Welcome to Spring

The calendar says it’s Spring. 

Around here, we seemed to have gone from late winter,

straight to Summer. 

We had one morning low last week at 30 degrees,

and the last few days highs near 90. 

Welcome to Spring in Texas. 

The Spring Leaf Clean Up is about to begin,

when the Live Oak trees drop their old leaves, 

and put on new ones. 

The pansies are still blooming. If this heat keeps up,

they’ll begin to wane. 

The Snapdragons are finally starting to bloom. 

Almost too late. I’m thinking they prefer cooler weather. 

My neighbor, Ellie’s Viburnum is blooming. 

I didn’t get these limbs peeking through the fence,

trimmed back. Now I’m glad I didn’t. 

It’ll have to be done though, after the bloom is over. 

There are little fruits, on the Elaeagnus. 

We’ve seldom seen these, even though we notice the tiny blooms. 

The white Cemetery Iris has been blooming a lot. 

There are buds on other colors. All Pass-Alongs. 

The ones I bought, have not done well for the second year now. 

Inland Sea Oats are spreading, just as I wanted. 

The ones all over the rest of the yard, were not exactly my wishes. 

I’ll be moving them around. 

The deer don’t bother them. That makes them a favorite plant. 

Out in the Deer Grove, another plant the deer don’t bother...

Agarita. 

Pretty yellow flowers. 

There are supposed to be berries to follow. 

I’ve never seen them here. 

Maybe something gets them before I see them. 

 Again in the Deer Grove, these yuccas are colonizing very nicely. 

I think they’re Twisted Leaf. 

I’m thinking of trying to move a couple to the house. 

It would be nice for them to take up some room in a flower bed. 

No care...and, deer don’t touch them. 

Of course, the weeds keep coming. 

This will be fun to clean out. 

I tried a little. Ouch!

It’ll take tools and gloves. 

I use some kitchen tongs. They usually work. 

And, lots more weeds and clean up to come.

But, evenings find us sitting on the porch. 

A glass of wine, and conversation. 

And, catching a little light in a bottle. 

Life is good. 

Weeds and all. 

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Back From Camp...

Another year at 

Buttercup Camp,

has come and gone. 

And, we're all back home.

We had rain here, while I was gone.

Mr. P. held down the fort.

There was another bloom on the Blue Hour iris.

And, finally we had a daylily bloom.

I think it's Miss Amelia.

The Blue Eyed Grass in the Deer Grove has been pretty.

I tried moving some...not sure it's going to take.

For the first time since we've lived here,

the Twisted Yuccas in the Deer Grove has bloomed.

(tomato cages are to keep the deer from eating the blooms.)

So pretty...

The Larksprur is still blooming.

It's my first year to get it to bloom.

Actually, I had nothing to do with it, but throwing out seeds.

The Monarda, Peter's Purple, is putting on a show.

Speaking of putting on a show..

My daughter sent this photo, of the ginger at her new/old house.

They bought a 1910 Queen Anne earlier this year.

It has an amazing garden. I need to do a whole blog post,

just on this garden, and all the things they keep finding.

Pretty things....

Oh...and did we have fun at Camp?

Ummmm....I'd say yes.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Frosty Mornings...

Maybe it's because I just never noticed.

Or, maybe it was because the grasses in the Deer Grove

were all pushed over or washed away,

in the Halloween Flood.

Or, maybe I was looking out the window,

at just the right time.

But, I got to see the Frostweed, when it was doing its thing.

I was looking out the kitchen window,

and I could see something white in the Grove.

It was 24 degrees.

Yes...not bad, considering the blizzard going on 

in the Northeast.

So, I grabbed my camera and went out to investigate.

Sure enough...it was the Frostweed.

Frostweed (Verbesina virginica) stores water in its stems.

When the temperature gets really low,

the stems burst open, and the water comes out and freezes.

I didn't touch it. But, it looks like shaving cream.

When I went out a couple hours later, 

the foam was gone....as if it never was there.

Isn't Nature interesting?

I searched my files, and couldn't find one photo of this

plant in summer.

So, I borrowed one from the Wildflower site.

www.wildflower.org

It's a nice looking plant, although unremarkable until it blooms.

