Tag Archives: whatsblooming

Plant Wishlist Spring 2024

My plant wishlist for 2024 stayed surprisingly modest. I still had some plants from previous years that definitely stayed in my plant shopping consciousness early this spring.

I pulled the trigger on one of those wishlist items in March when I attended Rose Weekend at North Haven Gardens.

My Rock N Roll rose now sits in a spot vacated by previous rose tenants. It displayed some new leaf growth and as of today is tipped with rosebuds.

In a previous post, I lamented the lack of volunteer basils this year. So I added African blue basils to my wish, which I will likely have to shop for to obtain the sterile version.

My stock tank garden is sparsely populated with green onions. I got a heads up that there may be some heat tolerant romaine lettuces in the market that I can try to grow. However, I need to figure out what’s been grazing on the plants in one of my stock tanks. The green onions and chives that I planted in it have been razed to the ground. I may have to drop some marigolds in there just to deter pests.

This past weekend on May 11th, I attended the Denton County Master Gardener garden tour. It was an opportunity to see how Denton county gardeners beautified their outdoor spaces. I enjoyed walking through four yards and a community garden, got to talk to homeowners as well as docents who volunteered their time to manage this tour.

I got really excited when I spotted some must-haves for my wish list at the tour. Flame Thrower redbuds, purple coneflowers, Egyptian walking onions, and a variegated Turks cap won my attention.

As soon as I got home, I shopped Etsy and found variegated Turks caps for sale at a vendor in South Carolina. Sold!!!

A couple of homes heavily featured native plantings which made me appreciate more the Texas tough perennials and annuals that thrive in our climate.

Overall, it was a great tour and we enjoyed mild weather to walk through all the beautiful yardscapes.

Dianthus, Super Bloomer

There’s nothing more satisfying than dianthus crowned in blooms during spring. My Stargazer plants burst into bloom early April, and unlike the chinensis varieties, this perennial hybrid has reliably returned despite some harsh summers.

I’ve had Coconut Punch on my plant wishlist for sometime, but I’m thinking of adding more such as striped Pinball Wizard and green eyed Mojito.

If a longer-lived Super Parfait-type dianthus ever came on to market, I’d be a happy gardener.

End of March Garden Scenes

Progress pictures on the late winter, early spring garden.

Take a look closer and one can see the seedlings starting to pop!

Lest we forget, the narcissus and tulip show ramping up for April blooms.