From the producer: August 22, 2008

August 21st, 2008 Posted in From the Producer | 4 Comments »

With the cool Sunday morning last weekend, I frantically pruned, weeded, evaluated, and planned. It’s about time to cram in a lot of work after work. Between jotting notes and researching plants, I checked the weather report.

As it clouded over Sunday evening, we put Harvey in his playpen for some fun before the rain started. Greg moved it the day before to distribute the poop. Chester went over to say hello.

Then the rain spurned us, falling on our Central Texas neighbors, which was good, but the only moisture for us was the tears in my eyes when the sun popped out on Monday. Finally, 1″ arrived in the night, but after all the great promises, it was sort of like expecting a new scooter on Christmas and getting pajamas instead. On Tuesday evening, I held my breath as clouds suddenly wiped the smile off the sun.

Then came rain again, to renew my hope in Santa and the weather channels. Only 2/10″, but at least I got to see it.

Through these past weeks of drought, a KLRU colleague, Rob, created his own “water collection system,” a true recycle/reuse idea!

I was surprised to learn that on a summer’s day, we can collect five gallons of water from the AC’s condensation pipe, enough to keep Rob’s first square-foot-garden design going. Thanks for the idea, Rob!

I was also surprised to find this bloom, a runaway from the crepe myrtle, intent on making a thicket. The tree itself lost its luster early this year, but this guy (destined to be dug up) showed me what he could do. I like gutsy plants, so I’ll see if transplanting will work this winter.

Indoors, we get this surprise every summer (somehow they wander in). If you ever walk into a dark room and see neon lights, it could be this one. My hallway was so dark that I had to use the camera flash, so you can’t see the neon that well, but it’s brighter than a night-light!

I sucked him up in my bug vacuum and returned him safely outdoors. It’s a click beetle, Pyrophorus noctilucus. One night we saw one climbing a limb outdoors, and in the dark, it was like a light show. The larvae are wireworms, which are somewhat destructive, but I figure a few of them are okay, since the adults are as fun as lightening bugs (beetles).

Not so neon, but still a bright light in summer, are the ornamental peppers that seeded a pot. Soon they’ll be orange and red, and they do rather glow in the dark.

Another glow-in-the-dark is a few blooms from one Tecoma stans (Esperanza) along Amelia’s fence. Since these guys are getting too much shade, they tend to be lanky, as well as late and lackluster in blooms. This fall, I plan to move one to former photinia-ville, and the other near the hot-spot tithonia.

The shrimp plant near kiddie pool is happy with its dappled shade.

Even at night, I can spot this clump of ruellia against the shed’s entrance. So far, it stays inside its boundaries. If it casts its seeds into the lawn, they get mowed down.

This passionvine flower doesn’t glow at night, but its intense fragrance makes it easy to find at any hour.

Soon, we enter “boot camp for gardeners,” since September starts our busy season, even if it’s usually hot as heck. And, starting next week, we’ll have a new season of CTG for you, to help you through the busy times.

Until next week, Linda

From the producer: August 15, 2008

August 14th, 2008 Posted in From the Producer | 7 Comments »

Surprise! When I got home one night, I saw something new and pink in the crepe bed. I wandered out for a closer look.

Periwinkle. I haven’t planted them in years. I guess a long dormant seed wanted to brighten my drought-weary soul. Periwinkles have lost favor these days, but they always remind me of the cheerful flowers my mom planted every summer along the patio. As a kid, their little “eye” fascinated me. Next year, by golly, I’m going to buck the trend and plant a bunch of these drought hardy annuals! The trick is not planting too early. Like caladiums, they want warm soil. And oh brother, we certainly have that.

This blast from the past joins the on-going pink parade. To my amazement, the coneflowers are still blooming (a first for me). I’m also astounded with the batface cuphea, which never worked for me before. I guess I finally found its happy place, enough sun but not too much.

When I moved this pavonia in spring, and cut it back almost to the ground, I didn’t have great hopes for it. It was such a woody, misshapen mess that I wasn’t terribly mournful about its possible demise. I fiddled with other ideas for that area, but when it recovered from its move into more sun, I couldn’t interfere with its determination to show me up.

And it did. A beautiful sight on a hot summer’s morning, better than the first cup of coffee.

This spring I added ‘Helen von Stein’ lambs ears, after a fellow gardener told me they would tolerate clay soil and shade. These get strong sun by the afternoon but shade before then, just not deep shade.

Since we haven’t had significant rain, they’re holding on nicely, just the soft gray I wanted against the pinks. I’ll keep you posted if and when we get serious rain again. We love lambs ears, but in a humid or wet summer, we tend to lose them. Here they are with my baby Agave celseii Tricolor and a self-seeded pavonia.

