Around the yard

I have never gotten organized in such a fashion that I have participated in Carol's May Dreams Garden Bloom Day blogging event. Every month on the 15th, hundreds of bloggers from all around the States (and elsewhere if I am not mistaken) share via links a blog post look at what is blooming in their garden that month. And I have had plenty of chances.  Carol's inaugural post on this was nearly two years ago, February 15, 2007.

The posts are a fascinating window on what, say, January 15th looks like in a garden in other parts of the country, ranging from this the snowy to the temperate.

It isn't the 15th, obviously, and I strayed from the "what is in bloom" concept a bit, but I like the idea very much.  So here, while I have the chance, is a look at what is going on in a Central Texas yard (Hardiness Zone 8) on Super Bowl Sunday, 2009. I will hope to get my garden's blooms into the mix on the 15th of this month, but we all know about plans and the fools who make them, yeah?

Abutilon Patrick Kirwin

Agave Americana

Sperengi Fern with bright winter berries

Broccoli with busy bee

A long shot of our Wildseed Farms Butterfly Mix currently in bloom, including larkspur (delphinium ajacis ranunculaceae)

Various shots of Cape Daisies (also from Wildseed Farms Butterfly Mix)

Ornamental Peppers (supposedly edible, have you tried any?)

Johnny Jump Ups and Yellow Violetta top planted in a pot of Hopley's Oregano

Bluebonnets to be - Lupinus.

A new favorite - Purpley Pink Moroccan Toadflax (Linaria maroccana)

Another view of the Abutilon. It took a year to get tall/established but is a regular contributor to back yard beauty now.

Chinese snow peas - these improve the soil as most pea plants do, so they feed the people and the dirt - great bonus. They also tolerate cool weather and drought. Can't beat that. 

Scarlet flax, another new favorite.

Meyer Lemon tree in bloom. Trini Lopez was right, the lemon tree is "very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet".

Mystery plant. Won't call it a weed because I love the color. Do you know what this is?

I do love the lavender.

Fountain grass - always gorgeous when the seed heads are back lit I think.

Mexican wiregrass - a standard bearer for us while we are moving from St Augustine to a more xeriscapic multiculture in the front lawn area.

And there you have it. A detailed look at our all stars for early February in this yard in Central Texas.   Hope you'll come back to see what happens as the weather warms and (optimistically speaking) the spring rains finally arrive.

Cross Blogging

Drop in on one of my other blog sites for a few words about gardening to raise food, broccoli and bees. From Austin Agrodolce:"Recently the folks at the Central Texas Gardener (a local PBS gardening show) interviewed and took a garden tour with one of the Austin American Statesman's (our local newspaper) popular garden columnist/bloggers.What struck me in this Television looks at Print looks back at Television gardeners love fest, was a statement made by Renee Studebaker of Renee's Roots (The Garden of an Urban Farm Girl), when she recalled seeing a photo of herself sitting in her grandmother's garden, in her diapers, "helping".

I hear this time and time again, that folks just have gardening, especially growing food for the table, "in their blood". They learned at a mother or grandmother or grandfather's knee, getting first hand tutelage in the art of coaxing food out of soil.

And every single time I hear or read of this, I experience pangs of grand/parent garden envy." Continue reading...

A Good Start for 2009

I don't know if you are one of those people who likes to make a list of resolutions for the new year but whether or not you made a list, resolving to visit the Wildflower Center is always a good way to start a year.

To make that even easier, the Wildflower Center is open for visits during regular hours at no charge beginning with their after the holidays re-opening on Saturday, January 3rd.

This gives gardeners both avid and beginning plenty of opportunities to do post-holiday shopping at the Center's store without entering into Mall Madness.You can also enjoy a delicious meal at their Cafe or if you aren't up for spending, gaze at the artwork on display.

According to their website, "Come pick up a 2009 Wildflower Wall Calendar, view wildflower artwork in the McDermott Learning Center starting January 10, or visit with Matt Turner, author of "Remarkable Plants of Texas," from 1 to 4 p.m. in the store during Tree Talk Winter Walk."Pretty nice invite. You know you want to go!

Our weather is supposed to be warm and welcoming for a bit.Get yourself to the Wildflower Center today.

The Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5:30 p.m.