A New Year on My Corner of Katy

January 1, 2012

Jacobinia carnea 'Thelma's Pink'

On the theory that we should start the year as we mean to go on, the Head Gardener and I spent the first day of 2012 working in the gardens, albeit at a leisurely pace.  Ignore the mutterings you hear from the HG about some people's tendencies to overindulge in champagne ... that has nothing whatsoever to do with the pace at which we're working.  Besides, there is no such thing as too much champagne.  


2011 was a crazy, mixed-up year in the garden and 2012 already seems prepared to continue that theme. We found this unexpected bloom on the north side of the front gardens.  Although this plant is supposed to bloom in cycles from late spring through fall, we have to assume that the extremes of heat and drought had 'Thelma’s Pink' Jacobinia so thoroughly confused that it lost track of the seasons.  We can't blame the poor plant ... heaven knows the HG and I are equally confused by the vagaries of the weather.


If you'd like to know more about this beplumed beauty, this handout from a Fort Bend County Master Gardeners' sale  has detailed information.  That detailed information has sent the HG off on a new tangent and she's now muttering about people who plant things BEFORE they do their research on ALL critical aspects of a plant and fail to allow room for it to grow to its mature size.  Perhaps I can pacify her with a glass or two of Prosecco ... or maybe I'll just drink it myself and let her natter on.   Salut!