May Bloomers

I had a little trouble trying to come up with a topic for this week’s column so I walked out into the yard, sat down on a bench, and looked around. Voila! Four blooming plants caught my attention.

The first was a whole bed of blooming Red Three-Awn grass. I do not recall ever having seen this grass blooming in my yard before! Right now, however, it is and it is quite showy. I happened to have in my recent possession, a copy of a wonderful little magazine called EcolLogical-Solutions, the grass issue. This magazine has wonderful pictures and descriptions of probably all of the grasses in our area. That’s how I was able to identify the Red Three Awn. This grass, as far as I know, had just drifted into my yard from somewhere. It is now a rather large patch with abundant blooms in full seed. (If you would like some, just let me know.) This grass, according to the magazine, is “a native cool season perennial which establishes easily under adverse conditions and protects soil against erosion. Beautiful red colored awns!”

Prickly Pear Cactus, Mexican Hats, and Yellow Lantana were the other three booming plants. All of these are very easy to grow and, if they are not all natives, they certainly grow like they are. I love and appreciate all of them as they care for themselves and come back into bloom every year. Do give them all a place in your yard if they are not there already and enjoy!

Written by Martha Knies