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.

Signs of Fall at Walnut Creek

White heath aster Partridge Pea Turk's cap fruit

Symphony in Yellow and Purple

In celebration of Texas Native Plant Week, I thought I'd share some photos from this week's walk out at Walnut Creek Park. A little color to balance this morning's rain. I've never seen the fall trails so thick with goldenrod and blazing star and penstemon...

End of the summer vegetable garden

Today's harvest:

The beginnings of fall are in the air (cool mornings, rain, less reliance on A/C throughout the day). And I love the fall vegetable garden: all that chard and broccoli and herbs. But just when I'm planning to put in the cool weather veggies, the eggplant and okra are producing better than ever due to rain and sun and milder temps. Vegetable bed space is at a premium, though, and their days are numbered...

Friday's harvest included the biggest Japanese eggplant I've ever seen.
I pulled up the light pink zinnias today (below is a before shot from 2 weeks ago) and tried to corral & stake the others (can't give up my weekly bouquets quite yet). One of the stems I pulled up was over 6 feet tall; it would get too tall, flop over, change direction of growth, flop over again and repeat. Next year I will have a strategy to keep giant zinnias pointed upward and stable.
Stopped by Barton Springs Nursery today, and the almond verbena was in full bloom and smelled amazing. Lots of good things in stock, too.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: September 2012

It's Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens! Here's some of what's blooming on this cloudy, coolish day in my rain-quenched garden. Love the promise of fall after the long, hot summer...


In the front yard (above photos): gaura, Gregg's mist (bee and butterfly fave), pale yellow firecracker fern, and too tall zinnias in the veggie bed.

In the side and backyard: beach vitex, cigar plant, bougainvillea & cosmos, majestic salvia, Indian mallow, trumpet vine, potted thryallis, ever-present Mexican petunias, and a morning glory/moonflower combo.