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Fall harvest … ripe and ready

This is the tale of the tomatoes that just wouldn’t die.

This Spring, it got into the 100’s not long after the tomato plants went into the ground. Much too hot at night for blooms to set.

I tried some of that bloom set spray and I got some tomatoes, but a pretty meager crop. A tomato here, a tomato there. Sometimes a few tomatoes – enough for a fresh tomato salad. But they were random. Not very sweet, some were mealy…just not much to blog home about.

After our 40+ days of 100+ degrees, the tomato plants were crispy and crinkl-y and ugly. For some reason, I cleaned them up, plucked off all the dead, brown leaves and tried to cheer them up for the coming Fall.

Now we’ve had some cool nights and some 85 degree days. The plants are 8-10 feet tall – leggy on the bottom but lush and full of fruit on the top. And they taste pretty good. Not our best, but tasty. All of a sudden, I am having cravings for turkey, cheese and tomato sandwiches — my favorite. And we’re having slices on a plate with kosher salt, or with cottage cheese.

It’s almost like the beginning of Summer!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:51-06:00October 21st, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, tomaotes|0 Comments

Blogging Buddies….

What a wonderful treat we Austin Garden Bloggers had on Sunday. We toured two local bloggers’ gardens and enjoyed delightful refreshments and great company. The first garden was Lee’s, of The Grackle

It was so … zen. It was simple and elegant and peaceful. The clean lines drew my attention from one interesting feature to the next. From the cut limestone linear path to the bench and unique wooden screen in front of the AC and then onto a little cedar fence (all of those features hand made) on either side of a rustic pathway and garden.

I just loved the tiny split rail-like fence — it was delicate and rustic at the same time. I don’t have more photos to show because I just got busy visiting and learning about the garden. And even though I don’t have a photo of it, I loved the brick decorative patio area with pea gravel. I hope some of the other Austin bloggers got photos of it.

Then we moved onto Phillip’s garden of East Side Patch

Jam-packed with beds and paths and nooks and crannies and stock tanks and water features, this garden was a lush Utopia of unique plants and interesting combinations. Not a patch of grass in sight! Just an endless creative cosmos — which, if you’ve read Phillip’s blog, is an appropriate analogy! (He’s got the wildest, most creative stuff on this blog — it’s gardening and oh-so-much more.)

We were all enthralled with this relatively new garden bed and its unique succulents. We were particularly taken with the Donkey’s Ears Kalanchoe on the right side with it’s long leaves (are they leaves?) and its speckles.

Lots of Agaves and tropicals side by side. And then a huge tank with goldfish, lilypads, and a Cypress Tree — yes, that’s right, a Cypress tree.

And this beautiful squash plant was tucked right in with flowering perennials. I love those little surprises!

Lee and Phillip, our two hosts, stop to pontificate over critical gardening information…or maybe they were talking about the Sangria – I’m not sure.

The garden had several beautiful towering Amaranths — a stunning fuchsia.
Mexican Bush Sage, Firecracker bush, grasses and a treasure trove of other perennials call this garden home.

So, this is the story of the day. Apparently Phillip had a Century Plant flower and produce a 6-8 foot bloom – full of THOUSANDS of Agave pups, and he put our names on paper spread down the length of the bloom for each of us to take a handful, or two, or three! I know how it works, the mother plant dies and this is how they go on, but I’d never seen it up close and there are almost no words to describe how amazing it is.

THANK YOU to Lee and Phillip and their families for inviting us into their homes and gardens. They were all delightful hosts, dogs and kids included, too.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:51-06:00October 20th, 2008|Austin bloggers, Blog, garden tour, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

One size fits all…

Well, sometimes one size fits all. Clearly a Tanner/Dakota sized bed fits Toby “just right!”

We’re all working in the garden this afternoon. Actually, I am the only one working. The dogs are all lying around, looking for lizards and enjoying the sun. And I am puttering and doing very little since real work is still kinda out of the question. (I tried to plant a 4″ pot and actually felt it in my abdominal muscles so I figured it’s still too soon to do that – don’t wanna undo any of the doctor’s work! But don’t tell anyone.)

