Zanthan Gardens
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: GBBD 200903: Mar 2009

March 15th, 2009
GBBD 200903: Mar 2009

2009-03-15. Rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ is in full bloom this year as she was in 2008. But in 2007, she didn’t start blooming until March 17th.

Carol at May Dreams Gardens invites us to tell her what’s blooming in our gardens on the 15th of each month.

March 15, 2009

I wrote a great deal about March (Zanthan Gardens most floriferous month) in my GBBD post for March 2008. Rather than repeat myself, I find it more interesting to look at the differences between this year and previous years. I began participating in GBBD in its second month, March 2007. So this is the third March, I have GBBD records for.

Austin is now in its 18th month of drought. The week before this GBBD, we had a week of temperatures in the 80s (15 degrees above normal–more like late May than mid-March). Then earlier this week (3/11), temperatures fell 40 degrees and stayed in the 40s for 5 days. And it rained–cumulatively about 3 inches of rain which is more than we’ve had in single storm system since 2007.

I’m encouraged by how many flowers are dependable in March despite Austin’s crazy extremes of weather, especially this time of year.

2009-03-15. Bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis
Some bluebonnets always manage to bloom. Austin has far fewer of our beloved state flower this year and the plants are much smaller. Some of the bluebonnets in my yard are but a single small stem right now. Pill bugs (or something) mow them down. And the stressed and weakened plants have been attacked by spider mites. But this year I’ve had some unusual variations: 2 pink bluebonnets and 3 white ones.

2009-03-15. Bridal wreath spiraea
The bridal wreath spiraea struggled for a few years but finally seems to be making a comeback–probably because I started pruning, feeding, and watering it after I almost lost it. Some plants just demand attention.

2009-03-15. Aloe barbadensis

2009-03-15. Aloe barbadensis
This is the second year the aloe vera bloomed. For years I kept it in pots which I moved indoors during the winter. A contractor broke a pot and I decided to put the largest plants in the ground. They’ve survived two winters now (although the leaves get some cold damage) and surprised me by flowering.

2009-03-15. Citrus x meyeri, Meyer lemon
The lemon tree finally got to big for its pot, too and was looking unhappy. The current pot was almost too big for us to manage bringing it in so I decided to plant it in a protected spot. It began putting out an abundant quantity of new leaves and flowers almost immediately.

2009-03-15. Larkspur, Consolida ambigua

Quite a few flowers (that are blooming this year that weren’t blooming this time last year) overwintered. Typically, many perennials freeze to the ground in Austin but are root hardy. This year these flowers never froze back: asclepias, datura, duranta, ruellia, podranea.

Blooming in 2008 but faded during 2009’s week of 80 degree days: Cercis canadensis, Leucojum aestivum.

Blooming in 2008 but not started blooming yet in 2009: California poppy ‘Mikado’.

Complete List for March

The list of all plants flowering today, March 15th 2009, at Zanthan Gardens. I’ve also noted if the plant was blooming on GBBD March 15th, 2007 or 2008.

• Aloe barbadensis
• Asclepias curassavica (overwintered)
• Bridal wreath spiraea (2008)
• Citrus x meyeri (2008)
• Commelinantia anomala (2007, 2008)
• Consolida ambigua (2007, 2008)
• Coriander sativum (2007, 2008)
• Datura (from Diana which overwintered)
• Duranta erecta (overwintered)
• henbit (2007, 2008)
• iris albicans (2007)
• jalapeno
• Kalanchoe daigremontiana (Mother of Thousands)
• Lantana montevidensis (2007, 2008)
• Lathyrus odoratus ‘Knee-Hi Mix’ (2007)
• Lavandula heterophylla ‘Goodwin Creek’ (2008)
• Lobularia maritima (2008)
• Lupinus texensis (blue, pink, and white) (2007, 2008)
• Muscari neglectum/racemosum (2007, 2008)
• Narcissus triandrus ‘Trevithian’ (2007)
• Nemophila insignis (2008)
• Oxalis crassipis (hot pink) (2007, 2008)
• Oxalis pes-caprae ‘Scotty’s Surprise’ (2008)
• Oxalis triangularis (both purple and white) (2007, 2008)
• Phlomis lanata
• Prunus caroliniana (cherry laurel) (2007, 2008)
• Rhaphiolepis indica (2007, 2008)
• rose ‘Blush Noisette’ (2008)
• rose ‘Ducher’ (full bloom) (2007, 2008)
• rose white Lady Banksia (my neighbor’s but droops over the fence)
• rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ (full bloom) (2008)
• rosemary (very few flowers) (2007, 2008)
• ruellia (overwintered)
• Solanum jasminoides (potato vine) (2007,2008)
• Sophora secundiflora (far fewer flowers than 2008) (2007, 2008)
• tomatillo
• tomato ‘Cherokee Purple’
• Tulip ‘Angelique’
• Tradescantia (spiderwort) (2007, 2008)
• Ungnadia speciosa, Mexican buckeye
• Viola cornuta ‘Sorbet Coconut Duet’ (2007, 2008)
• Vitia sativa (common vetch, a pretty weed) (2007, 2008)

by M Sinclair Stevens