Everything's Bigger in Texas May 30, 2915

These are Kiowa blackberries.  I have lots of Kiowa vines growing in my Orchard.  These berries are big!  Lots of thorns, unfortunately.  I also have some thornless berry vines growing in the Orchard, but the berries are half the size of these impressive berries.

Pink Vitex May 30, 2015

My pink Vitex looks even prettier this week than last week, so I took another picture.

In the foreground of the below picture is my blackbery lily.  I planted it last year after its bloom time, so I have not seen it bloom yet.  The scapes with the seeds were still on the plants, and several seeds dropped down and have sprouted.  I have tiny little plants around the base of the big pot I have them growing in.  I planted these lilies in a pot because of the voles.  I will move them into the ground after I get some good multiplication.

Canna Blooms May 30, 2015

Below, this is a bargain bin bulb that I bought at Wal Mart.  It is a miniature.  Pretty color flower with burgundy leaves. 

 Below, this is Ehamanii.  An old fashioned passalong canna.

 Below, this is a very old variety, introduced in the late 1800s called Shenandoah. 

Double Tiger Lilies May 30, 2015

Wow, how gorgeous these are!  I couldn't stop taking pictures.  I'm growing these in a big pot because the voles love lily bulbs.  Tigers grow little bulbils in the leaf axils that drop to the ground and take root.  It may be several years from the time they take root until they bloom, but they are pretty good multipliers.

Russel Manning Rain Lilies May 30, 2015

These are the biggest flowers of all my rain lilies.  I grow this variety, Candidas, a native white one with large, waxy blooms, and a peach colored variety.  Russel Mannings might be the largest variety amongst the Habranthus, not sure.  Very pretty shell-pink color.  Very delicate color.  The rain has woken them up.  They don't bloom for me every year which is why I have always been kind of lukewarm about the Russel Mannings.  But they sure look pretty this weekend.

At the Farm May 23, 2015

Went to my family reunion in Madisonville at my uncle Tut and aunt Maedell's old place.  Her kids have remodeled it.  Went to Burton for the night.  Left in the afternoon and went to the lake for Memorial day.

• Picked green beans, pulled up some scallions, and dug up some red potatoes.  
• Cleaned up one of the tomato plants that was loaded with rotten tomatoes.  Too much rain I guess. 
• Cleared out a flowerbed near the front porch in the Star Garden.  I pulled up all the nigella and threw it in the meadow garden, hoping some of it will take hold come next spring.  Weeded a big portion of the bed.  Still more to do, but looks better.
• Picked blackberries to bring to Conroe.
• Raccoons broke most of the limbs of one of my plum trees trying to get to the plums at the ends of the branches.  I feel like the tree only just recovered from the last time it happened a couple of years ago. 
• Everything is green, green, green.

Peter's Purple Bee Balm May 23, 2015

I staked these plants very early on, and it really helped keep them upright through all the heavy rains we had in April and May.  I planted this two summers ago.  This is the second year of blooming, this year was much better than last year.  I have always loved bee balm.  In addition to being a very pretty flower it is also a useful herb with antiseptic and anti-bacterial properties.  It is also one of the key ingredients in Earl Grey tea.  The flowers are edible.  The leaves are very aromatic when crushed.  There are many varieties sold commercially.  I love the red flowered varieties too.