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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.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:59-06:00January 26th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|0 Comments

Helloooooooo down there!

Ah. Spring. Well, not really Spring. But, the promise of Spring.

We’ve had cold (for us – 40 degrees) weather and rain and gray skies for several weeks. But when the sun came out today, you would have thought we hadn’t seen it in months! It was delightful. From the steam rising off the plants as it warmed so quickly this morning, to the beautiful morning light, the promise of this day was full.

So, I grabbed the camera and headed out to search for other signs of Spring. And I found them. Just a few little bulbs peeking out- sending up their delicate shoots to check on the weather up here and decide whether or not they really want to show up for the dance!

I’m so sad to report that in the holiday rush, I only got about 1/2 of the bulbs I bought into the ground. But, we should still have about 50 new bulbs joining the existing burst of color that always makes me smile every time I walk outside in the late winter here. (Because it really isn‘t Spring, yet, and won’t be for quite some time!)

I wonder if I can keep the other bulbs somewhere and plant them next season? I don’t really think so, but I hate to waste them.

So, with 72 degrees on the horizon for tomorrow, I can’t even decide where to start. But I know that tomorrow will be spent outdoors, soaking up the vitamin D I’ve been missing and getting my hands dirty somehow. I can’t wait!

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

No snow in Austin

Well, it’s been an unseasonably warm winter here in Austin, even for us. So this was the closest we got to snow over the holidays! There were flurries on our Indiana trip, but not much to speak of and the wind was biting cold, so Grandma brought out the snow she’d saved in the freezer for Kallie to play with on the kitchen floor!

Kinda the best of both worlds!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:47:56-05:00January 17th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, snow|0 Comments

Mystery!

Ok – I think this may be a variety of Duranta that was pruned into a tree. It was given to me 10 years ago when my dog was dying and I’ve babied it all these years without knowing what it was. Looks just like the berries on yesterday’s photos at Zanthan Gardens … and that got me thinking.

It has tiny, delicate white blooms on the branch ends and produces small, yellow berries on thin strands. What do you think??!!!! Has anyone out there ever had a white duranta variety that matches this description? I’ve never had even a guess to go on, so I’ll go trolling for web info and see what I come up with. In the meantime, put your gardening caps on and let me know what you think!

*******************

5 minutes online, and ta-dah!

My tree is a Duranta Erecta, commonly called Golden Dew Drop or White Sky Flower or Pigeon Berry Alba. I can’t tell you how exciting this is! The internet is an amazing thing. I’ve had a purple duranta in my back yard for a year — it’s shrub like and small and has purple flowers and produced no berries thus far. But reading Zanthan Gardens’ Blog – I looked at this one and its form and it reminded me so much of my tree, I started to search. Thanks for the help (albeit unknown!).

This is just another reminder to me of why I love to blog and to read blogs and to surf around the web. There is so much information and creativity and beauty out there — just waiting at our fingertips. Not to mention the sense of community and the comraderie that I get from belonging to such a great group.

So, I’m going to bed happy and content tonight.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:59-06:00January 16th, 2008|berries, Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, trees|0 Comments

Bloom day … sort of!

Pretty Penta

Barely there Bougainvilla

Alyssum

Meager Moss Rose

Oxalis

Shasta Daisy

A few little friends were still hanging in there in the dead of what we call winter here in Austin today on January Bloom Day!

Hard to imagine how much of the rest of the country is covered in snow. Yesterday morning was sunny and bright. Today, it’s overcast and gray and we are expecting some rain. But, we need it, so that’s ok.

While I’ve enjoyed my break, I have to say, I’m getting the gardening bug again! I read the article in the Austin American Statesman this weekend about starting veggie seeds inside in pots and I’m plotting to do that in a week or so! And I have a plan for major changes to the vegetable garden — see my sidebar for those developments!

And, you know you’re ready to get your hands dirty again when pruning makes you happy again! Yes — it’s true! I pruned the giant gingers in the back and some of the lantana and esperanza and other perennials for a few hours this weekend and enjoyed it. I think of it as therapy — it’s cathartic for me.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:28:00-06:00January 15th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Uncategorized|7 Comments

Dead of winter

So, here’s what winter looks like in Austin, Texas in January. No snow … no beautiful icicles dangling delicately from the pines. Just dry, brown, hibernating perennials waiting for a few short weeks to begin bursting forth again.

I took a long blog-hiatus (sorry, I should have just said so in early December!) and took a much-needed break from gardening for a while. But now, the days are in the mid-60s and the sun is shining and I am thinking about … yes, you’re hearing it right, pruning! We’ll see – I have a long list of non-gardening things to do — but I also have a *”plan”* for fencing off the vegetable garden to keep out the pests (especially my two adopted “pests” — otherwise know as “PETS!” I’m envisioning an arbor to go over the gate!

Look for more posts soon, including details about the Austin Garden Bloggers’ Spring Fling in April.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:28:00-06:00January 11th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, winter|0 Comments

Sharing Nature’s Garden

Sunshine…on my shoulder…makes me happy

Helloooooooo down there!

No snow in Austin

Mystery!

Bloom day … sort of!

Dead of winter

Escape in the garden