Down to Earth

Predator

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Saturday afternoon, I opened the back door and saw this immature Copper's hawk eating its lunch in our tree.

I couldn't make out what the hawk was eating. I hope it was a mouse or lizard and not a songbird. I dreamed it ate a titmouse, but thank goodness, that was just a dream. There wasn't any evidence that the hawk caught its prey in our yard. Instead, I think it was attracted by the sparseness of our dying tree – the perfect place to alight for a meal.

(As an aside, our tree has been dying since before we moved in. It has been a long goodbye. Yet with all of the fascinating birds that have used this tree precisely because of its declining health, – woodpeckers, great horned owls and now the hawk – it's been a asset, even in its waning state.)

When the hawk saw me looking at it, it hoped to a higher branch but stayed in the tree and watched me for a while.

I was interested to see that while the hawk and I looked at each other, three starling sat in the same tree about 12 feet above the hawk. Ballsy if you ask me!

Even more courageous was the blue jay who broke the silence of the other birds and screamed at the hawk to move on its way. I was surprised the hawk responded. All hail the hero blue jay.

Spotted Towhee

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

In November and again on Monday, we noticed a new bird in our yard, the spotted towhee. According to the bird book, the spotted towhee is a winter resident with a black head and back, white wing markings, rust or rufous colored sides and a red eye.

It was sound, not sight, that first clued us in to this visitor. My husband had the windows open, and he heard continuous rustling in the mulch. It wasn't the gentle examining that a wrens and cardinals do, but powerful and purposeful rummaging, like a chicken scratching for bugs.

Towhees like to hunt in shrubby undergrowth. Our growing xylosma hedge seems to fit that description, and we've enhanced the habitat by filling the beds with shredded sycamore leaves from a neighbor's tree.

Speaking of birds, if you live in South or Central Texas, I have a recommendation for you. Check out this birding blog that my friend Sam recently launched. Whenever I am stumped by a bird ID question, Sam has the answer. (He identified this generic looking warble for me last year.) He also tips me off to when seasonal are birds have made their appearance. I'm always impressed by his adventures and bird knowledge.

Why hello there!

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:28:00 +0000

Why hello there wren! So glad you stopped by.

Fall 2011 Tour : Backyard

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:32:00 +0000

Two nights ago, San Antonio had its first freeze of the season - 31°F. All of my plants escaped unscathed, but I know it's only a matter of time before Jack Frost catches them so I wanted to take a minute to document my backyard in its fall glory.

The peak of the season was mid-October, and the profusion of flowers has lessened, but still, looking at these pictures, I'm very pleased with how the scene has developed over the past three years.

I have two water features in the backyard, and both were out of commission until about a month ago.

This bird bath's pump burned out when we were out of town for the weekend in the spring. Tip: Do not depend on your house sitter to fill your bird bath. Lucky me, I found new pump in an opened package on the clearance rack at Lowe's. Score! Now the bird bath is running again. (I always check the clearance rack, or as I call it, the Rack of Death.)

This fountain cracked when I left water in the basin last winter. I was so mad at myself for being careless with my gift, and I was bummed that after exhaustive Internet research and a call to a local water feature store, I could not turn up any recommendations for fixing it. That is until I called a kooky handyman show on a lesser-known radio station.

When I told the host my dilemma and how I wanted to at least try something before I turned my fountain into a planter, he didn't hesitate with his answer. "You need Through the Roof!" So that's what we drove to his store and bought the same day. I painted the entire fountain, inside and out and let it dry. Voilà! So far, so good.

This spring, when the nurseries are stocked again, I'd like to plant some coral bells or holly ferns to hide the brick risers. Have you had any experience with either plant in South or Central Texas? Any recommendations?

Back to the tour. Around the corner from the lawnette is No Man's Land. I've tried to spruce up this utilitarian space with a trumpet vine on the fence, firespike in the pocket and a second confederate jasmine.

A huge pot of the jasmine was on clearance at H-E-B for only $10 in early October. The vine was healthy and I know it normally sells for about $24 so I snagged it. I am training it to grow around the window. Won't it be great to open the window and smell jasmine in the spring!

Now, a U turn back toward the lawn.

A shot of Travis' veggie gardens filled leafy green sprouts (and my wildflowers mixed in). The arbor. And the patio.

