2nd garden–2013

February 27, 2013Gopher plant ‘Winter Blush’Right after the groundhog makes his appearance in Punxsutawney, the gophers start blazing here in Austin. Gopher plant, that is. Formally, and more elegantly, known as Euphorbia rigida, gopher plant is one of my favorite full-sun, hot-spot plants. Its blue-green foliage visually cools things down ...

February 25, 2013 Last year I carelessly transplanted this ‘Marilyn’s Choice’ abutilon to the lower garden, making room closer to the house for something I liked better, since ‘Marilyn’ can look pretty scrawny when not in bloom. And now she’s rewarding me—I feel unworthy!—with these charming, red-and-yellow, bell-shaped blossoms, which ...

February 16, 2013 Thank goodness for handsome foliage or my February garden would be sadly bereft of interest, since springtime flowers haven’t kicked into gear yet. Here’s an old favorite for sunny, year-round color, ‘Color Guard’ yucca. ‘Sticks on Fire’ euphorbia glows more brightly in winter, its fleshy stems citrus-tinged ...

February 14, 2013 A sugar-dusted, peppermint-striped, sweetheart of an amaryllis opened up just in time for Valentine’s Day. ‘Apple Blossom’ is her name. Her spring-green throat is silky and touchable. Her cheeks are blushing. She brightens breakfasts and dinners at the end of our kitchen table by the window. And ...

February 13, 2013 “My darling, I yearn for your touch.” Can’t you imagine these two getting all lovey-dovey as the elegant ghost plant reaches out to the pretty little agave? “Come on, give us a kiss!” All material © 2006-2013 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited ...

February 11, 2013 Here I go again! You might be under the impression that I don’t have any lawn left to rip out, but that is (was) far from true. While the back lawn has been gone for several years, I’d only whittled away a little of the front lawn ...

February 06, 2013 Does your central Texas garden need a boost in late winter? Then add a few flowering maples and enjoy colorful, lantern-like blossoms that either hang pendant or are held horizontally on short stems. Large, maple-shaped leaves are a bonus, especially if you choose a showy, variegated variety ...

February 02, 2013 Yes, I do in fact have a water lily blooming at the moment. January was mild, and it remains beautiful in Austin this week, with sunny days and highs in the 70s, and the ‘Colorado’ water lily in the stock-tank pond has responded with a pale apricot ...

January 30, 2013 Yesterday I opened a storage box and found this terracotta olla adorned with a bead-and-broken-china necklace I’d made for it about 7 years ago. Stowed away at some point, probably during our move, it was forgotten. I decided it would look good sitting amid the winter-browned inland ...

January 29, 2013 One of my favorite small trees for winter interest is Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana), which occurs naturally in central and south Texas but is found as far east as Houston and as far west as Big Bend National Park. This picture, which I took at a client’s ...

January 24, 2013 Successfully growing small succulents is a tricky business in central Texas, or so it has proved for me. My god, how I covet the lush succulent planters—tapestries of color and texture—that I see online and in magazine photos of Southern California gardens. Austin’s climate, however, is decidedly ...

January 20, 2013 I’m very pleased to tell you that I’ve set up an email subscription service for fans of Digging. Previously you could subscribe to my blog via rss feed, and you still can by clicking on the rss button (under “Connect with Me”; the button on the far ...

January 17, 2013 Texas dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Meyersii’), heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata), sparkler sedge (Carex phyllocephala ‘Sparkler’), and bamboo muhly (Muhlenbergia dumosa) add plenty of greenery to the winter garden. Audrey, a regular reader of Digging, recently asked me how to plant for winter greenery, ...

January 16, 2013 A big agave will suck up all the attention in the room, so to speak, but I say don’t overlook the more demure but equally beautiful yucca. Just look at this blue Koosh-ball of a plant, for example. Yucca rostrata ‘Sapphire Skies’ is elegant, architectural, and colorful, ...

January 13, 2013 I’ve always loved the orange-and-pink color scheme of purple coneflower. And I also love that at least one or two will bloom on through winter in my garden. Right now I have these two—an island of coneys, if you will—twirling their pink ballerina skirts despite the chill ...

January 10, 2013 I don’t think I ever mentioned last October that I received a fabulous red Circle Pot from my fabulous sister and sister-in-law. Sis had told me to expect a package and to keep my mitts off it until my birthday because it wouldn’t be wrapped. When the ...