They're So Cute When They're Little

Last month on a stroll through my garden, I spotted something on the coneflowers.   As I got closer, I realized they were teeny tiny baby grasshoppers.

I can almost hear the collective "aaawe they're so cute" out in blogland.

And they are cute...when they are little.

But they grow up to be really ugly yellowish-green eating machines!

The Differential grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, 

is one of the most common grasshoppers in Texas. 

Here's one (among many, believe me) on my 'King Humbert' Canna.

The chewing has commenced!

Have I gone bug-eyed over this plague of evil beasts,
or are they chewing holes in the shape of hearts?

Are they only tormenting me further by chewing butterfly shaped holes, too?!

Here are a few pictures of the cannas before the munching mayhem began.

When the grasshoppers have had their fill, I will cut the shredded remains to the ground, and hopefully they will return to their former glory.

In an effort to find a glimmer of good amid the gluttonous grasshoppers, 

I'm linking to Guest Heart Thursday 

Hop on over; it'll do your heart some good.

I'm also linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2


Enjoy

Toni :-)

Waiting on Spring

The first daffodil of the season

brings a smile to my face

But also finds me wishing

that spring would pick up the pace

Yes, spring's the time we so long for

after winter's dormant state

Anticipation grows with each new day

I just hope it won't be late

Awaiting spring's arrival

the time just seems to creep

I'm waiting for perennials

that slept and crept.... to leap!

Bulbs that lie beneath the soil

are sending up some green

but blooms of blue and yellow, too

are waiting to be seen

Soon temps will rise and soil will warm

from shining rays of sun

this gardener will rejoice in spring

'cause the waiting will be done

 

By Toni @ Signature Gardens

Hoping your wait will be short...

Toni :-)

Patriotic Posies

In honor of the 4th of July,

here are some of the reds, whites, and blues of my garden...

Red Dragonwing begonias are great "fillers" for my summer containers.

Turk's Cap 

(Malvaviscus drummondii) 

is a Texas native that attracts hummingbirds

'Becky' Shasta Daisies 

  remind me of eggs that could be fried on a Texas sidewalk in July!

Salvia 'Snow Hill' 

(Salvia nemerosa 'Schneehugel') 

blooms nonstop all summer

'Augusta Duelberg' Salvia is a white variety of salvia farinacea, 

found by Greg Grant at the grave-site of Henry and Augusta Duelberg.   

You can see 'Henry' in the blue section below.  

Greg Grant is a horticulturist from east Texas who goes around to abandoned home sites and graveyards looking for plants that thrive on neglect.  'Henry' and 'Augusta' fit the bill!   I love to plant these two salvias side by side in my garden so that Henry and Augusta live on together in bloom.

Datura wrightii is also known as jimsonweed, angel's trumpet, or moonflower.  It starts blooming in the evening and smells heavenly.   I have this plant right next to my deck.  It is about nine feet wide and four feet tall.

  I counted over 80 blooms on it yesterday!

The bloom starts out in a tight spiral.

Then begins to unwind...

The trumpet-like bloom is about six inches long and wide.

The bees were so thick on these blooms in the early morning that their unified hum could be heard from a few feet away

Right on cue, 

my 'Tropical Giant' Spider Lily 

(Hymenocallis 'Tropical Giant') 

started blooming on July 4th.  

This plant is also called the 

"4th of July Lily"

Even if this plant never bloomed, 

I'd still grow it because the foliage is so striking

I transplanted the 'Tropical Giant' into my new shade bed this spring, so I was not sure if it would bloom this summer.   I was excited to see these blooms this July!

Salvia guaranitica (Black & Blue Salvia) starts us off on the blues.  I grow this plant in the part sun areas of my backyard.  It can handle full sun or some shade.

The hummingbirds love these tubular blue flowers :-)

Pickerel Rush blooms at the pond's edge all spring and summer.  It's a great landing spot for dragonflies and other insects.

'May Night' Salvia (Salvia nemerosa) blooms are most vibrant in the spring, but it continues to bloom through the summer if it is deadheaded often.

And here is 'Henry Duelberg' Salvia.   

This is one of the longest blooming perennials in my garden.  It starts blooming in March and doesn't stop blooming till it freezes in November.   Sometimes it can get leggy, so I just cut it down to about one or two inches above the ground, and in just a few weeks it has regrown and is in full bloom again.

'Katie's' Ruellia (Dwarf Mexican Petunia) is my go-to plant whenever I need a low-growing filler plant in my perennial beds.    The hotter it is, the more it blooms!  It does reseed readily but is easy to pull out where I don't want it.

I used Blue Daze (Evolvulus) as the "spiller" in combination with Pink Pentas in some of my containers this summer. 

I hope you had a happy, safe, and colorful 4th!

Toni :-)

The Alphabet Jumps to June (M, N, O)

Another alphabet installment as June draws to a close....

"M"

is for Mahonia 'Soft Caress'

 One of my new favorite plants!!

I love this new soft variety of Mahonia for shady spots! 
I've added several to my garden this month.

*  *  *

"N"

is for Nesting

For several years now Mallard Ducks have nested in our front flower bed.

 

And this spring Mourning Doves nested in hanging baskets 

on our side porch and back porch

"O"

is for Orange

I do not use a lot of orange in my landscape,
but reseeding Cosmos adds a punch of color here and there in the garden.

The bees seem to enjoy it :-)

'Aztec Gold' Daylily
is a reblooming variety that adds another touch of orange

And the orange-tipped Mexican Butterfly Weed (Asclepias curassavica)
attracts orange Monarchs in the fall.

As the alphabet journey continues to July,
stay tuned for "P," deserving of a post all its own.

For previous garden alphabet posts, click the letters below:

A-D

E-H

I-L

Until next time...

Toni :-)