And finally, if you stand at this juncture...

... you can see both the veggie beds and the path to the front yard.

I love long shots of landscapes especially when you can compare them to previous seasons and previous years and see the changes. Cheers!

Foliage Follow Up : November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:45:00 +0000

I had the perfect combination of foliage, light and free time today to take a few pictures for the monthly Foliage Follow Up hosted at Digging.

The temperatures have dipped close to freezing a few times and the fig leaves have responded. Soon, the leaves will fall off (or they'll look so ratty that I remove them), but for now, I'm enjoying the stained glass effect.

Overall, the leaves on the coral honeysuckle have started to turn yellow and dry out as the plant prepares for semi-dormancy. But on the vine I transplanted in this summer, new leaves are forming. I suppose the plant is taking advantage of the moderate temperatures and the opportunity to produce and store some food for next spring.

Have I mentioned how much I love the purple hyacinth vine? Only twice in the last two posts! Here's another reason I love it.

I used my gift certificate to Sunshine Landscape and Garden Center - thank you! - (more on my visit there later) to buy several new shade plants including this foxtail fern. It's only been in the ground for about two weeks and it's already put out a few new fronds.

In the veggie garden, Travis is growing Swiss chard - Bright Lights. Looks great and tastes good too. I've been using it like a salad green.

Here are two more new additions from Sunshine - Peter Pan agapanthus and fatsia or japanese aralia.

I planted the fatsia behind my black and blue salvia. When I was in Florida last month, I saw similar grouping using black and blue salvia and philodendron. The large leafed plant provide a nice canvas to show off the black and blue flowers. I'll keep you posted on how this combination looks this spring.

This weekend, I moved my four inland sea oat plants to the backyard. I heard on a garden show that they are perfect plants for the sun/shade transition point under a tree. Mine had been located near the trunk of a live oak and had been declining over the last few years. After hearing the radio show recommendation, I decided they were getting too much shade and relocated them to a part sun spot near the backyard arbor. We shall see how they fair.

My favorite purchase from my trip to Sunshine is this variegated flax lily. I divided the large plant I bought in two and put one part on each side of my water fountain (pictures to come). They brighten up the shady space so well, and as a bonus today, I noticed these tiny flowers on the plant for the first time. Lovely.

GBBD: November 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:27:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is next week! Wow, where has the time gone? It's already time for the November Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. Here's a look at what's flowering in my yard.

The shrimp plants are putting on the best show I've seen in the last three years. There are five plants in this shot, three that I planted a few years ago and two that I added this spring.

The turk's cap are finishing their summer bloom season, but there are still a healthy number of blooms on the plants.

This morning we were blessed with a rain shower that delivered .8". The droplets weighed down this Archduke Charles rose bloom.

The black and blue salvia did not weather the hot summer well, and as a result, it's fall display has been disappointing but it did offer a few new blooms.

My camera skills do not do justice to the cat mint blooms. In this picture, they look like they are on the decline, but actually, in person, the blooms look very fresh and soothing, at least my cat Gideon thinks so.

In August, I added blackfoot daisy (top) and narrow leaf zinnia to the garden. August was probably the worst month on the calendar to plant, but I had a coupon that had to be used at that time. The plants survived two torturous months and they are thriving.

The fall asters hit their peak last month, and within the last few days, they've decline rapidly. This is all that's left of their purple mass.

Salvia greggi is another noted fall bloomer. It's peak was also a few weeks ago, but the blooms persist.

The esperenza - a summer time staple - is still delivering huge clusters of yellow bells, but it won't be too long before the entire plant freezes to the ground.

I love this purple hyacinth vine. The seed pods are fascinating too. This was the first time I've ever planted it and I think I'll have to make it a tradition.

Finally, a first ever bloom for my yard: firespike. These plants were pass alongs from MomMom in Houston. I'm very excited to see the flower spike develop. If you're reading this MomMom, thanks!

For more November blooms, head to May Dreams Garden.

Purple Hyacinth Bean

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:58:00 +0000

I've been burning midnight oil lately to try to keep up with my commitments. Thankfully, midnight and moonlight combined with unusual plant forms produces some enchanting images like these of the purple hyacinth vine.

