MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Wishing you and yours 

 a safe and

Merry Christmas,

and

A Happy New Year.



Hope

Sometimes, living in Central Texas is like riding a weather roller coaster.  One day, you're in shorts....then a 'cold front' comes through.  There's a freeze, or a frost and ZAP!....there goes your plants.  Then, you're back in shorts again.

  The Castor Bean was finally really blooming.  I was hoping for some seeds.

I want more of these next year....even taller and fuller.  I bought these as transplants, at a garden show.  I just don't remember which booth.

The above picture was taken the day before Thanksgiving....80 degrees Fahrenheit.  On Thanksgiving Day, as we drove to our son's home, the temperature dropped 25 degrees in 15 miles! 

 The next morning was 20F....and, this is how the Castor Bean looks now.

The pretty red pom poms are brown.

I saved them.  I'm hoping they have some good seeds inside.  I'm not too sure what to do with them.  Do you know?

I just might have to remember where I got the ones this year.

HOPE, is what keeps gardeners coming back for more.

Happy Gardening...

 ~~Linda~~

Leaves…

Fall is here.  

We don’t get the fall color here in Central Texas, that other parts of the country do.  But, we’ll take what we can get.

So, for Foliage Follow-Up this month, I though I’d show you our leaves.

Most of our color, here at Patchwork Garden, comes from the Cedar Elms.

We do have oaks, other than the Live Oaks.

I’m not sure what kind this is.  But, it turns are beautiful rust in the fall.

The Crepe Myrtles, along the cart path, turn a bright ruby red.

And, so does the Virginia Creeper.

Looking back to the house from the creek, the color is mostly yellow and gold.

But, looking from the house to the creek, you see all the colors of our fall.

Then, there are these leaves.  Piles and piles of Cedar Elm leaves.  Keeping things neat is a full time job, this time of year.  But, leaves make good compost.

Hope your fall is as lovely as ours.

For more Foliage Follow-up, be sure to visit Pam at Digging.

Happy Gardening…

~~Linda~~

What a Difference a Day Makes....

Recently, I met up with some good friends for a couple days.  We stayed at a house on the Colorado River, between Inks Lake and Lake LBJ, in the Hill Country.

The first day dawned rainy and cold.  Fall had 'fallen'.  A brisk breeze made it a bit uncomfortable to sit on the dock.  So, we decided we'd just have to go shopping.



The morning we left, the day dawned bright and crisp.

Still a bit chilly, the misty rain of the day before had blown away.

The morning sun reflected on the water, what passes for fall here in the hills of Central Texas.

What a difference a day makes.

Rain or shine, it's always good to spend time with friends. 

Hope you're having a great fall.

~~Linda~~

Salvia....

Red Salvia coccinea and Indigo Spires

What would Central Texas gardeners do without the many salvias we have?  They're a mainstay in my garden.  Blues and purples, coral and reds.....they're all welcome here.  And....the always important asset....the DEER DON'T LIKE THEM!



The Salvia 'indigo spires' above, came with us from our old garden.  It's about ten years old, and still going strong.  It should have been cut back hard at the end of July.  I'd cut it back in June, and that was too early. 

It's a bit too leggy...needs more sun that it gets where it is.  It'll be moving soon.

I've been pleased with the Salvia coccinea I planted this year.  Sometimes called Scarlet Sage, it's a texas native.  It reseeds itself.  That's fine with me.  I spread them around.

I also have Salvia coccinea coral.  It hasn't reseeded like the red....unfortunately.

Mealy Blue Sage, Salvia farinacea, is another native....in blue...

....and white.

Salvia greggii, also known as Atumn sage or Cherry sage, is a great performer.

Evergreen and very drought tolerant. 

This red came with us from the old garden.

The pink came with the house.

For fall blooms, Pineapple Sage, Salvia elegans, is a good one.

I really like the spikey red blooms.  It makes a nice bush all summer....even though, this is another one I should have pruned back midsummer.

View from master bath window.

Another great fall bloomer, is Mexican Bush Sage, Salvia leucantha.

