This is our Texas Mountain Laurel. For the first time, since we adopted her (from our neighbor), she is covered in blooms. They have a very intense smell – almost like grape bubblegum. By sheer coincidence the color is exactly the same as the Pantone Color of the Year 2022, Very Peri. I think she just wants to be fashionable like her mom… I have no idea why I anthropomorphize plants but I love to hug my trees and name them. Perhaps it’s natural, given I was born in San Francisco to a couple of beatniks!
This is one of my favorite colors. One generous boyfriend bought me a gorgeous midi length sunray pleated skirt in periwinkle blue/lilac. My mum hated lilac so that made the purchase even better! Curiously, although he was generous and I was thankful, I didn’t like my clothes being chosen for me. I have trained Teddy never to buy me clothes and especially not lingerie! He did get me a free lilac fleecy dressing gown with some perfume and I have been wearing it for over a decade but I don’t think that counts as lingerie.
This is Miss Laurel in her full glory. She was planted next to another bush, a Japanese Yew, who died despite my best efforts. That has given her room to spread her branches. We are headed into a drought cycle in Texas and I think she might like the drier conditions. Originally mountain laurels came from the Chihuahua desert in Mexico. When the blooms fall off there will be very poisonous seed pods. Teddy better behave…
How beautiful. I keep trying to get blue and purple flowers to grow here, but no luck (or no green thumb). I even put alum in the hydrangea and I still get pink flowers.
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LOL! Your soil is probably too good. We live in a pine forest so the earth is naturally terrible!! Thank you, GP. 💜
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Beautiful. Lovely to see blooms after a long cold winter .
Good job Kerry
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Thank you, Linda! 😊
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Love blue flowers. I’ve tried to grow blue poppies a few times but the slugs love them.
Tried coffee grains and eggshells to ward off the slugs. Doesn’t work🤷♀️
Remember that skirt. I thought it was gorgeous ❤️
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I can’t believe you remember that skirt!!! What about blue irises? My mum grew so many of them and didn’t even like them!
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Gorgeous bush. Love the colors. Run Teddy run as fast as you can. It will be like russia and all the poisoning that goes on there. Run Teddy i hear they lace your underwear with poison. Go commando. Beware of Mer ry with a new tea you havent tried. Im telling you teddy RUN RUN RUN
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That was beware of Kerry with a new tea
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Bwa ha ha!!! He can’t run – he has AFIB. (Evil chuckle in background…)
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That is just gorgeous!
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Thank you so much, Ann!
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What a wonderful addition to your garden.
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Thank you, Peggy!
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What a gorgeous shrub!
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Thank you so much, Rob!
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I love flowering scrubs as they add one more element of beauty to your garden. Not only do they boost curb appeal, they also add reliable color, attract pollinators, and provide structure and privacy to your garden. I’ve never heard about Texas mountain laurel, Kerry but I very much love its attractive, fragrant flowers. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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Thank you, Aiva – it is glorious here right now with flowering trees and bushes. Our water oaks have vivid lime green foliage. But…there is yellow tree pollen everywhere, coating the streets, windows and cars, which aggravates everyone. The thunderstorms coming tomorrow should help! K x
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Miss Laurel is gorgeous!!!
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Thank you so much, Ana. She has even more blossoms now! 💜
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I’d say Laurel is very tempting for the bees of the neighbourhood Kerry.
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I spotted one in her blossoms when I took the photographs! Thank you, Roy.
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How lovely the blooms are…
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Perfect match on the color swatch, at least on my monitor. Congrats, it is a healthy flowering beauty
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Thank you so much, Michael. She is looking perkier after last night’s rain!
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Miss Laurel is gorgeous. Long may she thrive.
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Thank you, Tanja. She is looking a bit sad today but she is now seeding and probably causing my terrible allergies!
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Sorry to hear about your allergies, that’s no fun.
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😥
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