In My Garden...

After reading Carols blog May Dreams Come Gardens about how big her garden is, I decided to step outside and have a look at mine. This is my side garden, or my greens-garden on the left, and my Texas-Toughies on the right...plus rose. It's a new location and I haven't paid it much attention since I busted up the sod and thew down seeds with about a cubic yard or so of Eco-Growers mix. We decided to try this bare space of St. Augustine because the previous location just didn't get enough sun...I think we've found our spot. I just put in two fruit trees, a Fuyu Persimmon and a Wonderful Pomegranate. My husband wanted to do the square foot gardening but my messy organic nature wouldn't allow the straight lines, you can see the cacophony of species and sizes...I especially love it when things start blooming and going to seed randomly...it feels like agri-nature.

I was asked to be on the Master Gardener Garden Tour this October (Lord knows why?) so I've been making a sincere attempt to organize my space into "rooms" like all the proper design books advise, but I really do prefer living in an experimental-cottage garden. As it is, I know exactly where to go if I need something...it's next to it's companion plant usually, or in a grouping of like minded species, or with something that's color makes it pop. It makes sense to me, it's just that coming up with an actual garden size...is probably impossible (well, not for a mathematician!)
Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Arugala, Mustard Greens and the base of the Pom.

Lady Banksia gone wild...I need an arbor!

Arugala Flowers

Lately, I've been obsessed with finding native perennials at all the nurseries and finishing up old projects along with the laborious task of busting up rock hard mulch...in some area's it was over 4 inches thick! Not a drop of water could penetrate that...just in case we get rain some fine day. While I was working away on my knees I noticed the base of this old cactus that I'd pineappled and was unable to remove on my own. I needed it gone because it was sticking out into the street and I was worried about all the kid-folk passers-by. I was sort of cursing my dear sweet spouse for not removing it as I had so sweetly asked time and again, when I looked up and noticed it had sprouted! I couldn't believe it! I'd jumped on the shovel and worked up a sweat trying to get the thing out and here it was rewarding me with a summer of joy...I will be watching this baby daily. I love the slow, steady growth and the gigantic blossom!

Blackfoot Daisy

The purple Irises in the front yard always spell S-P-R-I-N-G...to me.

Gregg Dalea...very tiny but tough and sweet.

Cherry Sage going wild!

This is my front deck built by my friend Curtis with a 3 year old, Old Blush Rose. Don't ask for his number...he only fiddles these days...for the White Ghost Shivers...if you are in town, you have to see them...they're sort of carnival meets Vaudeville meets Austin Swang...super entertaining!

This area is always a mess. It's where our garage cat Sappho-Moon (who we would love to find a home for...she moved out when the dogs moved in and has never adjusted...) jumps up through the window. It's also where I tore the English Ivy off the wall and it left horrid thrashes in the siding...so, I'm trying to get some Mexican Honeysuckle going from cuttings out at Zilker.

The predictable clover in the Goddess Garden.

My baby cacti-nursery out for a sunny afternoon.

My brother drug this ebony boat home from Africa when he was in the Peace Corps...I replanted some Aloe and Mother-of-a-Thousand in it and shoved it against the tree house.

A lone Bulbine blossom.

River Fern from my friend and neighbor, Sabrina. She cleared a bunch off the side of her house and called me and said "come get it or I'm throwing it out..." I thought it had died...but the lovely curls are out!

So, I build two mound plantings in the back yard...un-did a veggie bed that wasn't producing...not enough sun...and then topped it off with what was left in the compost. Both mounds are covered in sprouts! We'll see how they survive...

My little bird from my French neighbor Regine...we call her our "French Bird"...Regine that is.

The "survivors" of the latest Dorothy Belle massacre...that's my Boston Terrier. The Road Island Red is Florence Jean Castleberry II, the Silver Laced Wyandott is Lucinda and the Mexican Black is Shanaynay, after one of my favorite students.

Patrick's Abutilon, a baby that I put in the back yard. We had a speaker at the Austin Garden Club last week who said that this is labeled as an annual but that they had it live through the past 3 winters...so I thought I'd give him a go! He looks like a Chinese lantern!

Humming bird, humming bird which one is real?

I love bud. (Bud is my dog.) This one is a Mexican Buckeye...such a seasonal beauty I can't wait 'til she blooms!

My new butterfly watering hole.

The Omaha onions are coming along. A friend of mine was over the other day and she said my bed looked like an abstract of the state of Texas...West Texas we decided.

This is my winter triumph, a pale pink Brugmansia that is just one year old, I watered her heavily before the "threat" of frost, wrapped her in a hoodie and then carefully covered her in a pillow case...she made it through the winter!

A view of one side of the Goddess Garden...all transplants and cuttings.

I wanted to catch this row of Trumpet Vine before it burst into bloom!

Autumn Mum, in the window box.

Spider Wort Lilly

This little flower stumps the ladies at the park daily. Today the open air painters were in my garden and several of them wondered over to ask what it was...when I said Spider Wort, they all...in unison it seemed rememebered their grandmothers calling it by that name, though one little lady insisted that it was Snot Wort. I asked her why she thought it was that, she said because of the gooey stuff in the stem. Learn something new everyday.

Happy Gardening.

Nursery Crawl...Plus Chickens!

