A Fledgling Gardener's View

Look who sat on my solar fountain. A fledgling cardinal hopped and half-flew around my back garden for quite a while yesterday. I was afraid I'd scare her if I opened the door, so this is a through-a-glass-darkly sort of shot.

She stood on the fountain for almost 5 minutes, drank some water and even tried to peck at the metal dragonfly (photo below) before she flew into the nearby oak tree.

One way I learn what will grow here is by observing what my neighbors' have planted. Some beautiful blooms can be seen in their yards this week. This larkspur (Consolida ambigua), looks particularly colorful.

Even the wildscapes along my morning walk are lovely. I don't imagine anyone besides Mother Nature planned this grouping of cactus, stone and wildflowers, but it's pleasing to me.

As is this yellow stand of wildflowers (Thelesperma filifolium?).

I still do not know the names of all the plants in my garden. Below is another mystery plant left by the previous owner that I cannot seem to locate in my garden books. I may take a blossom to the nursery to see if they can give me a clue. Edit: Thanks to Susan, Robin and Annie for letting me know this is a Husker's Red penstemon digitalis. You ladies are a national treasure!

When I visit the nurseries here I'm invariably introduced to plants I've never seen before. But imagine my surprise on my last visit to The Natural Gardener Nursery when I saw these Dandelions for sale. If only I'd known there was a market for Dandelions in Austin, I could have made a fortune from the bushels I dug out of my lawn this spring.

Like the fledgling cardinal I'm not always certain of my 'way around the garden. I'm thankful for the Austin Garden Bloggers and local nursery staff who teach me which plants work in Austin and which do not. Thanks!