November 21, 2010 While strolling around Lady Bird Lake on Friday afternoon, I witnessed an interesting sport called slacklining. I’d just read about it in the local paper, but it was remarkable to observe in person. A group of slackliners had strung their line—flat, stretchy nylon webbing—between two piers of …

November 20, 2010 Check out the December 2010 issue of Southern Living magazine, and you’ll find an article about possumhaw holly (Ilex decidua) with a couple of quotes from yours truly. I grew up reading Southern Living, so I’m delighted to have been contacted by its garden editor for information …

November 18, 2010Looking for garden books to add to your wish list for Christmas? Here are five I read this year and recommend for information and/or inspiration. New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises by Zahid Sardar, photographs by Marion Brenner (2008). This is a big, coffee-table sized gardening book, full …

November 16, 2010 The day after Bloom Day is all about leaves, bark, stems, cones, seedheads, etc. here at Digging, and maybe on your blog as well. Join me for Foliage Follow-Up, a celebration of non-flowery plant beauty. Pictured here is dwarf papyrus (Cyperus papyrus ‘Nanus’), a bog plant growing …

November 15, 2010 To celebrate this rather wintry (by Austin standards) Bloom Day, I’ll lead with a smattering of pretty flowers on the ‘Ava’ agastache. I had high hopes for ‘Ava’ in her 2nd year in my garden, but she kind of petered out early compared to last year. I …

November 14, 2010 Is this the week of peak fall color (such as it is) in Austin? I think so. All over town crepe myrtles are turning a burnished orange, cedar elms shine pale yellow, and flame-leaf sumacs are, well, flaming red. The tint of my sunglasses adds richness to …

November 12, 2010 Gazing up from the watery depths, I spied a mysterious figure in the garden. Who could it be? All material © 2006-2010 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited …

November 12, 2010 Aren’t you glad for orange in the garden? I know I am whenever I look at the Mexican flame vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides) in full bloom, attracting tiger swallowtails who refuse the paparazzi’s plea for a pose. And I’m glad for orange when I stroll past my cigar …

November 10, 2010 At twilight last evening, these late bloomers caught my eye. This is ‘Twinkle Pink’ cuphea, which flowers in summer but looks best in fall, when temperatures cool off. ‘Twinkle Pink’ is one of several cupheas in my garden, as reliable as cigar plant (C. ignea) in overwintering …

November 09, 2010 An update on the ‘Black Pearl’ ornamental pepper, an annual that loves the heat here in Austin: it’s still looking good during fall’s cooler weather. Most of the black “pearls”— i.e., peppers—have turned red by now, lending a more festive look to the gothic black leaves (a …

November 05, 2010 I spent yesterday in the garden, digging holes for new plants, delighted not to break a sweat in the perfect fall weather (mosquitoes didn’t bother me either–yea!). Beforehand I snapped some photos of the fall garden and new fence. Pictured above, fragrant-leaved Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) …

November 04, 2010 A couple of weeks ago, blogging friends Carol Janov and Ron Bomer invited me to visit their country garden and organic farm outside of Dripping Springs, Texas. I met Carol and Ron in April 2008, at the first Garden Bloggers Spring Fling in Austin, and I’ve been …

November 03, 2010 With a strong north wind blowing yesterday, I was almost chilly at Barton Springs Nursery. What delight to be almost chilly! And to pick up a bunch of cool new plants to try in my garden! Here’s what I got. In back, there’s ‘Don’s Dwarf’ wax myrtle, …

November 01, 2010 The new-baby garden is growing by leaps and bounds. My garden is two years old now. A year ago, I marked Tecolote Hill’s 1st birthday with a series of before-and-after pictures, which helped me see what I’d accomplished and what I wanted to do next. (You can …