1st garden–2008

September 14, 2008 After pounding Galveston Island and Houston to our east, Hurricane Ike ponderously swirled northeast, leaving not a trace of rain in my north-central Austin garden. You wouldn’t even have known there was a massive hurricane spiraling two and a half hours away except for a major influx ...

September 10, 2008 For summer there, bear in mind, is a loitering gossip, that only begins to talk of leaving when September rises to go. —George Washington Cable Cable was writing about New Orleans’ sweltering September, but his description applies as well to Austin. Though I’m thankful for the cooler ...

September 09, 2008 ‘Lavender Lady’ passionflower vine The trendy topic of guerrilla gardening, hashed over for months in the garden blogging community (see Garden Rant and Gardening Tips ‘n’ Ideas), has trickled down to the local news. Local readers, tune in to KEYE 42 news tonight at 10 p.m. to ...

September 09, 2008 Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light. But I’m glad you did. Those days aren’t over yet, and you still have another week or two to shine. The awkward shot above shows a combination I like: pale pavonia (Pavonia hastata ) with oxblood lily ...

September 08, 2008 The tall trees across the street usually keep the sunset light from hitting the front garden. But a couple of evenings ago, while I was taking pictures, low rays from the setting sun managed to break through and bathe the front garden in an orange-pink glow. It ...

September 07, 2008 The cooler mornings lately have drawn me into the garden, and I’ve been taking more photos than usual. It’s impossible to resist these fat, pink rosebuds appearing on the ‘Belinda’s Dream’ rosebush. The pillow-like flowers are even sweeter, with a dreamy fragrance. The kidneywood (Eysenhardtia texana ), ...

September 05, 2008 For the second year in a row, my cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia ) is being tip-pruned without my authorization. Every morning I sweep up the patio under the tree (I’ve got to keep things looking good for potential buyers), but only an hour or so later I ...

September 04, 2008 A cool north breeze surprised me yesterday and still blows today, bringing us the deliciously dry air and deep blue skies that we’d normally wait until mid-October to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong. We’re still seeing temperatures in the mid- to upper 90s (35.5 Celsius), but it ...

September 02, 2008 The shorter days and cooler nights of late summer make this hot-climate gardener giddy with anticipation of fall, which around here means a return to the garden, to enjoying the outdoors, to our best planting season. While I sympathize with my northern friends who sense their gardening ...

September 02, 2008 Trellis screen and crossvine after a year of growth A year ago last spring, I built a simple trellis screen out of a heavy-gauge wire panel, three T-posts, and three cedar posts in order to separate the back patio garden from the kids’ play area. I particularly ...

August 30, 2008 We picked a good time to sell our garden—er, home. Thanks to the recent rain and slightly cooler temperatures (though it’s still in the upper 90s today), the garden has responded with a flush of new flowers. Best of all, the Autumn sage (Salvia greggii ) that ...

August 29, 2008 Every silver lining has its cloud. This cloud is small but significant: I am leaving Green Hall Garden. After seven years of loving attention, experimentation, a little relaxation, and a whole lot of digging, I will be turning over my garden (and the house) to a new ...

August 27, 2008 Only a couple of the oxblood lilies are up and blooming. I thought more would have popped up by now, but perhaps the rest are holding out for another good rain shower. I’d be happy to see another inch or two. Last week’s three inches was a ...

August 22, 2008 The first oxblood lilies of fall (optimistically speaking!) burst into bloom today, thanks to the generous rain we received last week. Rhodophiala bifida‘s deep, rich red, glowing at the feet of the Turk’s cap and pale pavonia, caught my eye this morning. Isn’t it beautiful—and a beautiful ...

August 21, 2008 A new Austin garden blogger named Karla introduced herself this week. She’s blogging at The Garden Guide and gardening out near Mansfield Dam on eight acres. For those of us who wish for more room to plant and grow, eight acres sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Welcome ...

August 19, 2008 It hasn’t rained like this since May. Yep, May. After months of drought, my little patch of Austin is finally experiencing what the southwest Austin bloggers have been happily reporting since the weekend—rain! A thunderstorm this morning dropped 2 inches of rain. (Is there any happier feeling ...