Bird Sanctuary

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:27:00 +0000

How many different kinds of birds do you think visit a small, suburban San Antonio backyard on a Saturday in September?

Would you believe 15! Between the drought and the change in seasons, we had a full bird sanctuary in our backyard this weekend.

His throat is more red than the nectar. Amazing!

Ruby-throated humming birds are migrating through our area now. Usually, there were three, and up to five, within view at one time.

I was so happy to see that a house finch and his wife have decided to frequent our yard. We used to have a pair that came by regularly, but I hadn't seen them in about two years.

Another infrequent visitor that made an appearance Saturday was the titmouse. They are fairly common for a lot of suburban birders, but I only see this guy about three times a year. I was glad that he took an interest in the cat fur that I put in a suet box behind the wind chime.

We have way too many starlings right now (about ten total). Their speckles are attractive but their manners are so bad that it's hard for me to appreciate their beauty. In their defense, however, they seem to be more tolerant of other birds right now than they are in the winter when they act like a street gang.

I rarely see cardinals taking a bath, but on Saturday, this one was splashing like a fool.

Ditto for mocking birds. I don't know if I've ever seen one splash in the water. Doesn't he look ridiculously undignified when he is all puffed up and bathing?

The Carolina wren is Travis' favorite. He keeps hoping to entice a pair to our wren nesting box, but so far, no luck. This one must live nearby because it stops by once in a while. We see it about once every two or three weeks.

At least two of the golden fronted woodpeckers that were born in a nest in our tree survived. Unlike the other juvenile birds we've seen lately, the young woodpeckers are significantly smaller than their parents and easy to distinguish.

One. Two.Three scrub jays dined with us this weekend.

Another wave of Baltimore Orioles made a stop in our area. This time, I counted about seven at once.

And finally, if you look closely, you can see what I believe is a yellow warbler peaking out from behind this tree. If my ID is correct, it's my first ever sighting.

But wait; that's only 13 birds, you say. Well, I didn't photograph the usual suspects: sparrows, grackles, white wing dove and Inca dove.

Believe it or not, there are a few additional birds that I think I could reasonably hope to attract right now, but for some reason, I've never been successful. I'm still waiting for the lesser gold finches and chickadees to come to my sanctuary.

Late breaking news! Look what landed in my tree after I drafted this post! TWO great horned owls!! They were calling with the same notes at the same time and you could hear the difference in the male and female's pitch. In January at about the same time of night (near midnight), the male visited us. Now he's here again with a mate. So cool!

WOW! Make that 16 different species of birds.

Setember 2011 Foliage Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:58:00 +0000

The backyard peasants (sparrows and starlings) are loving the fruit on my neighbor's palm tree. Before the berries turn black, they look like bubbles in a champagne glass.

The foliage is doesn't provide much shade for humans but the dead fronds give shelter to birds and bats. When the wind is blowing, the leaves look and sound so relaxing. From our upstairs guest room, when you wake up, the first thing you see is the top of this palm and blue sky.

To get your fill of other inspiring foliage, check out Pam's blog Digging, where she holds a monthly link party. Today, she is showing off an agave that looks like a squid.

September 2011 Bloom Day

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:54:00 +0000

Ay yi yi, it's dry this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. First, a wide shot to show you a typical San Antonio lawn (it's my neighbor's) and my bright spot this bloom day, my lantana bed. I suppose the lawns don't look too bad... if it were January, but this is September and most turf is already dormant (or maybe dead).

Last year, my lantana bed was twinkling with butterfly wings. This year, none. But I did see this guy.

I just happened to catch the Pride of Barbados between blooms. It looks like spent fireworks, doesn't it? There's lingering beauty while it fades away.

The dwarf plumbego seem fine. In fact, they actually spread a little this year. I planted them as a ground cover, but it will be many, many years before they form a solid mat.

Two of my part-shade plants, turk's cap and liriope, are doing their part to add a little interest this bloom day.

The pentas are happy now. This spring, I planted them in the backyard where the scorched zinnia (yikes! - it looks like a zombie, doesn't it?) are trying to make a go of it, but the penta were very unhappy. Since they can handle part-shade, I moved them to a pot in the front yard and they've shown their appreciation by putting on new blooms.

