Waiting-for-fall blues
Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) in early-fall bloom
I’ve been feeling a bit lackluster about posting the last few days. Maybe it’s the endless-summer blues, which usually hit in August and last through September. Maybe it’s because, after a flurry of recent posts here at Digging, and a welcome number of comments and great observations by visitors, either my visitors or their interest in commenting have dropped off. If you’re reading this, and you don’t usually comment, please do! Maybe being a blogger is like being a radio DJ on the late-night shift who asks listeners (Anyone out there? ) to call in for song requests. When you’re alone in the booth, it’s a lot more fun if you know someone’s out there listening (or reading). I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what’s happening in your neck of the woods.
There isn’t much happening here. Like I said, we’re all waiting for fall. But some plants in my garden are rebounding and in bloom now that the temperatures have dropped out of the 100s and we’ve had a little rain.
Gaura is reblooming
They sort of look like roses from a distance. Native orange lantana flowers boldly under the window.
There isn’t much happening around here… Yet! Personally, I get really excited about the arrival of Fall. Some of the things that I thought were done for are starting to come back to life!
I love your lantana and sage.
Like what, R.? I hope my damianitas come back, but I don’t know. They look pretty crisp. –Pam
I’m still here.
Unlike you, I’ve been in a gardening frenzy the last two weeks since the temps dropped to 90. Unfortunately we got zero rain south of the river both weeks (Didn’t Camp Mabry get 1/2 an inch this week and last? Did you get any?) Nonetheless, I forced several clumps of oxblood lilies into bloom just to cheer myself up and it is working wonderfully.
Next job, redig all the iris beds. (I’m not looking forward to that). But tomorrow I have to take a break from the garden and paint the kitchen ceiling. (I’m not looking forward to that either–maybe that’s why I’ve been hiding out in the garden.) That nasty, horrible summer is SO over! Did you see the rain chances for the weekend? Maybe some will make it across the river this time.
My rain gauge sprang a leak, so I’m not sure how much rain we had. Tom Spencer, who gardens nearby, reported 1/2 inch recently. It was enough to wet the top of the soil, but it’s still dry out there.
I look forward tohearing more about the reworking of your garden, M. —Pam
I’ve been planting some wonderful Oxblood lily bulbs, [many thanks to M], visiting nurseries with Diva/Annie, repotting a few things, and giving the Snail vine its every-five-day cutting back. Right now I’m thinking about what will be done, not actually doing it. One good soaking rain may take me out of planning mode, but I’m not tackling fifty feet of liriope until I can push the digging fork into the ground.
Pam, what are the spikey plants in front of the Salvia? The leaves resemble one of the African irises, but the flowers look different. You’ve probably shown it to us before, and I’m just not able to recognize it.
Annie
Annie, it’s society garlic. And the low-growing plant between it and the salvia is hymenoxys. —Pam
After my outings to various garden stores this weekend I fell into gardening paralysis. If I put the plumbago under the Old Blush rose then I have to move at least one of the salvia nemarosas. But maybe it’s too hot to move anything yet. And by the way what’s up with that Old Blush? It’s blooming but in a withered kind of way. Maybe I should fertilize all the roses. No maybe I should just sit here on the porch and consider everything again (and enjoy my raspberry salvia greggiis which are indeed blooming their heads off again).
I agree with Annie that one good soaking rain might push me back into action.
— Susan
I vote for sitting on the porch until the next front pushes through. Now that I’ve had a little taste, I’m craving more cool breezes. –Pam
I planted Guara for the first time this year but no blossoms yet. Maybe next year.
I like your photos.
Thanks, Becky. —Pam
Hi Pam
Your pictures are an inspiration to me. My husband and I have been very busy this summer and managed to get a few projects done in our yard. We are so inspired with what you have done with yours! We have a shed that is similar to yours and plan on painting it soon. Your flagstone paths are amazing and I thank you so much for sharing your information and instruction.
Thank you! Good luck with your garden projects, including your new blog. I look forward to virtually visiting your garden. —Pam
Hi Pam,Great blog! Just what I needed! I’m planning on relocating to Austin area late 07′ and as a gardening enthusiast I can’t wait to get started. I reconize many of your plants as those that I now grow on an annual basis. In your opinion what is the ideal Austin area for gardening within 100 miles of the city? And can you grow gardenia, hibiscus and ficus in the ground year round? I was scouting locations last February and got caught in that weekend ice storm, so was wondering if the ground ever freezes? Your photos are great, nice job. Barry
Thanks for visiting, Barry. And welcome, in advance, to Austin. Before you start your Austin garden, I highly recommend a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in SW Austin. Take a notepad, pencil, and camera, and you’ll leave with lots of great plant combinations for our hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
It’s a challenging area to garden in, but the native plants are beautiful once you get used to their “scrubbiness,” and many people here do like to grow tropicals, though they require winter protection. I don’t know what the ideal gardening area would be within 100 miles or even 10 miles. One thing to keep in mind is the Balcones fault line, which roughly parallels MoPac (Loop 1). East of MoPac, you have deep, black clay, called gumbo around here; prairie perennials, grasses, and pecans and other deep-rooted trees grow well here. West of MoPac, you have thin, limestone soil, called caliche; Hill Country plants and smaller trees do best here. I garden just east of MoPac, but by amending my soil with decomposed granite to loosen the clay, I’m able to grow a number of Hill Country plants in addition to prairie plants.
Gardenia doesn’t grow well here. Our soils are alkaline, while gardenia prefers acidic. The same goes for azaleas, Japanese maples, dogwoods, forsythia, and other popular plants of the South. People do grow hibiscus in the ground here, but it dies in the winter. It’s best treated as an annual. I’ve never seen a ficus in the ground here. Our winters are usually mild, but depending on what part of the city you’re in, you’ll have between two and five freezes a winter. The freezes often follow hard on the heels of balmy 80-degree days in January, which makes them especially tough on plants. However, the ground never freezes, and you can plant trees and many perennials all year round.
Good luck with your relocation and new garden. —Pam