Posts
Some amazing photographers have entered this month's Picture This Photo Contest at Gardening Gone Wild. My photos are seldom amazing but it's worth taking them as documentation and as memories, no matter their artistic value. I'm entering this photo because it shows all three forms of our Redbuds/Cercis canadensis in bloom last spring. I named my garden Circus~Cercis because of these trees:
(Please click to enlarge)
(Please click to enlarge)
At left near the Pink Garden a Texas Redbud is getting established, waving arms to its cousin the Texas Whitebud across the drive in the sunny native and adapted bed that now fills the footprint where a huge ash once grew. Between them, way back in the shadows at the far end of the house you can see the dark leaves and deep pink flowers of the 'Forest Pansy' redbud, planted in fall 2004.
We're in deep drought here in Central Texas, and have already racked up more than 30 days over 100°F with all of August and September yet to come. I've been watering the trees, but sometimes the ground stays so warm and the nights are so hot that even good-sized trees just give up the fight to stay alive. With a little luck the three redbuds will make it through to live and bloom again.
This is a good photo Annie. It is wonderful seeing all three redbuds in one photo. I didn't realize there was a white redbud. I hope they all survive the torturous weather this summer. If only the drought would break.
ReplyDeleteI bet no one else has a white bud to post! Excellent shot, Annie. :-)-- Randy
ReplyDeletewe have been having mild weather but no rain for days and days and finally that drought broke and we got one good day of soaking rain. I wish I could send some your way!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, here's to rain for both of us! We had a nice little shower Saturday night but we're still way below what we need to be in terms of rainfall.
ReplyDeleteI keep hoping that a tropical storm will move into TX! Fingers crossed for you. gail
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping and praying for rain for all of you. It's scary when mature trees just give up!
ReplyDeleteI do like the redbud, and have a C. canadensis in my backyard.
I love all your Redbuds. I also hope that you get plenty of rain very soon.
ReplyDeleteAnnie I really like this shot - your Texas Redbud's form is so sweetly perfect at that size. I suppose they all must grow up some day, yes?
ReplyDeleteA lot of folks got a lot of rain last night but none here in the Rollingwood area where I garden. Did you get any? I have my fingers crossed for today but otherwise I agree - we are going to need a little luck to keep things alive after this summer has finished with us.
I wish the best for your redbuds and hope they can survive this drought. They're my favorite tree in the springtime; I always think of them as the first sign of spring. I didn't know there was a white one, though; I bet the two of them put on quite a spring show in your garden!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comment on my last post--I like that idea of being a "Human Perennial." Coming from a long line of gardeners and tillers of the soil, I think I must have been "sleeping" for many years:) At my age, though, I think I will do more "creeping" than "leaping."
All my redbuds are the native cultivars, and they are volunteers as well. I may have to acquire one of those white ones though.
ReplyDeleteI'm praying for rain, although I'm not sure that a tropical storm would be such a good thing with the soil so dry and compacted. I could see flooding happening. Instead, how about a nice rain producing system that causes it to drizzle lightly for about five days?
These trees are so lovely. I still wish I had planted the one named 'Forest Pansy'. Good luck with the contest!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa at Greenbow - when we lived in IL I saw the Eastern Whitebud in a public garden and was smitten but never grew it. This one is a Texas variety of whitebud. I took the photo in March, and didn't realize the Forest Pansy was in it until the contest.
ReplyDeleteIf you're right the whitebuds are more rare than I thought, Randy!
Some parts of Austin got rain midweek, Tabor but not here - it's pretty scary.
I've seen the maps, Cindy from Katy - it's an immense area! Hope we get out of this one soon.
Would hate anyone to get damage - maybe should downgrade our wishes to a tropical depression, LOL! Thanks, Gail
We match! Bet you could find room for a whitebud, too, Carol!
Thank you Mr McGregor's Daughter - two years ago we had floods...it's always something!
Thank you Texas Deb - Redbuds are like puppies, I guess!
We missed out on the last couple of scattered showers.
I was in the far west suburbs of Chicago, Prairie Rose and we saw neighbors' redbuds die to the ground in cold winters so I never bought one, but always admired them. Was thrilled to find the whitebud at a local nursery in 2007, but it's had two bad summers in a row.
Guess your gardening 'roots' are showing ;-]
There are Oklahoma and Mexican redbuds, too - HealingMagicHands - redbuds and whitebuds for everyone!
Drought and flood is what we get - there are very, very few memories of dayslong slow soaking rain in the decade I've been here, but what a beautiful wish!
The old Victory Garden TV show showed Forest Pansies maybe 20 years ago, Phillip, but Illinois was too cold. It's an understory tree, so would never have survived the soil, exposure or deer at our first Austin house. This yard had deeper soil and shade from a liveoak so Forest Pansy became the first tree we planted after moving here in 2004.
Maybe you'll find a place to tuck one in someday?
Thank you all for coming and commenting!
Annie
Love your redbuds, Annie. I hope they survive this heat. I have had very poor luck with them in the heat in the past, and thus, no longer have one. I think yours really like you, since they seem so happy in spite of the weather.
ReplyDeleteKnowing your redbuds didn't survive makes me even more nervous, Diana. Right now (August 26th) the regular Texas redbud doesn't look too bad, and the Forest Pansy looks reasonably okay...but the whitebud is really looking stressed. I hope this photo doesn't turn out to be a memorial photo ;-[
ReplyDeleteAnnie