Winter fun, trip to Wharton, spider ID

Last Sunday, this little acrobat wasted no time cashing in its Salvia coccinea coupon before it expires.

My Forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis), a young passalong from Renee of Renee’s Roots, could stand more sun, but I like its adolescent bloom and broad leaves against the new Dianella (variegated flax lily). Some much-needed tree pruning could take care of the sun situation. Where’s Santa when you need him?

In east Austin, this week’s winter tease didn’t faze these two, but we’re on the countdown to brown. If the coccinea doesn’t re-seed, it’s an inexpensive replacement in spring. The madrensis will return, with second-year roots ready to take on bigger tasks.  I suspect that in year three, it’ll be ready to carry on its passalong heritage.

But mostly for us, when winter strikes for real, the garden doesn’t cower until spring.  As some perennials go dormant and summer annuals go dead, we can focus on evergreen textures, sculptural bark, berries, seed heads, and rich color, even from frost-nipped leaves.

Since there’s so much to enjoy in our sans-mosquito season, this week Tom meets with Randa Daude, owner of Oma’s Garten Pflanzen in Killeen. She takes a fresh look at standouts in our brief chilly break, like this Yaupon holly ‘Saratoga Gold’.

Oma’s is her second career. As a gardener, Randa was always dividing plants to give away. Her friends suggested she open a nursery, so she did!  She’s brought her personal philosophy to Oma’s:  organics, native plants, and sustainable designs. Check them out for garden talks, too.

On tour, we head to Wharton for another fabulous story.

After Diane and Ludvik Matula renovated their old house, Diane set her eyes on the yard they’d salvaged. Although the new healthy lawn was better than mud and weeds, Diane’s a gardener. One day she took a shovel to a back corner. And then kept on digging.

One of their dreams was opening a bed & breakfast. When Ludvik found the perfect old building to move next door, they named it BirdSong Inn.

It’s hard to say what Diane enjoyed more: turning it into a cozy getaway or a chance to add more to the garden!

If you’re like me and have killed a cactus or succulent with too much (water) love, Cindy Arredondo from Desert to Tropics shows how to salvage them.

I thank everyone, including Annie at The Transplantable Rose, for an ID on my spider shot at the compost pile.

Sure enough, according to Wizzie Brown, it’s a spinybacked orb weaver.  It’s a first for me, so thanks for your input!

If you’re out planting this weekend, you won’t miss a CTG thing online at klru.tv.

Until next week, Linda

Bloom day: 11/15/09

I’m rather amazed that I’ve celebrated Bloom Day for weeks now. Gardeners in Central Texas took a beating this dry summer with 68 days over 100º.  But in my east Austin garden, the team rallied when the rains finally came, with barely a player missing.

The cosmos/chile pequin/purple sweet potato vine team bounced back to join Carol’s May Dreams Bloom Day, a virtual tour of what’s up in gardens all over the world.

Last year, I divided a shrimp plant for the front bed, and planted a bamboo muhly at the end of that stretch. In their infant states, it took a lot of imagination to see this as a good thing. They’ve convinced me that it was.

This spring, when I moved a sickly Valentine rose into a pot on the patio’s sunny side, I owed it a chance. It wasn’t its fault that I’d taken a chance by plopping it where it got its minimum daily dose of sun. Valentine’s rebound, since week one, reminds me yet again: don’t think you can change a plant’s mind about what it wants.

New Dawn on the cat cove trellis, renewed after I cut it to nubs in February.

The Fairy rose, undaunted by its grinding hot curbside in front.

‘Country Girl’ mums in the den bed.

And ‘Butterpat’.

This is just a sample of what’s blooming after two tough years. I guess it’s why gardeners don’t ever give up.

Happy Bloom Day!  Linda

Go wild, photo tips for gardeners

Our lives transform when we become gardeners. One day, we simply go out to buy a little plant to decorate the porch, or a tree to shade the backyard. Then, faster than you can say “8 cubic yards of mulch,” we’ve joined a new social network (the garden) where the password is MORE4me!

Next, we glue a camera to our hand, only releasing it when wielding a traditional garden implement.

It’s a sure sign that we’ve crossed the line when we discover creatures we’d never really noticed before: tiny insects, secretive lizards, and darting anoles. When we spot a butterfly or hummingbird on one of OUR flowers, or a bird munching a berry on a shrub we planted, we race to get a birdbath, install a pond, and hit the nurseries for more plants to add to our friend’s list.