We got off to a late start Friday due to some planing at Randy's place, which is also going to be on the Master Gardener Tour of '09...the theme being Inner City Wild Life Habitats. Since we are both on a "no spending diet" we decided to review Taco Stand fare, Torchy's Taco's on S. First, neither of us had been so we were excited!

This first shot is a view from under the trees. Shuggie's there on the left is a burger place slated to open this summer. It was high noon and there was a line forming as we pulled up.
The menu is fun, a great place to bring guests you want to show unique character of Austin. On the menu were "The Republican, pork filled, The Democrat, beef filled,The Dirty Sanchez...you get the idea...
The staff was helpful and polite! This young lady was working the line so that by the time you reached the trailer you have only to pay, pick up your drink and number...they'll deliver your food to you under the oaks.
You're looking at a "Fried Avocado Taco" and a "Fried Shrimp Taco." They have a selection of 5 different sauces, corn or flour tortilla's and it was excellent! I was intrigued about the fried avocado taco with beans...crispy on the outside and cool and creamy on the inside! Delish!

Look at all that Avocado! My favorite vegetable...bury me now:)
Check out Randy's blog...Horse Lips Horse Sense, for his review! We both gave it a thumbs up, though Randy was thirsty the rest of the afternoon...salty beef.

We pulled into PlanteScape Gardens and were greeted by one of the most docile and sweet Boxers I've ever met...Xena. She was lumbering and gentle...then came...

Scrappy! Twice her size and looking like he didn't care for us none to much, but we were wrong...he's a big lover and wanted to get in on some cuddles! Adam the owner says he often scares people but he's really just a push over.

Diaz Gallery changes Artists every 3 months
Once the greetings were underway, Adam's mother Sandra came out to say Hi as well and we all started in on plant talk. It turns out that Sandra is taking the city's Green Garden Certification program with Randy and I, and she recognized us from the previous Wednesday. PlanteScape has been in business for 5 years and is a mother-son operation. They are both gardeners and landscape designers who focus on low water organic gardening...right up my alley!

A few months ago I was on a search for Ocotillo cactus. I had to get permission to plant them at Zilker, against the better judgement of the Architect who felt like they are not really Austin friendly. The reason is that they are a true desert plant and thrive in draught situations of a yearly rainfall of only 17 inches...well, things aren't getting wetter. I know that weather runs in cycles but it seems to make sense to plant on the dry side rather than the opposite. The Diaz's are from El Paso and they carry a huge variety of cactus and succulents along with lots of natives and adapted plants and trees. They have a huge Ocotillo on the side of their property that survived the wet year a few years back. They include them in their designs and I asked about root-rot and they simply said, "plant on a mound"...which is what I had planned on doing, and they confirmed. I bought on...since I saved on lunch:)

Here is a shot of the greenhouse, everything was healthy and thriving

They have a really nice variety of outdoor pottery and rod-iron yard art.

Driving south on First street, it's easy to miss on the east side of the road...turn after the sign and make a sharp left into the customer parking. Landscapers recieve a 15% discount and coming soon is a Coffee/Juice bar featuring organic wheatgrass shots!

Florence Jean Castleberry II Rhode Island Red...I've always wanted one of these!

When we left, we decided to head over to Callahans as Randy had never been and it's one of my favorite places in Austin. Francis, the chicken lady is one of my hero's. I've had chickens in my backyard for 3 years now and it's been a roller coaster learning experience. I lost my favorite chicken...Tammy Faye on Memorial Day this year and my Buff Orpington Peep hasn't laid an egg since, leaving me with my little Japanese Silkie, Esperanza who lays the tiniest eggs possible...two count as one in a recipe. I explained the situation to Francis and told her that I wanted to have more chickens but didn't really want to go through the baby chicken scene again, it's just to time consuming and precarious. She suggested that I get 6 month olds. They are kept on the side of the store in the warehouse in tiny cages, separating breeds. The chickens come from a hatchery and their beaks have been clipped and it just broke my heart. She said that I should get more than I had so that they could protect each other and that they wouldn't be mean because they had never been out of a small cage, on the ground or around other chicks so the pecking order would come from my girls...and it did.

Flo, Lucinda Silver Lace Wyandotte & Shanaynay trying to decide if they like me coming closer with my camera...no, they didn't like it!

Francis suggested that I sneak the new girls in during the night so that they all would wake up together, and that I get out there first thing in the morning to snuff out any pecking...by...um pecking. Miraculously, I didn't need to. Esperanza was feisty but the new gals were big enough to just get away, jump on the hay stack but they didn't seem to bothered. To prove they felt at home, someone left me a lovely brown egg in the corner!

My lovely birds...

Francis is the best thing at Callahan's in my opinion. She's been there for years and is the caretaker for the hatching's...she knows her birds. As far as food goes though, I buy the organic layer pellets at Buck Moore Feed Store, right up the street from my house on N. Lamar. Last I checked, it was the only place in Texas that sells it!

Callahan's is on the East side of 183 heading south towards the airport. They have lots of seeds and right now fruit and nut trees in packages. They also have garden clothes, shoes, kitschy folk collectibles and carry 1950's kitchen ware. Get on out there, there really is something for everyone.

The girls have settled in and that was it for the crawl. Randy was sweet enough to help me get the birds home instead of heading out for Margaritas.
Happy Gardening!