This isn’t the best photo, but I ran for the camera and knew I didn’t have time to mickey-mouse around. But this swallowtail (I think it’s a female Eastern black swallowtail but I welcome your input), certainly liked the purple umbrella plant, Trachellium ceerueleum.

A bee on the nearby Mexican oregano.

I got my first bloom on the Brazilian rock rose (Pavonia brazilienses) that I bought at a Master Gardener sale. Whenever I saw one in a garden, I’d drool a bit, and now I have my very own!

If you are sulking in the heat, as Pam Penick wrote last week (and I am too), I found a great antidote. I finally got around to reading Jeannie Ralston’s The Lavender Queen (in the kiddie pool). Her first summers in Texas, along with her struggles and insight about life and marriage, will make this book one I will read over and over again. I’m also thinking of re-reading Edna Ferber’s Giant or watching my DVD, though the book really brings it home about a newcomer (or tired-out native) about Texas in the summer.

Until next week, Cedric wishes you a cooler rooftop one of these days, Linda

From the producer: August 9, 2008

August 7th, 2008 Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

Whenever I get disheartened about this heat and drought, I think of 1925 with its similar conditions. I can dive into kiddie pool in a skimpy swimsuit (by their standards), sleep in air conditioning, grab ice cubes from the refrigerator, and cook on a stove that doesn’t radiate that much heat. And when I water my plants, I can simply turn on a faucet. Sure, this means a bigger “carbon footprint” than our ancestors’, but I’m thankful for the comfort, which I’m sure they would have liked too. Still, remembering them, it’s hard to whine too much.

I also like to remember when Jill Nokes was on CTG one time and commented about August. I can’t remember her poetic words, but what stuck with me is her encouragement that “things don’t look great, so just accept it.” But since we’ve had two months of late summer heat so far, this month is already wearing thin!

It doesn’t seem to deter leaf-footed bugs (or some bug in the order Hemiptera). I didn’t kill this nymph, since it’s encouraging to see any birth right now, and I figure someone out there needs the food.

The wedelia, as always, has no problem with any of this. I thank the gardener long ago who turned me onto this groundcover that accepts shade and its blasts of sun.

I also thank the person who told me about pigeonberry as a shade plant. Frankly, it’s not the most spectacular sight unless you plant lots, but mine have been through every drought and freeze for many years.

Long ago, I planted two butter and eggs (Linaria vulgaris) or common toadflax, along the back fence. I can see why some may call it vulgar, since it tends to take over. But I rather like its no-care froth of green, and its sweet little flowers against the lantana. And it’s easy to pull up when it threatens its neighbors. That’s the milk can I found in the metal recycling pile at my car mechanic’s!

On sulfur (sulphur), Greg tells me that when his parents built a house in the 70s, his dad spread it to eradicate the ticks. It seems like it’s doing a good job on the chiggers. Trisha Shirey recommends soil sulphur as opposed to the dusting type, which sticks to the ground better (which I can attest) and lasts longer.

To show what the heat has done to our brains, we got Harvey a little bunny harness with springy leash for hops around the yard. He loves it!

I’m getting some free pruning and free treats for him. He’s very discriminating about what he eats, but he loves the toadflax!

He’s also a new critic. If Harvey doesn’t like something, he chomps it down and tosses it out of the way. I suspect he reads garden design magazines while I’m at work.

That’s the end of the tale for now, so I’ll see you next week! Linda

From the producer: August 1, 2008

July 31st, 2008 Posted in From the Producer | 4 Comments »

I’m getting anxious. There’s much to be done, but in my limited time on weekends, the heat on steroids has me behind schedule. I need to deadhead and weed and gouge out the tree seedlings before they require a backhoe. For the first time in years, crabgrass has invaded the front side yards, but even though I got my shovel sharpened, the dry ground makes it such a chore to dig them out. Then, in the front side strip between us and the rental, we got a real first: chiggers! Fortunately, I had soil sulfur, something that kills chiggers, so I broadcast and watered it in.

I really need to plan, too, because there’s a lot to be done on the renovation aspect. The cat cove is a mess. Side beds need attention. The shed doors increasingly invade my peace of mind. And, I’m contemplating a really fun project that has me excited (more later) but I can’t have that dessert until I eat my vegetables.

Oh, speaking of food, I have to get the lettuce bed cleaned up and prepped. Order bulbs. Update my plant spreadsheet from APRIL! Still, it’s just so hard to get in gear. At the same time, we’re on the countdown to cooler weather, so this weekend I vow to gather my scattered notes of plant ideas and get serious.

Decision-making is too hard, but thanks to the brain squirrels last fall and winter, I’ve got fun stuff to see now. One of my spring additions popped out in front right before the rain.

