Summer's end
‘Valentine’ rose. The new camera handled the saturated red pretty well.
Kids are back in school. Classes began at the University of Texas today, adding 48,000 college students to our city’s population. The temperature remains surprisingly low for August (low 90s), and we even got a few showers today. It feels like fall is just around the corner. The garden looks as fresh as it ever has for late August. Here are a few pictures from my morning exploration.
A white Turk’s cap blossom dangles from its stem like an old-fashioned earbob. Red Turk’s cap flowers in the background.
Pennisetum seedhead
‘Carefree Beauty’ rose
Horsetail reed in the container pond
Foxtail fern and black sweet potato vine
New stonework around the pot with the nolina in the front courtyard. I used Mexican beach pebbles to create this river-like arrangement, replacing the tired annuals that had occupied this spot all summer. I’m not sure I like the gray mixed with the orangey brown of the limestone, but it stays for now.
A fishy hello from the container pond
what kind of nolina is that? does it have tall flowerheads?
It’s a Nolina texana, and its flowers are held low within the leaves. I have a Nolina lindheimeriana in the back garden, and its bloom stalk last spring reached 5 feet. If you do a search for those plants (look on the sidebar for the search box) on my blog, you’ll find plenty of pics. —Pam
Your garden is AMAZING in AUGUST ! I have had you on my blogroll for quite some time and would appreciate it if you would return the favor, if you so deem me worthy.
Your blog is wonderful and I really enjoy reading your many posts.
Thanks for dropping by and for the kind words, Carolyn Gail. —Pam
Delicious pictures – good camera – better photographer! I’ll be waiting with bated breath for how you both shoot the blues…
The Turk’s cap is cool – I’m not familiar with that plant…
I have a lot of blue if you count the bottle tree, so you’ll be seeing some soon. 😉 The Turk’s cap is a nice understory summer bloomer here. It’s native to central Texas, but it may have a larger natural range. It dies to the ground after a freeze, so I underplant it with early spring flowers like golden groundsel, columbine, and spiderwort. By the time they’re finished, the Turk’s cap is greening up. —Pam
Beautiful flowers~ they don’t look as if they know it’s summer’s end!! Your photo’s are beautiful, the valentine rose..is gorgeous!!
Thanks, Catherine. Summer’s end brings a second season of bloom in Austin. Spring and fall are best for us, so summer’s end is a good thing! —Pam
Pam, I’m loving your new camera! You’ve captured some great shots on this post and the previous one. I loved the moon pictures and the rose.
Thank you, Robin. —Pam
What beautiful plants and flowers and I think the new camera captures your pictures even better,I love the one of the fish, too,unusual frame.
Thanks! I took lots of fish pics that morning, but this head-on shot was the most fun. The fish was sucking algae off the rock, but it looks like it’s coming up to say hi. —Pam
Wonderful shot of your tame little fishy. I tried growing horsetail twice and failed both times. It’s supposed to be almost a weed in some places but I managed to kill them. I guess they needed more water than I expected.
My horsetail is growing in the pond, in a pot set several inches below the fill line. Like you, I’ve seen them growing out of water—sometimes, in modernistic gardens, in what looks like arid conditions—and I’ve always wondered how they keep them alive. Daily watering, I guess. —Pam
I love the picture of the fish!!! Too cute.
The picture of the pennisetum made me think about your “mystery” grass. Did you ever make it to the nursery to see what they have and match it up with something? (If you did and posted about this I missed it somehow, despite visiting regularly–sorry.)
Well, this pennisetum (as I’m now calling it) is the mystery grass. I did go back to the nursery to discuss the mixup ; see link. Kim, no problem about having missed that post. I wouldn’t expect you to read every single post, as flattering as that would be. 😉 —Pam
You got showers? I’m still waiting for all this promised rain. It was cool and lovely last night after the front blew in but it was all bluster and no pay-off south of the river. I like your cobbled stone arrangement around the pot. That type of paving is quite popular in England.
I look forward to hearing more about your camera. I’m in the market for one, too. Perhaps as a New Year’s present.
Nothing measurable. But yeah, we got some short, splattering downpours, which cooled things off for a while. Thanks for the comment on the cobbled stone. I like the arrangement too but am still not sure about the color. The next time we get together (Is there an upcoming Ground Robin?), I’ll let you take some shots with my camera to see if you like it. —Pam
Also thanks for the agave, yucca links-really lovely,and lots of garden inspiration.
I’m glad you found inspiration there, Nicole. —Pam
Pam: I love the mexican beach pebble treatment! I think it looks like rippled water around your urn. Cool, refreshing, inviting! I hope it stays!
That’s good to hear. Thanks for the feedback, Layanee. —Pam
I didn’t know you have fish (or if i did, i forgot)–cool! Did you do that Mexican pebble thing yourself? Did it take a long time? I’ve seen people use that treatment to make make little “rivers” through their garden.
I guess I never have gotten a decent picture of the fish before. I’ve always kept two or three goldfish in my container pond; they help keep it clean—and pretty.
It took 3-4 hours to lay out the Mexican pebbles and press them into the soil. I didn’t set them in mortar, so we’ll see if it lasts. —Pam
As summer end’s, a new gardening season begins, right? I hate to think of this summer being over, even though we have had a challenging season here in my garden with hot days and no rain. My favorite picture above is of the sweet potato vine and fern. I love that combination of colors. I think you’ve figured out your new camera! Did you ever get Photoshop?
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I like chartreuse and eggplant together too. No, I didn’t get Photoshop. I lack the budget and the time for it right now, but someday I’d like to try it out. For now, the only photo editing I can do is cropping, which I do with nearly every photo. —Pam
Your photos are coming out great!
I’m glad you’re enjoying them, Kathleen. Thanks. —Pam
Loved the fishy in the pond … it looks huge! The Turk’s Cap are really pretty. I like the way you’ve organised the Mexican beach pebbles around the Nolana pot. The sight of Pennisetum always makes me smile.
And your rose pics are lovely.
Thanks, Kate! —Pam
Whenever I come to your site, it makes me think that I need to look into grasses more – yours are so beautiful, and just work perfectly in your garden. I also love that white turk’s cap – I have the red, but not the white one (haven’t even seen the white one around here).
Yes – I’m glad that August is over – fall is my favorite time for southern gardens, probably more so than spring I think.
I’ve been adding more non-native grasses lately, just because they are so beautiful. I still love the understated natives too though, and have more of them. They all add so much to the fall garden. Regarding the white Turk’s cap, it’s harder to find here too.
Here’s to fall! —Pam
Oh, I had actually caught that post about how they made it right… but I never could find anything other than miscanthus labeled as ‘Yaku Jima’ (under its various synonyms) so I figured that you still had a mystery pennisetum and were looking for a name yet. If it’s just to remain “the mystery pennisetum,” that’s cool, too… I just grew up reading a lot of Nancy Drew so I enjoy it when a good mystery is solved. lol.
Kim, I like some mysteries to remain mysteries, but not this one. Luckily, a new commenter, Nada, recently wrote to me that
What do you think? Is she right? It certainly looks similar in pics online. —Pam