Potato vine Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Time for garden container planting…

New soil, mulch and plants in last week’s post means it’s time to move on to the other things on my garden to-do list. At the top of the list? Pots.

Every year, I vow not to plant so many pots. The heat makes taking care of them unbelievably time consuming. But they add so much to our patio space.

So this year, I’ve thrown caution to the wind and actually gone out searching for more large pots to buy. Crazy, I know.

In the meantime, this is what my patio looks like — a war zone!

More pots!

Untersetzers. This is one of several words that I just think of in my native German. I don’t even know what you call them in English!

Online plant orders!

This is my favorite pot so far — a dracena, potato vine, diamond frost euphorbia in the background and a hot pink variegated bougainvillea.

This pot with only the amaryllis was given to me by a friend when she moved. I added the plumeria (stick on the right – just now putting on a leaf) and a succulent, potato vine and in the back a burgundy curly-leafed basil.

The two giant pots back by the pool have mystic spires, Mexican honeysuckle (not showing yet), homestead verbena, sun coleus and a lemon ball succulent.

Have you planted your pots yet?

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:39:25-05:00May 5th, 2014|Blog, container gardening, containers, dracena, planters, Potato vine, pots, potting, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

New bed well on its way…

On Friday, many of the plants for the new bed went into their new homes.

I wasn’t able to get several of the things on my list, but I did get most of them, so this is a good start.

And I was able to transplant all of the plants from the preious bed — either to more appropriate spaces to fit the design of the new bed, or into other beds where I had holes.

I’m also very excited that I was able to harvest from my own little volunteer ‘incubator’ of Lamb’s ears. They threw off seed from their blooms and new babies started growing in the playscape gravel next to the cutting garden. More than 20 of them were pulled from the gravel and put into the new bed. If you get out your magnifying glass, you can see them on the lowest level of the bed next to the Blackfoot daisies. The are the silver dots in this photo! What you can’t see just below the Lamb’s ears are several mounding Pink Texas Skullcaps, Skutellaria suffrutescens.

Visible only in this photo in the very back is my transplanted Butterfly Bush, Buddleja, which may or may not be ‘Black Knight.’ It is a deep royal purple and very vibrant. (In the process of researching the botanical name for my variety, I learned that is isn’t spelled Buddleia, which is how I’ve always spelled it, but Buddleja. Saw it first on Wikipedia and didn’t trust them as a horticultural resource, but then I confirmed it with Dave’s Garden, which I do trust! Thought that was interesting trivia.) Around the base of it, I transplanted several Lantana montevidensis, ‘Trailing Purple.’

The pinkish grass is Fireworks Purple Foutain Grass – Pennisetum rubrum ‘Fireworks.’ Next to it, Silver Ponyfoot, Dichondra argentea.

Up here is Artemesia powis castle which I hope will spill over the wall to mix with Blue Velvet Trailing Verbena, Verbena hybrida.
Obstructing your new here is a stick-like native persimmon. I was going to take it out, but I may prune it a bit and look at it for a while to see if it will fit in and can stay. Look closely behind it and you will see a Salvia Greggii ‘Hot pink.’ Next to it are three Daimianita daisies, Chrysactinia mexicana. You can see them better below. Then on the lower level, almost out of sight, are 5 gray Santolinas, Santolina chamaecyarissus.

On the upper level there are three Euryops chrysanthemoides with some Sweet Potato vines Ipomoea batatas to surround it and trail down the wall around the Salvia Mesa ‘purple‘ and the Mexican Feather grasses Nasella tenuissima. Blackfoot daisies and Lamb’s ears in foreground. To the left of the Euryops will be a large blue Agave, a small boulder and some ground cover of Purple Wine Cups.

So, that’s it so far. I’m quite happy with this very xeric bed. Still searching for Mexican Oregano, LARGE Blue Agave, Color guard yucca, and a Queen Victoria agave or something similar with the upright form and strings! And another ground cover.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-09-14T17:14:32-05:00March 13th, 2011|blackfoot daisies, Blog, buddleia, Daimianita, euryops, Lamb's Ears, new bed, new beds, Potato vine, salvia, Santolina, Sharing Nature's Garden, silver ponyfoot, sweet potato vine, verbena|0 Comments

Beautiful bursts for fall foliage follow-up…

Fall has arrived in Central Texas.

