My Wildflower Experiment

It all started in 2010...the second summer we had spent in our new home. Our first summer had been spent unpacking with little time to even consider what to do with our yard. The next April greeted us with unexpected wild Primroses (my favorite Texas wildflower), and I wondered what other surprises lay hidden waiting to bloom? So, I decided to let our backyard grow wild and find out (and then our lawn-mower broke for a while and things went a little more wild than planned...but I still am happy that I tried it out, because I discovered a lot of beauties along the way). Here's a chronicle of what I discovered.

2010 - The Beginning

May
The Discovery
Primrose Sky (More Primrose Pictures)

June
More Wildflowers!

July
The Experiment Continues

August
Weeds
Yet More Surprises
Alas, Time to Mow

It was a fun experiment. I learned that a lot of beautiful things will grow in my garden if I just leave it alone...but that eventually, it will turn into a jungle and kill a lot of your grass.  So, going on from here, I've decided to do selective weeding and mowing.  That means being diligent about weeding what I don't want, while being careful to mow around the wildflowers and tall tufted grasses that I love.

EXPERIMENT UPDATES
Below you'll find updates on the current state of my backyard and how the process of working towards a "tamed" yard wild plants in going.

• June 2011 Update

Metamorphosis Monday - My Backyard Experiment

As some of you who follow my blog know, this last year I did a little experiment with my backyard. After finding out I had some Mexican Evening Primrose growing wild there, I decided to hold off on mowing until I found out what else was in my yard. It was exciting!  Through May, June and July I discovered all sorts of pretty wildflowers.  Then in September, when it seemed like all the wildflowers were done for and my yard was a tangle of not so pretty weeds, I went ahead mowed one side, leaving only some tall tufted grass that I liked. Then, the very next day the un-mowed side burst into pink flowers!

That doesn't show the pink flowers very well...but it does show how overgrown it had gotten.  That was in September.

Well, about two weeks ago I mowed and now it looks like this...

I left a clump of that tufted grass I like, along with my basil (from my overrun garden that was in the center of that jungle) and a few adjacent wild plants that I thought made a pretty little gathering together.  The pink flowers had stopped blooming, but the plant they had been on is there in that clump too, so I know I'll get it next year.  I was really quite happy about how it turned out!

And So Ends the Backyard Experiment...or maybe not! (An Aloha Friday/2 Question/Foliage Follow-up)

Today I'm combining Aloha Friday with Two Questions Thursday and Foliage Follow-up.  Aloha Friday is where I ask a question for you to answer in the comments and 2 Question Thursday is the same except with 2 questions (you'll find the questions towards the bottom of this post).  Foliage Friday is where you show off your garden foliage.  This is my first time participating, and the only thing I'm showing off is that most of this "foliage" is now GONE.

Remember this flower from Garden Bloom Day yesterday?

Well, it's "foliage" isn't so cute.

 A big scratchy tangle of brambles is what that is!

And it's taken over my back yard!

That and these tall WHO KNOWS WHAT things you see there.  

Here's a better picture from earlier this year,
when they were starting to bloom...

They look about the same before, during, and after blooming,
actually.  They're taller than me! 

Here's an up close picture...the blooms has faded.

Now you're probably asking, how did I let things go so much
that I have 7 foot tall weeds.  Well, I was curious...
what would I find if I left my back yard un-mowed 

this summer?  I called it my Backyard Experiment.

And it started out beautifully! Through May, June and July I
discovered one gorgeous wildflower after another.
Then August hit, the wildflowers dried up, and my
backyard became unbearable.

Half of it is still as you see above, but here's the other half now:

 I mowed it all, except for two tall wild grasses which had these whispy
ends, sort of like a pampas only not so large.

Looks kinda plain but better than the jungle that was there.
As the weather cools hopefully I'll be more motivated
to add some more flowers and foliage.

___________UPDATE___________

BUT WAIT!
THE WILDFLOWER DISCOVERIES AREN'T OVER!

After posting this late last night, I spend a quiet morning inside and
this afternoon looked out my window to find THIS...

 A sea of whispy pink beauties covering the unmowed half of my backyard!
THESE WERE NOT THERE YESTERDAY!!!

 Wow...what an amazing surprise!  It nearly took my breath away when I saw them.
  And just when I was complaining that all the wildflowers were gone!
I think I'm gonna have to do some "strategic" mowing
when I get to that, cause I don't want to loose those!

(OK, I know this was supposed to be FOLIAGE follow-up,
but I couldn't not share those with you!)
 ______________________



OK, and now for my Aloha Friday question:

See all those weeds and wildflowers up there?  What are they?
If anyone knows I would love it if you would tell me!
These grow wild in central Texas.  Thanks!

