Diana C. Kirby

Boy. Even though we haven’t had much winter here in Central Texas, we have had a few freezes and some cold winds. But many of our native plants are hanging on, providing us with a little peek of color here and there in the garden.

These next photos, however, are in my greenhouse, where they think it’s the tropics! I’ve kept the heater going so they are toasty warm when it dips down to cold temperatures.
This Desert Rose loves the warm sunshine coming through the glass.

This is the back side of a Plumeria bloom. She’s way in the back and I can’t get around the other side, but I am stunned that she’s blooming in January!
Here’s a little bloom from the Bougainvilla given to me by Robin of Getting Grounded here in South Austin. Thanks, Robin!
A tiny little Blue Daze bloom.
Ok – this is hard to see, because I didn’t use the good camera, but this stalk coming out from the left of the photo is the bloom from a succulent that is a passalong from a neighbor some 12 years ago.
This is the Geranium that normally adorns my statue, Artemis’, head.
Some Purslane in Mexican Pottery.
Blooms on a small Airplane Plant.
A bright orange bloom hiding down inside my Honeysuckle.
And the Mexican Lime tree is happily blooming away.
Oops — forgot this one’s name….we’re outside now, on the rock path out back.

Oh – you know her – Dakota, the digging dog! (She helps me take pictures)
A Winecup with a friend.
A Portulaca with the friend of the other friend!
Some Sweet Alyssum mixed in among the rock path. However gave this plant its common name, sure got it right, didn’t he or she? It really is sweet.
Some bright blue and purple Lobelia.

Here are the buds from my new “Maggie” rose. She smells delicious.
The purple trailing Lantana is in bloom in several places in the front — what a trouper!

The yellow Euonymous sure likes the cooler temperatures.
The Society Garlic is blooming happily and smelling up the front bed!
The Loropetalum in the mailbox bed has beautiful fringe flowers on it — hence the common name, Chinese Fringe Flower.
Some perky blooms on the pink Skullcap.
A hiddle white trailing Lantana bloom.
My Japanese Quince is starting to bloom. I always think of it as one of the first harbingers of Spring, but I am realizing that I have lots of other plants in bloom that never stopped.
A much rarer yellow Skullcap.
Help me remember what this is? It likes the winter and reappeared after being gone all Summer.
Ever faithful Rosemary.
The little Coralberry shrubs I planted in the “wild” bed are starting to bloom.
And, unbelievably, this Maximillian Sunflower is STILL blooming — it came on late in Summer and never stopped.

Thanks again to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for this giant garden party that allows us to post what’s blooming for us on “Bloom Day” each month, and to Renee, of Renee’s Roots, whose Austin American Statesman newspaper story last week focused on Carol’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.