Thank Goodness!

We’ve been eagerly awaiting its arrival, having tired of endless summer.

But the days are in the 70s and the nights have even dipped down to 40 a time or two.

Our prodigious perennials have begun to wane, blooms fading, leaves yellowing and stalks turning spindly.

I love fall.

It’s a great time to grow fall vegetables. And I’m always amazed at the fall color.

We certainly don’t get the brilliant displays of color like gardeners in the north and east, but we do get some small bursts by certain trees and shrubs.

This small Crape Myrtle in my front bed has transformed itself with these beautiful hues of yellow and orange that almost make it look illuminated.

The big Burr Oak has some warm color, too, though it’s a little slower to change — perhaps this lumbering giant is slow to do many things. But it does drop the biggest leaves on the planet! (I might be exaggerating just a bit here.)
The Loropetalum love the chill – their deep plum-colored leaves provide a wonderful contrast in the garden.
My other Crape Myrtles – at least 15 feet tall – are reaching into the big blue sky with their fall colors and seed balls.
This Dwarf Pomegranate is still green as green can be, but the fruit is ready to ripen and bringing on its own fall color.
And one of my favorite color combinations – a coleus and a potato vine. Both seem unfazed by the cooler weather and I’m so glad.

Pam of Digging invites us to share our fabulous foliage photos on the 16th of each month and this month, there’s much to see.

What’s your favorite foliage in the garden now?

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:25-06:00November 16th, 2010|Blog, Bur Oak, coleus, Crape Myrtle, fall foliage, loropetalum, pomegranate, Potato vine, Sharing Nature's Garden|1 Comment

Blooms bursting out…

This Bloom Day, the Bluebonnets are bursting forth here in Central Texas. Even though we are behind in our blooms this spring, it seems things are finally waking up this month. All those fall rains are finally paying off. You can thank Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, for inviting us all to share our beautiful blooms with our friends on the 15th of each month.
My Tangerine Crossvine is absolutely out of control.
I’m very excited that I finally learned to plant Spiderwort INSIDE the fence so the deer don’t eat it and I get to enjoy it’s lovely blooms.
This pretty purple Vinca won’t be around long…it’s leftover from the previous owners (and we’ve been in the house almost 7 years!) and keeps popping up where I don’t want it – in my Abelias. But it is pretty…maybe I will try to move some…
I bought this perky Hinkley’s Columbine at the Wildflower Center Sale last weekend. I hope I have better luck this time – I’ve been unsuccessful with columbines so far.
My ‘Maggie’ rose has a hundred blooms on it, easily. And they smell heavenly — can’t you smell them?
Okay – back to the Crossvine – see how out of control it is? It’s climbing from the ground all the way to the top of this big oak tree.

These two photos are the Carefree Beauty or Katy Road Rose. It’s full of blooms, too and is competing neck and neck with Maggie for the best scent ever!

These sweet little Cosmos are in the cutting garden. They’re only a few inches tall. My last Cosmos were the tallest ones – probably 3 feet tall!
Here’s another little Spiderwort.
The Damianita are starting to bloom and this one of several little pups that I’m going to dig up and move to expand my collection! I love it when I make new plants in my own garden — well, not me personally, but my plants.

One of many different colors of Alyssum…
Texas Primrose sundrops are so perky in the rock path.
The Homestead Verbena is a sea of purple in the path.
Carpet thyme in the path.
More Alyssum…
and more…
My tall winecups are blooming, too. The foliage is up to my knee.

