Texas Wildflowers

I'll have to admit that I've had a few complaints about Texas since I moved here five years ago. Since I'm not a native and have actually been to other parts of the country (unlike many people here), I don't consider Texas to be the absolute best state in the union which is very contrary to what the majority of people think here...ESPECIALLY Texas natives. I may be making some enemies here, but since I've seen so much of the U.S., I don't think Texas has the best scenery...or the best food...or the best architecture...and don't even bring up the drivers because that will open a whole big can of worms. It's okay...it's just another state with a lot to offer...but it's not the best. But I don't think ANY state is "best"...there are pros and cons to each one. And each one has its own beauty, including Texas.

One thing I will give Texas is that it has some pretty awesome wildflowers which appear from early Spring to late Fall...the most famous of which is the state flower - Bluebonnets (I got this picture off the internet, by the way).

Lady Bird Johnson started the big deal about Bluebonnets and how you can't cut them down or pick them. I didn't know that when I first moved here. There were some growing in my yard, so I unwittingly picked some and took them into work. Boy, did I get the riot act. You'd think I had committed mass murder. "You can't pick those...it's against the law!!" It's just a freakin' flower, for cryin' out Pete's sake! Well, it turns out that you CAN pick them if they're in your yard, so, lucky for me, I wasn't hauled off to the pokey for picking flowers. After all, I have done jail time before.

Here are some more pretty ones (also from the internet) - Indian Blankets.

So, anyway, what all started this post is that I was working in my yard from hell this weekend...which, by the way, is finally beginning to not look so hellish. This is another "before" view from my front doorway.

And this is what it looks like today. Look at all that new green grass growing in. Whoo-hoo! A neighbor came to my garage sale on Saturday and was telling me about an organic product called "Has to Grow" for different plants which she raved about. So I bought some "Has to Grow Grass" at Lowe's and sprayed it on my yard yesterday, so I'm thinking it 'has to grow' now. We'll see about that.

I digressed...anyway, I was mowing the yard and saw this little patch of wildflowers near the curb. These are some of my favorites...they are called Pink Evening Primrose. Aren't they pretty? They're so delicate and soft...I just couldn't mow them over. Lady Bird would be proud of me...even though they're not Bluebonnets.

Oh, and this is what I did with the weird planter that didn't sell at my garage sale.