It’s Friday so that means we’re joining our friends, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard for this another edition of Nature Friday Blog Hop. This week the ‘editors’ decided at our staff meeting to share a touch of the woods despite them being miles away and the minor detail of the Ranch hands living in an urban landscape. Sam in particular likes this first exhibit, it smells heavenly to both him and his ‘huMom.’
As the early spring bulbs begin to wind down, we’re beginning to notice a transition to other spring bloomers. Golden Alyssum, sometimes called basket-of-gold plants (Aurinia saxtilis) is starting to pop up along our neighborhood walks. This easy to grow perennial signals that spring is moving full speed ahead toward the full blooming gardening season. Hardy from Zone 3 through 7, this taxicab-yellow addition likes a sunny garden location with well-drained soil and will tend to die back once the weather takes on hot summer temps. It doesn’t particularly like overly rich soil, wet or humid conditions which tends to make it well-suited for Denver’s high mountain desert conditions. Once the blossoms drop, a quick shear of the top third of the plant will freshen its look and prevent it from going to seed. You can divide the plants in the Autumn.
Planted at the base of a tree with south-west exposure, Golden Alyssum provides a nice wooded area look to my neighbor’s garden. Frequently planted as a ground cover with bulbs, it keeps the garden looking less bedraggled once all the daffodils, tulips and other spring bulbs have finished blooming before summer perennials take center stage.
Another woodland looking plant that is beginning to show up is Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata). Suitable for planting in nearly any soil conditions, it likes sunny exposures though it will tolerate partial shade. Soil should be well-drained. Cutting back spent blooms may provide subsequent blooming. the plants are about four inches tall and can spread up to two feet providing a blanket of blooms in bright shades of pink, lavender, red, white or bluish-purple. This low-maintenance evergreen plant works well on slopes or other areas, can spread between rocks or tumble over a wall and makes it perfect for creating a woodland look in the landscape garden. Creeping phlox is drought-tolerant hardy in USDA Zones 3B through 10 and requires supplemental water only during warm, dry weather.
So as you think of Mother Nature this weekend, don’t forget to look toward woodland looks to making the transition from early spring bulbs toward warm weather plants. Hope your weekend is full of beauty and peace.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
That purple plant, beautiful!
One of my favorites too!
There are some beautiful flowers you’ve captured there, Monika. I don’t think anyone around our places gardens. We have tried but the sandy soil, lack of rain and too many other activities stonkers our attempts. Our watering system currently has a crack. I did plant a couple of hibiscus plants recently and used some of the dirt from my worm farm. Next thing I know, there are pumpkin plants growing out the front and possibly tomatoes. I’ve left them there, uncertain about whether they would survive but still going well. IT would be funny if after all the plant casualties we’ve had, that we end up with pumpkins growing in our front yard in a beach area.
I have almost made it through to the end of the A-Z Challenge, which is a relief. The kids have been on holidays for the last two weeks and go back tomorrow. I think this will return us to normal. Well, it needs to.
Best wishes,
Ro
Ooh pumpkins and tomatoes? What luck! Hopefully you’ll get some rain to help with the plants 🌱
Our plants need all the help they can get with my brown thumb.
Wagnificent stinks & wagnificently pawty🐾💜🌸💜🐾
Oh, your flowers a lovely! We just planted our flower beds and can’t wait for them to spread.
Spring is such a lovely time of year, especially when there are new plantings. Hope to see photos of your new garden babies soon!
What a beautiful slice of Spring…So much lovely color!!
This is such a fun and colorful time of year.
I love the creeping phlox, so beautiful.
I love the brilliantly hued colors they provide in any garden. #colorful
#mothernatureisanartist
Got that right!
Phlox can really creep you out, man.
😊
So excited it’s spring!!! I’ve never heard of Golden Alyssum before. Gorgeous!
And I’ve always known it as basket of gold. 😊
We have the creeping phlox and it’s so beautiful! A true harbinger of spring.
I especially love the brightly hued ones. So pretty.
Very pretty indeed! The only thing that grows in this yard is weeds; but at least the weeds are green like the grass they cover up.
Green is good and much better than mud. LOL
gorgeous flowers, nothing here yet.
Gosh, that’s too bad. One blogger I follow who’s from Wisconsin said snow was forecast. Yikes!
Gorgeous! Love to see a blanket of colorful spring flowers…especially after a good wet winter.
The tulips have been prettier than I recall from the past several years. I seem to find a new beauty every week and will miss them when they’re all done blooming.
Always remind myself to enjoy them all while they last…because the brown days are coming 🙁
Exactly! And I have this feeling the brown season may be worse than normal. *sigh*
Yup, here too.
I didn’t know phlox bloomed here. I need to plant some to show up in these rocks.
So long as the soil is well-drained, it will do well and always looks good in a rock garden.
Our spring is here at last–about two months later than usual but the California drought is definitely over. Love your spring flowers.
Let’s hope the drought stays away; the fire season has already started here.
The spring flowers are so cheerful and beautiful!
The shock of color is soooo welcome!
Zone 7-that’s Antarctica compared to us.
🤣
we will look what mother nature created around us… by now she had hail and storm in her pocket, maybe the weekend is the time for the good things ;O) Have a great one ;O)
Eek…hopefully your weather will play nice and you’ll get to actually enjoy some nice spring weather.
Spring is such a wonderful time of year. I love seeing the world come alive.
Have a fabulous day and weekend, my friend. ♥
It’s definitely the season of hope and renewal. Add beautiful to the mix and it’s perfect.