Spikes and springtime

March 22, 2023

Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis), a self-sowing native and a springtime beauty, continues to color my shady spaces purple. Its bee-feeding flowers open at dawn and close in the early afternoon, except on cool, cloudy days, when they may stay open all day.

More flower spikes line the raised bed behind the house, where winter-wounded soap aloes (Aloe maculata) have burst into coral-red bloom, in spite of their missing succulent “arms.” I’ve heard that hummingbirds have returned to Austin. I’ve yet to see one this spring, but these aloe flowers are sure to attract the earliest visitors.

In preparation for hotter weather, I planted a new mangave, ‘Fiercely Fabulous’, in the blue pot on the paver pillar. It bristles like its metal lizard companion.

The UFOs are hovering over the garden again now that spring is here. I overwintered these hanging planters inside whenever we had a freeze, and their ‘Frazzle Dazzle’ dyckias are looking as zany as ever, like crazy, spiky haircuts. ‘Color Guard’ yuccas add height at ground level in short metal pots.

An even bigger yucca — my largest — towers over the side path into the back garden. This ‘Sapphire Skies’ Yucca rostrata is about 12 feet tall now.

The bottle tree is another kind of zany feature in my garden nowadays, plunked into the new stock-tank planter. I’m itching for the silver ponyfoot in the tank to creep its way across the decomposed granite and drape over the sides. But it’s been cool, chilly even, and ponyfoot likes the heat. Must. Be. Patient.

As ever, the sunburst-patterned stone paving makes for a pleasing view from the elevated deck. I can almost ignore those tiny little plants in the stock-tank planter by focusing on the bottle tree glowing in the evening.

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Digging Deeper

Shop for native Texas plants at the Wildflower Center’s spring Native Plant Sale. Held on Fridays through Sundays, March 24 to May 7, from 9 am to 1 pm. The first weekend is just for Wildflower Center members, so join to enjoy this perk, plus get free admission all year and more.

Experience the Surreal Garden at Zilker Botanical Garden, an enchanting neon-art display throughout the gardens, with food and drink, music and dancing, surreal performers, and interactive art sculptures. Surreal costumes encouraged! 25% of event proceeds benefit the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy. Runs April 6 (VIP Night), April 7-8, and April 13-15, from 6:30 pm to 11 pm.

Add to your succulent collection at the Austin Cactus & Succulent Society Spring Show & Sale on April 15 and 16, from 10 am to 5 pm, at Zilker Botanical Garden. Come enjoy the plant show, shop for unique plants and pottery, and participate in a silent auction and raffles. Free with paid admission to Zilker Botanical Garden.

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

22 responses to “Spikes and springtime”

  1. Joellen Meyeres says:

    Love your purple spiderwort, mine are blue. The aloe blooms are impressive! I’m sure the hummers will find them soon. They showed up at my feeders this week.

    • Pam/Digging says:

      My spiderworts range into blue too, and I love the variety. I’ll be looking for the first hummer!

  2. Kris P says:

    That Mangave is deserving of its name and the lizard is the perfect accent. I hope your spring garden continues to delight you with its recovery.

  3. Lisa says:

    Lovely, Pam!

  4. Mmmm, you have me wanting to head back to Texas. Your garden looks lovely…and warm. 😉

    • Pam/Digging says:

      It’s been kind of cool for a week, but tomorrow it starts to warm up. Come to Austin next time!

  5. Paula Stone says:

    I read your article in this month’ s Wildflower` magazine. I couldn’t agree more with you; children need more outdoor time, time in nature (a sports field doesn’t serve the same purpose). Great article, I hope many parents see it and take it to heart.

  6. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    Nice to see all your colors.
    Our spiderwort is just popping out of rhe ground.

  7. Ginny says:

    Oh Pam! I am fiercely coveting that fabulous mangave!!! Wow!
    Your gardens are looking fresh and springy. Yay spring!

    • Pam/Digging says:

      It’s fun to try the new mangaves that show up in the nurseries. I generally treat them as potted annuals, which gives me an excuse to try another one the next year.

  8. Chavli says:

    The corner with the UFOs and 3 ‘Color Guard’ yuccas is fabulous.
    That saying about a watched pot never boils… probably true for silver ponyfoot 😀 One day when you aren’t looking it will burst into action.

  9. Kate S. says:

    Major ‘heart-eyes’ for the the lights in the tank – brings so much interest to the sculptural qualities at night. What a view from the deck!

  10. Molly Pierce says:

    Gorgeous garden! I was wondering about how you created the bottle tree. Forgive me if you’ve explained before, but I’ve had no luck in my search. Thanks!

    • Pam/Digging says:

      Thanks, Molly. I had a welder make the bottle tree for me. He welded rebar to a metal plate base, with holes drilled in the plate for rebar anchors. When I put the bottle tree in this tank planter, I buried the base several inches to get the height I wanted.

  11. Diane Black says:

    Your gardens are so inspiring!!!! I’ve learned so much and I’ve gotten so many different ideas in the last year since we’ve been here. I had the same question regarding your bottle please. You probably have explained it before but I’m relatively new to this website. If you could, please give me some pointers. I think I could try to duplicate it. Thank you Diane Black.