RAIN EFFECTS

A couple of weeks ago we had a really good rain. Certain plants respond promptly to rain and one of these is the Texas sage, Leucophyllum frutescence. Texas sage is the common name that many give this plant despite the fact that it is not a member of the sage family. Other names include the cenizo or Texas rain sage. Whichever name you give it is spectacular when in boom.

This one is outside the walls behind the pool garden. It came from a volunteer seedling and couldn't be happier in the raised mound of rubble soil.

It has become quite large and is now enjoyed from inside the house. Step back and see just where it grows.

It may actually be the tidiest part of the garden. We had to define the septic field from the house. The easy thing would have been to just let the grass grow up to the wall but that would have been too easy. So David constructed a pathway around the back creating a couple of beds with some of the limestone rubble  that came out of the inside garden. There is no irrigation here and yet there are a number of plants that survive here. In this area a trailing rosemary sits alongside a crape myrtle ( also from seed). Deer may sometimes browse the lower leaves of the crape but the other plants are left.

Further along Salvia leucantha, native Texas lantana, prickly pear and a mullein grow. They are all from divisions or seeds. If you think the pathway is looking tidy then it is as a result of my efforts in the last week. Every morning I tackled an ever advancing section of the path, scraping the ground with my hoe and raking up the weeds. It is my surprise for David when her returns from a faraway fishing trip. My plan is to solarize the area during the rest of the summer to prevent more weeds from sprouting. This area will be kept free of plants from now on! I'm nearly there and should finish the remaining path by the weekend but for now you get to see the good bits!