Early May, summer as it should be
I’m always grateful when early May rolls around, even though it means summer’s sauna-like heat is right around the corner. Why? Because the 20 mature live oaks in my garden are finally done dropping daily heaps of leaves and pollen catkins. And because I’ve managed to clean it all up and can see my plants again.
Early May has all the promise of glorious summer in more-temperate climates, with none of the heat and drought stress that often occur during a Texas summer.
It’s summer as it should be.
In order to soak it up, I’ve been spending as much time as I can out on the patio.
And we’ve already been swimming a few times. Another month and I’ll be soaking in here and staring at the garden with a critical eye, deciding what needs to change come fall. But for now, in early May, I simply appreciate what looks good.
I’ve been catching up on my reading on our comfy new patio sofa. I don’t usually risk cushioned furniture because of squirrels that chew them open to get at the stuffing. But by gosh, I wanted a comfortable place to lounge and finally took a chance. Don’t make me regret it, squirrels!
A cool-hued container combo: purple oxalis and a turquoise pot.
Key-lime-pie-hued ‘Joe Hoak’ agave
On the sunny deck, a mammillaria cactus is still pumping out satin-petaled, carnation-pink flowers. Ah, May in a Texas garden.
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Digging Deeper
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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Enjoy your time outside, Pam! After our second heatwave of the year, we’re supposed to cool down but it’s still a little toasty today.
Here’s to a cool front for SoCal, Kris!
What fun to get outside to enjoy your garden while you can. I hope those pesky squirrels leave you cushions alone. I didn’t know they did that. Squirrels here have never chewed cushions. I hope they don’t either. Everything looks so nice. We might get a freeze here tonight. I don’t think Mother Nature knows it is spring. She is stuck back in Winter.
I hope your foray back into winter is brief, Lisa, and not too damaging to your spring garden.
Everything looks beautiful! The new sofa looks great and I’m impressed you actually sit down in your garden and enjoy it. Good luck with the squirrels – I’ve had issues just once in the past and I still hold a grudge :).
Squirrels can elicit that kind of emotion! 🙂
Beautiful photos Pam! As someone who gardens (the back garden) under towering, horribly messy Douglas Firs that drop needles, branches, thousands of male cones, and hundreds of female cones each summer I would love to see a reality photo of your oak leaves and pollen catkins. Misery loves company? Maybe a little bit. I’m just curious what someone else’s clean up regimen is like. My nightmare starts now, with 20+ mph winds for the last 3 days (gusts 30+) as a mini-heat wave arrives, the litter is falling like snow. It will go on over the entire summer with exceptionally windy days (which are always accompanied by heat and very low humidity) dropping a carpet of those male cones.
Your Douglas firs sound like a nightmare to garden under, Loree. Do they at least provide some welcome shade in summer? That’s what my live oaks have going for them. Well, that and their sinuous, black trunks, which represent Central Texas so well. No doubt your Douglas firs provide similar PNW ambience in your garden.
I’ve looked, but it seems I don’t take photos of the live oak leaf drop in March or the pollen drop into April, probably because it’s so unphotogenic. But I did dig up one FB photo of a day’s worth of pollen on my upper patio from a few years back. I’ll see if I can find a way to post it in a comment, or, failing that, I’ll email it to you. I fill approximately 40 large trash cans/bags with leaves and pollen each spring. So do many of my neighbors; our whole neighborhood is in a live oak forest. The city picks those up and turns them into compost, which they sell to the public, a process I really appreciate. It’s an overwhelming job each year, but at least it’s spread out across two months.
What a lovely spot you’ve made for you and your family to enjoy all the benefits of May. Your challenges are quite different from mine here in coastal New England, but it looks like you have everything under control. Have a wonderful spring!
Oh, everything is far from under my control. 🙂 I am just happy to be surfing the wave of post-live oak cleanup right now. It’s the little things! Thanks for your comment, Ellie.