Spring Blooms--March 2011



Mountain Laurel Bloom
almost spent



Newer Mountain Laurel Blooms--so fragrant!

The Mountain Laurel blooms are so beautiful and fragrant.  However, this year we did not get as many as we usually have.  It could be due to Pat's pruning efforts, but I wouldn't change a thing.  The tree is gorgeous--we should have more blooms next year!


First Bearded Iris



Another view





All of mom's Irises are doing beautifully at the west end of the house!  Pat was thinking we wouldn't get a show, but there are a ton of "wrinkled" leaves indicating future blooms.  That is how I can tell if an iris will bloom...the leaves get wrinkles in them, and sure enough, a few days later a bloom begins to emerge.

More Irises to follow!



Dianthus & Strawberry Begonias

I'm very proud of my efforts with the Dianthus and Strawberry Begonias.  I pinched back all of the frost-bitten leaves on the Dianthus instead of Pat.  He's more tender and gentle than I am...I'm pretty radical when I pinch back plants, and they usually do better when I do it!  Quite possibly the only thing I'm good at gardening-wise!  Pat also asked me to add more potting soil at the bottom of the Strawberry Begonia, and I managed that all by myself!  It's perking up nicely, although I do think I needed to divide it.  Pat said no.  Just wait until I have another day off---I think I'll do it anyway!!



Antique White Rose





This is the rose bush I blogged about having black spot so badly.  Well, the lack of rain has helped it recover.  Look at all the future blooms this baby has!



More blooms to come!







Grow Green--Landscaping with Native Plants



Mountain Laurel--January 2011

I am so excited about this post.  One of the things Pat and I look for when we go shopping for plants are plants that can take a ton of rain one month and still look pretty after 3 months of no rain.  That is a challenge, but not if you Grow Green.  The term Pat and I have used for years is Xeriscaping or Xerogardening.  Grow Green, Xeriscaping or Xerogardening refer to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation.  It also means reducing the impact on the environment by reducing the need for fertilizer and pesticides.  When this gardening technique is used, plants are so easy to care for.  Usually clearing of dead material or pruning once per year is all that is needed to keep the landscape looking marvelous.

Yesterday, Pat and I traveled to Austin, Travis County, to listen to the county horticulturist talk about making gardening practical for this area.  One thing she kept stressing is plant purchase.  Plants touted by gardeners on cable television may or may not grow well here without a lot of extra work and intervention in the way of fertilizer, soil amendment and water to keep the plant healthy and looking great.  While we were there, we picked up the best resource ever to help us continue on our quest for Growing Green.  Native and Adapted Landscape Plants:  an earthwise guide for Central Texas is a complete resource for the types of trees, shrubs and plants to buy and plant in order to keep the garden an enjoyable place to be.  Click on the title to browse the various plants that work for Central Texas.

As I thumbed through the booklet last night, I was so excited and encouraged by the number of plants we have already in our garden.  Here is our list so far.  As we add more, I'll update this post.

Grow Green Plants in our Garden as of January 2011

• Cedar Elm
• Texas Red Oak
• Possumhaw Holly
• Desert Willow
• Yaupon Holly
• Mountain Laurel--so much prettier than a Wisteria and it's evergreen!!  [Note:  there are Texas varieties of Wisteria that are pretty and hearty, too!]
• Burford Holly
• Knockout Roses
• Rosemary
• Texas Sage
• Bulbine--actually we've had these...but our bunnies like to eat them.  But I'm determined to try again.
• Turks Cap
• Chile Pequin
• Blackfood Daisy....so pretty and delicate--but hearty!
• Fall Aster
• Gaura
• Lamb's Ear
• Indigo Spires' Salvia
• Texas Lantana
• Bicolor Iris (in a container)
• Mexican Marigold Mint
• Rock Rose
• Purple Coneflower
• Cedar Sage
• Pink Skullcap
• Society Garlic
• Russian Sage---needs to be replaced, though---sometimes it's necessary!
• Red Yucca
• Prickly Pear---but we have the spineless variety and it works very well here.
• Softleaf Yucca---we had these, but lost them to a freeze---will replace.
• Paleleaf Yucca
• Aztec Grass
• Monkey Grass
• Asian Jasmine
• Purple Heart
• Oregano
• Santolina
• Sedum
• Burmuda grass

Check out the Native and Adapted Landscape Plant resource and let me know which plants you have that work well for you!

Spring Gardening on a Winter's Day

Sounds like a song...hmmm.  In order to get a jump start on the New Year's Resolution/Goal I went crazy and bought plants that probably should have been planted at least a month or more ago!  In my recent post, I commented that I would tackle the flowerbed next to the house.  Well, not so much today.  That spot, turns out, doesn't get the amount of light I thought it did.  In fact, it gets no sunlight at all.  So back to the drawing board on that flowerbed.  Perhaps in the spring we'll try some hostas or columbine.  For now it'll lay dormant.

Today was a wonderful day to be outside gardening.  It was cloudy and a little breezy.  The temperature was 70 degrees and there were no bugs to deal with!  Below is a picture movie of all the day's events. 

The Mountain Laurel you see towards the end of the clip has been in the ground for about 7 or 8 years now.  Mountain Laurels are native to Texas and are a beautiful evergreen tree.  Pat has pruned it a couple of times, but today it is breathtaking!  Toward the end of March, the bees will be buzzing around the luscious purple blooms which resemble Wisteria blossoms, but are more intense in color.  If you don't have a Mountain Laurel in your garden, I highly recommend this plant.  Because it is native to Texas, heat and drought have no effect upon it.  During the freezes of 2010, it was completely unfazed. The only drawback is it is slow to grow, but it is well worth the wait.

Regarding the Cyclamen, a local gardening show I was watching recommended planting the beauty during the winter, citing that the plant loves the cold.  But reading the tag made me wonder if I had the right variety, as it isn't very happy below 40 degrees.  Since we can still get cold around here, I opted to pot it, hoping that some plastic will protect it if it gets a little colder.  Otherwise, the gorgeous blooms should be a lovely bright spot in the dead of winter!