About 4 years after acquiring them, my spuria iris are blooming at last. Passalongs from Linda Lehmusvirta of Central Texas Gardener, who told me she received her divisions from author/designer Scott Ogden, these tall (about 3 feet), beardless irises would send up their slender leaves each winter, attaining a lovely, grassy look by spring, but never bloom. In summer they melted away, going dormant for the season.

Having always been successful growing bearded iris, I was frustrated by the tease of the spurias.

They came up in conversation with Scott and his wife, Lauren, also a designer and author, during a visit to their garden two years ago. Lauren told me not to move them around, as I’d been doing in hopes of finding the right spot for them. Spurias resent being transplanted and divided, she advised. So I put away my shovel and just let them be.

I sat out another bloomless year and became convinced that they were in too much shade, although Linda and Scott both said spurias could take some shade in our hot climate (they need sun in cooler-summer climates). My hands were itching for the shovel. One more year, I promised myself, and then I’ll try another spot.

And then, late this spring, I noticed buds. Yay! Now they’re blooming—an elegant, burnt-gold flower with chocolate striping on the petals. My shovel is nowhere in sight.

Note: My Plant This posts are written primarily for gardeners in central Texas. The plants I recommend are ones I’ve grown myself and have direct experience with. I wish I could provide more information about how these plants might perform in other parts of the country, but gardening knowledge is local. Consider checking your local online gardening forums to see if a particular plant might work in your region.

Lawn Gone! News
If you’d like to hear the podcast of my Earth Day appearance on “The Faith Middleton Show,” which airs on public radio in Connecticut and New York, visit the link and then hit the black triangle “play” button. Faith and I talked about replacing the lawn with low-care grasses and “people places” and creating an inviting, greener landscape—AND she made my book the station’s pledge-drive prize!

You’re Invited!
I’ll be at BookPeople on Saturday, May 4, at 4 pm , along with author Jenny Peterson, to talk briefly about design tips for losing the lawn or paring it back. Jenny will be sharing styling tips for houseplants. And we newbie authors will BOTH be signing copies of our books! Whether you have a green thumb or a brown one, let’s fill up BookPeople with people who care about plants and the earth!

The talk is free and open to the public, and I’d love to see a lot of friendly faces! If you do want an autographed book, BookPeople requires an in-store purchase. Just FYI.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Someone’s been watching me as I amble through the garden in the morning and evening. Whooo? I didn’t see him when I was dazzled by the variegated agaves and yuccas in the raised bed along the back of the house.

I didn’t see him when I stopped to admire Shoshana’s iris, a long-ago passalong from Tina at My Gardener Says…

I didn’t see him when I potted up a Euphorbia horrida from The Great Outdoors in my new Rick Van Dyke dinosaur-egg pot. Which just happens to be a perfect combo, don’t you think?

I didn’t see him when I noticed my ‘Frazzle Dazzle’ dyckia blooming…

…nor the Gulf Coast penstemon (Penstemon tenuis).

I didn’t see him when I crouched to get a photo of the wild pink oxalis in bloom…

…nor when I inspected the Acanthus mollis in the lower garden, looking for a bloom spike but finding none. (I really hope this will be the year it finally blooms.)

But when I looked up into the trees along the back fence, then I saw him—snoozing! I didn’t respect his nap, I’m afraid. It was dusk, after all, and he’d wake soon to hunt for himself and his mate, who I believe is brooding in the owl box. I trilled a screech owl whinny, and he snapped his eyes open and looked down at me. I spoke to him again, wondering whether I was challenging him to a duel or calling for a lady owl, and he just stared. As owls will do.

You’re Invited!
I’ll be at BookPeople on Saturday, May 4, at 4 pm , along with author Jenny Peterson, to talk briefly about design tips for losing the lawn or paring it back. Jenny will be sharing styling tips for houseplants. And we newbie authors will BOTH be signing copies of our books! Whether you have a green thumb or a brown one, let’s fill up BookPeople with people who care about plants and the earth!

The talk is free and open to the public, and I’d love to see a lot of friendly faces! If you do want an autographed book, BookPeople requires an in-store purchase. Just FYI.

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

After the big rain of last week (3.75 inches recorded in my garden), accompanied by an instant freshening and greening up outdoors, I feel it’s time for a garden stroll. The annual garden-burying live oak leaf drop is over, but you’ll have to ignore remnant leaves and strings of oak pollen hanging from the trees (I try to!). Focus on the ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine draping the cedar-post fence instead.

My most exciting blooms? Dyckia! An orange bloom spike is towering above the silvery leaves of Dyckia fosteriana on the back deck. Add in the purple pot (and a few copper live oak leaves), and you have a scrumptious combo of color.

A closer look

The Lilliputian unnamed dyckia I bought at Peckerwood Garden‘s plant sale last year is blooming also—in cheery yellow. The spiky plant itself is dwarfed by the Yucca rostrata next to it.

But its bloom spike isn’t shy, towering about 2-1/2 feet above the ground-hugging leaves.

A longer view down the sunny hillside path reveals a full view of the Yucca rostrata. Loree at Danger Garden recently gave her Y. rostrata a trim, revealing the trunk. Should I do the same, I wonder?

A closer view of the hot, dry bed bordering the path reveals a tumble of yellow hymenoxys (Tetraneuris scaposa) blossoms, Mexican feathergrass, Opuntia pads, and Agave lophantha‘s sword-like leaves.

The Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri) I brought home in my suitcase from Tucson came through our mild winter just fine. I’m eagerly anticipating summer flowers.

Red columbine—this must be a passalong from another Austin blogger, as I don’t recall buying a red one—is sporting rocket-shaped flowers on dainty stems in the shade of a Texas persimmon.

Our native spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) is also making a good show here, attracting friendly honeybees.

I love this reliable spring beauty, and the contrast of the purple blossoms with the fresh, green, strappy foliage.

I purchased my first Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata) after admiring it in other Austin gardens over the years. Diana Kirby introduced me to South Austin nursery It’s About Thyme last week, where I picked up one for me and one for my mom.

Just for fun, my “Needle-Nosed Fliers” yard art! In the background you can see the Koosh-ball form of the Yucca rostrata and the yellow bloom spike of the Peckerwood dyckia.

I didn’t have to replace any plants in the succulent wall after our mild winter. Still, the cardinals have been nipping at the ghost plant and other fleshy-leaved succulents lately. (Please don’t ask how I keep soil in the blocks that stick out; read my how-to post, and all shall be revealed.)

I’ll end the tour with the view from the upper patio—there’s good old Moby, my beloved ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave (Agave ovatifolia)—which is also the view from my office window. It’s awfully hard to be tied to a desk at this time of year, don’t you find?

All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.