1st garden–2006

May 25, 2006 In its second year in the kids’ garden, the Lion’s Tail has really taken off this spring. Lots of orange, wheel-shaped flowers complement the xeric Texas natives planted nearby: blackfoot daisy and zexmenia. The anole lizard might as well be my garden mascot. They’re everywhere—hanging out on ...

May 24, 2006 The first red, twisted Turk’s cap flowers have appeared. These hummingbird magnets are taking over under the cedar elm where the spiderwort stole the show early in the spring. This is my hot shade bed—hot referring to the predominant color (though actually the temperature is getting pretty ...

May 22, 2006 Bill of Prairie Point pointed out that the sphinx moth in my previous post looks like a prop plane. Speaking of propellers, this military helicopter (a Chinook?) just buzzed our house while I was in the garden this morning. A National Guard camp is located less than ...

May 19, 2006 Here’s another sphinx moth, freshly hatched but obviously having had time to dry its wings. The second one arrived around noon, and the third had come up by 4 pm. We took a good look and admired their size, then unzipped the lid and set them free ...

May 19, 2006 Overnight or early this morning the first sphinx moth emerged from the soil in the butterfly enclosure. I was excited to see it there, resting quietly on one of the walls. I placed a damp paper towel and a few stalks of gaura and Indigo Spires salvia ...

May 17, 2006 OK, I know I was recently complaining about the lack of trendy purple foliage that grows well in central Texas compared to gardens in Seattle and other more-temperate locales. I neglected to mention this little beauty: purple oxalis. While its petite size precludes it from making a ...

May 13, 2006 Today my sister-in-law and I went on the LBJ Wildflower Center–sponsored garden tour—Gardens on Tour 2006. Two of the gardens were particularly spectacular: one that the homeowners had designed and installed themselves (photo above), and one that complemented an over-the-top, fanciful, Mayan-inspired mansion, complete with personal observatory, ...

May 11, 2006 The vitex is nearly covered in purple spikes now. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds enjoy these flowers. Every year, one hummingbird in particular keeps vigil over the residual flowers for the rest of the summer. A bee’s-eye view of the vitex flowers ...

May 09, 2006 Bat-faced cuphea (Cuphea llavea). I fell in love with this plant the first time I saw it. The name probably had something to do with it. If you look closely at the tiny flowers, you really will see a bat looking back at you. I had a ...

May 08, 2006 Madison, our wire fox terrier, died today. Like most fox terriers, she was playful, athletic, fearless, and headstrong. Until recent months, when she began to decline rapidly, she seemed much younger than her 15 years and enjoyed walks around the neighborhood, visitors, popcorn, and the occasional squirrel ...

May 08, 2006 The first Wilson’s Yellow daylily opened after the heavy rains. It’s a bright spot of color amid the blues in this partly shady spot. The other daylilies are starting to bloom too. Here is Best of Friends, a little battered from the storms but still cheerful. The ...

May 06, 2006It ain’t over ’til it’s over. We had more thunderstorms overnight, with an additional two inches of rain. Everything is very soggy. But at least I’m not out there dragging the hose around ...

May 05, 2006We were lucky not to have suffered any significant damage after the hailstorm and windstorm last night, though many of our neighbors were not so fortunate. Large limbs and tree trunks litter the yards two houses away in both directions, and whole trees lie in ruins elsewhere in ...

May 04, 2006 Tonight around 10:30 a hailstorm blew in from the north, with 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts reported at a weather station about a mile away from the house. Penny-sized hail pounded the house and garden and blew past the front door horizontally. It went on for at least 10 ...

May 04, 2006 The first rock rose (pavonia) blossom appeared this morning. More cheerful pink! Pavonia is a great plant for central Texas. It’s tough enough to withstand our heat and scant rainfall, and it blooms all summer long. The flowers open in the morning and close in the afternoon, ...

May 01, 2006Over the weekend we visited Scarborough Faire, a renaissance festival near Dallas, in Waxahachie. I think the subculture of people who dress up and, in character, attend these sorts of festivals for a month and a half of weekends is odd. But you know what—they’re pretty good at ...