In The Heat of The Moment ...

It's hard to get motivated for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, the brainchild of Carol of May Dreams Gardens, when all around you are signs of pending devastation. As I ankled it around the garden looking for blooms, I found myself sighing in frustration and despair. When even the Barbados Cherry plants, those most stalwart of drought tolerant natives, lose their healthy green color and droop, I know the garden is in dire straits. Nonetheless, I do have blooms to share, although many of them are a little worse for wear at the end of the day.

Blackfoot Daisy actually looks pretty good. Not so the birdbath.

At the end of the day, the vivid red-orange blooms of the Bauhinia galpinii
are a shadow of themselves.

Batface Cuphea are one of the stalwarts in the summer garden.

Profusion Apricot zinnias tolerate the heat and drought well.

Abelmoschus, however, has a tougher time.

That this poor daylily is blooming at all is a wonder. This morning, it was a clear bright red with an almost black eye. At day's end, however, it's lost much of its luster.

Thank goodness for Bright Lights Cosmos!

This Cleome 'Sparkler Rose' was planted about 10 days ago. I washed off the peat mix
and puddled it in. It hasn't skipped a beat.

This is one of the Clematis I rescued from Lowe's last year, either Fireworks or Dr. Ruppel. It's coming along slowly but I have
high hopes for it.

I am really taken with Calliandra aka Fairy Duster aka Powderpuff Plant.
Once established, they seem to handle heat and drought really well.

I might have to plant more Mexican Bauhinia trees. I love these delicate
blooms. It does seem to be a very slow grower.

Lantana's blooming quite happily and the foliage hasn't
been attacked by spider mites yet. I expect they'll show up, though.

This is one of many Hamelias planted throughout the front gardens.
When I first started gardening, I didn't like these plants. Now I can't
imagine the garden without them.

Erythrina crista-galli, Fireman's Cap, never fails to wow me
with its intense red blooms.

This mystery Salvia is probably Mystic Spires. It was one of the Head Gardener's clearance table purchases at Lowe's.

This white Plumbago gets NO water whatsoever. It's planted in a
utility easement on the back fence and has to fend for itself. Take
note, heat zone gardeners!

Purple Iochroma isn't quite as blue as it looks in this picture (that
would be pretty cool, actually). It's a lovely rich purple, though.

We'd be at our wits' end (instead of at Wit's End) were it not for verbenas.

And Zinnias ... thank goodness for Zinnias!

I guess the Head Gardener shouldn't be quite so downcast about the state of the garden. There's a lot in bloom despite the inclement heat and the continued lack of substantial rain. I still plan to have her out there first thing tomorrow morning, though, wrangling hoses. We've got to do what we can to make sure there are a few blooms for August's GBBD!

Through the Garden Gate: Monday, July 13th

The view through the garden gate hasn't changed much since last week and the sun is beating down mercilessly in that direction. So I thought I'd show a view through the other garden gate, the one that leads from the front garden to the back. The sign above is one of my many purchases over the years from a booth at the semi-annual Warrenton antiques fair.

Standing at the gate looking into the back gardens, I see that I really need height against the fence. The plants that should provide it have not cooperated. Evidently they are less than happy about the heat and drought. Or maybe they're just in the wrong place. I'll have to do something about that this fall.

This is the view looking towards the street (pardon the neighbor's trailer and truck. He has a bad habit of parking things there and leaving them for months on end.) I still love my dry stream bed. There's a bit of color out here but most of the plants are small flowered so the colors aren't showing up in this picture.

I'd love to know the name of this agave. It's similar to Whale's Tongue in form and color ... if it gets that big, the Head Gardener isn't going to enjoy wrestling it into a new spot.

Okay, true confessions time, in which the Head Gardener admits to not having done her research and is now ruing the day: I planted this Butterfly Vine (Mascagna leptidoptera) on the front side of the fence to the right of the gate. I didn't realize just how vigorously it would grow (hello? It's a vine and this is Houston! What you mean is you were hoping that it would behave as you wanted it to, and not as nature intended.) I've pretty much eliminated all shades of yellow from the back gardens but this little charmer has snaked its way through the fence slats. No way can I untangle it without doing it harm. I've been meaning to plant some butterfly weed there, one of the red and yellow varieties, in the hopes that would bring harmony to that corner. Why the Head Gardener hasn't gotten that done yet, I'm not sure.


