Recent purchases are making me happy with a sunny-side-up Bloom Day. Cute little hymenoxys, also known as four-nerve daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa), is in bud and in bloom. This tiny Texas native is super tough and nearly ever-blooming. It loves full sun and good drainage.
Another hymenoxys flower
Copper canyon daisy (Tagetes lemmonii), with intensely fragrant, fine-textured leaves, bursts into an explosion of yellow blooms in the fall. Mine is only blooming because I just got it from the nursery, and they protected it from frost this winter.
Another view. I’m hoping to foil the deer out front with this one.
That’s it for blooms, although I have numerous buds popping up all over the garden, which I’ve never appreciated more than this spring, after our bitterly cold winter (”bitter” being a relative term, you understand). Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what’s blooming on this date in gardens around the world.
And don’t forget that Foliage Follow-Up is tomorrow. There’s always foliage worth celebrating, especially this month, as many of our gardens begin to wake up. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating leafy goodness.
All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
That little hymenoxys is adorably cheerful.
Comment by Cyndy — March 15, 2010 @ 4:49 am
I will have to try these. I have never seen it offered so far East. Would have had a difficult winter making it through all our rain.
Comment by compostinmyshoe — March 15, 2010 @ 5:17 am
Sun, what is this sunny talk?? Great to see these bright yellow blooms. I had almost forgotten what sun is. These yellow blooms brings it all back to me now. Sun yes, it would be nice to see some sun around here as well as some lovely yellow blooms. Happy GBBD.
Comment by Lisa at Greenbow — March 15, 2010 @ 5:40 am
Aren’t they just the faithful ones? When I saw your CCD I thought, ‘What, March?” Then I read on. Happy bloom day, and let’s hope it is a cooler one!
Comment by Jenny — March 15, 2010 @ 6:44 am
It’s true though, Pam…for Austin it was bitterly cold. It seems what I didn’t lose from the hellacious heat from last summer, I lost from the bitter cold this winter. I think my gardenias are toast. I am wondering if I should leave them to watch for life, prune them back and watch, or just take them out and put in something heartier.
Comment by Jenny B — March 15, 2010 @ 7:28 am
What cheerful blooms today.
Comment by Darla — March 15, 2010 @ 8:10 am
We in Tennessee totally understand ‘bitter’ this winter~It’s still unseasonably chilly here. But the sunny daisy makes me smile, too. I love its pretty yellow face….gail
Comment by Gail — March 15, 2010 @ 8:25 am
Lots of sunny in your garden today, Pam! Very cheery.
Do you happen to know why that hymenoxys is referred to as “four-nerve daisy?” Interesting common name, that…
That’s a good question, Kim. I’m always interested in the origin of common names too. I just investigated and found that the Wildflower Center’s plant database describes hymenoxys thusly: “Four dark purple veins are visible on both sides of the ray.” No doubt this is where the name comes from, but I just looked at my picture of the flower and can see no trace of the dark-purple veins they refer to. Must continue my investigation outdoors…. —Pam
Comment by Blackswampgirl Kim — March 15, 2010 @ 8:28 am
Hi Pam,
I am a new gardener in Austin and I really enjoy reading your blog.
There are lots of deers in my neighborhood. They have never touched my Copper Canyon Daisy. But they do eat my Hymenoxys sometimes, especially the flowers.
Sandy
Hi, Sandy. Thanks for reading! Ah, those dratted deer will nibble hymenoxys, will they? Grrr. They are very determined eaters, that’s all I can say. —Pam
Comment by Sandy in Austin — March 15, 2010 @ 8:55 am
Aren’t the yellow blooms cheery this time of year? Love that tagetes lemonii and will be curious about your experience with it, they grow well here too but kind of rampant.
Happy bloom day!
Comment by Town Mouse — March 15, 2010 @ 8:56 am
What a gorgeous first photo! I’ve had tremendous luck with the deer leaving the tagetes alone (they’re kinda stinky, which I think is why)….I’ve literally seen them walk up to it, turn their noses at it and walk away. I hope you have the same kind of discriminating deer in your own garden!
Comment by rebecca sweet — March 15, 2010 @ 9:22 am
Beautiful sunny blooms. That first one is unique!
Comment by Jayne — March 15, 2010 @ 9:49 am
Happy Bloom Day Pam. Sunny indeed.~~Dee
Comment by Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings — March 15, 2010 @ 11:15 am
At least you have something blooming…nothing until next month for me. Drat!
Cheers from another bitter winter hater!
Christine in Alaska
Comment by Christine B. — March 15, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
I love the name Copper Canyon Daisy. I would to see the Copper Canyon some day.
Comment by chuck b. — March 15, 2010 @ 1:22 pm
Your bloom photos are really making me smile–very cheery!
Comment by Iris/Society Garlic, Austin — March 15, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
Such lovely cheery daisies. Good luck foiling your deer!
Comment by Curbstone Valley Farm — March 15, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
Four nerve daisies–you’ll love them this summer.
I’m thinking to plant more copper canyon daisies too. They’re one of the few fall bloomers at a time the butterflies need them.
See you tomorrow for Foliage Follow-Up.
Comment by Kathleen Scott — March 15, 2010 @ 3:12 pm
I love bright yellow blooms in the spring. They really warm up the garden :^)
Comment by Noelle/azplantlady — March 15, 2010 @ 6:35 pm
I love the structure of that first bloom, what a surprise. Happy GBBD!
Comment by Les — March 15, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
Such cheerful flowers – yellow is always a happy color.
Comment by GardenJunkie — March 15, 2010 @ 7:54 pm
World of beautiful yellow flowers. So fresh, wonderful shots.
Comment by hong — March 15, 2010 @ 8:09 pm
You aren’t kidding about that everblooming hymenoxys. Since I planted it last spring it has bloomed nonstop: through the drought, through 100+ temperatures in summer and our 17 degree cold snap this winter…and it’s still blooming, not to mention reseeding! Four-nerve daisy? More like the Energizer Bunny daisy!
Comment by Caroline — March 15, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
I enjoyed seeing your Tetraneuris close up in its early flower stage and then in full bloom. The young flower looks so soft and fuzzy compared to the adult. You’ve got a really zippy yellow thing going on!
Comment by lostlandscape(James) — March 15, 2010 @ 11:09 pm
Nice yellow. You did give me a gasp for a second with Copper Canyon daisy. Wow, is this woman talented! Okay, nursery find. Just lovely.
Comment by Linda Lehmusvirta — March 16, 2010 @ 6:33 pm
My Divas of the Dirt friend Buffy loves the four-nerved daisies, too – and they like the well-drained, sunny parts of her garden. Hope the deer let you keep yours!
Copper Canyon daisy was one of the best deer plants at our previous house. They grew quite large and filled in like a feathery hedge. Someone from the Wildflower Center told me the deer hate the way the scent clings to their fur and I used them as a guard plant encircling more delicious plants in the center of a clump. Maybe you can hide something that way?
Good luck, Pam – and Happy GBBD to you ;-]
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Comment by Annie in Austin — March 16, 2010 @ 10:11 pm
Sunny Side Up was the perfect title for this post. The blooms really brightened up my day.
donna
Comment by donna — March 17, 2010 @ 5:54 am
All those great native Texas yellow blooms are so perky, aren’t they? So nice that we can always count on at least one of them to be blooming in our gardens.
Comment by Diana — March 18, 2010 @ 8:07 am