Daylily

June 13, 2010 Morning strolls are best during hot, sticky Austin summers. But the best light in my back garden comes in late afternoon. Luckily, for the virtual garden tour, you can have both—and stay in the comfort of your air-conditioning. Pictured above, my new Agave stricta from the recent ...

June 03, 2010 A little sunshine, courtesy of ‘Wilson’s Yellow’ daylily Yellow and blue, a classic combo, and a few colorful stars to brighten the wall. Ever since seeing the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, though, I think of his “friend” Wilson, the volleyball, when I say ‘Wilson’s Yellow.’ ...

May 27, 2010 If a star fell to earth, I think it would look like Nymphaea, one of the most beautiful flowers ever. This one is called ‘Colorado,’ and it greets me every day with large, rosy apricot flowers that open with the sun and close in late afternoon. ‘Colorado’ ...

May 27, 2010 If a star fell to earth, I think it would look like Nymphaea, one of the most beautiful flowers ever. This one is called ‘Colorado,’ and it greets me every day with large, rosy apricot flowers that open with the sun and close in late afternoon. ‘Colorado’ ...

May 15, 2010 Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) grown from seed in the partly sunny side garden This Bloom Day post almost didn’t happen. I’ve been working in the garden every day this week despite muggy, hot weather—planting, transplanting, and putting in new paths—and feeling that things are coming together in ...

February 16, 2010 Today is Foliage Follow-Up, a day for garden bloggers to celebrate foliage after admiring flowers for Bloom Day. In my freeze-recovering garden, spring has been slow to make an appearance, which is why my favorite greenery right now is brand-new. Here is fresh new growth on one ...

June 13, 2009 Orange narrowleaf zinnia ( Zinnia angustifolia) loves the heat. Ah, summer. The Death Star is back. For the past week Austin has felt the heavy hand of summer pressing down, with sticky humidity and temps near 100 degrees (37.7 C). Summer also means thunderstorms, and on Thursday ...

June 13, 2009 Orange narrowleaf zinnia ( Zinnia angustifolia) loves the heat. Ah, summer. The Death Star is back. For the past week Austin has felt the heavy hand of summer pressing down, with sticky humidity and temps near 100 degrees (37.7 C). Summer also means thunderstorms, and on Thursday ...

May 27, 2009 That mouthwatering, apple-green throat Those glittering, sugar-dusted petals Those blushing, coral stamens topped with golden, pollen-coated anthers Those delicately ruffled petals. I just adore ‘Best of Friends’ daylily. And I adore my best friend of 19 years, my husband, with whom I celebrated our anniversary yesterday. Ah, ...

May 26, 2009 After a holiday weekend with a surprise one-inch rainfall, much swimming in the pool, and a few extra kids hanging out with us, I poked around the garden yesterday to see what was new and found this interesting bloom on the sparkler sedge (Carex phyllocephala ‘Sparkler’). Cool, ...

May 24, 2009 Heuchera and ‘Toffee Twist’ sedge, also called copper sedge ( Carex flagellifora) The new-baby garden glowed green and wet yesterday afternoon. Memorial Day weekend is typically rainy in Austin, and this year has proved no exception, despite the ongoing drought. ‘Wilson’s Yellow’ daylily This puny rain gauge ...

May 15, 2009 I nearly didn’t post this Bloom Day, having a lot of work on my desk that needs doing, plus a stock tank pond that needs installing. But when I went out this morning to water some new plants and recent transplants, I noticed some new May flowers ...

May 03, 2009 May is daylily month in Austin. When my children were younger, school let out earlier than it does now, and we frequently went on vacation in mid- to late May, missing the daylily show. But a later school schedule and maybe global warming ensure that I get ...

July 22, 2008 During our tour of Chanticleer in early July, the mistiness of early afternoon gave way to bright sunshine as we dipped into the Asian Woods garden below the main house. Tall trees, their lower trunks wrapped in wire trellises for climbing vines, create a serene wood and ...

May 27, 2008 ‘Apple Tart’ daylily May is my daylily month. When school used to let out in mid-May, we often went on vacation and missed most of the flowers. Now that the state legislature has stuck its nose in the business of local school districts and dictated when school ...

May 27, 2008 ‘Best of Friends’ daylily A summertime BBQ with extended family is the perfect excuse for whipping up a batch of spicy, Texas-style deviled eggs. I made them yesterday for our Memorial Day family dinner, where they were promptly devoured, so I thought I’d share them with you ...