10/22/09

'Augusta Duelberg' Salvia

'Augusta Duelberg' Salvia is the white version of 'Henry Duelberg' Salvia. It has an elegance of its own. In the rain, it droops and to me looks somewhat romantic. It grows in my moon bed with silver and white plants. If you want to read an account of the discovery of these two salvias go to: http://www.plantanswers.com/salvia_arcadia.htm .

10/17/09

American Beautyberry

What can I say? Aren't the berries to live for!

10/16.09

Various Sedums and Mexican Feather Grass

Texas Aster, Lindheimer's Muhly Grass and Horseherb

One end of my Inferno Strip

My sidewalk/street bed is filled with mostly Texas natives. I also have other well adapted plants in the same bed. Farther down the bed I have Jewels of Opar that have happily seeded themselves (9.19.09). I decided since this other area of the strip gets full hot blaring sun all day, and this is the least likely place for me to water, it needed some real toughies.

10/16/09

Bling Bling in the Garden!

Rain rain rain rain and more rain! I'm not complaining! It is nice though to finally see some sunshine again! The rain brought a different kind of beauty to the garden. Even though most of the roses were dropping all their petals and the ground looked like mud, there was an unusual beauty to the plants. For instance, the Elephant Ears (Colocasia) by my front door.

As I approached my house, I was mystified at what I saw before me. It looked as if a bling bling fairy had sprinkled her fairy jewels upon the giant leaves of my Colocasia. I discovered from a closer inspection that these jewels were little droplets of water. I had been dreary from the cloudy skies but my heart lit up with fire at the beauty before me. scrrrreeech --- Am I writing a children's book? See what bling bling in the garden does to me!

10/08/09

Unamed Pig in a bed of Horseherb (Calyptocarpus vialis)

I saw this little piggy made out of scrap metal and I fell in love. It was a birthday present from my dad and step-mother. It seems happy sitting in a bed of Horseherb, a Texas native groundcover. Someday her/his name will hit me!

10/06/09

Alyssum 'Royal Carpet,' Gomphrena haageana 'Strawberry Fields,' Cosmos, Sedum 'Autumn Fire,' Skull Cap 'Texas Pink'

Except for the Sedum and Skull Cap, all the flowers in this front yard bed are from seedlings from the previous years. I've allowed them to pop up where they may. The informality feels perfect. I also get exciting color combinations that I only had a small part in. In the second photo above, I got to know the Alyssum up close and personal. Sometimes we don't take the time to really see a flower, especially if it is low and acts like a groundcover. It really is a statuesque flower up close!

10/01/09

Helianthus maximiliana 'Santa Fe'

It's October, time for my Maximilian Sunflowers to be in full bloom. The scent of honey is everywhere. Since my garden is not that large I kind of have to keep these staked. If I don't, they flop everywhere. They actually look nice that way and when they were smaller that's how I left them. Their size has more than doubled since those days. All through the summer they stand tall and proud, but when the flowers start to weight the stalks down they start to put on their floppy show. I got a couple of these from a nursery in Santa Fe, New Mexico called High Country Gardens http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ The flowers have since then multiplied and I'm more than happy about it!