November 28, 2005After several days of above-average—and way too warm for this time of year—weather, a mild cold front came through last night and dropped temperatures ten degrees. The cooler air made gardening a pleasure again, so I got out and planted two new roses I bought at the Antique …

October 26, 2005At last, at last, cooler weather has arrived. Ahhh. It’s time to return to the garden for the next six months or so of outdoor weather (aside from “cedar fever” allergy season, which starts around Christmas and lasts well into March; I recommend lots of allergy medicine and …

September 08, 2005We had about an inch of rain last week, the first rain in over a month, and the garden perked up a bit in response. Here’s a long view from the driveway across the front garden. Front garden—still heat-dormant, but starting to revive Birdbath area in front garden …

August 11, 2005 The cruelest month has arrived, but I managed to get into the garden anyway by planting a desert plant. Impressed by local gardener and public TV personality Tom Spencer’s website, Soul of the Garden (no longer online), in which he fairly gushes over agaves and shows off …

July 10, 2005The heat wraps itself around you, even in the morning, like a wet, wool blanket. If I putter even a few minutes in the morning, I’m soon dripping with sweat. Summer in Austin. I’m not sure I’ll ever make peace with it. These hombres don’t mind the heat …

May 28, 2005Here are some spring photos of the front garden. Purple coneflowers, artemesia, and four-nerve daisy ‘Carefree Beauty’ rose View across front garden from driveway Kids’ garden: Mexican feathergrass, zexmenia, and Blackfoot daisy ‘Belinda’s Dream’ rose And from the back garden, the first daylily to bloom . . …

April 19, 2005 Tina’s purple iris A friend gave me this iris two springs ago. This is its first bloom in my garden, so I wasn’t sure what color it would be. I love purple and yellow, so this is perfect for me. The stalks are tall, and the ruffled, …

March 20, 2005 ‘Valentine’ rose St. Valentine’s Day has passed, but the rose that bears his name is just getting started. The blooms lack fragrance; on the other hand, the bush has few thorns. The red roses pop amid the greenery. I acquired this antique rose from the Antique Rose …

February 25, 2005 Back garden in winter; ‘Blue Elf’ aloe in blue pot is about to bloom I purchased four cedar Adirondacks and a teak table to replace our old metal dining set. It feels a lot cozier out on the patio now, and nothing beats taking a book and …

October 15, 2004 American beautyberry in fruit October ushers in my favorite season. After the endless Texas summer, cool northern breezes begin to push back the Gulf humidity by the end of October, earlier if we’re lucky. As a child, I loved October because it is my birthday month, though …

August 17, 2004 Moonflower vine in bloom I’ve grown moonflower vines from seed for several years from an original plant. Every winter I collect dozens of seeds, and come spring I scarify about a dozen and plant them in little pots. I usually get a 25% return on the seeds, …

July 09, 2004 Butterfly’s-eye view of a purple coneflower We recently bought a digital camera, and I’ve been experimenting with close-ups of flowers. The purple coneflowers look great, like alien pods. This must be a butterfly’s-eye view. Here’s another angle. We’ve been lucky to have a wet and fairly cool …

June 09, 2004 ‘Razzmatazz’ purple coneflower in full bloom My mother gave me six bare-root ‘Razzmatazz’ purple coneflowers she’d ordered from a catalog nursery. Only two of them survived, but what fantastic double-flowering blooms! I’m anxious to see whether they will come back next spring and whether they will seed …

April 28, 2004Here are some images of the back garden. View from the back porch Note that a Mexican plum is in leaf in front of the slide, where the smoke tree used to be. Beneath it, in flower, are Gulf Coast penstemons. Close-up of Gulf Coast penstemons and an …