Japanese Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum

Butterfly, or African iris – there are so many varieties available. Dietes bicolor or Moraea grandiflora – I’ll make a note of which it this spring when they flower. I am pretty sure it is Dietes bicolor Moraea grandiflora

Cattails on my Live Oak Querus virginiana

Shumard Red Oak – Quercus shumardii  leaves are budding.

Tri-color Ginger – Stromanthe sanguinea ‘Triostar’ combines beautiful texture and color.

Rocky Top Lettuce Mix

Thanks to Pam at Digging for creating Foliage Follow-up. To see more fantastic textures and shapes, head over to Foliage Follow-Up.

What’s blooming in your garden this month? Gerbera daisy Gerbera jamesonii which orginates from the Transvaal region of South Africa. One of my favorite flowers.

Carolina jasmine (or “jessamine”) Gelsemium sempervirens blooming this month along my back fence. This is courtesy of my neighbors garden.

The very first bloom of my Azalea indica ‘Formosa‘  this spring. Their are buds all over the shrub that will open this week, but this one was the first.

Narcissus jonquilla are in bloom this month.

Yes, the weeds are blooming too. I only pull out the ugly ones (sometimes). I think this one is pretty.

Another pretty weed growing in an old flower pot.

Finally the rose Pink Double Knockout® Rose “Radtkopink”.

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what’s blooming on this date in gardens around the world.

And don’t forget that Foliage Follow-Up is tomorrow hosted by Pam at Digging.

The photo above is a Pink Double Knockout® Rose “Radtkopink”.  

I saw red indeed. A pair of delightful cardinal birds. The cardinals were darting around the backyard today foraging for food. The female stopped at the bird bath for a drink. The male was busy on the ground searching. In the past, they’ve always seemed to leave before I could get the camera ready.  Today I happened to have the camera in my hands when I heard that familiar single chirp.

I love ORANGE. While it may not be the most popular color for most people, I think it is so refreshing and crisp… full of energy. I couldn’t help but pick up this gorgeous Gerbera daisy at the nursery last week (even though I really did not need another one). I’ve got a pretty clay pot picked out for it and will place it near the seating bench at Project 802. Perhaps this is a flower Ina Garten would love? I’ve heard her mention on the Barefoot Contessa, that orange flowers were her favorite. Mine too, Ina. 

This Sunday  I got some much needed chores done in the garden.  The Organic Vegetable Grower Specialist classes I am taking at Urban Harvest has been very helpful. The series targets our area of the country and offers practical, useful information for growing vegetables. Based on what I learned I purchased some local organic granular fertilizer to jump start my raised beds prior to planting.  I wrote a story about it on my Houston Chronicle blog earlier in the week.

Yesterday the weather was cloudy but warmer (around 70 degrees) so I was able to clean out the garage, fertilize the beds and prune a few plants.

I also took a few photos….

Garden Art… the windmill my mother gave me about 15 years ago.

Ficus pumila growing on a crape myrtle trunk.

Garlic sprouting in my raised bed.

Azaleas in the front of the house are just about ready to burst with color. This variety is a Formosa with hot pink flowers. Based on the number of buds – they should put on a good showing next month.

Narcissus tazetta ‘Italicus,’  I received from my good friend Chris Wiesinger at Southern Bulb.
 

Rosemary officinalis ‘Gorizia’  in bloom

There have been a lot of reasons for the lack of posts this year and the weather has a lot to do with it. It’s been cold…. cold for Houston. There just hasn’t been many nice days for gardening. I’m also incredibly business with work, along with starting the Master Gardener (Thursdays now through May)  program and taking an Organic Vegetable Gardening course at Urban Harvest.

I’ve gone through my archives and picked out a few more MACRO FAVORITES. Enjoy.

Visit Macro Monday to view some very interesting close ups and if you have some macro shots to share, join in the fun. Macro Monday features closeup shots in the garden from fellow bloggers and are listed on Lisa’s Chaos.

This month the leaves have been falling in Houston. In my neighborhood, lawns are covered with them and landscape crews are blowing, raking and bagging. As I drove around I thought what a waste. All this rich organic matter being tossed in plastic bags, piled up at the curb, and headed for a landfill.

This year I reserved a small area in my backyard to compost my leaves. My yardman bagged them as he usually does, but I asked him to place them in the backyard INSTEAD OF THE CURB. Today, I made three VERY low cost bins out of fence material for around $5 each.

I bought a roll of REDBRAND Welded Wire Fence 3 ft x 50 ft (around $27). This should be enough to make 4 or 5 bins depending on the diameter of each. It is made in the USA, 14 gauge with 2″ x 4″ rectangular openings. A good pair of wire cutters will make it easier. Wear gloves and eye protection to be safe.

Roll out the wire, (about 10 feet worth), cut the wire on the far right side just before the next cross. Fold the wire over the other end and wrap it around to form a cylinder. Fill the bins with leaves…

and wait… Keep it moist. I put mine facing the sun, to keep them warm in the winter. I do not plan on turning these bins, I am going to wait and let them compost down naturally. I will be not be adding any more material to them, so that when they’ve composted down, all I have to do is remove the wire enclosure and fill the wheelbarrow. These bins will take time to decompose but I’ll have rich leaf mold compost for my veggie garden when its ready.

Visit Macro Monday to view some very interesting close ups and if you have some macro shots to share, join in the fun. Macro Monday features closeup shots in the garden from fellow bloggers and are listed on Lisa’s Chaos.

If you enjoyed the photo of the horse earlier this week, here is a little more from Emily Giffin. Emily is my niece who is starting at Texas A&M in the fall. Whoop! I am very proud of her. She enjoys photography and after seeing some of her photos, I asked if she would share them. She has a great eye for texture, angle, form and contrast. These monochromatic images really show this off. 

Her horse is named Jimbo.

Emily Self Portrait

This week I lost a very dear friend, Craig J. Dickson. Craig was a true Texan is every sense of the word. A kindred spirit, generous, kind and yes, eccentric. That is what made him so special to everyone he met. I will miss you Craig. Thank you for the memories. I know even in Heaven, you’re Chasing the Texas sunsets.

FROM THE TRUETOTEXAS.COM WEBSITE:

Craig J. Dickson was born in Texas on April 2, 1949 and has been“Chasing the Texas sunsets” ever since. Craig attended “All Saints” Elementary School, graduated from Katy High School in 1968, and attended Texas A&M University. Craig passed away on December 29, 2009 following a battle with cancer.

Preceded in death by his father R.W. Dickson and his mother Katherine Dickson Tyra.

He is survived by “high school girlfriend” his wife of over 38 years Cassie Dixon Dickson, his daughter Rachel D. Kellner and her husband Charles Kellner, and his grandson “The King” Dixon Charles Kellner. He is also survived by his sisters Joan Dickson and Diane Dickson; his two nieces and nephew, Shannon Beckman, Dora Ann Gostecnik and Dustin Fisher; R.V. and Thyra Dixon, Carol and Gary Gostecnik; and all of his cousins.

Craig made a living marketing real property and was a lifelong member of the Houston Association of Realtors. But, his career was “Chasing the Texas sunsets” criss crossing Texas from Sabine Point to El Paso and from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Palo Duro Canyon. Someone asked Craig “What are you going to do when you have criss crossed all of Texas”? Craig’s reply! Start all over again.

Condolences may be shared with family at
ChasingTexasSunsets@truetotexas.com