LONG LASTING SRING BLOOMER

Gopher plant, Euphorbia rigida, is one of my favorite early spring bloomers. I don't know why it is called gopher plant unless it is because gophers don't eat it... nor do the deer. That would make sense because the milky sap produced by all euphorbias is not only poisonous but can be extremely irritating to the skin of some people. Care should be taken to wear gloves when cutting the stems.

It is a mystery to me why it was given the species name 'rigida' because it is anything but rigid, the stems trailing along the ground like the tentacles of an octopus. It needs  plenty of room to complete its annual growing cycle.

The foliage is a delightful blue green and when the bracts on the tips of the branches begin to turn chartreuse in the early spring they light up the garden.

That change in color is a sign that the plant is about to flower, although you will have to get down close to view the flowers as, like many euphorbias, they are quite discreet. This morning the plants were buzzing with the sound of bees.

I have them growing above my sunken garden where they can trail over the edge but they look just a well where they are allowed to soften the edge of pathways or patios. They also would dress up a large expanse of mulch or decomposed granite. The bonus is that they are drought, heat and cold tolerant but do require good drainage for best performance.

When the flowers fade you can either cut them back living next years new growth or leave them to set seed. They reseed easily.
At the base of the plant is the new growth which will elongate over the summer in preparation for next year's flowering. Strangely this year it looks as though the new leaves at the crown are also going to flower. That may be due to our late fall and seemingly short winter. I hope the plant has enough umph to make new leaves for next year. During hot, dry weather the stems may lose leaves and become bare but it does nothing to detract from the magic of their long-lasting spring show.

I bought one plant originally and the rest are from seed.

50 YEARS AGO TODAY, I HAD TWO WORDS TO SAY

David and I were married at St David's church, Austin, on the afternoon of February 24th 1968. It was the most glorious winter day with bright sunshine and warm temperatures.

But why did we marry so far away from our home in England?

In the summer of 1967 David was offered a place to do a Masters degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin. We had become engaged that year and the plan was for him to do his Masters and return to the England for our marriage.

Sometime in late September I decided I was going to join him. I can't remember now if I even asked him. A friend and I took the day off work to visit the American Consulate in Liverpool, where I learnt that in order to work I would have to apply for a green card and this must be done through the embassy in London. I began the snail mail process. Always another letter asking for this, that and the other. My finances, my education, references from my work etc. And then at the beginning of February a letter came inviting me for an interview, two days hence, at the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London.

I travelled down on the train with no idea of where I was going to stay. I remember walking out of Euston station and asking a policeman if there was a hotel close by where I could stay. Policemen were a good source for everything in those days. He pointed down a street where I saw a sign in the window 18/- Less than a pound a night. The mind boggles. It was a pretty awful place and I don't think I slept all night, partly for safety reasons and partly because I was terrified of oversleeping. A taxi took me to Grosvenor Square where I spent the whole day. Endless interviews, medicals including chest x rays and tests for syphilis! But at the end of the day I left with my green card, my  documents of immigration and my chest Xray. I was on my way to America.

I handed in my 2 weeks notice at work and headed home to spend a few days with my parents. David was busy making preparations in Austin. He moved into an apartment, the Braeburn, on Speedway, and regaled me with stories of swimming pool and laundry room! I went shopping for my wedding outfit. A white lace dress and coat and one of those, silly to me now, hats made of white petals. And the 'going away outfit' although I didn't think I was going away anywhere after the wedding. I bought my ticket for February 19th. I had never flown before.

On that Monday morning Manchester airport was fogged in and they scrambled to get me on a different flight to the US. PanAm to Chicago, Chicago-Dallas and Dallas-Austin. I arrived at 9pm to David waiting for me at the airport. I wonder how he knew about the change of plans or did I manage to get the same Dallas to Austin flight.

 Someone today might ask why we got married such a rush. After all we could have just lived together and returned to England to be married with our families. All I can say is things were quite different in the 60s.

The next few days were taken up with preparations. Fortunately, The International Society of Austin had assigned a Mrs Betty Kemp to help David with his transition to life in Texas. She was an enormous help, offering to have the reception at her house and helping with all the other arrangements; church, license, blood tests, flowers, caterers. Fortunately my father had given me some money to make sure we had a nice wedding. Can you imagine doing all that in 4 days?

