Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: December 2012

Happy bloom day! Still a lot in bloom, even with temps dipping into the lower 30's this past week. For other gardens around the world this December, check out May Dreams Gardens.

Copper canyon and cigar plant are happy neighbors.

Gregg's mistflower peeking through artemesia
Gaura backlit by the afternoon sun
My garden helper, Lena, discovered the fun of pouncing on Mexican feathergrass
The Gulf muhly is still putting on a show every afternoon, with gaura in the background
Thyrallis and Mexican heather, orange cosmos
Pale yellow firecracker fern next to some cold-damaged fig leaves (about 90% of the leaves are untouched, but I just felt like I had to prove we've had a handful of winter days)
Blackfoot daisy doing well in the new curb strip
Long view of the curb strip, which got planted about a month ago
Cosmos and zinnias reseeded themselves in one of the backyard beds (waiting till they freeze to pull them out and mulch the bare irrigation lines)
A purple-blue salvia (I think Majestic something? Picked it up at Barton Springs) that got planted last month

Berries! Possumhaw holly, all dressed up for the holidays.
Cherry laurel

Nandina (I know this plant's invasive, but I'm enjoying these inherited landscape shrubs at the moment)

Garden Conservancy Open Days

Just now getting around to posting photos from the garden tour on November 3. My mother and I stopped at three of the gardens on list, all beautiful and inspiring. Our big takeaway was to leave enough spaces for conversation areas, or "outdoor rooms." And to paint window trim periwinkle. And maybe to train pyracantha on a stone wall espalier-style. Full set of photos here.

Garden of Jennifer & Fred Myers


 Garden of Yvonne Tocquigny & Tom Fornoff
Christine Ten Eyck/Gary Deaver Garden

Front Landscape: Month Six

So, the front yard is a wild and woolly riot of color right now, and I love it. Especially the tidal wave of sweet potato vine that's flowing out over sidewalk and path (I do trim it back each week, but it keeps flowing). It's hard to believe almost none of this was here 7 months ago! The crepe myrtle and cherry laurel are the big exceptions. Just a little yard progress report:
Now

3 months ago 

6 months ago 

7 months ago 

And a few more shots of the front yard now, with Gulf Muhly doing its thing. There's a big open space where the burgundy hibiscus used to be on the lower left (mealy bugs!)...still deciding what to put in there.

Tangle of artemesia, sweet potato vine and Gregg's Mist.

Creeping thyme behind the gaura is just starting to thrive and spread.

The pale yellow firecracker ferns have filled in nicely, and the fig grew much more than I expected for its first half year.

My cat camouflaged as a fig leaf shadow
Upcoming post: landscape planning/planting phase 2.