August 14, 2009 I thought about posting only the pretty flowers blooming in my drought-baked garden this Bloom Day, like the lovely passalong phlox from Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings. It looks so fresh and summery, doesn’t it? Dead ‘Summer Glow’ agastache But soul-weary from extended heat and drought, this …

August 13, 2009 I’m excited to be featured on WOW today! Founded by Lesley Stahl, Whoopi Goldberg, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin, and other well-known women in media, WOW — “The Women on the Web” — is an online network for women over 40. Recently WOW asked me and six other …

August 13, 2009 Here we are, checking in on the Proven Winners plants that were sent to me in late March for a seasonal trial in my garden. Poor plants. This summer has been a trial by fire as Austin suffers under exceptional drought conditions and marks its 53rd day …

August 10, 2009 I missed the full moon by three days, but the waning Green Corn or Sturgeon Moon looked so pretty tonight that I had to get out my tripod to take a picture. The moon, like a flower In heaven’s high bower, With silent delight Sits and smiles …

August 09, 2009 Photographer and blogger David Perry is judging this month’s photo contest over at Gardening Gone Wild. He asked us to get down on our knees for a unique perspective on our gardens. Here is my entry. As you can see, I’m playing along with the spirit of …

August 08, 2009 When the Death Star trains its energy-sapping, plant-frying beam on central Texas each summer, I find inspiration in succulent gardens, which use heat-loving, water-thrifty agaves, aloes, cacti, and groundcover succulents to create a tapestry of colorful foliage. This summer I’ve been devouring the images and design ideas …

August 03, 2009 I can’t resist showing off some more pond beauty on this Monday. Here’s ‘Colorado’ water lily, as lovely as a sunrise in her namesake state. And here’s our blue dragonfly again, standing out against the blurred background of lawn grass. Another look. Thanks for stopping by, dragonfly, …

August 02, 2009 Have the drought and heat wilted your enthusiasm for gardening, Austinites? May I suggest two things to renew your gardening joy? Water plants and cacti. I’ve gone on lately about my new water garden, but long-time readers know that I also love agaves, yuccas, and other plants …

August 01, 2009 The floating flowers of ‘Helvola’ Nymphaea shine like pale yellow stars with buttery centers. A constellation of them have opened recently. A hardy dwarf water lily, ‘Helvola’ is the perfect size for small container ponds. Its diminutive flowers are about 2 inches across, and the cloven leaves, …

July 31, 2009 ‘Senorita Rosalita’, a cleome I rhapsodized about just a few days ago, which was so full and fluffy despite our ongoing drought… …split in half like a wimpy Bradford pear under the weight of a brief burst of rain yesterday. Gee, Senorita, I know you’d hardly ever …

July 31, 2009 Two weeks after installing my new 717-gallon stock-tank pond, the water has cleared to a soft green, which I actually quite like. I can see the fish clearly, but the water is not so crystalline that the underwater pots and cinderblocks stand out. If I’d waited another …

July 30, 2009 Many xeric, or drought-tolerant, plants have tiny, spiny, or prickly foliage. But our native Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii ) is the exception with lush, large leaves, plus red flowers that go all summer and attract hummingbirds. This Turk’s cap, silhouetted in morning light against the …

July 30, 2009 Many xeric, or drought-tolerant, plants have tiny, spiny, or prickly foliage. But our native Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii ) is the exception with lush, large leaves, plus red flowers that go all summer and attract hummingbirds. This Turk’s cap, silhouetted in morning light against the …

July 29, 2009 Unfortunately, it’s a squatter. This squirrel moved in a couple of weeks ago, we think, and has taken to hanging her head out the door for long periods, trying to stay cool, I imagine. Or, seeing as she overlooks the new stock-tank pond from that vantage point, …