Her husband was to give me away and her daughter, Donna, was to be my bridesmaid. One slightly different custom was the bridesmaid walking down the aisle in front of the bride.

Mr Kemp

Donna Kemp

I spent the night before the wedding at their lovely house on Windsor Drive. I recall being exceedingly impressed that Mrs Kemp served these warm rolls for breakfast. Had she rushed out to the bakery to buy them? They were Pepperidge farm. We had never heard of such a thing in England.

We were a small group and I didn't know anyone save for the Kemps. David had met several international students, rooming for a couple of months with 2 of them, and they all came to our wedding, most with their American girlfriends. He invited Dick Oliver, an Architecture professor at UT, whom he had met on the rowing team at Pembroke College, Cambridge, to be his best man.

Everything went off smoothy and in no time we were married and heading off to the Littlefield Fountain, on campus, for photos and then back to the Kemps.

I'm not sure I ate anything at the reception although it was a wonderful spread. (I doubt I even knew where I was with all that had gone on in the last 6 days). Mrs Kemp had taken along her vases and bowls to the florists and indicated the colors of the rooms so that the flowers would match! When it came to the cake I had been quite surprised by its low cost and was to discover why when we cut into it. It was a sponge cake. In England the wedding cake was always a fruit cake with marzipan and icing. Usually with 3 tiers and, by tradition, the top tier saved for the christening. If you have ever looked at old census records the first baby usually arrived within a year and sometimes quite a bit sooner. I wasn't going to be putting little pieces in boxes to send to people back in England who couldn't make the wedding. Another English tradition.
Someone had provided a little guest book and there were little bags of rice to throw. Another different custom.

And then we all went outside for a group photograph after which we headed off in a guest's red triumph spitfire. It was his wedding present lent us for the weekend. I keep asking myself why were there no photos of the reception and that car. The following day we headed out in glorious sunshine for our honeymoon visit to Hamilton Pool. It was privately owned at the time. We saw our first armadillo and have a grainy image of it disappearing into the bushes-but no picture of Hamilton Pool! Since then there have been many photos as we return there year after year on the 25th. This year will be no different.

Sadly the Kemps are all gone including their daughter Donna who was killed in a car accident. We attended Mr Kemp's funeral some years ago. The best man died in his 40s. It seems all the more poignant that we are back here in Austin to celebrate this special day and remember each and everyone who shared that day with us.

And the rest, as they say, is history. We never went back to England, David took a job in Canada where we lived for 12 years before a transfer back into the US in 1981. Then in 1994 back to Austin. My Longhorn was delighted. It is the longest place we have ever lived and I think we will stay.

I thought I would add a photo of my maternal grandparents' wedding at the beginning of WW1 and my parents' wedding who married during WW2, just for comparison. They celebrated their Golden Weddings in 1964 and 1991 respectively.

Happy Anniversary to the man I have been fortunate to share my life with for so many years.

BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF GARDENING

I have been side-lined for the last couple of weeks by recovery from surgery. Something that was probably caused by all the time I have spent outdoors in the sun either gardening or hiking. I will be more cautious in future but let this be a warning. WEAR SUNSCREEN.
Even though it is February there is much to do cutting back and removing plants that didn't make it through several unexpected deep freezes.  Here is one plant that has been a star through all kinds of weather.

The large rosemary is planted out front by the side of the driveway. It has never been watered and has withstood drought, summer heat, hail and freezing temperatures. Yesterday it was blooming as it has never bloomed before and I even spotted a bee visiting one of the flowers.
On one of my non-gardening days I did the rounds of the nurseries. For a moment I thought that I might have missed spring as all were overflowing with spring bedding plants, grasses and vines. Of course I was tempted just as I was last year. Five pots of grape hyacinths at $1 a pot was easy. The patio table needs a little brightening. I still have the ones I saved from last year but they are making a slow start. Once in a while it is worth having someone else do the planting for you.

One plant I wasn't tempted to buy was a large pot of climbing jasmine, Jasminum polyanthum.

And this is why. I have had maybe 3 or 4 good years when the plant made a worthy bloom. Yes, the scent was heavenly but this is a vigorous vine forming a big tangle of finely cut leaves. This was cut to the ground last year! It roots easily and I don't doubt there will be a stray shoot somewhere that will try to make a comeback.

