Valentine Blossoms for BloomDay

Soooo, it's been 3 months since I've blogged...oh well. I've been busy birding, camping, reading, making things, hanging out with some of the coolest people I've ever met, planting and planning. Plus, I went back to full-time work briefly this fall, teaching art...but I'm back to making things and wondering what I'll be when I'm grown up. Such is the life of a drinker and dreamer, or as my friends say "free-spirit" and what my family probably calls a "lost soul." This winter has been strange...unusually wet after the drought of the summer and unusually warm...which just confuses the plants to no end. My yard is actually looking pretty good considering...well, my low maintenance plan of dumping 16 cubic yards of mulch last spring and trying to rid the place of almost all traces of the dreaded...lawn. The mulch was an excellent idea but I have to share with you the horrors that followed. See, we got 8 cubic yards of fresh, beautiful smelling cedar one day from Davey Tree's and it took me about a week to distribute the mini mountain in my driveway. I took a well deserved rest, then called them up again. This time I got random stuff, along with a really cool bench but I also got something horrid...an infestation of the dreaded Palmetto Bug. For those of you who don't live in Texas, that's a fancy way of calling the biggest friggin' cockroach you have ever seen! One or more of the trees must have been harboring a nursery! It took us months to get rid of them...because we don't pour poison around or in our home, or on the land...ever...even when invaded by roaches. So...we got those sticky strips and lined the doors every night and woke up to a terrifying nightmare. "NO MORE MULCH" says loving spouse...and this time, I agree. He has agreed to buying the fabulous Sylvan Mulch from the Natural Gardener, and it's my favorite, it's just beaucoup bucks. So much for gardening on the cheap. The good thing is that I'd piled it up so deep (trying for 8-12 inches as suggested in Gaia's Garden) that I really don't need much more.

Getting back into the Garden Blogger Bloom Day regime, above is my first and only success at getting an orchid to bloom the second year. Last year I gave up on trying to grow my favorite flower and gave ALL of them to my neighbor Aimee who, although seemed lost in her own yard, has a green thumb when it comes to Orchids. Since assuming this, Aimee has taken off in her yard and lost almost all her orchids this year, due to leaving them outside too long...funny how things flip-flop like that. I'm chalking my success up to...neglect. When I was "trying" to grow orchids, I was reading books, buying the food, misting them daily...and when my lovely daughter surprised me with yet another orchid after I'd given all mine away, I just sighed and decided to watch it die in peace. Clearly I was mothering the poor things to death! This is Austin, Texas...one of the most humid places in the state! Why was I adding mist to the mist? Beats me, except I did my research and that's what the book said! Shnizbit. Trial and error is the best teacher.

The oxalis this year is huge. Mine didn't die off at all so the little mounds now look like shrubs. The pink flowers are just the simplest expression of spring and for the first time my purple oxalis looks strong...maybe even strong enough to split and transplant a wee bit!

Purple oxalis blooming alongside heart leaf skullcap, which is not blooming.

Here are 3 more bloomin' beauties that never lost their sheen over the winter:

Shrimp plant

Trailing purple Lantana

and fern leaf Verbena.

The usual prune date for roses in Texas is in fact, Valentine's Day...but the new growth is profuse and several of my ladies are already in their finest:

Knock Out!

Old Blush on the front pergola is covered in blooms...the most on any of my roses right now.

Martha Gonzales never stopped blooming...always having at least one blossom...through the winter. Cecile Bruenner, Peggy Martin and Lady Banksia are waiting for longer days I suppose.

In the food department...the kale is so pretty I hate to eat it!

just kiddin' this is ornamental kale, you can eat it...but we don't.

This is our wedding tree, a Mountain Laurel that was knee high when we planted it nearly 11 years ago. It's been covered in buds before, but it seems to have exhaled in width over the winter.

Standing under it brings back memories of the playground and eating purple sweet-tarts...because that's exactly what they smell like.

