October Update!

It's been so long since I blogged, mainly because I've gone back to teaching art...temporarily that is. Anyway, the summer nearly killed us all, the hottest one on record...since record taking began and between last winter and this summer I've had to say goodbye to a lot of plants that I thought were tougher and came to find out that "drought tolerant" is really an iffy idea. I have been looking at my fellow bloggers list of survivors and I feel like I have lost a lot but that my intuition early this spring to water deep and mulch 16 cubic yards did more than abundant watering could have. I watered minimally, only on my days, and kept hand watering to things in pots, transplants, roses and food only. So, the natives and supposed "drought tolerant" plants I lost have left me puzzled about this name. The other thing that seems to go against my nature is this idea that we should be planting now. Every time I think of digging up and turning the earth...this poor earth that has been baked hard and is so depleted of nutrients, microbes and structure, I feel uncomfortable...a little sick. I am very sad for the independent nurseries, but I have to be true to my intuition; stop and consider history.

My yard art homage to everything we've lost from the coldest winter in 50 years...last winter to the hottest summer on record. We love you lost souls of the soil!

Emily Wilson, my sweet friend and neighbor gave me a luffa she grew for Christmas last year, complete with seeds, so I planted three of them. I had blooms and vines galore, but for some reason only got one...but it was full of seeds!

I was surprised as all get up when I squatted down to catch a photo of a bloom and saw three eggplant, yahoooo!

This is one of our two 4 foot square gardening boxes we built after loosing last years winter greens crop. Greg and I have been working our way through Gaia's Garden and changing a lot of the way we used to do things. The photo shows what's left of the spring crop of Arugula, we're hoping it'll go to seed, and he just cut down the stalks of the okra and planted new greens in small holes he made with his finger, not turning or disturbing the soil.

Two of the 6 spots I have been working on spreading the Schoolhouse Lily survived. Both I'm sure were just fortunate to be near other things that got regular water...I had totally forgotten about them.

Autumn color among the onions!

Sweet Cecile Brunner! My favorite little tea rose smelling beauty!

Miniature Pomegranate flowers!

The Autumn and Texas Sage are blooming profusely with the little rain!

The bees are loving this!

Skullcap blooming under the American Elm.

Tropical Sage and Gregg's Mistflower are keeping the butterflies happy!

Gregg's Mistflower with several herbs coming up inside the patch.

One lonely Cross Vine flower lying on the ground.

Late bloomer, Mexican Honeysuckle.

Possumhaw Holly for the birds; I planted one in the front yard early this past spring.

The best, most healthy looking rose through the drought was no doubt Martha Gonzales.

Of the pink and purple varieties of Mexican Ruellia, the purple blooms last longer.

Pink Mexican Ruellia Island looking the healthiest she has in months! Thank you rain!!!

It was so shocking to see the Heartleaf Skullcap come up even before the rain, she's tough.

Another shot of the Shallots we forgot to dig up, coming in around the Autumn Mums.

Tick weed, so cheerful!

This is one of 3 Chili Pequin, and I always avoid white flowers...but noticed this morning that I have quite a few....

Pigeon Berry, going strong. This is a super easy plant to propagate...I just break a piece off, pinch off the blooms, scratch up the base and stick it where I want it. She faints for a few days then perks right up!

Philippine Violet, the only one that survived the freeze of last year...now the drought!

Datura, Moon Flower, Jamestown Weed, Jimson weed....whatever you call her, I'll always keep at least one of these deadly dreamers in my yard...so fresh and lovely!

My neighbors have the traditional Red, orange, yellow Lantana blooming like crazy in their yard...but the white and purple are the ones thriving in mine. In fact, my New Gold didn't bloom once this summer. I think it's because it's on the hell zone, and this year they repaved my street and the hell zone plants that have always thrived pretty much pooped out...including Four Nerve Daisy, she's shriveled up with nary a bloom in sight.

I put my Almond Verbena in the wrong place and this year she took off...mostly because she's in the shade. Anyway, whenever I step next door to visit my neighbor I brush past her for a delightful scent!

We've got several vines that fight for the sun space in the back yard, but the

Autumn Bridal Veil Clematis made it to the top and is lighting up the corner.

She lives! The Sago Palm never fails to impress me, she's died back completely several times but she always prevails!

This little Crown of Thorns is blooming, but her leaves are so pale it's hard to see her brightness...I need to give her a jolt!

RIP...the hops never came up. We were at Austin HomeBrew Supply yesterday and I asked some of the folks in line if they'd ever had success growing them in Austin. One dude said he planted 6 this year and 4 were thriving, covered in flowers. Pisser. Then, it turns out...he ordered his online from an organic grower in Oregon, he said they were monster rhizomes...ping...thank you sir!

Over half of the Iron Plant baked in the sun...

This is so sad to me, the Fall Aster is barely holding on when at this time, it should be a mound of purple blossoms. I'm going to hit it with some compost tea...hopefully that'll help.

Yuck...the grass has really suffered...even though we regularly watered this area since this little patch is the center of several drip zones for our backyard trees.

If I put the camera down and shoot the grass from this angle, you can't see the horrid brown spots!

We only got one wheel barrel of compost...which is pathetic. Also, due to the extreme heat and probably lack of food, for the first time ever, we found a rat in the pile! So shocking, it scared the crap out of me!

