A Tale of Two Gardens (GBBD, Part Two)

In Part One of my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post, I said that I might be accused of Egregious Garden Gloating when I published this second in my GBBD series. I wanted a complete list for my own reference ... even I was surprised by the number of plants still blooming. It's not necessarily due to the extraordinary skills of the Head Gardener, but more to the vagaries of Mother Nature. Also bear in mind, before you read the list below, that more than a few of these are just barely blooming, or are one light freeze away from being toast!

• Salvias: S. coccinea 'Forest Fire', S. blepharophylla, S. miniata, S. madrensis, S. farinacea, 'Indigo Spires', S. coccinea 'Coral Nymph', S. elegans 'Peach Sage'
  
• Roses: La Marne, Reve D'Or, Perle D'Or, Old Blush, Hermosa, Martha Gonzales, Mutabilis, Madame Antoine Mari, Madame Alfred Carriere, Caldwell Pink, Marie Pavie', Mrs. B. R. Cant white sport, Gartendirektor Otto Linne, Highway 290 Pink Buttons, Aloha
  
• Summer/fall annuals: Profusion Apricot zinnias, scattered Cut & Come Again zinnias, Tithonia (Mexican torch flower), Rudbeckia hirta, Bright Lights Cosmos, Purple Angelonia, Pentas, Serenity Mix Verbenas, Moss Pink Verbenas, Castor Bean Plant 'Carmencita'
  
• Winter/spring annuals: Alyssum, Toadflax (Linaria maroccana), Bluebonnet (! 1 plant !), Nasturtiums (reseeded from those Amy gave me last year), Violas (Helen Mount, Psychedelic Spring, Pandora's Box, a purple/orange one that just tickles me no end, some Sorbet series and one Blue Velour), Morpho Blue Pansies, Dianthus, Indian Paintbrush, purple Scaevola (fan flower/handflower)
  
• Cupheas: C. ignea 'David Verity', C. macropetala, Cuphea 'Bunny Ears' or 'Hummingbird'
• Blue Butterfly Bush (Clerodendron ugandense), Clerodendron vine (red & lavender)
• Red Pinecone Shrimp plants, pink & yellow Fruit Cocktail Shrimp plants
  
• Blooming shrubs: Winter blooming honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), Coral Woody Penta (Rondeletia), Duranta, Purple Iochroma, Red Firespike (Odontonema), 'Marilyn's Choice' Abutilon, Peruvian Pavonia, Sweet Almond Verbena, Red Bauhinia (B. galpinii), Persian Vitex, Red Cestrum, Neon Flash Spirea, Bridal Wreath Spirea
  
• Perennials/Hardy Annuals: Butterfly weed, Copper Canyon Daisy (Tagetes lemonii), Firecracker Fern (Russelia), Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Engelmann's Daisy, Spiderwort, Australian violet, Pink skullcap, Dianthera candicans, Blue Mistflower (Eupatorium), Osteospermum, Stokesia, Shooting Star Lily (Anthericum), Pigeonberry (Rivinia humilis), Fernleaf Lavender, Purple Skullcap, Tilo, Pyramid Bush (Melochia tomentosa), Sundrops (Calylophus)
  
• Vines: Yellow Butterfly vine (Mascagna), Pandora Vine/Bower Vine, LITTLE MAMA! Angel Wing Jasmine

Yes, it's quite a list. Other than the unseasonably cold weather in December, complete with miniscule snow flurries, we've had only a couple of light freezes this winter. While more than a few plants show damage to their foliage, very few have freeze damage beyond the tips of branches and stems. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop ... I'm worried that this could be the year we have a mega ice storm in February. I still have vivid memories of the damage to trees at our previous home when such a storm hit the greater Houston area in February of 1994. All we can do is watch and wait. All that's left for you to do as far as this post goes is to take a look at some of the blooming beauties on my corner of Katy, as pictured below. (I realized only after doing the collage that the captions weren't exactly legible.)