The esperenza doesn't seem phased at all by the heat, nor the drought. It freezes back each year, but as you can see, it shoots up to full height in a very short time.

This is the pride of my garden right now, blue pea vine. After keeping an eye out for it for three years, I finally found it in a nursery in June. I am very pleased with its flower and leaf color. The green has a cooling hue that adds a sense of peace to the garden.

To see what is blooming this month in other gardens, visit May Dreams.

A Small Favor
If you've read this far, could do me a small favor and vote for Blaze, the name I submitted for my industry's conference mascot? Anyone can vote; all you need is an email. If Blaze wins, I get a free registration at the meeting in Florida. Oh, wouldn't it be nice to fly over a place where green was the dominant color and "rain-starved" wasn't a phrase the weathermen uttered nightly.

Baltimore Oriole

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Yesterday's breeze and cooler temperatures (92°) brought a wonderful treat! A trio of Baltimore Orioles visited our yard.

I've read about these colorful birds in magazines, but I've never been fortunate enough to see them in person. The magazines make orioles seem as common as hummingbirds, but since I'd never seen them in Texas, I figured that they were a northeastern bird – a reasonable assumption when their name includes the word "Baltimore." How wrong I was. San Antonio is in their migration route.

This is the female. Her underside is much more colorful than her top.

From the backside, she looks like a large warbler, which is what we thought she was at first.

Once I spotted the male, however, I knew exactly which section of the bird book to flip to. These birds are a little smaller than mockingbirds, and I was surprised to see that they aren't shy around other birds. They have no problem mingling with sparrows, cardinals and even starlings.

The orioles have been here since Friday. Travis first spotted the female at the birdbath, but her identity was a mystery until Monday when I noticed the male. In this drought, it's probably a challenge for the birds to find water on their trek south so I bet the bird bath was key factor in their decision to visit us.

Keep your bird baths full. If this drought brings us nothing else, at least you might see some new birds.

IT'S HOT

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 23:05:00 +0000

IT'S HOT. So you gotta do what you gotta do to stay cool.

Foliage Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:00:00 +0000

On the heals of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day comes Foliage Follow Up.

Day or night, this agave has served me well in its hanging basket. I've tried other plants in this spot, and the closest I've come to success was portulaca, but even it couldn't manager more than five days without water so like Amy, I've decided to get real with my container selections this summer.

Here's a rose that provides two for one beauty - the new purple foliage looks almost like tubular flowers (at least that what a hummingbird thought the other night) and the blooms in the spring are lovely too.

For more standout foliage, check out the links shared at Digging today.

GBBD: August 2011 - Not Too Shaby

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:14:00 +0000

It's the North's turn to steal the show this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Here in South Texas, blooms are not abundant, but I have a small and steady supply.

The liriope just started blooming a few days ago.

About a year after we sowed the seeds, the Pride of Barbados is in bloom. In a normal summer, it would be surrounded by a bed of gold and red lantana, but the lantana has been unusually absent in this drought.

What I do have blooming beneath the Pride of Barbados are dwarf blue plumbago. They aren't a show stopper, but they've been steady bloomers and the blue is vivid enough to catch a passerby's eye. (Can you see the speckled lantana leaves in the mix? It's lace bug damage, I think.)

Despite being weakened by mealy bugs and spider mites, the turk's cap still looks good.

Nothing bothers the esperenza. It's grown about 9 feet since the spring and hasn't had any problems to speak of.

The roses are putting on a profusion of blooms. The flowers last only a day before the petals dry up, but with 102° days, you take what you can get.

Garlic chives started blooming just a few weeks ago. They're the closest thing this San Antonio gardener will ever get to the alliums in the other parts of the country.

I counted five blooms on the blue pea vine. I was surprised to see so many considering that about every fourth day, the bottom-most leaves yellow with thirst.

Has-been blooms from echinacea.

Blackfoot daisy

and her cousin, narrow leaf zinnia, both new additions. (I know, in August! What am I thinking?) They were half price with an August-only coupon so we'll see how they fair. For a better Bloom Day show, be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens.

Today is My Water Day

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0000

June 14, 2011 - Stage 2 Drought Rules

Today is Thursday, my watering day as designated by SAWS and the last digit of my address. Under Stage 2 drought rules, I can water once a week on my day from 3-8 am (yea right!) and 8-10 pm.

