Searching for Flowers
Posted: March 1, 2023 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Azaleas, Billbergia nutans, Cramoisi Superieur 1885, Eomecon Chionantha, Gulf Coast gardening, Japanese Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, leucojums, Oxalis, Oxalis Triangularis, rose, snowflakes, Year-round gardening 17 Comments
It was a hard winter here on the Gulf Coast and one bad freeze froze most of my plants to the roots. A few are starting to come back and I set out to search the garden beds for some blooms. The Cramoisi Superieur lost all of its leaves but made a big comeback with all new leaves and a few red roses.
The Japanese Jack-in-the-Pulpit shot up with vigor, many more stems, and has already made some of its green flowers.
The purple and white Oxalis Triangularis is in full flower and so are the invasive pink ones.
I have seen photos of snowdrops from bloggers up north and my Texas-sized snowflakes are now blooming clumps.
Because the weather has been so crazy and not long after the freeze, temperatures reached the 70s and 80s, the azaleas bloomed nearly a month early.
I love this little Snow Poppy or Eomecon Chionantha. While trying to find its proper name, I saw it listed as a weed. It is doing really well and reproducing. They all die back in the summer.
I have a couple of potted plants in bloom. The Kalanchoe was a gift from my kids many years ago. I stick any broken stems back into the pot and it doesn’t take long for them to root.
The Billbergia nutans have such unusual colors. It is from South America and blooms in the winter here.
I don’t have the usual amount of flowers, but I’m seeing many plants finally starting to grow with this recent heat wave.
Automatic Gardening & Real Gluten Free Food 
Yay! spring flowers! Love the Bilbergia and Rose and Azaleas!!
The rose is really blooming now. I’m hoping the azaleas do better this year.
Seems weird to have roses and azaleas at the same time.
Not unusual here. That rose blooms in the winter more than summer.
more peculiarities of Houston gardening?!
Nice to see spring in your garden… I love the bloom on the Billbergia nutans!
Most of the plants are just green leaves coming up.
That rose is a thing of beauty for sure. Parts of Japan have wicked winters, so it’s not surprising to see its plants thrive in cold weather. Enjoy your natural beauty.
That is my best rose. It has made three more bushes on its own. Of course, not everyone would like that, but I like to see how plants grow and where they come up as volunteers.
Your Oxalis sure looks like a native. It could be either O. drummondii or O. violacea (my guess). That Billbergia is a show-stopper. Is it related to the Bird of Paradise plant? I was glad to hear about your method of rooting the Kalanchoe, too. I have one that’s gotten leggy and lost leaves to the squirrels; I think it’s time to do some trimming and potting.
It is an epiphytic bromeliad native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. I think it grows well as a house plant. It is growing in soil.
It looks like your lovelies are making a good come-back. I hate these ever more common extremely mild temperatures, punctuated by weirdly cold ones. I guess we’d better get used to this.
It is like living up north when all the plants are gone in the winter.
I love all your plants and it is good to see your cold spell didn’t seem to worry them. It is so interesting to see what grows for you. Really like the pink Billbergia. What an amazing flower that is. 😃
These plants are doing great in the brutal cold weather!
Weed or not the little poppy is sweet. Lovely spring flowers.. I love the freshness of spring flowers. My daffodils are charming me with all their bright yellows and orange.
You have had a winter and a half! Love your azalea. I just bought some after being without them for many years. Billbergia is amazing.