Double-take plants

Double-take plants

June 20, 2010 Ka-pow! How did I resist the charms of a hot-orange canna for so long? I’ve never gone for the tropical look in my gardens, preferring natives and exotic desert or Mediterranean plants. But there’s something about cannas and swimming pools that just seems right, so I went ...
Deer resistant Bloom Day & Foliage Follow Up

Deer resistant Bloom Day & Foliage Follow Up

June 15, 2010 The new island bed out front, where deer make daily foraging rounds, is holding up well thanks to fuzzy and spiky leaves and strong-smelling foliage. While foliage is the backbone of that bed, flowering perennials are going strong too. It seems natural, then, to combine Bloom Day ...
Deer resistant Bloom Day & Foliage Follow Up

Deer resistant Bloom Day & Foliage Follow Up

June 15, 2010 The new island bed out front, where deer make daily foraging rounds, is holding up well thanks to fuzzy and spiky leaves and strong-smelling foliage. While foliage is the backbone of that bed, flowering perennials are going strong too. It seems natural, then, to combine Bloom Day ...
Summer garden stroll

Summer garden stroll

June 13, 2010 Morning strolls are best during hot, sticky Austin summers. But the best light in my back garden comes in late afternoon. Luckily, for the virtual garden tour, you can have both—and stay in the comfort of your air-conditioning. Pictured above, my new Agave stricta from the recent ...
Oracle Gorge succulent sale today & tomorrow

Oracle Gorge succulent sale today & tomorrow

June 05, 2010 Collectors of agaves, aloes, dyckias, yuccas, sotols, manfredas, and all manner of succulents and cacti, take note. Today and tomorrow, June 5-6, Oracle Gorge Cactus Nursery is open for its semiannual sale at the Westlake home of owner Bob Barth (click on the link for the address ...
Daylily sunshine with stars

Daylily sunshine with stars

June 03, 2010 A little sunshine, courtesy of ‘Wilson’s Yellow’ daylily Yellow and blue, a classic combo, and a few colorful stars to brighten the wall. Ever since seeing the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, though, I think of his “friend” Wilson, the volleyball, when I say ‘Wilson’s Yellow.’ ...
We have owlets!

We have owlets!

June 02, 2010 Last weekend we finally spotted what we’d been hoping to see: owl chicks in the owl box. There are two, and while downier and smaller than their parents, they are close to fledging, I think. They keep their parents busy. In the afternoons they hang their heads ...
Coneflowers and critters

Coneflowers and critters

June 01, 2010 Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) must always have a place in my garden. It’s one of the happiest summer flowers, with cottage charm and prairie toughness. Plus, those spiky orange coneheads are mesmerizing in close-up and offer vibrant contrast to hot-pink petals. Butterflies adore it, and small spiders ...
Laying a stone path

Laying a stone path

May 31, 2010 Having procrastinated on those grass paths in the back garden long enough, this weekend I hauled home two trunkloads of limestone pieces and got to work. Naturally, I ran out of stone while laying the path on Sunday, and I knew the stone yards would be closed ...
Water lilies & daylilies, the stars of early summer

Water lilies & daylilies, the stars of early summer

May 27, 2010 If a star fell to earth, I think it would look like Nymphaea, one of the most beautiful flowers ever. This one is called ‘Colorado,’ and it greets me every day with large, rosy apricot flowers that open with the sun and close in late afternoon. ‘Colorado’ ...
Water lilies & daylilies, the stars of early summer

Water lilies & daylilies, the stars of early summer

May 27, 2010 If a star fell to earth, I think it would look like Nymphaea, one of the most beautiful flowers ever. This one is called ‘Colorado,’ and it greets me every day with large, rosy apricot flowers that open with the sun and close in late afternoon. ‘Colorado’ ...
Unfinished garden construction

Unfinished garden construction

May 26, 2010 I ask you, where are the path-building elves when you need them? My sloping side-yard path still needs doing. And look—the faux garden shed in the background has not constructed itself either. Better to focus on the plants. They’re looking happy with the sunny, warm weather we’ve ...
Whooo's talking about containers?

Whooo’s talking about containers?

May 25, 2010 Our owl box is home to this little screech owl, who popped out this morning to survey his domain. I have to say, this is one of my best containers yet! The cardinal is not so sure. All kidding aside, containers is the theme of the day ...
Whooo's talking about containers?

Whooo's talking about containers?

May 25, 2010 Our owl box is home to this little screech owl, who popped out this morning to survey his domain. I have to say, this is one of my best containers yet! The cardinal is not so sure. All kidding aside, containers is the theme of the day ...
Conga line flowers get up & dance!

Conga line flowers get up & dance!

May 25, 2010 In the garden last evening, observing flowers glowing in gaudy party colors, I imagined them to be at Carnival. Purple coneflowers dance in a conga line. Mexican flame vine does a samba. It takes two to tango, as plains coreopsis illustrates. Purple skullcap does the merengue. Observing ...
Tough plants to welcome summer

Tough plants to welcome summer

May 24, 2010 Hot, muggy days in the 90s (33 C) signal that summer has arrived in central Texas, even if the calendar says it’s still spring. When the mercury creeps skyward, I take satisfaction in knowing that certain plants, even those in small containers, in full sun, won’t require ...