Keeping a lawn looking good under these restrictions without the aid of sprinkler system is difficult, but not for me. In fact, our turf looks better than ever. That's because what you see in the picture is the only grass we have. It's such a small area that I barely have to move the sprinkler to water it.

We used to have a tiny bit more grass than we do now, but this spring, we leveled No Man's Land with mulch, lowering the total sodded area to about 15 percent of the landscape.

My favorite girl playing on a bed of blended grass

We keep the lawnette because of this girl: Bailey. She has just enough grass for play, poop and pee. We scoop the poop every few days, and it's no big deal. The urine was a problem because Baily always picks the same spot for her morning relief (a few steps off the patio, in full West sun).

The St. Augustine was getting burned, and I wasn't sure how to address the dead spots. (Should I teach her to pee on the decayed granite? - it crossed my mind). As luck would have it, Bermuda from a neighbor's yard sneaked in and solved the dilemma. The Bermuda tolerates the urine better than the St. Augustine, and more importantly, it regrows quickly after an insult. I used to prefer a mono-species turf, but now I've embraced the blended look.

With the new mulch and the Bermuda patch, I'm proud to say the grass looks the best it ever has – drought be damned.

June 18, 2011 -Water hose obstacle course. (The hose bib is on the left side of the driveway.)

Please don't misunderstand. The drought is wreaking havoc, even in my yard.

With reasonable rainfall, I rarely have to water the plants in the other parts of the yard. But in the face of our exceptional drought, I have to drag the hose around to each plant and offer an occasional drink. I hate doing this. I prefer to leave the hose running low and slow, which makes moving it from plant to plant take f-o-r-e-v-e-r. On top of that, our front yard hose bib is in the worst location so I have to drag the hose three quarters of the way around our property, snagging it on plants and hardscape while I navigate the slopey sections in the dark.

No need for a pity party though. If this is an exceptional drought and my yard looks like this with only a slight inconvenience, image how fabulous it will be when we get back to our usual weather. I am looking forward to it.

Wordless Wednesday - Pride of Barbados

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:35:00 +0000

Sun Dried Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Sun dried tomatoes, sounds delicious right?

Not exactly. At least not in San Antonio in August.

Our cherry tomatoes stopped setting fruit in late June (when the daytime temperatures were consistently above 90° and the nighttime temps were above 75°).

Ending the season in June is fine with me. By then, I've had all the tomatoes I can eat (and give away) and I start to loathe the idea of going outside and poking around the humid jungle looking for mediocre fruit.

The trouble is that when the season ends, the mess remains. For a few weeks now, Travis has been removing one tomato plant at a time, but this weekend we teamed up and bushwhacked the entire bed.

We encountered tons of flying leaf footed bugs (bastards!) as well as scale and spider mite damage.

Look at this little nymph injecting its digestive juices and ruining the fruit. These picture are from early July when the bug population was lower and the tomatoes weren't struggling as much. By yesterday, there were thousands of bugs in the bed, not to mention mosquitoes eating us alive while we worked.

For a more immersive look at the mess, check out Travis' video.

4th of July

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:05:00 +0000

Happy birthday America! Those of you with red, white and blue blog posts inspired me to look through my yard to find trios of patriotic colors.

For red, I've got turk's cap

and Dallas Red lantana

For white, annual pentas

garlic chives

mint blooms

and Natchez crepe myrtle. This is my neighbor's tree. It's my favorite garden feature that I lucked into. It's a substantial part of the view when we're relaxing on the couch or the patio. The tree's shape is great, the leaves are a rich green and the bark is eye catching. The blooms are a bonus.

For blue, I've got dwarf blue plumbago in the front yard. This picture makes the blue look washed out and more like the pastel blue on the other blue plumbago plant, the rambling shrub the people grow as an annual. (Common names, they're a disaster). Maybe it's the harsh lighting or maybe I'm unfairly comparing this blue to my next two plants...

black and blue salvia

and my newest addition, the truest blue I have: blue pea vine.

Happy 235th America! Here's to many more.

Sugar Water

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:56:00 +0000

An idyllic, graceful scene: a hummer at the feeder, seen through the gentle blur of the window screen.

