Blog Archives | Page 104 of 116 | Diana's Designs Austin

Dead, or Alive!

Or, Alive and Dead. My flat-leaf parsley just couldn’t be happier with this brisk, winter-like weather we’re having. It’s so big, I’ve taken to bringing cuttings in to put in a glass in the kitchen just because it’s green and alive from the garden.

The other photo is the pile of tomato vines that I pulled up last weekend. The rest of the garden is a big mess, and needs to have grass dug out of it and earth turned before I can put my lettuce and radishes in. And, with my tendinitis, that means it will have to wait until I have someone come in and do it because it’s just too much for my arms to handle.

But, I did pick 4 tomatoes and they are ripening in the family room window. You can even see some half-dead ones in the pile there. I don’t think they’re going to be any good – they look a little speckle-dy (that’s the technical garden term!) and are very hard, so I am not holding my breath. But, hey, it’s weird Austin weather and conditions, so who knows? I’ll keep you posted!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:55-05:00February 1st, 2008|Blog, Garden, Sharing Nature's Garden, tomatoes|0 Comments

The jasmines are back, the jasmines are back!

This is so exciting to me. The bright yellow bloom of the primrose jasmine is the first harbinger of Spring here in Austin, Texas, and I’ve found a handful popping out throughout our neighborhood.

They just make me smile from ear to ear. It’s the promise of a brighter day and a new season of growth and beauty. I look forward to them, and then shortly thereafter, my daffodils and various other bulbs.

Speaking of which, I didn’t get my leftover bulbs in the ground last weekend, choosing instead to focus on tearing out tomatoes and planting seeds. We’re supposed to get up to 68 or 70 degrees Saturday and Sunday, so I’ll push that up to the top of the list again!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:55-05:00January 30th, 2008|Blog, bulbs, jasmine, Sharing Nature's Garden, spring|0 Comments

ah…I forgot the best part of the story!

In my last post, I forgot to tell the very best part of the story. The small, gray statues that grace my garden space are almost all Mothers’ Day gifts from my son.

Every year, we go to the Zilker Garden Fest here in Austin in late April. It’s a wonderful event – my favorite part of living in Austin, frankly, with garden vendors and growers and plant lovers of all types bringing their most interesting specimens. You can buy a hat and a birdhouse and get lunch and listen to live music and your kids can get their faces painted or do crafts. I love it. And when my son, Dustin was younger, we always went with my parents (after a soccer tournament) and he and my father would conspire to buy and “hide” a garden gift for me each year. Being a mom, not much gets by me, but I always pretended to look away and not notice an extra item bagged in our garden cart. It was such a special tradition (makes me tear up to write about it).

My son is now grown — going to college and working — he lives here in Austin, close by. Those little friends you saw in my last post from my garden, the puppy, the small bunny, the squirrel, are all from him. I also have several other things garden-related that he has given me over the years that are near and dear to my heart.

Now you know the “rest of the story!”

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:55-05:00January 29th, 2008|Blog, garden art, Sharing Nature's Garden|4 Comments

Faces in the Garden

Frances, of Faire Garden in Tennessee inspired me to do this post. I was surfing garden blogs (and so delighted to have a long stretch of time to do it). when I came across her blog entry, Faces in the Garden. Her statuary is beautiful, and it reminded me that I, too, have other items of interest in my gardens, in addition to the plants. And since our winter blog material is a little sparse, I thought, “what a great idea!” So, thanks for inspiring me, Frances. I hope you enjoy the faces in my garden!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:58-06:00January 28th, 2008|Blog, faces, garden art, Sharing Nature's Garden|7 Comments

Winter Flannel…

Winter gray in Austin. Stark and cold, yet somehow, still intriguing. And foggy — it’s rather erie. I was psyched for another warm day, but it appears today will be warmer, but I’m not sure yet about the Sun’s appearance later. I’ll cross my fingers and hope the sun comes out.

I’m always fascinating by the creatures who weather the winter — outdoors — with no heater, no gas fireplace or blankets or fuzzy slippers. We pile on and peel off as the weather dictates, but the wildlife around us simply endures.

My husband’s family raises Belgian Draft Horses in Indiana and while I do believe that they are a hearty bunch, it still seems really cold up there for them for a very long time!

And even here, where it’s more temperate, I think about our wild birds. Scrawny shrubs and ruffled feathers don’t seem to me to have much capacity to warm them up, but they’re here, chirping and flitting about, minding their business, seemingly impervious to the elements on most days.

So, we feed and water them, and I admit, I talk to them and worry about them. And I wonder about the chitting and chirping between the two male cardinals who seem to be fighting for our yard and woods territory. Wish I knew more about their behavior — one of them has been our neighbor for 4 years. And then, there’s our newest neighbor, a squawky scrub jay that is tough as nails. No one messes with him — least of all me!

I admire them all, and hope that this Spring, our resident cardinal couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, have some babies we can watch for a while.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:55-05:00January 26th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Sunshine…on my shoulder…makes me happy

I know we have HUNDREDs of days of sunshine each year here in Central Texas and I know how lucky we are. Yet it never ceases to amaze me how much I truly appreciate another beautiful day here in Austin. The sun and the dew on the evergreen plants in the yard

[and some not quite so evergreen – read – ginger!] was so lovely this morning, I just had to share it.

[And I know I’m dating myself with that headline for those of you who hummed it to yourselves! Tee hee!]

I got an email today from my cousin and her husband in Germany and they have a beautiful yellow crocus in full bloom in Weilerswist. Even where the winters can be bitter, the determination of our plants to bring us happiness is strong!

So, today I tore out all the dead tomato plants and put away the amazing folding, square tomato cages in preparation for the new garden project. I’m making the call tomorrow to get a fence put up and another vegetable bed created. I planted a globe artichoke and some lettuce today, and am just about to plant a multitude of seeds in seed pots to start indoors before it really warms up outside. I’m just planting one tray of seeds, to keep it manageable, and will have an assortment of veggies and perennials or annuals.