What's Blooming Before Vacation?

Abstract Art Daylily

Tomorrow I am going on vacation to visit family in Arkansas. This means this will be my last post for a week to week and a half. I thought a nice way to leave for vacation would be with lots of blooms and pretty pictures. I know I love pictures so I hope you all do too.
Today is a busy day with lots to do before we leave. Still got lots of cleaning, some laundry, lots and lots of folding and putting clothes away, last minute wiping and vacuuming, putting most of the plants inside, meeting my friend/plant caretaker, transferring money so I can pay for next semester, calling a past college to get a transcript, mailing out my scholarship app, packing, and hoping that everything will get done in time. Now I leave you with the pictures. Be back soon.


What I believe to be Abstract Art Daylily


Osteospermum aurantiaca 'African Moon'





Gaillrdia pulchella 'Razzle Dazzle Mix'



Laura Bush Petunias


Candytuft


Jovibarba hirta

Wordless Wednesday

Yellow Columbine taken at San Antonio Botanical Gardens.

Growing on and on

Mt Fuji Morning Glories

The Mt Fuji Morning Glory had another bloom today. I didn't take a picture of it since today was cleaning day. But it was almost the size of the last one that I thought was a mutant. Previously the blooms were normal looking maybe like 2 inches in diameter. Now they are like 4 inches in diameter, double the size of what they used to be. The leave are growing and it looks like they are finally coming alive. The last one sowed earlier in the year hasn't shown much progress since it's initial first few leaves. I think I need to repot them into better soil.



Coleus and bug

Remember this guy. Probably not. This coleus used to be a cutting I acquired from the Botanical Gardens when I volunteered last year. I had kept it inside and was pinching back new grew to get side shoots going. Now it's got many side shoots and is looking great. It's outside and doing well even though it has some yellow on it now. But besides that it looks to be happy. This little bug was sitting on the leaves. The same bug had been hanging on my Gaillardia Razzle Dazzle buds for around 2 days. I would fling him off the buds only to find him back on later in the day. I guess he liked the Coleus better.


Curly Locks Ivy

These ivies came from the other ivies. I took cutting off of them and now look at it. It has actually taken a while for them to branch out at the bottoms and thicken up a bit. But they are good now that they can grow upwards and I can take more cuttings...and more...and more. Then I will have something to share. I love these ivies because of their curly type leaves. For me they reach upward unlike ivies that I have seen that like to reach down and trail if they have nothing to cling to. I'm holding myself back on staring an ivy collection. I have no idea why I have so much love for ivies.

Daylily Sketch

Did another sketch to practice watercolors on. I haven't painted the previous lily sketch. I'm awaiting to see if I will win some new brushes on Ebay. The ones I have just aren't cutting it. Even if I do win the bid I won't be getting them in time before I go on my vacation. I can't believe I will be leaving here on Friday for over a week. It's so scary to leave my plants behind.

Transplanted Seedlings

Transplanted seedlings

Last Thursday on the 15th I transplanted some seedlings. I really wanted to have these trailing plants to mix with other containers but everything else is full. For now they will be together until new homes open up for them. Soon there should be some free containers. These by the way are lobelia crystal palace and rock soapwort. There are still a few seedlings in the trays. I'm just waiting for them to get a tad bigger before I go on vacation on Friday.

Before transplanting:

Lobelia

Lobelia

Rock Soapwort

Rock Soapwort


Knotweed seedling

Like I mentioned above there are some containers about to free up. The snapdragons are looking drab and their leaves are a pale color. The Grape Hyacinths have stopped blooming, and if they haven't their blooms aren't looking good anymore. The pansies are still blooming but it's just looking scraggly and worn down. The one pot with heavenly angles mix peony poppy seedlings will be emptied since the seedlings are not making it. That's all. That frees up about 6 containers for me to put new things in. Most of the containers are 4" though but it's still more containers and more space to fill up.

