I FEEL A CHANGE OF SEASON

This last few days Austin gardeners have begun to see and feel signs that fall is drawing closer. A drier mass of air moved in from the north making outdoor activities more tolerable. The early morning pleasant temperatures stay around a little longer and those plants that have made it through the summer's heat are beginning to wake up.

The cross vine, Bignonia capreolata, has begun to bloom again just in time for the hummingbird migration. 

The Texas lantana, Lantana horrida, begins its bloom cycle with brilliant red flowers which fade to orange in the sun.

The senna, Cassia lindheimerei, flowers with clusters of yellow blooms. All these plants are deer proof and survive with  little or no supplemental water.

The pomegranates hang from the tree like Chinese lanterns. This year I have the biggest crop and their outer color is the brightest I have ever seen. It seems strange that the flesh around the seeds is not its usual bright crimson. Maybe they need to ripen a little more.

FALL YOU SAY

Someone named this Fall Obedient plant, Physostegia virginiata. I'm afraid these blooms will be long gone before there is a breath of fall in the air. Pretty flowers, all the same.