In addition to taking a look through a different gate, I thought I'd use these Monday posts to recap the week in the garden a bit. Here's what I've been doing in the small windows of opportunity afforded me before the sun drives me inside.

• You may recall that the Head Gardener was pretty glum last week because the rain had passed us by. Happily, it did not do so on Tuesday morning. We got maybe 1/2 an inch of rain in 20 minutes. It was enough to refresh both plants and gardener. Just as much appreciated were the lower temps: at 12:55 pm that day, it was 81.2 degrees! Of course, two days later, we were back to business as usual: dry, dry, dry and 100 degrees.
  
• The new fountain purchased at Nelson Water Gardens is now adding sound and movement to the courtyard. I bought this at their annual Ding Dang Sale, which started on July 4th, and let me tell y'all, this sucker is heavy. It sat in the truck bed for several days before I found guys to unload and install it. It took 3 guys a lot of effort to get it off the truck and into the courtyard. I think the pump will need a valve added to reduce the flow rate: it's just a tad too rapid and therefore more noisy than soothing! Y'all will have to wait for pictures until I get a little more done in the courtyard. The rock wall remains unbuilt. Yeah, that's what I want to do in the dead of summer, haul rocks around in the sun!
• My oldest child turned 25 last Wednesday: for the first time in his life, I didn't seem him on his birthday. It was a bittersweet rite of passage for me but I'm so proud of the person he is and happy that he's making a good life for himself. Someday, maybe he'll come to me for advice on gardening but that day will be a long time coming, I think.
• I harvested about 25 tiny Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. Probably due to lack of attention in the water and fertilizer departments, these were smaller than they should have been but no less tasty!
• I dug up a Carefree Beauty rose from under a Mexican Buckeye, thinking I'd put the Rangoon Creeper there. Then I changed my mind. The slightly less carefree and much less beautiful rose is being pampered in a pot ... we shall see if it forgives me for disturbing it at this time of year.
• News flash: a Mexican Flame Vine can be grown in a pot but if you don't water it, it stops growing. Another news flash: if you then transplant it from the big pot into a smaller pot because it's not as well rooted as you thought, and forget to water it, it becomes seriously unhappy. The Head Gardener is forced to interrupt whatever she's doing when she remembers she forgot to water it and run outside to remedy that neglect. Too little, too late?
• I did some actual planting in the ground on Saturday: two Hamelias, a variegated Turk's Cap, and a Marilyn's Choice Abutilon. The Hamelias haven't even skipped a beat: I shook the soil off their roots a bit (not a peat mixture), puddled them in, pulled the soil around them and then watered thoroughly. I haven't checked on the Turk's Cap (do y'all see a pattern here?) The Abutilon is dropping leaves but looks as though it's only sulking and not in a serious snit.
• If any of y'all in zones close to mine grow Iris cristata, I'd like your input on whether mine are dying or just going dormant. I can't remember what they looked like last year at this time. I know they were stressed but what I'm seeing concerns me. The fans are sunburned, which doesn't help. Many of them are dying back to the ground and the rhizomes left don't look healthy to me. Chime in, y'all! HELP!

As for the week ahead, the Head Gardener is still less than cheerful about the predicted weather. She's still threatening to run away to cooler climes. Bainbridge Island outside Seattle is a candidate, as are Vermont and upstate New York. For now, however, you'll find her in the coolest corner of the house, waiting for the LAPD to cheer her up once again.

Through the Garden Gate: Monday, July 6th

The Head Gardener is not in the best of moods so this week's installment of TTGG is a brief one. When she saw earlier today that the rain promised to her corner of Katy was heading for Louisiana instead, she began to pout. Even a new pair of shoes and dinner out failed to console her much. Since she's at her wits' end at Wit's End, it's thought best that she retire to her corner and do a little light reading and maybe watch some TV ... perhaps Lt. Provenza will do something on THE CLOSER tonight to improve her mood. That's a mighty big perhaps, though, so we're hedging our bets and providing her with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to sip while she sits.

