Sharing Nature's Garden Archives | Page 67 of 124

Birds of a feather …

To enable us to see out to our bird feeders, we put in two big picture windows in our breakfast area.

We also took off the screens so we could see clearly.

It’s great, we love it, but sometimes, the birds try to fly right into the house!

The other day I heard not one, but TWO “THUMPS” while I was in the kitchen.

I ran to the window to check, and sure enough, there were two male cardinals lying on the ground under the window.

I went out to check on them (my neighbor has two bird-eating cats) and found them very stunned.

I picked them up at took them to the driveway and called Wildlife Rescue.

Of course, it was just after 5 pm on a Friday, but someone did answer the phone. She asked if they could fly, and at that time, they were both not able to.

She suggested I put them in a box or a bin with a cover with air holes and bring them in the following morning in case they had broken wings.

I prepared two bins with window screens for the tops. Lined the bottom with newspaper and put birdseed and a little water bowl inside. As I lifted one Mr. Cardinal to place him inside, he fluttered and flew off!

Yeah.

Good result for him. Mr. Cardinal #2, not ready yet. He went into the box without any fuss. Poor guy.
Then I thought – DUH. I have to take pictures of these guys! So I went to get the camera, and when I lifted the screen off the box, Mr. Cardinal #2 flew off.

Guess they just needed to catch their breath. Sometimes these incidents don’t have such good endings, but I was so glad this one did.

[And I told them to quit chasing each other around the window!]

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:38-05:00October 26th, 2009|birds, Blog, cardinal, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Finally Fall…

It’s finally Fall here in Central Texas. Don’t get me wrong, we still have some hot days, but we are also enjoying some cooler nights, some rain and the sun has lost just a little of its “edge.”

How do I know it’s Fall? Because the Mexican Mint Marigolds (Tagetes lucida) have graced us with their perky little Fall blooms.
They grow all summer, getting full and bushy and lush with foliage, but display nary a bloom. Until the cool weather kicks in, that is, and then they burst like baby sunflowers.

This weird weather we’re having has both the Mexican Mint Marigold and the Cassia blooming at the same time. That’s never happened before. The Cassia is very tropical and a hot weather plant. It’s ok, I’ll take whatever blooms I can get, whenever I can get them!
On a glum note, how about this little guy? You’d never know he was a Green Envy Coneflower that I special ordered for some ridiculously high price, would you? He croaked not long after he arrived, succumbing to the drought and the intense heat. While his ordinary Coneflower neighbors were blooming away, he was wilting. He’s technically still alive. Maybe next year he’ll feel better. (I hope!)

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:38-05:00October 22nd, 2009|Blog, Coneflower, fall, Mexican Mint Marigold, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Blooming beauties on bloom day

Most of my summer bloomers are all still blooming this Bloom Day. Carol, of May Dreams Gardens, encourages us to share our blooms on the 15th of each month, and mine are thrilled to be enjoying a reprieve from the summer’s heat and drought.

The rain has revived them all and they are blooming to their hearts’ content. Because they are the same plants that were barely blooming in September, I’m just going to highlight a few interesting things in the garden today.

Above is a fabulous bloom from my brand-new Bottle Brush tree. It’s a new addition to the bed where I removed an ugly cedar tree earlier this year.
The Turk’s Caps are all standing at attention with the rain renewal. And the cooler temps have really helped, too. Even though it was 92 and sticky today, we have had rain and cooler temps with nights into the high 50s. Fall is trying to show itself here.
I know this does’t qualify because it’s not blooming, but it makes me happy as a bloom would. It is new growth on the 3 new Heucheras I planted this spring. In just a few short months it will have beautiful blooms. So, today, I am celebrating the anticipation of blooms!
And the heady scent of blooms and the sweet rains must have brought romance to our garden toads, because I have hundreds of itty-bitty, teeny-weeny toad babies hopping all over my yard, garden, driveway, pathways … you name it, there are toads there!
I was trying to give you perspective — I failed! he’s about as big as my index fingernail, if that.
Isn’t he cute? Wanna adopt some?