After the rain, these arrived in the crepe bed and more should be coming.

I bought these rainlilies, Zephyranthes labuffarosa, at the same time. But since they’re white, and the pink one has different petals, it could be Habranthus robusta, a pink that I have in back that seeded itself, or it could just have gotten mixed into the bunch. Who knows, but I love them both. Cedric wanted to admire them, too, from one of his favorite hangouts in the crepe bed.

The next day, these and many others opened in the front bed. Note to Linda list: add more. And in case you ask: Barton Springs Nursery, grown by Yucca Do.

The day I bought the rainlilies, I hauled home several of these purple umbrella plants (Trachellium ceerueleum). They’ve been a great foliar addition, but their late summer flowers are most welcome. This one is next to the Mexican oregano. I’m always looking for things that accept shade.

Near their sweet coolness, batface cuphea and cosmos wake things up in their blasts of sun just a foot or two away. I seeded cosmos to hold the spot reserved for Gulf penstemons, but I like this combination so much that I think I’ll keep this plan. I’ve identified a great spot in the front bed to haul the penstemons from lettuce-land. In winter, I’ll fill the spot with something fun, yet to be decided, when cooler days reawaken the dormant idea factory.

Along the back fence, the passionvine is clamoring over everything. I’ve long forgotten which one it is, since I’ve tried so many. A few years ago, I moved this self-starter from the crepe bed to the fence, which it accepted with satisfaction.

Finally, Harvey the rabbit is chomping down arugula that’s still hanging on. He also likes the basil and oregano, which I needed to prune anyway, and I didn’t need it all for us. If I train him right, I may get a little helper out of this!

Many PBS stations are in Pledge to raise money for the programs you love, so please check your listings for CTG repeats of programs you may have missed. We’re already taping September’s programs and I promise you an intriguing fall line-up! Until next week, Linda

From the Producer: July 25, 2008

July 24th, 2008 Posted in From the Producer | 2 Comments »

Don’t worry, I haven’t named this one-well, okay, he’s Timothy-who found a luscious “toad pool” in the folds of kiddie pool. His parents (possibly) like the air conditioning drip in front, and the shallow bowl of stones and water in the patio bed where they mate or just cool off. As I took this picture, another little one hopped off.

To control mosquitos, I flood it now and then when I add water, and dump in a few Mosquito Bits if necessary. They don’t harm the toads or the pets.

If you think we gardeners are desperate, the wildlife is really frantic. I knew that our idyllic April - July last year would come back to torture us with the worst summer I can remember. At least today, at last, we have rainfall from the sky! I put my tongue out to taste it!

But so far there’s still a little to eat out there in my garden. This bee is on the batface cuphea, and they also like the coneflowers.

I was about to deadhead the coneflowers to gather seeds but I’ve decided to leave them for the birds.

On the sunflowers, I regret my clean-up operation a few weeks ago to diminish their population. Fortunately, I left some, which attract birds and acrobatic squirrels every day.

The butterflies aren’t terribly abundant right now, but the few that show up always head for the lantana, this one against the white plumbago in front.

Here’s the front lantana against the blue plumbago I moved. It leads to former
photinia-ville.

Butterflies also like the patio zinnias and the tithonia (Mexican sunflower).

Sadly, in this heat, the tithonia crop is struggling with just a few tall plants. Next year, I’m going to start the seeds in flats in late winter so they have a better chance when the heat is on.

The hummingbirds that I thought I’d never see are now morning, noon, and evening visitors on the various turks caps. I’ve already cut back a few stems to encourage more flowering. I plan to plant more next spring.

The hummingbirds also hover over the Dicliptera suberecta, and everyone likes the Salvia coccinea.

I haven’t really seen anyone on the Mexican heather (maybe some bees?) but it’s nicely filling in that awkward space at the crepe bed’s front border.

This week on CTG, get ready to meet some plants you may know, but I sure didn’t: Pachypodiums and Adeniums, with our good friend Bob Barth. Just when you think you met all the neat plants in the world, here come some more! And if want even more, check out the Austin Cactus and Succulent Society show and sale Labor Day weekend for an extended adventure into plant exploration.

By the way, Harvey turns out to be a “free” weed killer! Despite the heat, there are stalwart dandelions in former photinia-ville. These are good for rabbits. I clipped some leaves the other night, still warm from the sun. Good grief–dandelions turn out to be rabbit candy! When I put them in his cage, he gobbled the whole bunch in seconds. They’re much healthier than carrots, a rare (fattening) treat. In our yard, he probably has a lifetime supply, and now I know what to do with the nutgrass, too!

Until next week, Linda