Sorry about all that Mitch, been there, seen that, got the t-shirt.
Down here in SW Houston / Ft. Bend County, hardly any rain BUT, I don't know if the first image is a native but it is the first time I have had blooms from it in two years of ownership!!!
The second image is known to all of us and is my FIRST FULL Bloom of the coming year
Have already got some baby frits on the leaves
Very pretty succulent, Kipper2 congratulations on the blooms.
And the Passionflower too.
This message was edited Mar 22, 2006 10:26 PM
Well Guys, we got down to 30 here last night, there was frost out there, we shall see what kind od damage we had. I hope this is the last one.
How was it at your place?
Josephine.
when I left here this morning it said 33 and I dont think we went less then that but I left at 6:00 sooo we had the chance to get colder .. I have not been back to the veggie beds yet but so far everything looks ok. I noticed some tomatos down the road a little were black ... so I will reprt back when I can check in the back some more.
Alright just checked and everything here looks fine (tomatos, pepers, eggplants ... everything!) So we were spared.
Hi everybody. My tomatoes looked really wimpy. I hope they survive. They are heirlooms that I bought in Austin.
My mint is certainly not wimpy and I didn't even protect it all. And it's in a pot-both of them. I thought mint was a delecate plant. My butterfly ginger looks really bad. Everything else seems OK. Even the rosebuds look like they'll survive.
Frostweed, you have mail.
Well, my turk's cap, four o'clocks, frostweed, and texas star, froze back.
But the brazos penstemon, ironweed, asters, primroses, salvia, and phlox did not.
I guess they will all be back soon, what can we do?
It will all be alright.
Josephine.
Well my friends, here we are April 1 and the Crossvines are in full bloom.
There are different sections, one is the Tangerine Beauty, that id the brighter color,
and the other one is the original native kind.
A view from across the street.
A view from the east side showing mostly Tangerine beauty and my cat Angel.
A view from the west side showing the original crossvine.
Notice that the Wildflowers a really close to bursting forth in bloom.
What a difference two months make, the day was cloudy when I took those pictures.
This message was edited Apr 1, 2006 10:40 AM
Here is the new Iris bed with the Iris growing in luxury, they are starting to make buds, I think that bed is going to be very pretty this year.
Josephine, your crossvine is so pretty! I'm looking forward to the day that mine covers my fence likes yours, it won't be too much longer. I was thinking the other day that the slope should be really greening up by now, and there it is. Be sure to keep your diary updated!
I will do my best Mary, there is just so much going on, and only so much time.
Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the month, I think it is going to be great.
Josephine.
It is growing so much already in just the past two weeks! just stunning .. just stunning.
Thank you Mitch, are you back from the Iris tour alredy?
Yep I am... picked up a Veronica - they said it was a native... any idea what it is?
I am not familiar with it, but it is native, here is the link, is it the same?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/101838/index.html
You don't sound very excited, were there many people?
No more like this one.. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/844/index.html the leaves are huge.... bigger then the comfrey I picked up. There was only three people there I knew TArodgers, Shelia_FW, and Sylvia right here by me. The gardens were nice but I learned that talking plants and talking plants with friends are two diffrent worlds. I really missed ya'll there. I do think now that we sould have the next plant gathering at the same park just maybe in the parking lot rather then the seating area...
Sould add they where mostly a old group of friends from GW..
Should add the Veronica I picked up from one of the head ladies of the Ellis County native plant club... she also had spinless "Nopal" Cactus that I almost picked up for you but then I was unsure if it was soemthing you would like. Anyway there are two plants of the Veronica so if you would like one when you get over here we will dig one up for you.
Mitch i checked usda and veronica longifolia is a naturalized plant. I t looks very pretty. We shall see, as you know i don't have room for everything.
We shall see about our gathering, I do like veterans park, but i haven't seen the other place.
I agree with you, there is nothing like talking to friends everything is easy, relaxed and comfortable.
Josephine.
I just missed the laid back chat... nothing like a chat among friends. When you head this way I will run you over to the place here and in Ovilia, they are ok but I have some tables I can bring for food and no one much sat anyway! My vote is Veterans Park... I also liked the way we had our food laid out, Sylvia worked very hard it was just not the group of ya'll I know and grown to love.
Oh well - I really thought she knew what she was talking about! She is giving a talk Monday on this plant and others... I wonder if they are all naturalized? Oh well it will still look good here.... Can I use it when I file for my Texas status? I need to read up more on the list I am making...
You dont have room for everything? I have long held that some of us need those little floating gardens on the Jetsons... wonder when they will make those? lol
Mitch
Anybody else have tecoma stans fixing to bloom? I thought it a bit early but, its got small buds on it.
Debbie
Debbie Tecoma Stans goes dormant here, and dies down to the ground, mine is just starting to poke through the soil, so we have a long way to go.
How is that surprise Goldenrod coming along?
Josephine.