Before she goes, she wishes to share the pictures she took this morning. This is the usual view: thank heavens for Otto Linne and Laura Bush, without whom the view would be bleak indeed.


That rock wall in the picture below was an impromptu effort brought on by the need to move the rocks left in the path by the stonemasons. They removed a rock edging along the sidewalk in order to put down the flagstone, and placed those rocks in the checkerboard path that meanders between beds. The HG's original plan for the back included stacked stone/rock borders but budgetary constraints rendered that impractical at the time. One would think that the record-breaking temperatures we've been enduring here would discourage the HG from rocking out. One would be wrong, as evidenced below. The HG rather likes the effect of this low stacked wall/edging. She will not be constructing more such walls until cooler weather, however.


St. Fiacre can't believe his eyes: are those newly purchased plants in those black plastic pots below him? What can the Head Gardener be thinking??????????? (Her answer: "no comment").


Moss Pink Verbena, Profusion Apricot Zinnia, and a Mexican Feather Grass don't mind the heat.


This handsome amphibian blends in with his surroundings pretty well ... he's one of several such fine fellows (dis)appearing nightly to serenade the residents of Wit's End.

And now, if you'll excuse me, the Head Gardener best be provided with the aforementioned glass of wine lest she turn surly.

Through the Garden Gate: Monday, June 29th

As the sun sank ever lower into the western sky, the intrepid Head Gardener braved thunder and lightning, not to mention the possibility of a torrential downpour, to bring y'all this week's TTGG post.

Two views from the gate:

Otto Linne, living up to the words below him:

That torrential downpour never materialized. This is
the sum total of the rain that fell. They dried in about 5 minutes!

RIPeat

As the summer sun beats down relentlessly, and the heat index climbs ever higher, I'm spending a lot less time in the garden than I'd like. We who garden here in Texas know that summer is the price we pay for being able to garden our way through the winter months. Unlike our counterparts in cooler climes, though, we can't put the garden to bed for the summer as they do in winter. Watering chores must be tended to if we want our plants to live and sprinkler systems can't be relied upon to properly nurture our most precious progeny. So we venture forth before the sun is up and wonder as we're watering if it will EVER rain again. Some of us may even find ourselves pondering the possibility of a tropical storm with wistful longing. Nothing serious, of course, no repeat of last September's hurricane ... but a tropical depression, perhaps, that would bring us several days of gentle rain ... that we can wish for, surely?

One of the hardest things for me NOT to do at this time of year is buy plants. The nurseries are filled with bright summer annuals and it's hard to resist them. Who can fail to be seduced by the vivid colors of coleus, the zing of the zinnias, the punch of Laura Bush Petunias? It's actually that last plant that brings me to the real subject of this post. In catching up on various garden blogs, I read with interest Plantwoman's post about the demise of her Laura Bush petunia. Although she'd planted it several weeks ago, when she dug up the dead plant, she found the root system virtually intact. I have a theory about what could have happened; even if it's not the cause of Laura Bush's untimely passing, I think it's worth sharing with y'all. I'd actually been thinking I should post on this subject so thanks for the nudge, Plantwoman!

The gist of my message is this: Peat is not our friend here in South Central Texas. Take a look at the potting medium used in the plants you buy: more often than not, you'll find that it's a soilless peat based mix. It's lightweight and fast draining, and thus well suited to a commercial growing situation. Once you get your plants home, though, that peat based mix can become a real problem, especially as the weather heats up. All of us know to make sure the plant is well-watered before it's transplanted from its pot to the garden. I'm not sure if everyone follows my practice of watering the hole and doing what I think of as puddling in the plant. And all of us know to make sure we water the plant in again once it's in the ground. Yet way too many plants, enough to make me question my abilities as a gardener, have failed to thrive even when they've been carefully transplanted and monitored. Plants that should have doubled or tripled in size languish unchanged from the day they were planted.