The white bloom clusters are nice.

It blooms in early fall.

In the Grove, it lives without much water....none at all in most summers.

And, the deer don't touch it.

Maybe I need to move one up to the house.  

Not sure how well it might transplant.

*****************

We haven't had any real rain in a while.

Less than a tenth of an inch, over a week ago.

We're supposed to be getting more rain than usual,

because of El Nino.

We'll have to water soon, if nothing happens.

*****************

I hope you're safe a warm where you are.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

They're He-e-re.....

Yep...

It has begun.

New little deer.  More mouths to feed.

Hard to catch sight of them right now.  They're very new.

But, they'll be braver, and the mommas will let them be seen

more, in a couple weeks.

Gotta admit...they're really cute.

Even if they'll be growing up, and eating my landscape.

***********

'Til later...

Take Care...

~~Linda~~

This and That for Monday....

Happy Monday.

We had more rain, over the weekend.

Not much...but, every bit is welcome....especially, the soft, gentle kind.

The sun was out, too.

So, I took a few photos.

Finally got some pretty good light on the Firecracker Fern.

I like it's airiness and those little red flowers.

This was all brown and crispy, before the rain.

It's Horse Herb.  It's amazing how fast it gets green again, with a little drink.

The Plumbago had all it's blooms beaten off, right before Bloomday.

But, it's made up for it.

This one, sticking trough the wire on the deck, is still there.

Maybe the deer do leave this plant alone.

Hmmm....might plant a trial one outside the fence, next year.

The burgundy leaf canna, planted in a pot, is finally putting on a bud.

The ones planted in the ground, don't look half as good.

That's another one of the mysteries, to me.

I was going to trim back the Knockout Rose, to let it bush out more.

I didn't....now, look at that pretty new growth.

I just can't trim it off.

I do need to trim this boxwood, though.

Some people say take it out.  But, I think I like it.

The deer never touch it.  That makes it a favorite.

The Ruellia is blooming.

The dwarf purple....

...and, pink.

I moved this Mexican Oregano outside the fence.  The deer don't seem to bother it.

It's finally putting on some blooms.

The Echeveria are blooming.

It's an interesting little bloom.

The rain may be over for a while.  They're giving us a slight chance.

We'll have to see.

There's plenty to catch up on here, in the mean time.

Hope you're having a great Monday, wherever you are.

'Til next time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Do You See What I See?....

Although it was really dry throughout April....less than a quarter of an inch of rain....early rain

brought out the grasses, in the Deer Grove.

In some places, the grasses are getting really dry, and turning brown.

But, shady areas are staying green.

Let's look closer.  What have we here?

Is this a new type of grass?  A grass with ears?

Oops!  Here's another one.

Ha!  Just the livestock.  Soon there will be smaller ones, hiding in the tall grass.

Another generation is due any time now.

Spring in the Hill Country.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Sunday Stroll...

We had rain, most of the weekend.  It all added up to about three inches here.

When the rain ended, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day....if a bit soggy.

The water was up in the creek.  So, we went out to check it out.

Willow goes along, too...if we don't go to far from home.

I'm not sure we'll ever tire of the water running down the creek.

And, rushing over the waterfall.

We walked back up to the cart path and toward the grove.  

Above is the view golfers get of the house.  Not the best view...but, better than it was.

Looking back at the house from the Deer Grove...the trees make a nice frame.

That planter is really uneven...hmmm.

Willow stayed with us the whole way.

In Elli's Meadow, there are verbena blooming, already.

And, this little yellow flower.  I think it had closed up for the night.  

Not sure what it is. 

There are lots of wildflowers coming up....mostly Mexican Hats and verbena.

Full circle, we grabbed some glasses of wine and sat in the swing for a while.

Always, always in the company of deer.

This little yearling doe is very small for her age.

She's barely larger than a fawn.  Maybe the drought last summer stunted her growth.

Soon, the lady and the large black Great Dane came along on their walk.  That big dog is one of the few things that will spook them.  So, off the ran.

We finished our wine, and headed to the house, to start the fire for grilled salmon and roasted veggies.

Life Is Good...

~~Linda~~