So, I picked up dog poop, disentangled some invasive Cypress Vine from the strawberry shoots in the garden (which are growing like CRAZY) and watered a few things. Hey – it’s something…

But after 9 days of restricted garden activity, I am going nuts. The weather is perfect and I have soooooo much to do.

Instead, I picked some seeds to bring to our Austin Garden Bloggers little tour tomorrow. Then I can enjoy someone else’s garden and take it easy — I’m really looking forward to it.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:07-05:00October 18th, 2008|Blog, dogs, Sharing Nature's Garden|5 Comments

The gang’s all here…

Well, this shot’s much better than the one of them all sniffing their butts!

There’s peace in our house. Mayhem, but peace. Toby still pees every time I touch him so he’s getting his loving from Kallie right now! And we’ve developed a plan to get him straight out back when I get home so any accidents happen outside (mostly!)

Look at those plaintive eyes. Isn’t he cute?

And they are all vying for Kallie’s attention, which she is happy to share with all of them, each in their own turn.

Tonight we are going with my Dear Husband and are going to walk them all! That should be something to see. I think we’ll each take one dog. That should make it easier. When Kallie was a baby and I babysat their previous precious dog, Schatzi, I walked all 3 dogs AND pushed a stroller. THAT was a sight. I’m not quite up to that kind of excursion yet.

Our inch of rain made my Epiphyllum so happy that it bloomed yesterday! I can’t quite get good shots of them. And they wilt and hang down almost as soon as they open because they are so heavy.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:07-05:00October 17th, 2008|Blog, dogs, epiphyllum, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Three’s company around here for a while!

Sorry I missed bloom day yesterday, but I figure I get a pass on this one! Besides, I have other little blooms at my house today!

Mom and Dad’s dog, Toby, (the tiny Chihuahua in the first photo) came to our house this morning for an extended five-day stay.

He’s their newly-adopted boy – he’s only been with them since August, and this is the first time they’ve taken a trip. It’s also the first time our newly August-adopted girl, Dakota, has had company at her house. Whew. So many new things!

Toby looked a little nervous riding in the car with me — but my husband would say that’s because of my driving – HA!

But Toby settled right in with our two, Dakota and Tanner. In spite of his being size-challenged (compared to our bubbies), he holds his own. And, much to my dismay, he and Dakota (who’s the younger of our tw at 5) really want to romp around the house together. I had to step in and tell them that wasn’t going to happen, and they seem ok with that. Besides the obvious house-protecting instinct, it doesn’t seem like fair play when she outweighs him by 50 pounds!

Since I’m still taking it easy, it will be good to be here with them all day to keep an eye on them in case I need to play traffic cop, but I think they are quite content…don’t you?

Here’s a challenge – someone had “cat day” last week on our garden blogs — why don’t we have “doggie day” and everyone can post their pooch pics and link back to me. I love looking at your dogs, (and cats) and therefore assume everyone loves to look at my dogs!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:52-06:00October 16th, 2008|Blog, dogs, Sharing Nature's Garden, toby|0 Comments

Run, take cover, wet stuff is coming from the sky!

Honestly, I didn’t think it was EVER going to rain again here in Austin. It’s been such a long, hot-hot drought this summer. Even worse than usual.

But today, after grey skies all day, it finally opened up and showered down upon us. We got a quarter of an inch in about 20 minutes, and the forecast is calling for a 70% chance of rain tomorrow, as well. And boy, do we need it.
When it was raining hard, I just had to get a shot of the rain gauge. We ended at .24 before the sun came back out and the rain stopped.
And then I set about plating some dinner from the yummy casseroles that my dear husband made for us this weekend while I was in bed. Being that it was a few minutes before 5:00, both dogs had taken their posts in front of the stove to make sure not to miss a stray morsel — and to remind me that it was time for THEM to be fed. They start lobbying at about 4:30 and are relentless.

So, the good news is that I don’t have to water pots or birdbaths or deer water bowls now. And maybe if you all cross your fingers, I won’t have to do it tomorrow, either!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:45:07-05:00October 14th, 2008|Blog, dogs, rain, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Blog

Fall harvest … ripe and ready

Blogging Buddies….

One size fits all…

The gang’s all here…

Three’s company around here for a while!

Run, take cover, wet stuff is coming from the sky!

Escape in the garden