12/25/11

MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all!

I'm having Christmas at a very good friend's this year.  I made a bouquet, to take, from flowers I bought at the super market.  For some reason, it needed more Chriszazz, so I wandered outside to see if I had anything in the garden I could add.  I found Artemesia Limelight, Golden Variegated Salvia, and Abelia Kaleidoscope. These plants added just enough sparkle to make me happy.  This is proof that a garden in winter can still be a cutting garden.  In Texas, that is!



11/23/11

Colorado National Monument

My brother (photo above) and I spent the day at Colorado National Monument.  I'm not going to try to describe it!  It is awe inspiring.

11/21/11

I took these images today in the yard of my

brother and sister-in-law.  It is truly fall here in Colorado, unlike Central Texas, where the weather has confused all the trees and plants.  I love the architecture of these trees against the sky.

11/17/11

Euphorbia '            '

I started growing this Euphorbia last year.  It's more than doubled in size.   I can't remember which species it is so for now I'll call it Euphoriba 'growsandgrowsandgrowseinsis.'

11/16/11

Inland Sea Oats

I usually clip the seed heads of my Inland Sea Oats when they are still green.  This year I've let them go to seed.  I'm enjoying seeing the pretty tan color on them.  I'll pay for it, however, next spring when new little blades of grass will be popping up everywhere.  Guess I'll be on all fours plucking them out one by one!  One of those 'keeps me outta trouble' things!

 

11/15/11

Zinnia elegans 'Benary's Giant Lime' and 'Super Yoga Rose'

Another Zinnia bouquet!

   I  may sew only these two Zinnias next year. I particularly like the combination. Naw --- I love the other colors too much!

I gave these to my great friend Candy.

 

I ordered the seeds from Select Seeds.  Their seeds never fail!

11/14/11

Zinnia elegans

 I read that Zinnia was given the flower of the year for 2011 by the National Garden Bureau, and decided to grow some. Little did I know that it would turn out to be the hottest and driest summer on record for Texas, so of course, I had very little blooms or buds. I religiously watered beyond my comfort level determined to keep them alive so that I would have flowers in the fall. I'm not sure if the price I had to pay both financially and environmentally was worth it, but I sure am enjoying their autumn blooms.

11/13/11

I let this bed grow like a wildflower meadow.  All the annuals in it come back from seed every year.  I let them grow where they may.  The purple flowers are Gomprhena globosa.  The spots of red here and there are two different plants, Emilia javanica in the background in the top left corner and Saliva coccinea in the foreground.  The bush on the far left foreground is a miniature pomegranate.

11/12/11

One by one the potted succulents are moving in for the winter.  Before they go in, I like to clean them up a little.  These are some of the small pots that have just been groomed.

11/11/11

Purple Fountain Grass and Pink Muhly Grass

If you grow grasses, you know that after a few years they tend to hollow out in the center.  When this happens, the correct thing to do is divide.  I also saw an article that said to use a drill in the soil and new grass will grow.  I tried that with my Pink Muhly Grass Muhlengergia capillaris and it didn't work.  I was too lazy to divide it this year so instead, I planted a Purple Fountain Grass Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum'  in the hole. Sometimes you just have to break the rules!

11/9/11

Fall Bouquet from the garden

11/8/11

Sweet Pea Rose

I love this little rose.  She goes to mauve when the cooler weather arrives.  No wonder, since she is a seedling of the rose named Lavender Pink Parfait.

11/7/11

The third incarnation of the TRAVELING LOUNGER!  Who knows what color and where it will be next year!

Photos of the first incarnation and the second.

11/4/11

Salvia greggii Teresa and Pink Preference

11/2/11

Lindheimer's muhly

07/23/11

Birthday Bouquet

My good friend Debbie surprised me with this beautiful Rose bouquet, this past Thursday, for my birthday.  It's beautiful, don't you think?

Thank-you Debbie!

07/08/11

Cape Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) and Old Fashioned Petunia (Petunia hybrida)

 When the weather hits 106 in Texas as it is supposed to today, everyone runs for cover indoors.  Me, I'll be out in the heat watering.  If I get too hot, I can always run over to my potted Cape Plumbago.  Looking at the icy blue blooms is like taking a drink of cool, cool water.  It most definitely won't take the place of H20, but it'll do, until I can get some.  An old fashioned climbing petunia grows in a pot beside the Plumbago.  It's fiery hot purple blooms just make the cool blue look even cooler.