Baby Blue

Hmmm, this looks like a nice home.

This is the second year that mama and papa Blue jay have decided to raise a family in the Cecille Breunner Rose arbor that leads to the backyard.


They get very quiet when you walk through, but if you pause mama or papa or both may swoop down to keep you moving along at a quick pace.

One, two, three, four baby blue jays.


Baby-Blue

This little guy wasn't long for this world. He jumped early, and kept yelling at me when I approached to help get him back up into his nest...best of luck, I have 4 cats. Poor baby blue.

Happy Gardening!

CBC Update

I've been meaning to post about the various projects at the Crestview Baptist Church, my neighbor across the street for sometime now. If you scroll down to the bottom of this blog you'll see a variety of short snippets in the left column and lots of photos cataloging various beginnings of earth related projects chronicling the last 2 years. Two of these projects continue. The first was a collaboration with Tree Folks, my neighbors and friends on Dartmouth Ave and the CBC. We planted 17 trees two years ago this November. Of the original planting, 15 trees made it through the hottest summer and coldest winter since the 50's...which I think is wonderful. The other is the Rose Garden seen below, on Earth Day 2009, two months after we put in 9 Martha Gonzales Roses, and the day we installed the Solitary Bee Habitat and two Cecille Bruenner climbers on Melvin's Pergola.

They don't look to shabby for 2 month old roses!


And here are the two climbers and the bee-box.

Melvin loves concrete...you should see his backyard. Anyway, the sign appeared without a word...I called him when I saw it, at that time...I don't think he knew my name yet.

Here is a view looking up Dartmouth...the trees are doing great! The grass that we'd removed came back, it was St. Augustine in full sun! Bermuda has taken over...not what I'd planned, but what can you do? Bermuda is hardy and I'm stunned that it grew over 8 cubic yards of Davey's Mulch...which really isn't mulch, but super rough wood chips.

On Valentines Day 2010, the rose garden was merely 1 year old. If you're not convinced that location and proper planting make all the difference in the world...you should see my puny Martha Gonzales planted the same day, which is almost exactly half the size. What the church has that my yard does not, is space and full sun...two main ingredients to successful roses.

The roses cover the wall, are stunning and in 2 years time should cover the pergola. I haven't seen Melvin in months, they got a new "fire and brimstone" preacher since the projects of '08 and'09 and that seems to make all the difference, there. All relationships ebb and flow, and the CBC has been my neighbor for nearly 14 years. Right now, they've let all the plantings that Melvin and I did in the parking lot for last years Earth Day die, but the Martin box remains. We (Regine and I) continue to try and explain what is a plant and what is a weed to the ground crew, who weekly whack down flowers that we've been trying to establish on the space between the sidewalk and street. But, the roses thrive, and the trees are taking root. By the time the children born on our block in the last two years are grown, our street will be lined with fruit and flowers and Mother Nature will have the last word.

Happy Gardening,

and thank you to all the wonderful people who helped with these projects!

Tax Day Tally...GBBD

February's Bloom Day found me at Texas A&M finishing off a two year National Landscape Design Certification with Bill Welch and in March I was in Kansas City and the Ozarks visiting family...so this is the first time in a long time that I'm logging in on Carol of

May Dreams Gardens World Wide, Garden Bloggers Bloom Day...and boy have I enjoyed taking stock!

This is the the gateway to my backyard. On the right, your looking at Cross Vine on the green gate and on the left, my favorite Earth Kind Texas Rose, Ms. Cecile Bruenner, the rambler.
I can't explain how over the top this baby is! So, I just had to show off, two shots!

And here's the second shot of the beautiful Cross Vine, in glorious bloom all over Austin!

This is Old Blush on the front porch pergola.

The Heartleaf Skullcap is pushing up through the deck while Lady Banksia blooms her buttered popcorn baby roses above. I'm hoping that she and Old Blush will meet in two years time.

Sweet bee going to town on Culinary Sage, blooming up a storm this year!

My dear old neighbor Freida Neff passed along these Larkspur.

Indian Hawthorn

One of several Salvia Greggi versions blooming in my yard this spring.

Germander

Culinary Thyme

Hello Blanca. The bees are playing tricks on me. I have both white and yellow Iris blooming in my purple iris beds!

Pittosporum

More Autumn Sage...of the Cherry variety.

The predictable Red Yucca.

Gregg Dahlia

Yea! The orange Bulbine made it through the winter from hell, the yellow is a goner.

Four Nerve Daisy, or my favorite "hell strip" plant, Hymenoxis.

Monkey faced Viola, crazy lady...she's taken off in my driveway!

Fuchsia Moss Verbena

Diamanita and Prairie Verbena

Belinda's Dream

The Arugula, gone to flower and seed. This is the fifth year of collecting seeds...a Texas winner for winter greens!

This rose was purchased the year I bought my house, 1997 from Home Depot. I have moved it 3 times, this year it finally bloomed! Can someone please identify her for me? Annie, Manda...anyone? The next photo is the whole plant.

Isn't she a pretty one?

I had to put this one in, even if it's blurry...look at those greens! Onion!

I never thought I'd see the day that Swiss Chard went to flower in my yard...but she thrived in this horrid cold winter!

Spider Wort

Culinary Sage, Mint, Onion and the Cecile Brunner...and that's the peach tree in the middle ground.

Peggy Martin rose, now being referred to as the Katrina Rose because she was the first and possibly only gal to come back.

Yay and hallelujah! The ocotillo made it through!

Hello Knock Out!

Poor Clematis gettin' eatin' by bugs so soon!

My other Cecile Bruenner, if I haven't said it before, she's my favorite Texas Rose! I have two...and I'd have more if I had the room! BTW, the chickens are giving her a good pruning at the base!

My Cheshire caterpillar about to be engulfed by the nasty invasive honeysuckle...that my girls still love to eat!

Oh yea, Apricot! The first year to have a tree-full of fruit! Whoot Whoo! I hope the worms don't get her like the peach! It's a marvelous year here in Austin. Really! You should see the wildflowers and I'm expecting to have to make jam all summer! The following list includes further camera shy bloomers for the lovely month of April! I can't wait to see what's blooming in your neck of the woods!

April Bloomers at Conscious Gardening:

Old Blush

Belinda's Dream

Randy's Rose

Knock Out

Peggy Martin

Martha Gonzales

Lady Banksia

Cecile Bruenner

Iris

Hymenoxis

Verbena, Prairie and Moss

Rosemary

Oxalis, Purple and Pink

Salvia Greggi

Cabbage

Arugula

Thyme

Culinary Sage

Lavender

Germander

Larkspur

Hymenoxis

Viola

Spider Wort

Iris

Trumpet Vine

Clematis

Snap Dragon

Agave

Gregg Dalia

I think that's it...though I might add more later...

Happy Gardening!