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Sunday, April 16, 2017

Orange trifecta and other Spring happenings

I've been holding off on a post until my 3rd new orange plant blooms, and it finally did this weekend! I'm pleased to introduce Salvia 'Amber's Wish':

Salvia 'Amber's Wish'

The color is more intense than it looked online; less orange, more fuchsia-orange (is that a thing?), and lovely!

I also planted 4 'Lady of Shallot' roses in the back along the only fenceline that gets any sun, and one bloomed! So pretty. (I'm not sure they'll get enough sun there, crossing my fingers.)

Lady of Shallot rose

Last Fall I drank the kool-aid and brought home Tangerine Beauty Crossfine for my back fence. Now that it has bloomed, I totally get the hype. These pictures don't do the color justice:

Tangerine Beauty Crossvine

My Fatsia 'Camouflage' survived the Winter and are getting bigger (woohoo!) so I ordered 2 more online from Plant Delights Nursery. I planted them along that same back fenceline, on the other side of the big Oak tree.

Fatsia japonica 'Camouflage' or 'Murokamo Nishiki'

My Canna 'Flambe' are coming back strong. I was really worried that I'd lost them in the freeze, but they're just slow to emerge I guess. Given Austin weather, that's smart. I dug a few up and put them on the opposite side of the garden; they'll get more shade over there, so it's an experiment.

Canna 'Flambe', Salvia 'Amber's Wish' and Brugmansia 'Double White'. Palm in the back is Brahea armata.

Behind it you can see the foliage of my Brugmansia 'Double White', and immediately in front of it is the Salvia 'Amber's Wish'.

As I do every year, I try to capture the beauty of my Chocolate Mimosa, but fail miserably:

Chocolate Mimosa

And then there's my new Clematis 'Armandii', aka Evergreen Clematis. I planted it late last Fall, and nailed wire mesh to the posts to help it climb. This Spring it hasn't need much help, just an occasional nudge to cling in the right direction.

Clematis 'Armandii'

I didn't ever recap the losses in 2016, either most due to weather but some were my choice/frustration:
  • Begonia luxurians
  • Rose Campion
  • Salvia clevelandii (all varieties/hybrids)
  • Canna 'Blueberry Sparkler'
  • Iochroma 'Princess'
  • Smoke tree (I found it a good home!)
  • Merlot Majik mimosa
  • Mexican weeping bamboo
  • Peach tree (sigh, I transplanted it but didn't have enough root)
Everything has seemed slower to get moving this year (myself included). Hopefully soon things will start to fill in and I can get some decent shots to post!