This scene, however, ... ridiculous :) Have you ever seen a woodpecker's tongue? It's a first for me too.

This bird is probably an offspring of the two yellow-fronted woodpeckers that drilled a nest in our dying tree in April. This picture is the first time I've noticed the "yellow front." Odd that they don't name the species after the colored head, which is still faint on the young birds but prominent on the adults.

Doesn't he look silly trying to fit on the perch, almost like a dove? I bet he spilled more sugar water than he drank.

Like a kid in the candy store, he can't help but taste a little of everything.

Wildlife keeps the garden interesting. I hope your resident critters are as entertaining and inspiring as these two are for me.

Veggies in the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Cucumbers

Figs

Cherry tomatoes

Eggplant blossom
Here's to a fruitful summer weekend. Enjoy!

It Rained!

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Finally, overnight the rain came.

The rain gauge shows eight tenths of an inch – a fair amount but the figure belies the significance when you consider that it's 20 percent of the 4 inches we've gotten all year.

For some of my summer annuals like this purple hyacinth bean, yesterday provided their first taste of rainwater. How sweet it is.

Washout after Tropical Storm Hermine 9/2010

Months after we did the work, the storm let us test our solution to the gravel washout that plagues our slopey backyard. I am proud and relieved to report that our repair held.

No washout after thunderstorm on 6/22/2011

Here's what we did. In April, following the advice of Bob Webster, we refreshed the decayed granite, dusted Portland Cement (not Quickrete), mixed the granite and cement using brooms and rakes, then sprayed the area with a hose to set the cement.

Mixing the cement and gravel on the ground (as opposed to in the wheel barrel) was a chore. If you don't dust the cement on the ground evenly, you create ugly white splotches. If you try this project yourself, here's my advice: don't try to save time or energy mixing directly on the ground. Much like painting, you'll thank yourself for doing the prep work so that you don't have to go back and keep touching up your messes.

All's well that ends well though. I'm looking forward to the first tropical weather event of the season so that we can put our handy work to the ultimate test.

A Hot Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Mon, 23 May 2011 04:20:00 +0000

My husband was the original garden blogger in our family, but school, work and other hobbies have sucked away most of his blog time. Occasionally he still pens an entry, like today's, which I am reposting from his blog.

The hedge to the right is, in fact, my cherry tomatoes! - All organic folks!

Black Beauty eggplant

My Celebrity tomatoes wear pantyhose to make them look less appetizing to mockingbirds who are easily turned off by this early '90s women's underwear-accessory fashion.

Eggplant, banana peppers, TAM-1 jalapenos, cucumbers, and Large Red Cherry tomatoes.

Rain Lily

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Not only did last Thursday's thunderstorm provide a much-needed reprieve from our drought; it prompted a first ever bloom: pink rain lily (zephyanthes grandiflora). It's beautiful! It's the only pink in the front yard.

I bought two four-inch pots of these last fall and planted them with the mondo grass since their foliage is almost identical. I wish I could have bought more lilies and then I'd be talking about "waves of rain lilies" like the Lazy Shady Gardener, but instead, I rationed myself to two in hopes that the bulbs would multiply. It looks like the opposite has happened. Oh well. By the time we have our next rain, maybe this one will have created a few offsets and I can talk about my "clump" of rain lilies.

GBBD: May 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Mon, 16 May 2011 05:21:00 +0000

Is it already May 15! Where has the month gone? Ready or not, it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. There almost two dozen different species blooming in my yard. Here's a look.

Impatients

Shrimp Plant

First every rain lily (almost bloom) thanks to our recent downpour.

Lantana and dwarf plumbago

Nandina

Larkspur

Coral honeysuckle

Eggplant

Jalapeno pepper

Tomato bloom

Basil

Archduke Charles rose

:( Thrips have invaded my rose bush

Crown of thorns

Porchulaca rainbow (sorry, the blooms close in the evening and I was a few minutes too late taking the picture)

Diantus

A few soon to be blooms: agapanthus and purple coneflower

Aster

Catmint

Autumn Joy sedum

Black and blue salvia

Dill

Confederate Jasmine

Be sure to drop by May Dreams to see what else is blooming in gardens around the globe.

Wordless Wednesday: Iridescent Ghosts

noreply@blogger.com (Abbey) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:24:00 +0000