Gorgeous! Looks so natural and relaxing! Great photography too!

OH GOD my spelling is atrocious!!!!! That is POPPIES.

Thank you. I garden in the hill country. I use mostly native soil and poke holes in the native grasses and go from there. I have one bed where I brought in Xeric soil. No water mostly, so things look native even when they aren't . they look thirsty and start fitting in. I moved out here because I love how the hill country looks and this piece is nice . I don't have the resources to change it up a whole bunch so I am lucky I like it.

I have killed a lot of plants getting them to grow in this place. The plants I have are thrivers.

oh, oh, oh . . .

* you've got some fabulously funky succulents
* love your hardscaping
* your macros are a pleasure

. . . thanks so much for posting

Very nice, Mara. Your Velvet pod mimosas, pyracanthas and the little blue flower are my favorites. I wish I had a big place like yours.

Omar

Well, you know I love every bit of it. I looked at your pictures twice -- so far. By right clicking I saw that some of them are named. Birthing Cactus -- what a hoot!

I'm so glad we got some rain this spring to bring all that stuff back after your struggles with the drought the last two years. It's so nice to know that mother nature can do that. Thanks so much for all your photos.

Oh by the way, a bare hard stem of epiphyllum will root.

Enjoyed all the photos

Wonderful use of plants! It looks like a country english garden, but with hardy plants for this area. Excellent.

By the way... lovely photography as well. What kind of camera did you use?

Just breathtakingly beautiful! I love your cacti! What is the tree with the peeling bark? Can you believe what a risk taker that little grasshopper on the cactus was?

I saw many salvias and I think I remember seeing you post over on the salvia forum...Can I please get an ID on the orange kind of prostrate salvia alongside the path? And what were the silvery bushes in the background?

Thanks so much for sharing!

Truly Texas beauty - thanks for sharing!

I love the Pleiospilos neli too! I challenge anyone to pronounce that :-)

Beautiful! Your gardens are so perfect for the Hill Country.
Thanks for sharing these.

Thank's all. I am trying to catch up on my photo taking , so their might be a slew hiting the forum.

Omar, those are Fragrant mimosa, Evergreen sumac,and scorpion flower. I don't have the pyrocantha unles you are talking about Flame Acantha.

Roselee, "brthing Cactus" is enough to make any woman pause and take note. ... How do you think I got the epi. I took a cutting off my mom's years ago.

RcNaylor, D-80 Nikon.

PK . That is Salvia roemeriana, a native to my land. The silver bush is a hybrid Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis". It does not travel as fast as the native.

Mara, I really enjoy your photos and am looking forward to more!

About the epi, you gave me a loooong stem with many offshoots. You probably forgot but I asked you if the stem would root when the leafy parts were removed for rooting and you said you didn't know. Well, a couple of days ago I noticed this funny looking bare green stick in one of my pots, pulled it out, and it was the epi limb -- with roots! How's that for the will to live? The leafy pieces have rooted in a hanging basket and are looking good.

Mara,

Yes, I think we are talking about the same plant, Mimosa dysocarpa.I thought the plants with reddish fruit (?) were pyracanthas (I should've known better, huh? ;)). I guess they are Evergreen sumac (I had never seen its fruit before. Awesome plant).

Omar

Here is a link that might be useful: Pyracantha

Fragrant mimosa is different than Mimosa dysocarpa.... mimosa borealis

I am unsure what picture you are talking about. If it was this picture it is the Huisache tree in bloom. They are flowers. It's range does not go up north of Austin.

If it is this one , it is Fire acanthus in bloom.

This is an evergreen sumac and it will get reddish fruit later in the fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mimosa borealis

PK, I forgot to mention that the peeling bark tree is Texas Madrone Tree

It was the huisache, then. Thank you for the info about M. borealis.

Omar