October 19, 2011

Park Place ~ One Perennial at a Time

I have a fondness for delicate, little flowers.

Let's face it, I have a fondness for pretty much every flower.  They're a weakness.  Some, my husband, might say an addiction.  But mostly, it's the sweet, charming flowers that I can't resist.  The ones that you have to pay close attention to notice.  They require that you slow down, take your time and move in for a closer look.  They don't yell out to the camera, begging for attention like some others, they whisper. 


So in pondering which plants to add to my newest available real estate, I've concluded that Texas native pigeonberry, Rivina humilis, will be a must have.  Planted along the front of a bed held in place by a 5 foot tall limestone retaining wall, the plants will be at eye-level making them easy to appreciate under the Live Oak canopy.  The fair hued blooms will brighten the shady area and provide some nice texture too.


Pigeonberry is low growing, 12-18" tall with spikes of dainty pink/white flowers.  There are red fruits that appear at the base of the stalks, often while still in bloom, that are attractive to many birds.  The plant thrives under tree canopy in part-shade to shade with minimal water once established.  It's deciduous so I'll need to keep that in mind when selecting companion plants.  

To give you an idea of how small this flower is, the plant behind it, trailing over the lip of the clay pot, is a creeping Jenny.  How sweet is that?

16 comments:

  1. Good choices! I love to look closely at the less obvious flowers, too. I can see why they're your favorites!

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  2. Hi Cat, Wow, that's tiny! It sounds like a plant with a lot of great attributes, including its ability to withstand drought. I especially like when plants have the bonus of fruit after flowering.

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  3. That is a wonderful choice...so delicate and wispy. I love the contrast with the foliage. Your new real estate seems to be growing more and more beautiful.

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  4. What a sweet little plant! I don't know pigeonberry, but now I'll have to watch for it. Perhaps pigeons walk around, eating the berries?

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  5. Very sweet indeed. Love that as well as the Creeping Jenny- great pairing. Tiny treasures.

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  6. We do love new real estate for flowers. LOL! Pigeonberry is new to me but I like the looks of it with those dark leaves and feathery blooms. Very pretty addition to the garden.

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  7. You'll be happy with the Pigeonberry. It is a deceptively tough plant for something that looks so sweet.

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  8. Oh Cat I love it...it is so sweet and the pink is to die for..lovely choice.

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  9. I always find the tiniest flowers seem to have the most intriguing details. Instead of being simple they seem to get more complex the smaller they are!

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  10. It is a sweet, little bloomer. It didn't survive in my garden. I don't think I had it in enough shade. I have seen it in the Green Garden at Zilker...love it!
    Go-go! is a go.

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  11. I so agree with Marguerite. Those little lovelies have the most uniquely delicate blooms with gads of detail. And they get equally pretty little pollinators.

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  12. I haven't heard of pigeonberry before, but its delicate blooms are charming. Some of our native blooms are tiny too, so small that most probably walk right by them unnoticed. Here, Spergularia comes to mind, and I often have to pause in the garden, and really take the time to find it as the flowers are so small. What I love about these diminutive flowers though, is they insist we stand still for a moment, as they invite us to look closer.

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  13. I wonder how many of your visitors will notice that little beauty? The hibiscus image is magical.

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  14. Hardy flowers are always a good choice. Flowers aren't a bad addiction at all. I'm addicted to your bloom shots.

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  15. I'm not familiar with a creeping Jenny but I'll take your word for it that it is a very tiny flower.

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  16. Lovely photographs Cat!

    PS: Thank you so much for your kind comments and concern. It meant a lot to me.
    Christine xxx

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