June 25, 2006On June 11, I posted here about the gradual decline of Austin’s beautiful Zilker Botanical Gardens and its Hartman Prehistoric Garden . (Please take a look if you didn’t read it already.) Craig Nazor, Zilker Gardens volunteer extraordinare, was quoted in a Statesman article about the problem, and …

June 25, 2006 This silly-looking squirrel with a short, brushy tail has something in her mouth—a nut from last fall, maybe? Treasure! After posing for my camera, she dashed down the tree and across the street. My real quarry was not the squirrel but a resident hummingbird. I spotted him …

June 24, 2006 Unripe vitex berries. The vitex tree is still flowering a little, but now it’s mostly just green with the addition of these greenish-yellow berries. According to Mountain Valley Growers, vitex is “originally from the Mediterranean and western Asia. Where winters are marginal for the plant’s survival (Zone …

June 23, 2006 Nursing my garden through Austin’s arid summers, I tend to go a little ga-ga over things like rain barrels, rain chains, and just rain in general. Now I’m excited about rain gardens. I have one, actually, but didn’t even know it until yesterday, when I picked up …

June 19, 2006 ‘Powis Castle’ artemesia’s lacy, silver foliage I know it isn’t officially summer yet, but it has felt like summer in Austin for at least a month. Evenings and mornings are when you can stroll magisterially through your garden and see what’s growing (or wilting). The plants are …

June 18, 2006 Celebrating the rain! Overnight we received another inch of rain, for a total of 2 1/2 inches over the weekend. Early this morning we heard two transformers blow somewhere in the neighborhood, probably from wet or windblown tree limbs falling against power lines. Our electricity is still …

June 17, 2006A good old Texas thunderstorm woke us early this morning, and we enjoyed steady rain until around 11 am. Boy, did we need it. I measured an inch and a half of rainfall …

June 16, 2006 Rainwater flowing out of the gutter into the rain barrel. Dark skies Momentary relief this morning! The sky darkened, and a rainshower that lasted all of two minutes wet the dusty garden. I was hoping for more but am grateful for even a little bit of rain …

June 15, 2006 Black-eyed Susan and blue mistflower The black-eyed Susans love the heat, but even they have limits in Austin’s heat-seared climate. Mine grow best in morning sun, with dappled shade in the afternoon. They demand more water than most of my plants, so they pair well with blue …

June 15, 2006 Black-eyed Susan and blue mistflower The black-eyed Susans love the heat, but even they have limits in Austin’s heat-seared climate. Mine grow best in morning sun, with dappled shade in the afternoon. They demand more water than most of my plants, so they pair well with blue …

June 11, 2006 Dichromena colorata , AKA star grass This beautiful sedge grows in shallow water in my container pond. I understand the need to have cool, wet feet during this hot spell. Unripe chile pequin peppers These peppers will turn red in the fall, making pretty companions to the …

June 11, 2006 Dichromena colorata , AKA star grass This beautiful sedge grows in shallow water in my container pond. I understand the need to have cool, wet feet during this hot spell. Unripe chile pequin peppers These peppers will turn red in the fall, making pretty companions to the …

June 09, 2006 Whale’s Tongue agave Since August arrived early, I’ve been griping about the heat—like it doesn’t do this every year. There have been maybe two relatively cool, rainy summers since I moved to Austin 12 years ago, but let’s face it: this is not a hospitable climate from …

June 08, 2006Thus reads our weather report/forecast for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It’s still spring. Need I say more? …