Now, my peach tree out back doesn't even have buds...but the one I planted directly across the street from me is showing off! And oooooh are her peaches delicious!

Just as delicious as these eggs and butter plant, a pass along gift from my neighbor Regine. Again, kidding...they're not edible, but they do look like eggs and butter.

I have to show case my favorite hell-strip plant Hymenoxis, or four nerve daisy...because she keeps on bloomin' and she comes up in different spots each year!

I thought my germander was pooping out, but I gave her a haircut and she came back with a powerful bloom that had the bees buzzing for days...but they seem to have moved onto the many rosemary mounds now.

I think this photo is two bees kissing!

This last shot is not the last of the blossoms but it's one of my favorite winter staples...the arugula flower.

I sure do appreciate ya'll reading this...I know it's been awhile but I'm hoping to post at least once a month from here on out...just for my own documentation purposes.

Some upcoming events for Crestview folks are:

It's MY Park Day for Brentwood Park on March 3rd from 9-1

and this Saturday the Grasshoppers of East Dartmouth Ave. are crossing the street to gussy up our rose garden and PROPERLY trim the trees at the Baptist Church.

Other things blooming in my garden are:

Mexican Honeysuckle

Snapdragon

Autumn Sage

Alyssum

Agarita

Purple Ruellia

Loriopetalum

and as I went back one more time to check my list, I noticed that the Lady Banksia out back had one cluster of butter popcorn colored blossoms! So, she's on her way after all!

A big thank you, as always to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for organizing Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, where folks all over the world can go for their monthly blooming interests!

Happy Gardening!

Giving Thanks

Here's a little photo journal of what's blooming here at CG this Thanksgiving holiday!

Yum...and so pretty!

Greg's greens garden is coming along. He decided to try 'no till' method of planting and it seems to be a slow go.

Nasturtium are coming up all over the place and the Rosemary is in bloom and covered with bees!

Mums from Julie's yard.

The flower on the Silverado Sage is so lovely and often overlooked because when it blooms the entire shrub is purple!

Cone Flower looking a bit pale...this is the last one left!

The delicate veins of the Arugula flower...so simple and elegant.

Thyrallis in her new location!

The Fall Aster is looking a bit haggard after being cooked and ignored this summer...but she's still shining like snowflakes!

The sage is also a big bee magnet!

We've had quite a few butterflies this fall, but nothing like we have in the past.

All of the roses are blooming, but none smell so sweet as Cecille Bruenner!

Hopefully we won't get a hard freeze before the Loquats arrive...we didn't get any last year.

Mexican Honeysuckle

Shrimp Plant

Butterfly weed still covered in blooms

And there are two favorites for Thanksgiving in my yard, Mexican Tarragon and Copper Canyon Daisy...I've always made a big yellow bouquet for the table of them...but alas the daisy didn't make it this summer...neither did the kids so things just didn't seem quite right.

Nevertheless, we woke to find screech in his box and he made a very fine guest! I hope your holiday is fantastic! I for one, and thankful for tiny flowers that brighten my day....yearlong in Tejas!

Happy Gardening!

CBC Update

Even in a horrible drought year...somethings are improving in spite of neglect...Mother Nature prevails!

This is one of the before shots, taken in 2008...horrible ugly square building. My goal was to improve our street by making it tree-lined and help the awful heat island effect caused by the massive concrete parking lots of the two churches across the street from one another.

It was two projects over the course of a year...one, a 17 tree planting session and two, the rose garden with pergola. The largest tree an evergreen oak for the corner, that was designed to be the most efficient by shading the building and hanging out over most of the street was butchered in April and is permanently stunted. The cypress, that was to be decorated for Christmas...is growing by bounds due to the sprinkler system...and the roses are amazing.

Only one tree actually died and has been replanted, all the oaks, butchered I suppose will become shrubbery.

This Saturday is the fall workday for Brentwood Park where over 100 trees were planted last year. Over the summer we added mulch and we will be adding more, as well as pruning. It is such a joy to care for the environment, I hope everyone who reads this participates in their own community in some beautiful way!