The one thing each of them have in common when I dig them up? Their roots have not expanded beyond the original shape and size of the pot they were in, including the plants whose roots were gently loosened before they were put into the ground. Almost always I find that the peat mix has hardened enough that no amount of soaking can penetrate to the core of the plant. Once that peat mixture has dried out completely, it's close to impossible to water the plant enough for it to thrive, even in our moderate spring temperatures and with regular rainfall. In heat and drought conditions like we're currently experiencing, I find it literally impossible. (Note: In some cases, when I've washed the mix off, I can see the Oasis foam plug that was the starting medium for the plant. Those seem to be the plants that fare the worst. The roots are constricted from day one, and more plants than not seem to object to that.)

So what's a South Central Texas/Gulf Coast gardener to do? I certainly don't consider myself an authority so I can only tell you what seems to be working for me. It's pretty simple but some may consider it drastic: I carefully wash off all that peat-based potting mix and put the bare-rooted plant into the ground, making sure that I puddle it in and then water both plant and surrouding soil thoroughly afterwards. It's a method that seems to work for me ... let me know if it works for you!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream ...

What in the Chipping Sodbury were you doing planting these colors together????????!!!!!!!!

Scaevola (fan flower/hand flower) & Stachys Coccinea (Texas betony)

When I planted the Scaevola next to the Texas Betony, I didn't think they'd be blooming at the same time. But I have to admit, the combination has grown on me and it's totally in keeping with my style as a gardener to shake things up with a little jolt of the unexpected. But for those who have to avert their eyes from this unlikely couple, perhaps it will reassure you to know that I don't plan on planting these two together anywhere else!

This post is in response to Elizabeth at Garden Rant, who posted about the screaming color combination in her garden with a request that we share our own such vignettes. There's a giveaway involved, books from Timber Press, so grab your cameras and get busy!

Through the Garden Gate: Monday, June 22nd

"If you can't take the heat, get out of the garden" seems to be my mantra lately. Too much of the painfully intense summer sunshine triggers Seasonal Affective Disorder just as effectively as too many days of gloomy gray skies. I was thinking that I was a good month ahead of schedule and that it usually takes me until July to start threatening to run away. Then I went prowling in my archives to find my post from last summer in which I lamented the absence of rain and the unusually high temperatures. I'll be darned ... that post was for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day in JUNE of 2008 ... so I'm right ON schedule to be feeling dispirited, dissatisfied, discouraged, disenchanted, disgruntled, and disheartened! It still feels wrong to be this miserable (diserable?) in June.

Nonetheless, I took camera in hand about an hour ago and ventured out to take pictures through the garden gate. Since I missed the June 2009 bloom day to post about getting stoned, I took a few pictures of some blooms that make me smile despite the inclement weather. First, though, here's the views through the garden gate:

Green is the predominant color this week.


Where have all the flowers gone (not such a long time passing)?

Sunshine & shadow

The desert willow feels right at home in this weather.

This Cuphea is handling the heat well, too. Does anyone know her name? She
was purchased unlabeled at Enchanted Forest a couple of years ago.

Oh, the irony ... the bitter irony ... y'all know
what this bud will become?

A rain lily. Yep. RAINless lily is more like it.

One of many Echinaceas here on Coneflower Corner

Pandora Vine/Bower Vine with busy visitor

Lindsay Woods water lily

Clematis pitcheri

While I continue to dream of a cool, wet summer like those so many gardeners in the Midwest, on the East Coast and even in IDAHO are experiencing, I'm doing my best to follow the directive on this sign* and take what pleasure I can in and out of the garden. I hope each of y'all is able to do the same!


* Which was found in August of 2001 at a cool little shop in (I think) Rockport, New Hampshire ... where it was COOL and RAINY in August, something that doesn't happen in Texas ... exactly the kind of place I plan to go when I run away!

Getting Stoned on My Corner of Katy

DISCLAIMER: Today's subtitle should be "Oh, What a Beautiful Mess." The stonemasons have come and gone ... where once there was only flat gray concrete, there are now beautiful flagstone patios. Pots, planters, shelves, moss rocks from the sidewalk borders and what my mother calls dec obs are scattered here and there about the garden, which is where the mess part comes in. Eager as I am to get things put back where they belong (not necessarily the same spots they were in before ... and I'm not telling whether that's because I want to redecorate or I can't remember!), I'll exercise patience. Grouting left a light haze on the flagstone, and the concrete needs a week to cure before my contractor is able to acid wash the flagstones.

