2nd garden–2009

December 09, 2009 Where has the year gone? And why haven’t I done anything about turning the front of my house into MY house? A year and two months after moving into our new-old house (circa mid-70s) I still cringe when fellow gardeners come over and see the entry, I ...

December 07, 2009 With family in town through the weekend I didn’t have time to post many morning-after-freeze images. These were all taken early Saturday morning, after our first hard freeze. The ‘Twinkle Pink’ cuphea looked nearly untouched, with just a slight droop to its leaves but its many blossoms ...

December 05, 2009 The predicted big snowstorm in Austin yesterday was a bust, as they almost always are—we saw a few flakes downtown; my kids saw a few more in north-central Austin—but the hard freeze arrived as predicted last night. By the time I checked the temps this morning, around ...

December 05, 2009 The predicted big snowstorm in Austin yesterday was a bust, as they almost always are—we saw a few flakes downtown; my kids saw a few more in north-central Austin—but the hard freeze arrived as predicted last night. By the time I checked the temps this morning, around ...

November 24, 2009 Poking around in the lower “garden”—a half-wild area along the back fence—examining with dismay a weed-overgrown path, rampant English ivy, and what I suspect is poison ivy, I also happened to notice these gray-green, football-shaped fruits dangling from the pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana) planted by the previous ...

November 23, 2009 When Proven Winners asked me last spring if I’d trial some of their plants, I requested they send me only xeric plants, explaining that I am not a zealous waterer. So imagine my surprise when, among a nice selection of drought-tolerant plants, this ‘King Tut’ papyrus arrived ...

November 23, 2009 When Proven Winners asked me last spring if I’d trial some of their plants, I requested they send me only xeric plants, explaining that I am not a zealous waterer. So imagine my surprise when, among a nice selection of drought-tolerant plants, this ‘King Tut’ papyrus arrived ...

November 20, 2009 Golden barrel cactus, ‘Angelina’ sedum, and crepe myrtle leaf A steady rain patters outside, and I couldn’t be happier about it. We still desperately need rain, so no complaints—let it pour! But instead of showing a rain-washed garden (which would mean going outside in it), I’m using ...

November 20, 2009 Golden barrel cactus, ‘Angelina’ sedum, and crepe myrtle leaf A steady rain patters outside, and I couldn’t be happier about it. We still desperately need rain, so no complaints—let it pour! But instead of showing a rain-washed garden (which would mean going outside in it), I’m using ...

November 19, 2009 Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) is not native to the Austin area, but it grows well here provided it has proper drainage and full sun. If you’ve driven by Central Market at the corner of N. Lamar and 35th St., you’ve seen a stand of these majestic, pyramidal ...

November 19, 2009 The ‘Twinkle Pink’ cuphea* has never looked better than it does right now. In partial shade, with more afternoon than morning sun, it looked decent all summer. But with cooler weather its color has intensified, and it’s covered in cute, hot-pink, tubular flowers. I just love it ...

November 18, 2009 We flirted with light freezes the past two nights, but, coddled by last year’s mild winter, I didn’t even consider covering any of my tender plants. No worries for the rest of the week, however, with highs predicted in the mid-70s (23.8 C) and lows in the ...

November 16, 2009 Mexican feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima) I’ve been participating in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, the community-building brainchild of Carol at May Dreams Gardens, for almost three years. Inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence, who wrote, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol invites garden bloggers to post ...

November 15, 2009 Sunny Dahlberg daisies (Thymophylla tenuiloba) make up for a lack of sun this November morning. The star of Bloom Day this month has to be pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), which blazes crimson above yellow-green foliage that smells like pineapple when crushed between your fingers. It’s just gotten ...

November 15, 2009 Sunny Dahlberg daisies (Thymophylla tenuiloba) make up for a lack of sun this November morning. The star of Bloom Day this month has to be pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), which blazes crimson above yellow-green foliage that smells like pineapple when crushed between your fingers. It’s just gotten ...

November 04, 2009 Forget flowers, why don’t we? Let’s admire instead the silver, feathery soft leaves of ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia. My kids and I like to rub a leaf between our fingers and enjoy the strong fragrance. In a sunny spot this plant has spread out 4 to 5 feet ...