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:38-06:00October 15th, 2009|Blog, Bottle Brush tree, GBBD, Heuchera, Sharing Nature's Garden, toads, Turk's cap|0 Comments

Plant junkie….

So, the day after the CTG tv taping, when I was totally happy with my garden for a brief moment in time, I’m at it again.

I would not have gone plant shopping, except that today was the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s Annual Fall Plant sale. It’s become a tradition for me.

And it was the members-only sale, so we were guaranteed some great stuff by getting first crack at it. It opens to the public this weekend.

I was there @ 1:00 when it opened, wagon and gardening friend in tow.

(And wearing a jacket, too — at 55 and wet and windy, it really finally felt like Fall here today.)

The weather and the crowd helped encourage us to be quick about our decisions, too.

Doesn’t this look like a great collection of goodies?

Let’s see, there’s:

Silver Ponyfoot
Bushy Purple Skullcap
Missouri Violet
Manfreda sileri
Bue Pitcher Sage
Purple Coneflower
Gulf Coast Muhly Grass
Portulaca
Liatris – Blazing Star
Nolina texana

There are several reasons I love to go to their sales, mostly because I can find unusual plants, and because I can buy them as starters in little 4-inch pots that the nurseries don’t always carry in these varieties. I don’t spend as much, and the plants have all winter to get established. AND, it’s so much easier to dig little-bitty holes, isn’t it?

Then I came home and had hot chocolate and homemade cookies with my girl.

It was a good day.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:38-06:00October 9th, 2009|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Wildflower Center, Wildflower Center plant sale|0 Comments

We did it…now we wait…

Yesterday, Linda Lehmusvirta, the producer for PBS’ Central Texas Gardener, and her crew came to film the garden and to interview me.

It was a dark and stormy night, no, wait, it was a gray, humid and blustery day. It made for good lighting to shoot the garden, but I ended up eating my hair more than once during the interview!

Linda and her crew did a great job of putting me at ease, and I really felt like I was just chatting about my garden with a fellow gardener. If we’re lucky, that’s what I sounded like.

Four hours later, we were done. The program will air in the Spring, most likely in February, and the video will be available on their website as the Featured Garden, so anyone can watch it on the web.

Since they are such a part of my gardening (the challenges part!), Tanner and Dakota may even be in the footage. They came out to check it all out after we were done with the interview.

Thanks to Linda and the crew for a great morning, indulging me in my passion for gardening.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:39-05:00October 9th, 2009|Blog, CTG, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Picking, pruning, pulling … and miles of fire ants

Again? Seriously?

Yes, after I re-re-replanted those Agapanthus, Dakota snuck back in there and pulled them all out again yesterday.

So, as part of my prepping for the Central Texas Gardener t.v. taping here this Thursday, I had to go clean it all up again. And replant them — again.

Then I stepped outside this evening and found a found-lane highway of fire ants racing across my beds, my driveway, down the river rock bed into another flower bed.

No lie – I counted it off, they went 100 feet. And they were in a real hurry. I couldn’t figure out the source at either end and they were going both ways. One bit me before I figured out they were fire ants. It was an amazing, and frightening sight.

So, tomorrow = more pulling and pruning and picking. Most of it is done, but you know, there are always just a few more things you’d like to do … At least I have no plans to rush out to a nursery for any last-minute planting. Now THAT would be nuts!

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:39-05:00October 6th, 2009|Agapanthus, Blog, CTG, Dakota, fire ants, Sharing Nature's Garden|0 Comments

Sharing Nature’s Garden

Birds of a feather …

Finally Fall…

Blooming beauties on bloom day

Plant junkie….

We did it…now we wait…

Picking, pruning, pulling … and miles of fire ants

Escape in the garden