent lazing in a chair and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature, I became much more aware of how valuable and how necessary it was to spend time just being in the garden. So while I'm working on my spring cleanup, I'm rethinking what I want to do with the gardens and my time therein. I am making progress on one of my goals: getting plants out of containers and into the ground, hoping to cut down on the time I spend on summer watering chores.

The corner bed, at least, is one of my more xeric efforts. Here's a picture that I took on the day after Bloom Day: the red bauhinia (B. galpinii), Engelmann's Daisy, Indian Blankets, Mexican Hats, Toadflax and Evening Dewdrops are all competing for attention. The cooler temperatures have had the Bauhinia in a sulk but it won't be long before it bursts forth in exuberance over warmer weather!