Mine in the front looked like yours did this year, just a one lump ice ball. I was on the computer too long this morning and forgot to go check. Ran out of time to look out back. Linda look again early in the morning ours didn't burst until this morning, our second day of freezing temps.
Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 13.
Alright guys, now ya'll are going to have to tell me what exactly a Frostweed does in Winter and cold temperatures, lol. Is it that white fluffy stuff coming from the plant itself? I've never seen anything like that before...it looks like cotton or that styrofoam packing paper...lol
Melanie
Melanie, what happens is that the stems of the Forstweed burst when it freezes and the juices form lovely ice patterns. Sometimes they look like foam and others like crystals, but they are very interesting.
Josephine.
Ohhh...so thats what ya'll were talking about at Nada's house when we were looking at her Frostweed plants. :) How very interesting! And it was growing wild down in the woods near her house too.... Thanks, Josephine.. :)
Melanie
Frostweed is beautiful!!
I Googled it and it took me to Dave's Garden plantfiles! :>))
It seems strange to hear of familiar and unfamiliar plants still blooming for everyone. Sigh, from Iowa, at 12*.
Bless you Sally, we are in the 20s and hating it, but what can one do?
:+)
Take the time to order next year's plants! I'm making my lists already! Now where is that checkbook? It was here just a minute ago!
I forgot to ask you, do you hav Frostweed? If not, I will send some seed with the Penstemon.
I'll bet it won't survive my winters, but I could try.
Sally, the usda.gov map shows it growing in Iowa, although not a lot, so it might work.
Josephine.
I think it's really neat. If it grows..... I'll have a memory plant of you.
Edited to add Happy Birthday!
This message was edited Dec 13, 2006 10:43 AM
I'll jump right in here with the "oddity" of the week. While everything else has frozen right to the ground with 3 solid frosts here so far; this Maurandya antirrhiniflora (Roving Sailor Vine) has decided it shall refuse to go dormant.
Wow! Debbie that is one healthy plant, you are very lucky indeed.
Josephine.
Thanks Josephine--for the life of me I don't know what's up with that vine. It's always been long dormant by now. I did move it to a hook on the south facing side of the house a couple of days ago. It was in the back yard which is a northern exposure and almost pure shade this time of year. It's in one of those hanging metal spagham moss thingies because little else will survive in those in the summer but a native.
I thought I would post a picture of a beautiful shrub or small tree, Possum Haw Holly, Ilex decidua, a wonderful Texas native.
This tree keeps the berries all winter, if the birds and squirrels don't eat them all up ahead of time. We have one and we love it. This picture was taken at the Veterans Park Wildscape, and I think it has Texas written all over it.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/58203/index.html
How old do you suppose (or may know) those in the picture are?
The 5 personal opinions in the PF listing are all favorable and I can see why! Hmmm,...need to consider another addition to the family.
Thanks Josephine! Lee
I think it is about 5 years old no more than that. Here is a close up of the berries.
And some of them peeking over a fence in my neighborhood.
Josephine, I love those! Have you done ever taken cuttings? I have 2 on the property that bloom...both are male. I''d like to have a female plant someday...for the pretty berries.
Wonderful native! Thanks Josephine!
Thank you Linda and Lee, Yes, I will try rooting cuttings early in the year and hopefully I will have one for each of you and for whoever else would want it.
Josephine.
That would be great! Many, many thanks!
It's been raining so good today! I feel bad about all the shoppers in town...too sloppy and there can be accidents. But then again, the little wildflower rosettes might be growing and more seeds are germinating. Can't wait until spring!
I think we're getting the rain y'all had yesterday....comin' our way today
only die hards can find things to do outside ,...in this weather.
You mentioned rosettes....I noticed the bluebonnet plantlets appearing
here & there throughout the yard....always captivates my fascination because they're forming throughout what could be considered some of the worst growing conditions....I guess it's all relative....not much doin' well when it so hot & dry like our past summer.
Amazing miracles abound in the world of gardening!
Yes indeed they do, the Heath asters are beginning to come through as well as the Prairie parsley and the Thistles,
I happen to not be blessed with Bluebonnets, oh maybe one or two a year.
No rain here today, but cool and cloudy, expecting a lot of people for dinner, so a lot of excitement.
Have a wonderful Christmas my friends!!!!
Josephine.
Just emptied our guage and it had 2.2 inches in it. I keep hoping the drought will end, for the sake of those beautiful wildflowers, which were a bit scarce last year! Enjoy your holidays!
Hello Everybody, I have a very good story to tell.
I am a member of the Arlington Organic Gardening Club and at one of the meetings they asked for a volunteer to help with the children's garden at Fielder House Museum, which is the home of some of the earliest Arlington residents, and is now being cared for by the Arlington Historical Society.
I offered to help on Mondays last Fall. Well, when I got there I was dismayed. The Johnson grass was about three feet tall and the Bermuda covered the entire area.
I went to work digging out the grasses and in the process a friend from Master Naturalists group joined me in the project, so now there are two of us working there.