Debbie, I saw some Tecoma Stans in full bloom in Houston yesterday, in the Heights. Mine has finally leafed out, no sign of buds just yet. It really took a while to recover from that last freeze, and I think it's in a spot that gets just a little too much shade. (In fact, I just relaized this last week that due to the mild winter, my water oaks were even slower than usual to lose their leaves, so the garden stayed shadier than usual through the winter. I think that has delayed a lot of plants' "awakening.")
Mitch, when you think about it, we were all "strangers" when we first met at Veteran's Park last year, but of course we had become good friends through DG first. It's nice to meet new people at these things, but like you said, there's a real difference when you're talking to friends.
Josephine, Mitch brings up a point I have been meaning to ask. As far as making the list for certification, I guess naturalized plants are not counted as natives?
That is right Mary, they are not, but you could mention that some of your non natives are naturalized plants that are beneficial to wildlife, and I think that would have a bearing.
Josephine.
That is it Mary - we had built something on here to start with, made it a good time all around.
Took this today of my wildflowers in bloom.
Another view
Oh, those wildflowers are beautiful! I'm so excited, some of my winecups are about to bloom! I bought some over the winter at a discount, but the tags had gotten all mixed up. We weren't sure if what I was buying was winecup or cranesbill geranium. Mary Lee is bringing me some winecup at the RU, I'm so looking forward to it. I fell in love with them at the Wildflower Center a couple years back.
Thanks Josephine. While I do have non-natives, I try to have everything serve a purpose for wildlife in some way. (Although, I don't know about the roses. Maybe they just make all the wildlife - incuding me sometimes, lol - just plain feel better for looking at them?)
I have marked out the new, expanded bedlines for my front yard. It will take me years to fill it all in, but it now extends far enough out from the house to have areas in the sun. I have great plans for winecups in two areas. Hope they can look like this eventullay:
I love winecups too--had them in the school butterfly garden when I was in the heights (working in sw part of town now). But let me tell you, they were a weeding nightmare during the summer. I have a real love affair with plants that have big enough leaves to "self mulch" like turk's cap.
Maggie--My tecoma lost all its leaves this winter too but I escaped that last frost with damage being only to some (but not all?!?) the zinnias. I got a "huge" stream of native columbines planted today meandering thru my small cypress trees. Prior to the fireants. While they aren't blooming this year...I'm sure they will next year. And they should get about enough shade in the summer to survive.
Josephine--The "mystery" goldenrods are doing really well. They are recieving more sun and seem to be responding well until that area gets shadier in June-July.
I think perhaps I got one of those native clematis pitcheri seeds to germinate....at least there are some small cotyledons in the pot..we shall see.
Debbie
Angela, those wildflowers are beautiful, do you own a meadow?
It looks like you are also a lot further ahead in your climate zone. Mine are just starting
I have Primroses and Oxeye daisy, starting to bloom, also the Brazos Penstemon, but we still have a ways to go till everything blooms.
Mary, I love Winecups too, but have never had good luck with them. I am going to try again this year, may be this will be the year.
Debbie, I am trying Columbines this year too, started fron seed. We shall see how they do for me.
We spent the day working outside, it got up to 92 so it was like summer. What a change from just to weeks ago. Now with the longer days, we will be able to get more done, since we work till six, we can't do much in the evening when the days are short.
I am tryingto get ready for the R.U. so I can post what I have available, I feel like I'm falling behind
Josephine.
Thank you frostweed and no we don't own a meadow but we live on an
acre and half of land. Those wildflowers are some that I sowed this past
fall on the side of my property closer to the road. I have had flowers now
for about a month there and still more to come, I can't wait.
Angela
Hello Everybody, look at what Paige gave me last October at the Veterans Park R.U. They were two little plants, and i was so happy to get them because I had wanted White Primroses for a long time.
Here they are in my refurbished bed. Thank you so much Paige.
This message was edited Apr 15, 2006 1:49 PM
A little closer view.
And a close up. Aren't they beautiful?
Josephine, those really are beautiful, and they are so tall! So is your penstemon, for that matter. Everything is beautiful. I think I have finally found where the Frostweed and Coral Bean will be set loose to do their thing. It will probably be next year before they really come into their own though.
Those are so white and perfect. Nice tall plants to and look great there with your penstemon and Mitch's art piece.
By the way, Josephine, do you think that you and Frank will be making your annual trek to Kingwood to visit your grandaughter this summer? I hope you can stop here for a visit and some cool lemonade or something. Last year I would have been so embarrased to show you my garden, this year I think you'll be able to tell where it's going.
Ooh, those white ones are nice. I used to have some by where we park the truck, but they eventually went away. So hot outside, mid-nineties again today and tomorrow. I don't have many seedlings, but gotta keep them in the shady part of the yard now. Does anybody rescue plants? I have so many "orphans" from places that are now homes, businesses and parking lots. Here's one of them:
Oops, I forgot to add that it's Shrubby Blue Sage, Salvia ballotaeflora. It came from a lovely place near a creek where I used to go to hike around and just look and the plants and the critters. It about broke my heart when the little flags and sticks showed up and I knew that ones of the coolest areas in the whole S. A. area would be gone. I got out as many plants as I could, but oh man, it still hurts when I drive by there.
This message was edited Apr 17, 2006 1:42 PM
