The yellow glow of late fall
December 02, 2021 Cool, blue-sky weather has me spending more time in the garden, having friends over, and tinkering with planting beds. It’s kind of glowing out there. Why? Yellow is the color of fall in my garden, starting with the wonderful forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis), which lights up the ...
Reds for fall and foliage power
September 21, 2021 Ah, end of summer in Texas, and fall only a few weeks away. It’s still a bit too early for the fresh flowering of our “second spring,” but festive reds blaze among the ferny foliage of cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) on the deck railing. Everyone warns me ...
Moonglow mangave and signs of summer’s end
September 07, 2021 ‘Moonglow’ mangave I’m a little infatuated with mangaves, those succulent-leaved hybrids of agaves and manfredas. I’ve been growing a couple hardy mangaves (hardy most winters in our zone 8b) for years as focal points in protected beds or containers. My hardy faves are ‘Macho Mocha’ and its ...
Migrating kites roosting in the garden on their way to South America
August 31, 2021 Austin’s Kite Festival, held annually in March, should perhaps be moved to August. Why? Right now massive flocks of Mississippi kites are passing through Austin on the way to their wintering grounds in South America. In all seriousness, though, the sight of 50 to 75 kites swirling ...
Garden bed evolution and a newly named agave
August 21, 2021 It’s taken over a year, but this corner bed below the deck is finally moving in a good direction. For several years this space was filled with a frothy cloud of bamboo muhly — fine for a hedge or background planting, but I didn’t want a monolithic ...
Pretty in pink
July 24, 2021 Right after a summer rain pink rain lilies (Zephryanthes ‘Labuffarosea’) pop up, seemingly overnight. I don’t even remember planting this bulb here, but what a serendipitous pairing it makes with chartreuse ‘Everillo’ sedge. The flowers may be short-lived, but they are lovely when they appear. Another pink ...
Nighttime is datura time
July 19, 2021 On a recent evening I followed the fragrance of lemon Pledge to find my datura (Datura wrightii) practically howling at the moon. I counted at least 20 flowers, each as big across as my outstretched hand. The fragrant flowers of this native Texas plant open at dusk ...
Twin fawns hiding in the garden
June 16, 2021 Opening the front door, I spotted four oversized ears and two white-spotted bodies — twin fawns hidden by their mother in the raised bed by the driveway. Framed against shiny, blue ceramic balls, they made an irresistible photo op. I quietly staked out a spot on the ...
Bee balm, daylilies, and fawn season
June 13, 2021 I’m grateful for the past two weeks of off-and-on rain, which helped my garden rebound from the epic February freeze. Early June may be hot and muggy now, but the garden is full and flowery. And the driveway border is back, baby! ‘Peter’s Purple’ bee balm (Monarda ...
Heart eyes for heartleaf skullcap and more
May 26, 2021 A blue haze has settled over the driveway-island bed, the silvery blue flowers of heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata). I find myself stopping to admire them every time I step outside. It fills in nicely around a ‘Vanzie’ whale’s tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia), ‘Vertigo’ pennisetum grass, Mexican oregano ...
A week of bloom spikes and rain
May 22, 2021 We had such prolonged rain this week that I lost track of how many inches it came to — 4 inches for sure if not 5. The garden responded to the extra water and mild May temps with a profusion of growth, including bloom spikes on yuccas, ...
Redesigning a boring side garden and shading a patio
May 12, 2021 Side garden after replanting I got rid of all the lawn years ago — a big design move — but a garden isn’t static. Years later a space often needs a redesign if it’s become overgrown or certain plants haven’t performed as expected. And sometimes things just ...
Spring sights in the garden
April 29, 2021 ‘Frazzle Dazzle’ dyckia My spring planting is done, and I think all my post-freeze cutting back is done too. There are still brown shrubs and dead-looking small trees (like a pomegranate coming back from the roots, with a few leaves here and there on upper branches) taking ...
My grasses, sedges, and bamboos: Alive, dead or in-between? Evaluating plants 2 months after Texas freeze
April 25, 2021 Carex leavenworthii breezed through the deep freeze Today I’m taking a look at my grassy plants — my ornamental grasses, sedges, and bamboos. While I have no lawn at all, I grow a lot of clumping, shade-tolerant grasses as groundcovers, screening plants, and accent plants. Deer ignore ...
My agaves and other woody lilies: Alive, dead or in-between? Evaluating plants 2 months after Texas freeze
April 19, 2021 Freeze-damaged squid agave Today I’m taking a look at my woody lilies and bromeliads — plants like agave, yucca, nolina, sotol, hesperaloe, mangave, and dyckia. Some of these plants took a severe hit while others sailed through the freeze. I use them mainly as focal points or ...
My perennials: Alive, dead or in-between? Evaluating plants 2 months after Texas freeze
April 15, 2021 Growing coreopsis foliage. I don’t know about the beetle but hope it’s not a pest. Today I’m taking a look at my perennials, the second largest plant group in my garden, and one that happily suffered little lasting damage from the freeze! But first, the backstory. Texas ...
