High summer

Rock rose

Mountain laurel seeds

Tropicana canna

Zinnia seedlings

Russian sage

Standing cypress

The last of the water at Walnut Creek on this morning's walk

A morning of purple and pollinators

I tend to think of hot colored blooms in mid-summer (flame acanthus, firespike, tithonia's velvety orange, pride of barbados), but when I looked out this morning, my front garden was dominated by cool purple flowers. Most striking of all is the sage bush (did we have a drop in barometric pressure last night? they're in full bloom all over town).

Below: a bee in the sage; another bee mid-flight choosing between sage and chaste tree blooms, another favorite with pollinators; and a moth on the wild Mexican petunias.



Eggplant flower; russian sage; and blackie sweet potato vine.



Close-up of chaste tree flowers; more sage bush; and wildflowers (ironweed?) on this morning's walk at Walnut Creek.

Foliage Follow-up: June 2011

So, I've been wanting to do a foliage follow-up post (hosted by Pam at Digging) for months now, and I've finally gotten around to it.









From the top: Tropicana canna, paddle kalanchoe, virginia creeper, lemongrass, coleus, pride of barbados, feathergrass with a knot in its "hair", blackie sweet potato, new hanging basket (I think it's creeping jenny).

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: June 2011

It's bloom day again over at May Dreams Gardens. And it's hot, hot, hot here in Austin. I'm in the process of leaving one garden behind (selling my house) and trying to figure out what is growing at the place I'm moving into.

At the new place this morning




Trumpet vine, mystery plant (anyone?), Mexican petunia, and crepe myrtle.

And my current garden, at the end of a long, hot day:








Birdseed sunflower, geraniums, oregano hedge, chaste tree, larkspur in two shades of purple, flame acanthus shrub (hummingbirds & bees love it!), and parsley.

Garden blog catch-up and the power of pressure washing

Some blooms from the front garden this past month:




Amazingly, the angel's trumpet bud above still bloomed, after I relocated the caterpillar to another plant. The standing cypress (top two photos) are so self-sufficient and full of fireworks, I can't help but be a fan.

Big news and one of the reasons I haven't been blogging: my house goes on the market next week. I've been working for a while on getting it looking its best , which would be much more pleasant if it weren't so hot and humid outside! It's funny how all these little things you put off doing add up, but once you do them you wonder why you didn't do and enjoy them earlier. Like washing all the windows inside and out or changing out a broken hammock swing. Or pressure washing the deck, which is actually a huge job, and I am lucky enough to have a dad with a pressure washer and a great work ethic. And a sister who doesn't mind taking a turn vacuuming up cottonwood fluff. Actually, we had a really lovely work weekend Memorial Day weekend, with most of my family here (thank you!); we all took on projects and took turns playing with my adorable nephew (8 months old tomorrow). And all agreed that we should do something similar at my parents' house next time.

The deck before (cottonwood, you monster! you look so beautiful now, but I know what you can do, especially once a little rain sticks the cotton fibers to whatever surface they touch):

And after (even the cedar cabana looks better with a little wash):


I'm trying not to think about saying good-bye to my first garden of my own, and instead to focus on the next wonderful garden adventure (post about that soon). And to keep plants and lawn looking their best in very hot weather with extreme drought conditions...a challenge. I do a lot of dragging around a hose with a soaker attachment on very low pressure, which is a bit tedious. Next garden is definitely getting a drip irrigation system.

Neighborhood garden tour

I'm inspired by this garden in my neighborhood. So many great modern-meets-mid-century ideas here. And I think this is my favorite rain barrel set-up ever.