Filling Out

Container with Purple Fountain Grass and Sweet Potato Vines

Some of my containers have really started to fill out. The sweet potato vines are growing real well now and the fountain grass also. I love to see a full container.



White Christmas Caladium

While I thought I had purchased a Caladium whose name had two words and each word started with a W, I was wrong. Looks like I bought White Christmas. It was what I wanted anyways so it doesn't matter. Finally I have gotten some leaves that are actually white and green. I wonder why half of my leaves are only green. Is this common with this variety. I love it anyways and leave the green leaves. It's really starting to grow now with tons of new shoots coming up.

I am off to work soon. Not feeling too good after being sick yesterday. I'm hoping it won't take to long to get out the product that is coming. I need to tell my boss about vacation...I'm scared. I don't like having to ask anyone if I can do anything. I think it's a phobia I developed when I was younger after my parents saying no to me ever going anywhere or doing anything. Now I just don't like asking and just want to go and do it. I should have said something way earlier but I've been so chicken.I guess I really have held off on saying anything because I know the season is almost over. The rep I work with is leaving at the beginning of June and I should be starting my internship in June and they all know it.

Speaking of my internship. I called yesterday before leaving work. The hiring manager was not there today but the business manager was. I talked to her and she said she had to talk to Bob who the Manager of something and see what he says. She told me she knew someone was doing the internship but didn't hear who, when, or where they were from. Normally they get students that come down from college station for the summer. Supposedly I will here something by Monday or Tuesday if not sooner. I can't imagine what they have to talk about because I signed on about 3 months ago and this should have already been discussed. The hiring manager that was there before said I could start right after school ends. That would have been a few weeks ago but I wanted to start after my vacation. Anyways it looks like there shouldn't be a problem but I am preparing myself for the worst. If the worst does happen I won't be surprised at least

Lily Sketch

Lily Sketch

I slacked off with my goal of doing a botanical watercolor everyday. Really I just forgot yesterday. But today I just did a sketch of a lily I took a picture of at the Botanical Gardens. I didn't get the name of it but that is okay. This time I scanned in the sketch before destroying it with watercolors. So this time if I mess up I can just print this out, trace it, and try again and again until I like it.

Thank you everyone for you kind words on my last watercolor. I'm just picky about what I do. I was just being tough on myself because I know I have done better. It's been a long while since I have touched watercolors. I'm used to acrylics and oils. This is why I am doing all this practice. I love the look of watercolor botanicals so I would like to be able to do the botanical drawings in watercolor and not other mediums. Practice makes perfect right? I'll be sure to keep my eye out for watercolor classes and books at Half Price Books.

GBBD: Flowers Galore

Dimorphotheca aurantiaca 'African Moon' and Pansy

I know I've said it before but this month I have the most blooms out of all the months I have participated so far. There are tons and a few in bud. If all the daylilies were blooming I would have so much more.

Thank you to Carol from May Dreams Gardens for putting together Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Make sure to check out her page and all the wonderful garden bloggers that participated this month.



Dimorphotheca aurantiaca 'African Moon' about to open


Dianthus Pinocchio


Godetia half blew off from last night


The ever blooming Knotweed


Phlox 'Phlox of Sheep'


White Columbine



White Petunias





Mt Fuji Morning Glory. This just opened up today. It's a mutant it's so large. I have seen the blooms before and this is like a two in one. This is also the first bloom that hasn't torn when it has opened.


The only bijou mix sweet pea to bloom so far


Candytuft



Laura Bush Petunias


Madagascar Periwinkle


Celosia


Pink Snapdragons


Red Petunias


Barbara Karst Bougainvillea


Armeria formosa


The ever blooming Cocktail Vodka Begonia


Gaillardia Razzle Dazzle Bud



Daylily Buds. Sadly the buds for what I think might be Abstract Art broke off from the winds the last two nights.


Hibiscus Rose Bud


Grape Hyacinths. These are very late and don't bloom all that well once they open.