We took out the grass, added mulch and planted some plants from my house. They are letting us have for beds to work with.
This is our plan, 1bed of all native plants for butterflies.
1 long narrow bed along the fence 2 feet wide by 50 feet long, for native and naturalized plants for butterflies and hummers.
1 bed 10 by3 feet for all Endemic shrubs.
1 bed the same size for all Native shrubs.
2 trellises about 20 feet each for native vines.
The last 2 beds are close to the road where people can see them easily.
All these beds will be used as demonstration sites.
And one of the best things, they are allowing us up to $500.00 from their funds for plants.
We are so lucky that this opportunity fell into our laps, what a great chance this is!!!!
As you can imagine we are very excited and can hardly wait for Spring. Right now we are trying to find some of the shrubs we want, and I know that some of them will be hard to find. We are waiting for the nurseries get in their new stock.
When we have it all together I will post all the things we planted and also pictures of before and after.
Your friend;
Josephine.
Frostweed, we were in a conservation area when I saw the most beautiful red seeds ever. I snapped off a branch and hauled out almost every plant book I had to find it was Possum Haw. What stopped me from putting one in the yard was the description: suckering to create thickets. Alas. Not in my small yard. I love the red of the berries tho!
Wow, what a great opportunity to make fantastic beds! You are so lucky. I can't wait to see pictures!!
I would be interested in what kind of shrubs you are planning to plant. I have a few new shrubs to plant in a dappled shade area this spring. I have so far thought that oakleaf hydrangea and leatherleaf mahonia would be nice, but I'm sure you have some more interesting ideas. :)
Keep us posted...Josephine...can't wait to see the progression... :)
Melanie
Yes Billyporter, it is a fantastic opportunity, and I hope we can live up to it, we will surely do our best.
The Possum Haw we have doesn't sucker much at all, very easy to keep under control.
Josephine.
Awesome Josephine!
What a super project ........You go girl!! If there's anythine I can help with, just let me know. We are so proud to be a part in any way, even if show and tell watching you! Can't wait to see it unfold and bloomin!
A local WIldlife demonstration store near me asked me to do a talk on Butterflies to inform people on how simple it is just to care for a few plants and have a yard full of Butterflies and Hummers.. Of course I have to warn people that it can become a passion, and turn out to be something more...lol! If I didn't include that part it would be just plain dishonest...:-D I think they want their customers to catch the enthusiasm... I would like to see that too.
Good Luck with the Fielder House Museum!! It will be beautiful, I just know it!!
((hugs))
Deb
You are so right Deb, a passion it is, but what a wonderful madness it is too, and just think, in doing these things we make it better for other people because they can enjoy the beauty, better for the wildlife, better for the environment, and last but not least better for ourselves, because we gain self esteem by doing something good and we improve our health by the exercise we get in the process.
Where and when is your Butterfly talk going to be? I would like to come and hear it.
I bet it will be really neat.
Josephine.
That opportunity sounds great Josephine! I know you and the others will get a lot of satisfaction out of the gardens you are creating.
Dennis, a good Native substitute for Leatherleaf Mahonia would Agarita, Mahonia trifoliata a lovely shrub with yellow flowers.
For our bed of all Native shrubs we are using the following;
1 Texas Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundiflora, blue purple in the center.
2 Beebrush, Aloysia greattissima, white on either side of the Laurel.
2 Yellow Bells, Tecoma stans, yellow, on either side of the Beebrush.
2 Black Dalea, Dalea frutescens, bright purple, in fron of the Yellow bells.
1 Agarita, Mahonia trifoliolata, yellow, in front of the blue Mountain Laurel
2 Turks Cap, Malviviscus drummondii, red, on either side of the Agarita.
We are hoping that these shrubs will make a great color combination and extend the bloom time for a long season, while attracting bees, birds and butterflies
We don't have all these shrubs yet, we have placed an order at Redentas, and they are giving us a 25% discount plus tax exempt, so it is a great deal.
I will post later which shrubs we are using for the Endemic bed.
Josephine.
I'm jealous, Josephine. It looks like you are going to be having a great time with a lot of work that is fun.
PS: Freeze, freeze, go away. Please don't come any 'ol day. Too many thing are starting to leaf out
Thank you Melanie, Deb, Sheila and Kip, we are very happy about all the good things that have been happening.
I do hope this ice will not cause too much damage, it is so dangerous, and many people have to get out in it.
Josephine.
phew...I just got in from work...and it was 72 when I left around 12:30 pm....now it is 40! Brrr....I'll have to definitely cover everything again tomorrow. No freeze expected tonight....but tomorrow night is a whole other story....
Melanie
Whew, I don't have time to read all of this, but wanted to stick my head in and say a very warm hello to you all! I have sure missed everyone, and hope to get "back in the saddle" again. My adorable little grandgirl and her parents are living with me temporarily, and life is really different (better, but WAY busier, lol!) Hope you all fare well in this very cold week.
Mary
Mary, It is so good to hear from you, I wondered if you were going to disappear from our radar, good to have you back.
Love; Josephine.