More Texas wildflower joy near Independence

More Texas wildflower joy near Independence

March 26, 2024 Bluebonnets are popping off in Texas this spring, so much so that I made time for a second wildflower safari last Friday, heading east through farm country toward Independence. I shared Part 1 of that drive yesterday. Today, here’s Part 2. The rolling fields, farms, and ranches ...
Wildflowers and miniature donkeys near Independence

Wildflowers and miniature donkeys near Independence

March 25, 2024 A couple weeks ago, I went on wildflower safari south of Austin, east of San Antonio, and saw some good flower fields. But this above-average wildflower year called for a second safari. On Friday, my husband and I hit the back roads east of Austin, near tiny ...
Transplanted from PNW, Nancy begins new garden in Austin

Transplanted from PNW, Nancy begins new garden in Austin

March 23, 2024 I was happy to visit the new garden of a new gardening friend a few days ago. Located in Austin’s Windsor Hills neighborhood, the garden represents a new beginning for its creator, Nancy Fortner (@gardeningwhileold). In 2021, to be near their daughter, Nancy and her late husband, ...
Shantung maple's charming flowers

Shantung maple’s charming flowers

March 17, 2024 When I decided to experiment with a ‘Fire Dragon’ Shantung maple last April — purchased at Metro Maples during a garden scouting expedition in the Dallas/Fort Worth area — I had no idea it would do this: burst into bloom with starry, acid-yellow flowers. My little 5-gallon ...
Early March visit to Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble

Early March visit to Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble

March 12, 2024 Two weekends ago, during a trip to Houston to see family and friends, I made a morning visit to Mercer Botanic Gardens in the northern suburb of Humble. The gardens were just waking up for spring, and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll along garden paths and trails ...
Crossvine, plum, and spiderwort at peak bloom

Crossvine, plum, and spiderwort at peak bloom

March 10, 2024 What’s making me happiest in my garden right now? Let me show you! My favorite plant this week is ‘Tangerine Beauty’ crossvine. Look at those crinkled, open-throated, mango-hued blossoms, singing spring for all they’re worth. A single vine has crept along the coyote fence at the back ...
Texas flowering trees for bees

Texas flowering trees for bees

March 05, 2024 The sweet, grapey fragrance of Kool-Aid wafts on the breeze at this time of year in Texas. Purple flower clusters that put wisteria to shame dangle from Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora) trees. Bees go mad for these purple pom-poms, and so do I. Every time I ...
Early spring walk at Lady Bird Lake

Early spring walk at Lady Bird Lake

March 01, 2024 The trail around Lady Bird Lake was pink, brown, and blue last weekend. Peach trees were flowering against a bluebird sky. Bald cypresses were biding their time, waiting to be sure all freezes are over. Eager redbuds proclaimed that spring is here. Their pink-and-fuchsia flowers clustered along ...
Earliest spring flowers are popping

Earliest spring flowers are popping

February 27, 2024 Spring has arrived in earnest in Austin, and it feels about two weeks early. Is that right, long-time Austinites? Temps have been in the mid- to upper 80s F for the past several days, and although that’s warm, it’s still very comfortable in the shade. In response ...
Digging is 18 years old, and other news

Digging is 18 years old, and other news

February 20, 2024 Last week I celebrated two milestones. Digging turned 18 years old on Valentine’s Day, which means the blog is a full-fledged adult now. Still can’t drink though. I’m amazed by how long blogging has continued to interest me, even as so many other blogs that started around ...
Winter beauty at the Wildflower Center

Winter beauty at the Wildflower Center

January 30, 2024 It’s possumhaw berry season in Austin. The crimson berries of this deciduous native holly (Ilex decidua) are blazing at the edge of woodlands and in sunny gardens all over town, including at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This one in particular wowed me last Saturday. I ...
Into the Asian Woods at Chanticleer

Into the Asian Woods at Chanticleer

January 04, 2024 Who says you can’t have colorful flowers in a woodsy shade garden? In Chanticleer’s shady Asian Woods, I spotted this floating bouquet of bright zinnias, dahlias, sunflowers, and hairy balls. Gorgeous! This is Part 5 of my visit to Chanticleer during the Philadelphia Area Fling last September ...
Exploring Chanticleer's Elevated Walkway, Serpentine, and Bulb Meadow

Exploring Chanticleer’s Elevated Walkway, Serpentine, and Bulb Meadow

January 03, 2024 Chanticleer Garden’s rooster theme continues with Marcia Donahue‘s cockscomb-bamboo sculptures, which mark the entrance to the Elevated Walkway garden. This is Part 4 of my visit to Chanticleer during the Philadelphia Area Fling last September. The winding pathway spirals around a big Japanese maple, which was blushing ...
Serving up Chanticleer's Tennis Court Garden

Serving up Chanticleer’s Tennis Court Garden

December 30, 2023 Continuing my coverage of Chanticleer Garden, one of the stops on the Philadelphia Area Fling tour in September, I’m taking us today to the Tennis Court Garden. To enter, you descend a formal stone stair with planted-up handrails. I loved a previous iteration planted with fleshy mangaves ...
Chanticleer Garden is my cup o' tea

Chanticleer Garden is my cup o’ tea

December 29, 2023 The enchanting Chanticleer was worth two visits during September’s Philadelphia Area Fling tour. I flew in early from Texas in order to spend an entire day exploring Chanticleer, knowing I’d see it again for a few hours on Day 2 of the tour. More is more! This ...
Twinkly trees aglow in Johnson City

Twinkly trees aglow in Johnson City

December 25, 2023 Merry Christmas! May your holiday and/or celebration of year’s end be happy and bright! To provide a little extra brightness, I’m sharing pics from the Lights Spectacular display in Johnson City, Texas, which I visited on Friday evening. The live oaks will be lit each night through ...