1st garden–2007

January 19, 2007 Split limb on wax myrtle We haven’t seen the sun in 5 days and don’t expect to until Tuesday. We’ve been just below or just above freezing for nearly as many days. Until yesterday, a half-inch of ice weighed down the garden that was responding to last-week’s ...

January 17, 2007 Hymenoxys (four-nerve daisy) The icicles are long and dagger-like on the eaves, but they are melting. Drip, drip, drip—we can hear it indoors. When I stepped gingerly into the front garden this morning to poke around, evidence of melting and refreezing overnight was written on the plants ...

January 16, 2007 Icicles on the kids’ playhouse transformed it into a fairy-tale gingerbread house—for about two minutes until they gleefully knocked them down and sampled a few. After 4 inches of gully-washing rain fell on Saturday morning, we drove to Houston for the weekend to watch my husband and ...

January 11, 2007 Ashe juniper—at this time of year, the “mountain cedar” is on many Austinites’ Most Wanted lists. An editorial in the Austin American-Statesman today sums up the agony of cedar fever sufferers. I joined their ranks in 1999, five years after moving to Austin. It took a second ...

January 10, 2007 Purple coneflower I promised myself to be more observant of my garden, so I went out a little while ago to take a look. Here is a sampling of what’s blooming in the front garden. These pictures may make it seem as if the garden is awash ...

January 06, 2007 I posted yesterday about converting my unsatisfactory arbor into a gateway. Here is the view as you walk toward the greenhouse. The star jasmine is clipped hard on the left, the butterfly vine on the right. Here is the view leaving the greenhouse and walking back to ...

January 05, 2007 Yesterday the purple iris, today the daffodils. Spring has really sprung. Psych! Actually, I bought this potted daffodil in bud at the grocery store yesterday. This morning two sunny flowers graced my table. We enjoyed a high of 80 degrees today, sunny with no wind. Perfect. I ...

January 04, 2007 ‘Amethyst’ iris I confess. I’ve been a negligent gardener lately. The kids have been home, we’ve been on vacation, we’ve had family and friend get-togethers, it’s been rainy and cool part of the time . . . . Yes, I know—poor excuses for not taking a good ...

January 02, 2007 Barton Creek One of our favorite family activities in winter is a trail hike on one of Austin’s greenbelts or at St. Edward’s Park. This New Year’s Day, we decided on an early afternoon hike at the Barton Creek Greenbelt along the popular Twin Falls trail. It ...

January 02, 2007 Barton Creek One of our favorite family activities in winter is a trail hike on one of Austin’s greenbelts or at St. Edward’s Park. This New Year’s Day, we decided on an early afternoon hike at the Barton Creek Greenbelt along the popular Twin Falls trail. It ...