Happy Gardening!

Miraculous Recoveries!!!

So, this was yesterday...I got home from work and popped open a RangerIPA, headed out to my favorite spot in the back~back yard. I sit in that green chair in the middle, It's my favorite view of the yard and where I sit with my bestest~besties. The only thing missing is the chickens.

I had my journal and I was drawing blind contours of a Mockingbird that was going to town with his song when he dropped down and I saw something fabulous...
And realized that the yard was full of minor miracles! Like this Patricks Abutilon...that came up from where I lopped its...what I thought was a 'dead' body off. I stuck the sign in the "Good Times Spent" wall art. I'm so excited...and check it out...BUDS!!!!
Can you tell what you're looking at? That's black bamboo, with 3 new baby shoots!!! It's spreading Hallelujah! I've been wanting to make stuff with it since I put it in the ground 3 years ago...why would it choose to send out new shoots on a year like this?
The last year I worked at Zilker's Green Garden I transplanted this Cherry Barbados pup and this is the first year it bloomed! Why????
A few posts ago I commented that out of 6 spots where I'd planted Oxblood Lily, only 2 had come back...guess what??? They are ALL coming up!!! Whoop, Whoop~whooooo!
This Red Beauty Rose died DEAD the ground and I snipped that crunchy brown crap off...and from the mulch she rises, she's a Zombie RoooOOooose!
So, what you are looking at is truly amazing...these are baby Lady Banksia Roses...they chose this spot on their own...blew me away, I thought it was weedy herb thing and then she put on blooms. I'm letting her get a little bigger while I wait for Bob Pool to make me an arbor for her highness!
What you're looking at here is my front arbor with the skeleton of my Anniversary Wisteria, 9 years old...never got a bloom, dead, with a coral vine going wild in the bramble.
And here is a new sickly plant coming up from her toes!!! I had plans...PLANS!
This is one of just a few transplant survivors...Thyrallis, stunted, but blooming!And this is a much happier transplant, not stunted but filling out Russian Sage!
Best bird shot of the day...Orange Crowned Warbler! This is a danged lucky shot because she's a flittery thing!
And...back inside to blog. All and all, a terrific Autumn...I love this time of year....

Happy Gardening!

Baby Greens

I'm going to try to be more present with my idea of an online journal about my yard and ideas. So, last blog entry I mentioned that we were planting without disturbing the soil in our raised beds. Below is the the image of the baby greens that are coming up amongst the okra stalks that were not removed but simply cut off. We poked one inch holes and dropped the seeds in and they've come up...without tilling. We did sprinkle a fine dust of our own compost and have kept the babies moist.

Here's a shot of the other bed...arugula, Swiss chard, cilantro and something else...I can't remember.

Here is the pathetic Fall Aster in the back yard...

And here is how it looked in '09.

The fabulous Philippine Violet and mini-Pomegranate, with the Persian Lily all confused and coming up like it's spring.

Ooops, I forgot how many School house lilies I planted...some may be under the pot...oh well.

Autumn mums that I planted after the garden show in '09...still plugging along, I love that Autumn burst of warmth!

The fresh green of new growth on the sago palm!

Purple Mexican Petunia...so fresh!

Loving spouse planted beans in pots...they came up first, I've planted them all over the yard...in the ground to try and reinvigorate the soil with nitrogen...nada...but he did plant a few weeks ago...

One more thing, I had the most luxurious bath with my luffa, jeebus...it smelled delicious and left my skin fresh and not dry. I will never, ever buy a damn loofah again! All the B.S. with the bleaching and perfume...remove the vegetable oil that make it wonderful! Plus it reminds me

of "Caddy Shack," only those of us who have all the words memorized will get this. Don't you

just love how many ways there are to spell sponge?

I hope you all are enjoying this most delicious planting season! I'm so happy to be in the yard and not in the classroom! Have a great day!

Happy Gardening!