I like the fuzzy purple spikes.

I have the solid purple, and the purple with white tips.  I think I like the all purple best. 

It should have been pruned back, too.  I think I need to do a better job, next summer.

There will be more of this one planted.

There are many more salvias, and I plan to add more to my garden. 

Salvias are dependable bloomers.  The bees and hummingbirds love them.  And, again...

THE DEER DON'T LIKE THEM!!

What more could you ask.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

 

Fall in the Grove...

We've had some wonderful weather, for the last week.  Fall is finally here.

The grasses in the grove are glowing in the late afternoon sun.



With the extra rain this year, we've had a lot more growing in the Deer Grove....that's the wooded area behind our house.  The sun sends shafts of light, between the trees.

The fountain type grass, is still making a show.  It's been joined by a couple others.

I did some research and think I know what kind they are.  If anyone knows something different, please let me know.



I think this might be Lindheimer muhly, Muhlenbergia lindheimeri.  It's not as tall as the description, but looks a lot like the pictures.

This is either Ear Muhly, Mulenbergia arenacea, or Gulf Muhly, Muhlenbergia capillaris.  Since it's not very pink, I'm thinking it's the Ear Muhly.

And, this must be Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii. 

We're really enjoying this show of grasses.  Coming from an urban setting, where grasses were mostly mowed down, it's good to see them left alone.

And, we're enjoying the weather.  It makes it so pleasant to get out there and work in the garden.  I hope you're having the same fun.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Flowers and Leaves....

Orange Esperanza

Again this month, I'm running late with Bloomday, so I'm combining it with Foliage Follow-up.  I can almost hear my dad chuckling.  He was always after me, for running late.

Autumn Fern

It's been interesting, since last Bloom and Foliage days.  July and August were hot and dry.

Then, we were visited by Hermine.  She wasn't the nicest guest.  She dropped LOTS of  water, on the area.

So, things are a bit bedraggled.

Wax Begonia

Most things liked the extra water.  Some, are looking pretty bad.  You won't see the Lamb's Ear that the water flowed over.  It's coming back.  But, it gets pretty squishy, with too much water.

The Inland Seaoats like some extra water.  They're putting on their fall colors.



Impatiense like extra to drink, too.

And, one of my favorite combinations of foliage, the Persian Shield and Coleus, with Oyster Plant peeking out.

The Castor Bean has a small bloom.  I'm hoping for some seeds, for next year.

The foliage is nice...although, I wanted it to be taller, by now.

Plectanthus 'Lavender Mona', likes some shade and extra water.  This is one of my favorites.  Easy to propagate from cuttings and it's bloomed all summer.  I didn't get a picture of the purple underside of the leaves.  It's good for foliage and flowers.  I'll be taking lots of cuttings soon, to make sure I have some next year.  It doesn't like the cold.

The Palm Grass is beginning to grow.  It was tested by the deer.  I was hoping it would be much taller, by now.

The Sago Palm we were worried had been frozen, has popped back quite nicely.

The Mexican Bush sage, salvia leucantha, is putting on it's fall show.  This is a tough plant.  Needs very little water, and likes lots of sun.

The gold Lantana is about to bloom a lot.  Notice the mesh....the deer like the blooms....grrrr...

Plumbago is doing well, despite too much shade.

And, speaking of too much shade...this Indigo Spires sage will be moved this winter.  It needs lots more sun.

The Agaves my neighbor gave me a while back, are doing well.  These are tough plants, too.

No talk of foliage would be complete, without the Cuban Oregano.  I really like this one.  More cuttings will be taken, for plants for next year.

I'll finish up, with another one of my favorites...Thryallis  It has been blooming a lot.  It's a bit 'leggy', I think.  But, as long as it blooms like this, I'll leave it where it is.

 

If you'd like to see more Garden Bloggers Bloomday posts, visit Carol at May Dreams Garden. And, for more Foliage Follow-up, visit Pam at Digging.

HAPPY GARDENING…

~~Linda~~