That’s what happened to Howard Cheek, CTG’s gardener of the week. A few years ago, he didn’t even own a camera. He wasn’t a big gardener. But this year, he was The Nature Conservancy’s photo winner for Waterhole Landing.

On our visit to Kempner with Howard and his wife Mary, you’ll see how creating a certified wildlife backyard habitat changed their lives, and brought the “talent” up close.

Howard shares a few of his photo tips for gardeners, including the secret behind this one.

This week, Tom and Alice Nance show how easy (and rewarding) it is to become a certified wildlife backyard habitat.

In my garden, I planted these Dianella (variegated flax lily) to contrast the Salvia guaranitica that attracts wildlife with late spring and fall flowers. Prune herbaceous salvias like this one after their first bloom cycle, and again in late August to renew flowers for hungry fall insects. In a few weeks (maybe?), they’ll freeze to the ground. Cut them back, and they’ll soon quickly be back on the job. I like the way this one passalong plant from my Dad’s friend Andy has made a nice thicket.

Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’ is evergreen, but in my garden, it’s just now gearing up again to fill a few mouths.  Like Howard’s, it attracts hummingbirds, too.

My groundcover in semi-shade, Wedelia trilobata, will rest this winter, but the oxalis beyond (along with other winter bloomers, seeds, and berries) will keep the wildlife gravy train on track.

A progressive garden dinner makes for the best design, since we never lack for something interesting to watch.  So keep those camera batteries charged up!

Remember, you can now watch CTG anytime, anywhere on klru.tv.

Until next week, Linda

First photo entry for Gardening Gone Wild

When I chanced upon this event behind the compost pile, I couldn’t resist entering this month’s Gardening Gone Wild “Picture This” theme, “End of the Line.”

The wind got me before I could catch the spider that made this truly the end of the line for somebody.

Falling for flirts, tree plant, hang on to herbs, San Antonio tour

Peek-a-boo.

In fall, one minute everybody’s shyly flirting, like this ‘Country Girl’ mum. A few days later, they stampede your heart and introduce you to their friends.

Since spring, I’ve been waiting for this one to open up to me.

It’s one of my spring Tom Peace finds from The Natural Gardener, Dendranthema ‘Butterpat’.  Chrysanthemum, under its new botanical name. According to Peace, it’s looking for a long-term relationship. It won me with its promise of soft yellow.

For spring, I have columbine, and in summer, my recent spider lilies Hymenocallis ‘Sulphur Queen’ (though want more). Now, there’s ‘Butterpat’ for fall.

I like zexmenia’s golden glow, too.

Oh, and yellow-orange, from my Satsuma oranges!  Only four this year, but this was its first year in the ground. Abundant flavor they did not lack. Even the peels are delicious!

These days, it can be hard to see the flowers for the nectaring insects, fueling up while they can, including these on Knock Out. Wizzie Brown thinks they’re some type of fly.

Since fall means that some relationships are winding down, like with basil, this week Trisha shows how to keep the flame going all winter. She also shows how to dry Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) for its flavorful leaves. It’s quick on the rebound come spring, so don’t pack its bags.

This week, arborist Guy LeBlanc joins us again to answer a few more of your tree questions. One I’ve heard a lot lately: “My tree has died. How close can I plant a new one to the stump?”  He gives us some good choices to replace the ones that didn’t make it, and how to plant and keep them healthy. His complete list of trees, from small to large, will be on CTG’s web site.

One thing you want to avoid:  buying a tree with girdled roots. If that’s the only choice, here’s Guy’s picture to show you to cut those roots and break things up a bit. Be firm with it and disentangle those pot-bound apron strings, unless you’re looking for a short-term fling. He recommends spreading out the end still attached to the tree. The severed end can be removed.

On tour, prepare for captivation in San Antonio at Gail & Don Clowe’s.

Front and back, Don’s merged his passion for plants with impressions from world travels.

On their “treehouse” deck in front, experience Japan and its soft segue into the equally sculptural intrigue of the Southwest.  Especially significant is their dedication to beloved family members through stones of remembrance.  Travel to the back for another haven, fragrant with orchids. Along the way, share Don’s philosophy behind his DIY design.

I just learned that the Clowe’s garden is slated for The Garden Conservancy tour May 1. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details! You simply must meet Gail & Don!

Until next week, Linda