Language Translator

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Hello July...from some Pretty Maids!

The following photos aren't from my yard, BUT, they are MY TEXAS GARDENS!  Please enjoy...

Whispering Wisteria
 photos taken by suzanne * March 26, 2011

These lilac beauties reside just a couple of blocks from my house in Fort Worth.  They bloom every spring, massively...and then after about 6 or 7 days, the blooms go away.  And every year I say I'm going to get a picture of this-finally, I bit the bullet and stopped by with my camera before the blooms would disappear.  They bloom all up and down the fence of this property, and the property across the street from this house has a large tree of Wisteria.  Once the blooms die away, green leaves appear on the bush/tree, and in the fall, the leaves drop off, and this is the 'UGLIEST' tree I've ever seen.  One downfall, in my opinion, is that this plant attracts the chunky bumble bees, and they don't like to be bothered!  I did get a photo of one, but he didn't show up in the photo.

WAIT JUST A MINUTE!  WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?
I SAID BUMBLE BEE...NOT BUBBLE BUTT!
TRYING TO MAKE ME LOOK BAD?
Ok, Ok...you are a cutie, you can stay!

A Crepe Canape!
Look at this HUGE 'Crepe Myrtle' * photo June 8, 2011

I get to marvel at this great tree every morning on my way to work.  It sits on the front corner of a city building and boasts a pastel pinkish lilac burst of blooms.   Karo took me by there one afternoon when no traffic was around so I could get a shot of it.  And, yes, I wish it was in MY yard!


photo by suzanne * June 11, 2011

These 'Crepes' are perched on a corner where the Tarrant County College is located downtown Fort Worth.  They were across the street from the Justice Center where I sweated out Jury Duty that week.  But on breaks, I had the pleasure of enjoying them.


photo by Suzanne * June 29, 2011 * Fort Worth, Texas

These are the red 'Crepe (or Crape) Myrtles'.  Actually, they're a dark pink, and they are the most common color seen around town.  I have two VERY OLD trees of this type, that are just now starting to bud out.  The one thing I don't like about them, is that they drip, drip, drip!  You can't stand under them, or you will get sprinkled on, and the droplets are a bit sticky.

kinda like this!
this photo from yahoo images is actually a redbud tree
but with the same drippage as the crepe myrtle.

When the blooms of a 'crepe/crape' myrtle die off, they leave some seed pods on the branches. You can get these off, let them dry out-then they will split open a bit...and you can plant them in early spring.  Or you can take wood cuttings of the branches of about 6 inches, and start propagation in pots.  I've never had to do that, because they sprout up all around the tree and even to about several feet away from the tree.  I have even read that you can bend a branch of the tree over and stick it into a pot on the ground next to the tree to propagate.  I have tried this, but don't have the patience to KEEP STICKING IT BACK INTO THE POT WHEN IT POPS OUT!!!

I also have a white 'crepe/crape' myrtle that is about to bud out.  And the blooms are gorgeous.  Later, I should be able to share photos of this tree.  I know-what's with me and the white blooms?  They are just so angelic, I think.  White roses, gardenias, iris, oleander, and crepe myrtle! 

***
I would like to take a moment to welcome my newest followers.  I'm sorry I don't know much about you yet, but I have browsed myself some, and hope to make better connections soon. 
Suzane Weck
Ellie Great
Ziggy Stardust

Thank you all, my regal readers for stopping by.  As you know, this is the weekend before our July 4th Independence Day celebrations on Monday.  I urge you to be cautious in all activities...not just of yourselves, but keep an eye out for those around you who may be a little...well, you know!
  Have a safe and happy holiday!

And, by the way, I do have a survey on my sidebar.  There are four plants in the photo. Can you name them?  The poll closes on July 9, 2011.  My only problem is, I can't see the results!  The print is so light, I need to have complete darkness to see it, and I'm not sure how to darken it without MESSING UP MY SIDEBAR LIKE I DID ON MY KARDKORNERKRIB BLOG!  So, I'll try to make do...gahh!

Thank you
google
yahoo images
the city of Fort Worth
and my neighborhood blooming trees!

***
"Where flowers bloom, so does hope."
~Lady Bird Johnson

6 comments:

  1. hey susan! crepe myrtles are all over here too...i have a couple in the yard, but they're still young...next time i see one of those BIG tree-like crepe's...i'll have to go stand under it...i never knew that they WEEPED!
    and thanks also for the info in seeding and taking a cutting!
    and that Wysteria! love it!! in spring when it's blooming...driving down the road, you can see it draped all over the trees! beautiful!!

    Have a safe & happy 4th to you & yours!!!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. OH...i forgot to mention....i LOVE your cute little bumble bee!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey Laura! I always liked to water outside around 10:00pm, and that's when I first noticed the crepe myrtles dripping. If it's shady out with a bit of a breeze, they seem to weep a little more. I think one of my trees is about 30 years old, and it really drips!

    I've seen Wisteria draped over the front porches of some homes with bees swarming. I would not want to have one over my porch. They are double ugly when there are no leaves or blooms on them, but so beautiful when in bloom.

    So, while I was looking for a funny bumble bee picture to add to the story, I came across the little pup, and I couldn't resist. Just the right amount of humor!

    Smoke bombs and those snakes you light that ooze out over the sidewalk are about my speed for July 4th. Have a fun sparkly 4th!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous Crepe Myrtles - I like the pink shade on the ones near where you did jury duty.
    That's a good hint about propagating.. ha ha, all except for them popping out of the pot. I'm sure you'd work your way around that though Susan ;-)

    The colour of the wisteria is delightful indeed. I agree with you about the ugliness once they've dropped their foliage. We have one on a fence very close to my clothesline - sometimes the perfume from their flowers can be rather overwhelming at their peak (for me anyway!). Especially if the day is hot. The lilac colour is so pretty though.

    I love the cute little bumblebee puppy! Thanks for an enjoyable post. Enjoy the coming week :D)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan, there are so many crepe myrtles around. I don't remember seeing them growing up in Kansas. We had lilac bushes that were so gorgeous and fragrant! Some of the prettier ones I saw this year have fading blooms now. I was so sick I couldn't get photos. But sometimes they will refresh again in later summer. If you can snip the tips with dead blooms off, you will encourage new blooms. But, if the tree is large, that's hard to to. I love the white ones. I didn't notice a fragrance on the wisteria. I think I was afraid of sniffing one of the bumblebees up my nose! And the little bumble bee pup just begged to be popped onto my blog-he is so cute!

    Hope you're having a pleasant weekend, Susan. Thanks for coming by-tipping a coffee to you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mom said,
    Did manage to get into your Texas Garden blog, took awhile, I love the Wisteria , but don't see it much around Kansas City, it really attracts the bumble bees, and Ah Yes, the Crape Myrtles, they were my favorite flower to draw in art class, specially when we were taking a test, I always called it the " Ragged Robin". My pink oleander is in full bloom, I would like to put it into a bigger pot, but carrying it down to the basement really presents a problem, so I'm still mulling over the idea.

    * Hey mom! Do you think you could draw a picture of crepe myrtles...maybe I could post it on this blog!!! You know how I am about artwork...all is welcome.

    ReplyDelete

What is your favorite flower today? Stop by and say hello!