Bloom Day? What Bloom Day?

I missed Bloom Day this month because I was on the road, so I thought I would do a make-up Bloom Day this Saturday and show you some of the things that are currently blooming in my weed-clogged garden.

The duranta along the back fence is just beginning to bloom. You can see that there are actually more buds than blooms here. Later the blooms will be replaced by the golden berries which give the plant one of its common names, "golden dewdrop."

In the same bed at the back of the yard is the tall-growing and very invasive 'Chi Chi' ruellia. When it gives me lots of these pretty pink flowers, I can almost forgive it its sins.

A more well-mannered ruellia, low-growing 'Katie,' grows in another part of the yard.

Did you ever make flowers from crepe paper when you were a kid? I can remember spending many long summer hours making those flowers with my mother. We used them to decorate the graves of relatives on "Decoration Day." I always thought that the paper we used was named after the crape myrtle. It was certainly crinkly like the crape's blossoms.

The Texas sage which blooms in response to rain is having a bang-up spring and summer after hardly blooming at all last year.

And the orange bulbine just keeps going and going and going like the pink bunny in those old television commercials.

The David Austin rose 'Darcy Bussell' is new to my garden this year and I've grown quite fond of its pretty blossoms.

Another rose that has given me plenty of blooms is the floribunda 'Monkey Business.'

The buddleias are putting on a new flush of blooms now.

And the 'Texas Star' hibiscus gives me its daily blossom.

The crocosmia is beginning to bloom. That's the year-round bloomer 'Big Momma' Turk's cap behind it.

 Doesn't this resemble a burning bush? The flame acanthus is full of its tiny flame-shaped flowers now.

Orange is the dominant color of my garden in summer as exemplified by the Mexican sunflower.

And, of course, by the old cannas which bloom all summer long.

The Hamelia patens has now joined the bloom parade.

Like the bulbine, the yellow cestrum just keeps going and going and going.

Now here's a surprise. I was sure that my jatropha was dead and buried and wasn't coming back this year. It took its own sweet time about coming back from the roots after winter, but now it's June and here it is - blooming once again.

I hope your summer garden is filled with blooms and that your weeds are tiny and few. Happy belated Bloom Day!