April 25, 2026

A sizzling-pink ‘Princess Diana’ clematis greeted me on my friend Cat‘s front porch a few days ago. What an effusive welcome!

The vine’s botanical name, Clematis texensis ‘Princess Diana’, hints at its wild Texas origins.

‘Princess Diana’ is a cross between Clematis texensis and Clematis ‘Bees Jubilee’. Clematis texensis is our very own scarlet leatherflower, which is native only to the southeastern Edwards Plateau in Texas. Using it as a parent plant, British plantsman Barry Fretwell hybridized ‘Princess Diana’, naming it in honor of the Princess of Wales.

So there you go, a vine that wears a tiara and a cowboy hat equally well.

In Cat’s back garden, I spotted a goldfinch on a bubbling fountain.

It dipped for a drink and then hopped right in for a bath too.

What a cutie!

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Digging Deeper

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