The kitchen patio

The bedroom patio

The sidewalk that runs along the garage wall

Once again, I am in awe of Senors Isidro and Blas: Isidro is truly an artist when it comes to his craft. Time and again, I saw him thoughtfully considering which stone to use and how best to place it, carefully cutting it to make it fit his vision. That he and Blas did this in near record heat makes me even more appreciative of their efforts. My courtyard thermometer reached a high of 102 two days running, and it's always warmer in the sunny back gardens, so I know they had to be pretty miserable much of the time. The heat wasn't the only thing that got to them: like me, they were about ready to commit grievous harm to the mockingbird who sits on the telephone wires across the alley and sings literally ALL day long. This morning he started up at 2:45 A.M. and is merrily chortling away as I type. I don't want to hurt him ("it's a sin to kill a mockingbird") but I would definitely like to catch and relocate him so he could sing far, far away.

Meanwhile, the Head Gardener will not be unemployed while the concrete cures ... she began a new project in the courtyard last week. While the back gardens were occupied, she dug up the courtyard garden, dismantled the moss rock edging, and has been moving rocks around trying to decide on the design. Garden designer Mary Ann of Idahogardener has offered great advice: will the Head Gardener be able to simplify and repeat, as instructed? I'll let you know.

Through The Garden Gate: Monday, June 8th

I feel like I need a sign out there that says "Bless This Mess". Thanks to the stacks of flagstones in the foreground of the picture, y'all can't see quite how disarranged the garden is right now. And what are those flagstones doing there, you ask? Well, celebrate with me, friends: the ugly concrete patios on either side of the living room are about to be resurfaced! The mess results from having to move the contents of the two patios to other areas of the garden so my hardworking stonemasons can do their thing. Isidro and Blas, who did such a stellar job on the courtyard flagstone, have returned to work similar magic in back.

In a few days, I expect this gorgeous Texas multi-blend flagstone to bring a whole new look to the back gardens. I'm fully cognizant that doing this is likely to have a domino effect and result in several other changes. I The 12 inch square concrete pavers in the garden path were chosen to echo the square concrete patios: my thinking was that it would tie the patios into the overall garden more. Once the flagstone is laid, though, I suspect the Head Gardener will find those pavers lacking in charm and you will subsequently find her at the rock yard again! That is, if she can take the time away from watering. With no rain since the flood of April 28, and temperatures in the mid to high 90s, the ground is parched. No amount of water seems enough for it and I'm growing ever more concerned with how the gardens will survive summer. The Head Gardener can retreat to the comfort of her air-conditioned house ... the poor plants can only curl up their leaves and hope she doesn't give up on them entirely!

What I Brought Home With Me From Spring Fling

Are memories ...

Memories of a breathtakingly beautiful garden nestled
amidst skyscrapers ... the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park ...
first seen in the late afternoon light of
an already happily memorable Friday ...

And revisited on a Sunday morning because once
just wasn't enough ...

And even glimpsed through a gap in the window of
the Art Institute of Chicago (another venue that left me
breathless and in tears from the beauty I saw there)

But the most cherished memories I brought home
with me are of spending time with so many wonderful garden
bloggers, who share my love of gardens and words. Pictured here
are Elizabeth from Gardening While Intoxicated and Garden Rant,
who is spearheading next year's event in Buffalo, New York; Carol of
May Dreams Gardens in Indianapolis, the sponsor of Garden
Bloggers' Bloom Day; Leslie of Growing A Garden in Davis, one of 3 Californians
to make the trip; and the Head Gardener here on my corner of Katy.

Many thanks to Chicagoan Mr. McGregor's Daughter, who said yes when last year's Spring Fling organizers asked her if Chicago garden bloggers could host the 2009 event ... mille grazie, Barbara! And thank you to the Chicago Spring Fling committee for all they did to make the weekend so special.