The profusion of Maggie Roses again.
The Desert Rose is so happy with our nice spring weather.
The Phoebe Hellebore is still blooming – all the blooms have turned from pink to green now, but sadly, none of the other plants have any blooms. Next year.
I have lots of Dianthus scattered around the beds for winter filler — the deer don’t eat them and they perk up the garden when everything else is brown.
One of several salvias I didn’t label (bad blogger, bad blogger!).
The Four-Nerve Daisies are all blooming like crazy right now.
The itsy-bitsy, teeny-weenie Daffodils are still blooming. The stalks are like standing pieces of twine, they are so thin and delicate.
The first blue Salvia bloom opened today in the front garden by the driveway. This is Mystic Spires – which is a compact, clumping form.
Another Salvia…
A leftover Tete-a-tete Daffodil – I will definitely plant more of these in the fall – loved them.
This was supposed to be Homestead Verbena — hmmm…someone (not me) was color blind. I just made the mistake of buying them with no blooms and trusting the nursery owner!
The infamous Cleome Senorita Rosalita, made famous by Pam of Digging‘s trial and rave reviews last summer.

Louisiana Blue Phlox & Dianthus
Phlox – pink something or other!
Primrose Jasmine.
Potato Vine.
Mexican Flame Vine – I am trying a new one. First year I had one it did great, then I think Mexican Mint Marigolds stole its water. Gonna make sure it gets a little more this year.
One of my favorites – Blackfoot Daisies.
A volunteer Bluebonnet that seeded across the driveway from last year’s plants.
Diamond Frost Euphorbia. Look quick – I have 3. One has been eaten to the nubs. One is on its way out. This one’s days are numbered unless I rush out and move it to the back!
Prairie Verbena that I got at the Wildflower Center last weekend.
Something I planted and didn’t write down — rats!
Another something I planted and didn’t write down — rats!
Bletilla Striata – I now have 3 of them dotting the shade along the river rock bed and it is just beautiful.

This unusual spring has enabled me to inter-plant early and late spring/summer plants and to see where the holes will be when bulbs and early bloomers die back. For me, this is the biggest challenge — keeping the garden going year round with seasonal bloomers and interest.

Happy GBBD!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:29-06:00April 15th, 2010|blackfoot daisies, Bletilla Striata, Blog, blue bonnets, Cleome, daffodils, Diamond Frost Euphorbia, Dianthus, GBBD, Mexican Flamevine, mystic spires, Potato vine, Prairie Verbena, primrose jasmine, salvia, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

A little rain and a little motivation

It’s amazing what a little rain will do for the garden … and for the gardener’s soul.

I am totally invigorated by the recent two days of steady rain that totals more than an inch. In our drought stricken area, this is a real blessing.

So yesterday, after a lovely lunch with Robin, of Getting Grounded, we went to Barton Springs Nursery to see what we could see. And we — rather — I — saw some bluebonnet PLANTS that had to come home with me!

I have not been successful with seeds because I have too much mulch in most places they would like to grow. So yesterday I painstakingly amended the soil with crushed granite in 3 little spots and pulled back mulch and made them a home. And then fenced them in immediately so my deer friends, Emmy and Lulu, wouldn’t come snack on them! (Did you notice that Madame Daffodil has invited a friend to her Spring Party?)

I also planted a Potato Vine and I bought an Abutilon that will get planted today. I’ve been eyeing everyone else’s and been green with envy. Unfortunately mine was mis-labeled, and when I called they just didn’t know what kind it was because it was a gift to them from a friend. I guess nurseries get passalongs, too. So I will post a picture tomorrow and you can help me ID it.

I also got a few Rain Lilies that Robin picked up from Annie at The Transplantable Rose when she was passing-along. I didn’t get in on the offer quick enough, but Robin shared hers with me and I am so excited to have some — I’ve never had any — thanks to both of you!

And the rain has also prompted these little Crocosmia above to pop right up out of the ground in search of sunshine.
This lovely Hibiscus was waiting for me when I went into the greenhouse yesterday to open it up and let some humidity in from outside. Wow. It’s really very intricate. My photo doesn’t do it justice.
And here is the Bougainvillea that Robin gave me last Fall. Blooming happily — in February! She must think she is in Mexico!
As does this Desert Rose, happily blooming away in the greenhouse.