2nd garden–2009

November 04, 2009 Forget flowers, why don’t we? Let’s admire instead the silver, feathery soft leaves of ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia. My kids and I like to rub a leaf between our fingers and enjoy the strong fragrance. In a sunny spot this plant has spread out 4 to 5 feet ...

November 03, 2009 I can’t say enough good things about orange narrowleaf zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia). It bloomed dependably all summer and is still holding its own, adding a pop of orange amid the silver and blue-green foliage of xeric plants in a sunny bed. Likewise, ‘Senorita Rosalita’ cleome, one of ...

November 03, 2009 Every day the honeybees go spelunking—or is it “sbeelunking”?—in the pink cuphea. Spelunking, or caving, is popular in Austin, where limestone caves pocket the area. So I’m not surprised that our bees enjoy this exploratory pastime too. But don’t they understand that long, tubular flowers like this ...

November 02, 2009 My last post showed my garden in morning light. Today it’s all about afternoon light. There’s nothing like bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa), an ornamental bunch grass from Arizona, for capturing light. Bamboo muhly incandesces into a yellow-green cloud when the light shines through it. The variegated American ...

October 30, 2009 ‘Radrazz’ Knock Out roses in the morning light of late October I should have been working all morning in the garden. The weather is perfect—cool, sunny, and calm—and I’m still in the process of digging out grass in the side yard by the new fence, plus the ...

October 21, 2009 AFTER. I can’t bear to lead with a “before” pic, so here’s the “after” first. BEFORE. The uppermost raised bed was the first space I cleaned out and replanted, right after we moved in. I needed a home for the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ (Agave ovatifolia), a monster of ...

October 21, 2009 AFTER. I can’t bear to lead with a “before” pic, so here’s the “after” first. BEFORE. The uppermost raised bed was the first space I cleaned out and replanted, right after we moved in. I needed a home for the ‘Whale’s Tongue’ (Agave ovatifolia), a monster of ...

October 20, 2009 Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) I’ve been leaf-peeping on northern garden blogs lately, and feeling a bit nostalgic for the changing colors of the trees I remember from my years in the southeastern U.S., which has a decent fall show too. In Austin you must look down, not ...

October 20, 2009 Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) I’ve been leaf-peeping on northern garden blogs lately, and feeling a bit nostalgic for the changing colors of the trees I remember from my years in the southeastern U.S., which has a decent fall show too. In Austin you must look down, not ...

October 19, 2009 Kermit sang, “It’s not easy being green.” But actually it is, especially if you gravitate toward textural and architectural plants, as I do. In Austin’s subtropical, zone 8b climate, many plants stay green all year, keeping the garden “alive” even in winter. From my October Bloom Day ...

October 19, 2009 Kermit sang, “It’s not easy being green.” But actually it is, especially if you gravitate toward textural and architectural plants, as I do. In Austin’s subtropical, zone 8b climate, many plants stay green all year, keeping the garden “alive” even in winter. From my October Bloom Day ...

October 15, 2009 I’m taking a break from posting about national parks today in order to participate in Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. But I’ll be back with one more park post tomorrow. If you’d like to join in the celebration of national parks, there’s still ...

October 08, 2009 Yesterday I showed a close-up image of golden thryallis. I can’t get enough of this plant in full bloom against a backdrop of purple heart. What a gorgeous yellow and purple combo. Putting on a cooler show are ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia, ‘Macho Mocha’ mangave, and the sinewy ...

October 07, 2009 Golden thryallis (Galphimia glauca) Last week, as my family and I watched the celebratory Ken Burns series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, I thought back over all the visits to national parks that I’ve made with my parents, my husband, and my children over the years ...

October 07, 2009 Golden thryallis (Galphimia glauca) Last week, as my family and I watched the celebratory Ken Burns series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, I thought back over all the visits to national parks that I’ve made with my parents, my husband, and my children over the years ...

October 05, 2009 Still ponds act as mirrors, reflecting the sky and the trees above. But this ghostly mirror image is of dwarf papyrus (Cyperus papyrus ‘Nanus’), a potted plant in my stock-tank pond. You can see the papyrus on the right. The ‘Colorado’ water lily is still blooming, and ...