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Big Texas sky…

As the saying goes, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.”

Well, not really. We just like to think that all the lore surrounding Texas makes us bigger than life.

But there is one thing that’s indisputably big, and that’s the big Texas sky.

Sometimes it just takes my breath away. Last night I broke a land-speed record running back inside after closing the greenhouse. The sky was lit with flowing ribbons of pink and orange. And I just had to have my camera.

As my Oma would say, “Die Angel backen Kuchen.”

That’s an old German saying for “the angels are baking cake.”
The mid-day sky is no slouch, either. Peering up through the row of majestic Crape Myrtles that line our driveway, the big blue sky looks like someone opened a can of “Vivid Blue” Martha Stewart premium paint and poured it all over the ceiling.
The ‘Maggie’ roses seem to pop out of the picture when given the big blue sky backdrop for their photo shoot.

We may not have snow this holiday season. We may not even have cold weather (it was 82 at our house yesterday).

But we have a spectacular big blue sky.

I’ll take it.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:25-06:00December 22nd, 2010|big blue sky, Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas sky|0 Comments

Summer keeps hanging on in the garden…

It’s December 15th, and it’s not beginning to look even a little bit like Christmas here in Central Texas!

Unseasonably warm days have my garden confused.

Many summer plants are still thriving, or even putting on a second bloom.

While we’ve had a few close calls, I haven’t had a real freeze at my house yet this season.

Some plants had a few leaves turn and die but the lowest temperature I have measured is 33F.

I love living here — where we can garden almost 12 months a year. Sometimes that means the plants and I don’t get a long winter’s nap.

Having lived several times in much colder climates, I would like to see a little snow in the winter.

That’s why there are airplanes!

The dogs, Tanner (the tan one!) and Dakota, don’t mind one bit. Indian summer suits them just fine as they enjoy watching me work in the garden.

In the cutting garden, I’ve had these daisies blooming for months.

The Katy Road Carefree Beauty rose is very happy and producing wonderfully fragrant blooms.
Mexican Oregano is flourishing and has bloomed non-stop since the Spring.
The fall-blooming Mexican Mint Marigold, which began blooming in September, is also experiencing a long bloom season. I normally have fewer Fall-blooming plants in the garden, but this year, the Mexican Mint Marigold has had to compete for the spotlight.

This creeping Wegelia perennial groundcover, whose bloom is winding its way through this variegated grass, seems to come into it’s own very late in the summer and doesn’t last long. I’ve seen more growth than ever this year with these warmer days.
My Black and blue salvia was overshadowed by other growing plants this summer and had virtually died back. This brand new shoot came up from the roots a few weeks ago and burst into bloom.
Exotic red blooms cover my Bottle Brush tree, blowing in the breezes above a blue agave.
And, the ever-reliable button mums just keep coming back year after year to put on a big Fall show.

For a garden tour of what’s blooming all over the world, you can visit Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, where she hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day on the 15th of each month.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:25-06:00December 15th, 2010|Blog, Bottle Brush tree, carefree beauty rose, dogs, GBBD, Mexican Mint Marigold, Mexican Oregano, mums, salvia, Sharing Nature's Garden|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

All ready for a long winter’s nap …

Last week’s cold weather scare sent many gardeners (including me) scurrying for sheets and towels and shoving plants up against the house.

And of course it did not freeze. Not even close. But that’s the nature of, well…Mother Nature.
Because I heard the freeze warning late in the day, there was no way to get all the plants into the greenhouse, especially the big monsters that I simply cannot budge.
So, today I got some help to move the giant pots to get the hardest part of the move situated. Then I spent most of the day putting in the rest of the children…I mean, plants…
The biggest challenge is using sun-lovers to provide enough shade for more delicate plants that spend their summers under the part-time protection of the back patio and the cabana. So plants have to be carefully placed so as not to scorch or get leggy. Then there’s the issue of enough room for me to get in there and reach back windows and have some space to work.
This is the work space – just enough for repotting, cleaning up plants and preparing seeds.

The daily watering starts again now — with the cooler weather, these plants have gone up to 3 days without water around the back patio area. In the greenhouse, it will be too warm yet during the days to let most of them go more than a day.

With a forecast of 60s for the low tonight, they are sleeping with the windows and door open tonight. The cold front arrives tomorrow – 58, and next week we’ll be in the low 40s at night. Then the plants will be very glad to be in the greenhouse with the heater on.

Let the winter begin! Are you ready?

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:11-05:00November 11th, 2010|Blog, freeze, greenhouse, Sharing Nature's Garden, winter|0 Comments

Wordless Wednesday…

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:40:11-05:00November 10th, 2010|berries, Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, wordless wednesday, yaupon holly|0 Comments

Fall bloomers and a few surprises…

As temperatures drop and it begins to look a little like fall here in Central Texas, new things are blooming in the garden.

There are the traditional plants, like these beautiful mums.

They disappear during the scorching hot summer, but puff up and explode with flowers when it starts to get chilly outside.

And there are the Mexican Mint Marigolds with their beautiful yellow blooms and the Fall Asters that I wrote about two posts ago, all reliable fall bloomers.
There was beautiful light when I went out with the camera this morning.
The oak in the front yard was aglow like a flaming tree with its golden leaves in the rising sunlight. We have so little fall color here because it’s just not cold enough, so we really appreciate it when we see it!
But I was surprised to find these Shasta Daisies in the cutting garden — blooming for the second time this year.
And the roses are loving this cool weather — especially my Katy Road or Carefree Beauty rose.
Another sign of fall — dead things! I’d better get out there and remove all these seeds from this dead morning glory vine or I won’t have any cutting flowers at all in the spring as they will be choked out by vine-y groundcover!
And these precious little Marigolds came from seeds and volunteers in the vegetable garden, where I plant them to keep bad bugs off the tomatoes. I simply moved them to the cutting garden where they are very happy.