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Diana C. Kirby

About Diana C. Kirby

Diana Kirby is a lifelong gardener and longtime Austinite, who loves the Central Texas climate for the almost year-round opportunities it offers for active gardening and seasonal splendor. Known as an impassioned and successful gardener, Diana began by helping friends design and implement their landscapes. Soon, she was contracted as a professional designer by a popular local landscaping installation firm, where she designed landscapes for residential and commercial clients for several years. In 2007, her new passion blossomed with the launch of her own firm, Diana’s Designs. ... Diana is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, the Garden Writers Association of America, and she writes a monthly gardening column for the Austin American-Statesman. Diana teaches the Landscape Design classes for several county Texas Agrilife Extension Service Master Gardener certification programs and speaks about gardening and design for garden centers and other groups. Learn more about presentation topics, availability and speaking fees.

In the ground … finally

On Sunday a few little plants went into the vegetable garden – strawberries, peppers, collards and one tomato.

This bed is anxiously awaiting seeds!
This is the lone tomato – who was immediately whipped around into a limp mess by the gusty winds, so I propped him a little and didn’t plant the other two.  We are supposed to have storms today, so I thought I would wait just a few days more.  Then yesterday, lo and behold, my TomatoBob Heirloom seed order arrived!
In addition to my traditional celebrity plants, I am going to try Black Krim,Yellow Giant Belgium, Omar’s Lebanese and Eva’s Purple Ball.  I also got a free sample package of Hank tomato seeds.  I chose varieties that aren’t as likely to split – a problem here with occasional torrential rains, and those that are also pretty heat- tolerant.  

Around here we typically get two seasons from our tomatoes – a brief respite in August/September when it’s too hot for most varieties to set, and then a full second season of yummy tomatoes after that.  My stand-bys are Celebrity, Big Boy, and Better Boy, but I just love to try new varieties.  Last year we also grew Cherokee Purple and Juliets, interesting, but not as tasty as some.
What are your favorites?  Determinate or indeterminate?  Any great heat-tolerant tomatoes I just have to try?  I’m always looking for new recommendations!
By |2017-11-29T23:27:55-06:00March 18th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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It’s election time … blog-election, that is!

If you’re like me, you love surfing and popping in for a visit to your favorite gardening blogs.  It’s what I’m doing right now – computer in my lap, dogs in their beds beside me, a coke on table and a few chocolates waiting for me!

From reading great prose, to gleaning gardening secrets or just enjoying the beautiful blooms so many bloggers in our little community work so hard to share with us all, blogging connects us in so many ways.
So, now it’s time to reciprocate and show how much you enjoy and appreciate your favorite blogs.  
It’s time for the Mouse and Trowel Awards … just click HERE and go vote!
By |2017-11-29T23:27:55-06:00March 17th, 2008|Blog, Mouse and Trowel, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments
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Bloom Day, (+two!)

Garden bloggers around the world posted their blooming plant photos on Saturday for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

I’m not only a day late and a dollar short, I’m TWO days late. But I think you’ll enjoy the blooms anyway! I have 31 photos, but many of these are single plants or just a few blooms. The first photo is my little Peach tree.

Grace Ward Lithodora
Malicoides Mix Primula
Sorbet Babyfae Ruby and Gold Violas
Phlox
Verbena
Japanese Quince
Loropetalum
Osteospermum
Coreopsis
Petunia
Snapdragon
Lavender
Phlox
Verbena
Verbena
Blackfoot Daisy
Euryops
Oxalis
Cactus
Cyclamen Persicum
Nicotiana
Four-Nerve Daisy
Prostrate Rosemary
??? I forgot what this is! Anyone want to guess?
Strawberry
Snapdragon
Variegated Meyer Lemon
Penta

That’s all folks! The blooms are wonderful, and next is a layer of tiny little green leaves that are peeking up in various beds, the fruits of my efforts last year that, thanks to a mild winter for us here in Austin, have decided to grace us with their presence again. Even some plants that are normally annuals are coming back, like Impatiens and Begonias. More on them later as they get big enough to identify clearly in photos.

Happy bloom day!

By |2017-11-29T23:27:55-06:00March 17th, 2008|Blog, bloom day, GBBD, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments
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Coming up roses … well, not really …

…but Toad Lilies and Mexican Flame Vines ARE coming up! These are two plants I wasn’t sure I would see again after this winter, but I’m so happy that they have little green sprouts peeking up out of the ground.

I especially love the toad lilies — they are among my favorites and someone did eat some of them last fall, so I wasn’t sure I would ever see these expensive little plants again. (Someone wild, not my rascally dogs on this one!)

The Flame Vine went in last summer, so it hadn’t overwintered here yet, and while it is supposed to be a perennial, you just never know, do you?!

This is where the Mexican Flame Vine will grow up!

These are those experimental daffodils that I planted in January because I hadn’t gotten around to them at Thanksgiving. I hope they make it, it’s supposed to be 90 F tomorrow — think it will stunt their growth?
And, since it’s going to be 90 F tomorrow, I plan to do my grocery shopping and a little work in the morning and RUSH home to plant all these guys in my garden. Below I have strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and collards. There is a stray sedum in there to put into the rock pathway, too.

Then, I am hoping to put the Thornless Mexican Lime tree and rose bush into pots and put the Japanese Red Maple into the ground. Whew…I’m tired already!

By |2016-04-14T02:47:52-05:00March 13th, 2008|Blog, bulbs, Sharing Nature's Garden, toad lilies, tomatoes, vine|8 Comments
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Hibernating in the Hill Country


Boy, are we wusses down here. (At least I am – I’ll just speak for myself.) The temperature dropped all day today – it’s supposed to be 33 tonight. It’s been raining and up to 25 mph winds. Just plain miserable if you ask me, but we did get 3/10 of an inch of rain, so that’s good.

The only place I went today after taking my daughter to school was an underground parking garage so I wouldn’t have to brave the elements. Hard to believe that I survived 4 winters in Minnesota in the Twin Cities area!

So, since we are still not quite past the point of freeze danger, my garage is still full o’plants. I miss the greenhouse from our previous house enough this year that I think we’ll put one in here next Fall. But, for now, my greenhouse is the garage with space heaters and a nice window for light. Here’s the tour!

My Duranta pruned to be a tree is sprouting new leaves.
(This is the mystery plant that MSS @ Zanthan Gardens helped me identify.)
The new thornless Mexican lime tree that I bought on Tuesday!
A cluster of half-dead or dormant pots and the Boston Fern
that Mom and Dad gave me for my birthday for Artemis’ head!
A budding Plumeria stalk!
Hmmmmm…this is one of those unusual/exotic specimen plants that
I always buy at the Austin Zilker Garden Fest and can’t remember the name of!
Anyone wanna guess?
Little annuals for window boxes and a Red Maple waiting for permanent homes
…and my fabulous Little Red Wagon that I couldn’t live without!
By |2016-04-14T02:47:52-05:00March 6th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|10 Comments
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Forecast:

Ok, this is just plain crazy.

Tomorrow’s high:  78
Thursday’s high:    48
Oh well.  I’m happy the sun is shining a lot and plants are starting to grow and I don’t think I had any freeze damage last night.  Mountain Laurel and Peach tree blossoms seem fine.  I have lots to be thankful for.  (I’ll just shake my head a lot about the weather!)
By |2016-04-14T02:47:52-05:00March 4th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Escape in the garden

Gardening to destress or grow food has never been more important. Get my FREE Five Quick Container Tips to start your own restorative gardening project today. Hook me up now!

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