This is one of the most exciting summer gains...I bought this little plant a few years back at Peckerwood Gardens and have been watching it carefully for a few years now, and I finally broke them down and transplanted them and they are thriving!

Here are a few things that are blooming but not pictured here:

Coral Vine

Fern leaf Verbena

Mexican Oregano

Purple Cone Flower

Passionflower Vine

Chocolate Plant

Turks Cap

Blue Mealy Sage

Flame Acanthus

Mexican Sage

Russian Sage

Cherry Barbados

It's been a horrid summer here in Texas, but the cool weather is on it's way...today it's only supposed to hit the mid 80's and the mornings are delightful. I hope to blog again...before Christmas, I hope. Oh, and a shout out to the Garden Bloggers on Bloom Day! Thank you Linda at May Dreams Gardens for puttin' this here blog roll together!

Happy Gardening!

Wordy Wednesday...

Wanna bunny? I caved at Christmas and let my 15 and 17 year old daughters (see photo of irresponsible, yet angelic looking teens below to the left in bluebonnets) pick a baby bunny tiny enough to fit in their palms with the classic knee bending wails and promises of...I'll take care of them, you won't have to do a thing! Truth is, they are adorable. The fat one (Dasher, or dinner) squints her eyes when I give her a rub down and she is ohhhh so soft. But, they are uncomfortable in their tiny hutch, so we let them have run of the garden for several hours a day...and they're tearing it up. They dig holes everywhere, and eat everything. The only thing that's improved since they've arrived is the state of my compost, which is rapidly breaking down with the added poop. BTW, I can hear your thinking...fool. I know, I'm a fool for saying yes, but they are old enough to understand the word responsibility. Now...to figure out a plan...it'll be hard to find a home for them, and even harder to eat them...so, here lies the dilemma. I'm open to suggestions.

Bobble and Dasher

(see photo of bunny damage in GBBD post below)

I got several comments about the state of my Pride of Barbados in the Bloom Day tally, but this little guy came as a total surprise. This is the only surviving Philippine Violet out of 6, that I had planted over 2 years ago. I'm chalking up these tropical beauties to my lazy gardening skills. I came down with a horrid spring bug, that lasted over 3 weeks, plus took on a full time job, and am handling the majority of the household/teen drama duties due to loving spouse, who also works full time and is a full time PhD student...who today is taking his orals today, followed by a week of comps and lengthy research papers due...pruning was at the bottom of my list...well, all winter and up until this past weekend. (how's that for a run-on?) I believe that's what saved these plants...the shrub overgrowth around them insulated them from the cold where as the other's got zapped. The violet was completely covered by the neighboring Powess Castle, who provided a blessed fortress...thank you, from Ms. Violet.

Also discovered, while yanking out the aggressive Heart leaf Skullcap, this lone Brugmansia, one of 3 that made it! Oh, the turtle wins this race! Hurray for lazy pruners, say the weenie, faaancy plants and me.

And coming up strong is the Sago Palm! Hurray...nothing there to protect her, but after a long pruning...the first set of fronds is coming up strong. I thought the one out front, on the hell strip was a goner, everything brown so I pruned her down to the poky coconut shaped ball that she is without her hair-doo and thought I'd yank her out, roots and all when I had more energy...she's back too!

This last shot is a progress report on the three sisters, my only spring project. My mother gave me a package of Three Sisters, with instructions...so, I thought I'd give it a shot. I never knew exactly how the setup worked even though I'd heard about it since Jr. High geography class and I'm assuming a lot of gardeners don't know either...thinking...you put 'em all together and see what happens. Well, here's the deal. You first plant the corn, then when it's 4 inches high you plant the bean about 6 inches away. When the bean is up and sprouts, you plant the squash 6 inches away, in a triangle. Now the Indians planted them with a fish, I just used fish emulsion. The idea is that the bean uses the corn as a trellis and the squash keeps their feet cool by providing an umbrella to their feets. Then there's some chemical thing that supports the three of them...that part I still don't have down...but right now I'm just tickled pink about my girls! They're almost as tall as I! I didn't know what would be the best location, so I have one set in a pot, and one on the other side of the culinary garden so when the corn tassels, I'll have to run around like a bee pollinating the three locations...lesson learned, also it was just dumb on my part to put this group (the one in the photo above) on the outside of the gated garden because I've already had to chase chickens and bunnies away!

Wanna bunny?

So, tonight...after the cohort defends their ground, they're coming to my garden to celebrate and imbibe some of spouses Double Chocolate Stout (funny how he finds time to brew but not clean huh?) and BBQ. Knowing this was coming, I made my first trip to the nursery this year...FIRST...can you believe it? I laid down 100$ to replace my hanging baskets and fill my window planters and rock garden out front, picked up some soil and a 20ft. piece of hose for one of my water collection stations and I'm promising myself to keep the dollars to a minimum because we're still trying to recover from all the spending last year before the garden tour...this will be tough...because I've missed several plant exchanges this spring, including Elayne Lansford's exotic plant exchange that happens only once a year! I usually come home with the pick-up truck bed cram packed...but the garden looks pretty good considering my lack of time. 7 more days teaching school...and then WEEEEEEEE, summer vacation and back to my favorite time and place...homestead tv and tending the tenders.

Happy Gardening!

If you want a bunny, or know someone who does pleeeeeease let me know!