No clue?  Here's a second question:

What's the longest you've ever let your lawn go un-mowed
and what did you discover?

 _______________

UPDATES ON FIRST QUESTION:
Thanks to the blogger from Rock Rose for helping me identify the pink flowers...
Garardia, Agalinis purpurea.

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Shared on Throwback Thursday

Garden Bloom Day - My Backyard Experiment

Well, August took it's tole on my garden. Not much blooming, and not much could have pulled me out there to plant anything else. Here's one of the survivors...

That one I actually planted.

This next one is a weed. 

No, not a wildflower...a weed

As some of you may remember, this summer I did 

an experiment in my yard, called "don't mow and see what grows."

(OK, I mowed the front yard, but not the back). 

  Through May, June and July I discovered one beautiful wildflower after another.

And then August hit. The only thing blooming in my yard, other than 

the flowers above and my basil bush, were these...

 Ah, doesn't it look pretty and daisy-like?

UNTIL you see what it grows on

...this bramble of a bush that was taking over my yard!

It was time to mow!

I've only gotten half the yard done.  

I'll show the comparison pictures tomorrow for Foliage Follow-up Day.

(Update:  Click on Foliage Follow-up link above
to see more blooms that weren't there when I posted this.) 

Garden Bloom Day

My Backyard Wildflower Experiment Continues

This summer I've been doing an "experiment" in my back yard. I have left my back yard mostly un-mown, motivated in part by curiosity over what I might find, and in part by laziness and distaste for mowing in hot Texas summers (even not quite as hot as usual Texas summer). That and our lawnmower ran out of gas nearly as soon as I started in the back yard last time I tried (luckily I had finished the front)...and it took a while to refill it.

Well, I've discovered a lot of wildflowers gems already!  And here's what's blooming wild in my backyard now!

Sunflowers!

This little white lovely!

What is this?  I'd love to know!

And WHATEVER this is!

Seriously, what is this?  I don't think I like this one.

Probably gonna chop it down...and I do mean chop.  It's huge!

If you want to see more gorgeous blooms,

or share what's blooming in your garden

head on over to Garden Bloom Day 

and Today's Flowers.

You can also check out more wildflowers at

Wildflower Wednesday!

Wildflower Discoveries

Letting my yard go wild was one part laziness and one part curiosity.  After I discovered the Mexican Evening Primrose, I began to wonder what else was out t
here!

I didn't put weed killer on my yard, just went after the stuff I knew I disliked with a vengeance, and let the rest grow.  Here's what I discovered.

Mexican Hat

Horsemint

These Tiny White Beauties

They're called Frog Fruit - what a cute name!

These Tiny Pink Beauties

(Possibly a type of bluet...not sure)

Pink Morning Glory

There was one pink morning glory last year,

and I scattered some more seed, 

so this one might be wild, might be planted.

White Morning Glory

These were covering our yard last year,

so they weren't "discovered" so much,

but I'm happy to have them back!

I love the wildflowers in my yard,

but I wanted to add some more color too,

so here's some lovelies I bought.

These were all grouped together in their pots...

even now only a few have been put in the ground.

They sure do look pretty though.

My NON-Wildflowers

If you want to see more gorgeous blooms,

or share what's blooming in your garden

head on over to Garden Bloom Day 

and Blooming Tuesday! 

You can also check out more wildflowers at

Wildflower Wednesday!

Also shared on Throwback Thursday.

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Primrose Discovery

Guess what I found in my yard?

Well, yes, I often find that cutiepie in my yard,
but I meant the flowers.

I was so excited when they came up, because Mexican Evening Primrose is my favorite Texas wildflower. And no, I didn't plant these (at least not that I can remember). When we moved into our house last May, the yard was nicely mowed, so even if these beauties had still been around, I wouldn't have known...but they are here now, in both my front and back yard! Yeah!

My first experience with these beauties was when I was working at a nursery in California. We got some of these pink pretties in, and another lady who worked there who had lived in Texas started laughing. "I can't believe they're selling these!" she said. "They're weeds in Texas."

"Some pretty weed," I thought.

But I didn't know the half of it. Not until I saw them overflowing the median on I-20, waving in the wind like a frothy pink sea. It took my breath away...even more so than the bluebonnets did, gorgeous as they are.

Wish I had a picture of that! But here are some primrose posters and postcards I found on Zazzle.

I thought this one was appropriate for this blog, with the lone California Poppy...

California Poppy & Mexican Primrose by sunrisern

And here's a lovely close up...

Pink Evening Primrose by tshirtdujour

I like how this last one shows the primrose buds. Beautiful!

Oenothera speciosa - Pink Evening Primrose Photo by citrine_dreams
More Pink evening primrose Postcards

So, what's your favorite wildflower?

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Shared on Throwback Thursday