Views of the Neighborhood – Sage in Bloom

~ John W. Howell

 

🎶The sage in bloom is like perfume . . .deep in the heart of Texas. 🎶

A half-inch of rain and the Texas Sage  (Cenizo Leucophyllum frutescens) started to bloom this week. Ii does so several times in the year.  I thought I would check out some of the blooming shrubs. According to the producer, I have to post a “potential borning” warning. Okay, so now that that is done, grab your mimosa, and let’s go.

This is a natural bush with no trimming.

Another natural.

A younger version.

Fully trimmed.

Back to natural.

Here are some that are trimmed to produce deep blossoms.

Trimmed to a natural look.

Untrimmed.

Tightly shaped.

Here’s mine. looking much better than last year.

A baby sage just getting started.

Views of the Neighborhood

Teenage fawn who just happened to be there.

Well, that’s it. I hope you have a great week.

75 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Sage in Bloom”

  5. Yours looks like it has a dog’s head and a puppy crawling over its left shoulder. Anyway, I think I like the less-trimmed more than the tightly trimmed. Sunday is a good day for boring, John.

    Enjoy this day, and I hope you have a great week.

    Liked by 3 people

  6. I love beginning the day with a tune. Thank you for the tour. Isn’t it amazing how still a deer can stand? And with the slightest motion from human trespassers, they disappear. Have a wonderful Sunday!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. This little one let me take a picture and its mama was off to the left giving me the “Mama stink eye.” I was able to pull away with nobody getting spooked. These deer are pretty tame. Thanks for the wish and I hope you have a blessed day as well. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m with Liz – natural has more pizzazz… Then again the one that is trimmed to produce deep blossoms almost looks like a lilac tree!
    Lovely walk, John. Thanks for taking us along.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. It seems from the picture that your hedge could easily be made into a topiary dachshund, but I suppose Lucy and Twiggy wouldn’t be too thrilled with that idea. 😏

    Liked by 2 people

  13. I had to Google this one, John, and it sounds ideal — drought resistant, needs no fertilizing, blooms profusely with lavender or white flowers particularly after a monsoon, and is lovely to boot. Wish I had some here!!

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Good morning, John!
    Our Ceniso blossomed last week but didn’t live up to its name “barometer bush”: we didn’t get any rain. 😦
    Enjoy your Sunday,
    Pit

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Shrubicide is a terrible thing. A little trim is find, but whoever took a hedge trimmer to some of those — well! They’re such a beautiful native plant — did you know it’s our official state native shrub?

    Liked by 2 people

      1. Ah, but there’s a complication. The sage is the official state NATIVE shrub. After the legislature, in its wisdom, named the crape myrtle the state shrub after lobbying from some town or other, the native plant people pointed out that crape myrtle isn’t native, and was an especially bad choice. In order to avoid interminable wrangling over the issue, they created a new category — state native shrub — and plunked the sage into it. Your tax dollar at work.

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  21. I absolutely love Texas Sage, John! I love picking off a leaf or two and crushing it between my fingers and smelling it. The fragrance is like nothing else! Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Oh goodness now for a confession and an apology . Growing up I learnt one couplet from the song you quote at the top … ‘ the stars at night are shining bright, deep in the heart of Texas’. My parents used it all the time. Why? It was their way of pointing out if someone’s fly was undone. If one of other suddenly sang those two lines everyone in the know would check their flies to see if they were a touch over exposed. No other words, no pointing needed. We still understand it even if the song itself has long passed from memory. I need to apologise to my Texonian friend for such an egregious cultural misappropriation!!

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