After cutting it back to the ground I used the pick axe to remove the root.

The question now is its replacement. Something which takes less work. I don't mind dieback in the winter if the plant performs well in the summer. Nor do I mind a bare trellis in the winter. I'm pondering on remaking the trellis so that it reaches to just above the weep screen. That way it is easier to get smaller vines started. This is a south facing exposure but sheltered from early morning and late evening sun by the wall of the house. Maybe I'll try a Mexican flame vine or even a clematis. I wish our nurseries carried better selections of clematis but I will be out looking for a summer bloomer this time.
The roses in the English garden are all pruned. It doesn't seem to make a difference how early we prune because they were already leafing out. I see a lot of weeding to be done. Last year I planted iris  around the bird bath. They seem a little slow to take.

The citrus are out of the potting shed. The Mexican lime still has fruit as do the lemons.

Some seedlings are outside to harden off. Some destined for the window box and planters others for the ground.

Brachyscome, Swan River daisy

10 week stocks

The grasses are all cut back and it will be a a waiting game to see if the ruby crystal grasses will return. If not there are plenty of Mexican feather grasses to take their place.
A cloudy, cool day is my favorite day for gardening so that is where I am heading right now. It's good to be out there again.

SHROVE TUESDAY

Dessert tonight will be pancakes because it is Shrove Tuesday. I just went outside to pick a few lemons from my Meyer lemon tree.

But what do pancakes and lemons have to do with Shrove Tuesday? Here is my post from 3 years ago which tells the story of the pancake and why it is eaten on this day.

At our house we could never let Shrove Tuesday go by without having our favorite dessert. Forget the trifle, sticky toffee pudding and Christmas pudding. Our favorite is pancakes. No, not American breakfast pancakes smothered in all kinds of gooey, strawberry, whipped cream concoctions or with a dose of pancake syrup. But those deliciously thin, rolled crêpes sprinkled with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. We have been eating them on this day since childhood.

Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the beginning of Lent and pancakes were a way to use up those forbidden foods such as eggs and butter. Pancake races take place all over England, the most famous of all being in the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire. The race has been run there since 1445. Shrove Tuesday was a half day holiday and the 'Shriving Bell' would ring out from the church to call people to the service. Legend has it that a lady was in the middle of making her pancakes when the bell rang and she ran to the church pan in hand. Today the ladies of the town wearing apron and scarf start the race by tossing their pancake, run the 380 meters from the market square to the church, then toss the pancake again. The winner gets a kiss from the verger. Men can participate too but they must wear the apron and scarf.

I'm pleased to say that we have passed on pancake making through two generations. It wasn't Shrove Tuesday but while we were in Taipei at Christmas in 2013 our 9 year old granddaughter made pancakes for us one night. We were busy discussing what we should have for dessert when the subject of pancakes came up. Vivian went into the kitchen, got out her recipe book, and measured out the ingredients.

She didn't toss the pancakes but used chopsticks to turn them.

Then made this lovely presentation. We ate them the same way we always do with sugar and lemon and they were delicious.
And we will be doing exactly that tonight.

THE JANUARY BLAHS!

I have to confess that for a number of years we have been away during the month of January. One of the perks of retirement is being able to go away whenever you like and January was always a good time because David suffers badly from cedar fever, caused by the pollinating cedar trees ( Ashe junipers).  But this year we are home. Being away over Christmas we decided to tough it out. I honestly feel that is what I have been doing. First sickness but then fluctuating weather patterns with some very cold nights and days. One day would be spring-like and I would be out there gung ho about the upcoming season and the next the temperatures would drop with a cold wind signaling another cold front. And of course, one again, no rain. That I would be happy to see.
A few things have saved my sanity. One section of my herb garden has fared really well this winter and I have given some thought to why this is. I think the reasons are many.

Bronze fennel and tall dianthus

Calendula with self seeded alyssum Ca poppy and larkspur 

One side of the herb garden is sheltered from the north wind by the wall of the study would be one good reason. In the fall I gave these plants a mulch of vegan compost! Maybe you are as surprised as I was to find there was such a thing but it was a leftover from our visit from Gardeners' Supply. They had been using it to pot up some of their containers. I think my plants liked it. But I also had left one of these over the calendulas and alyssum when we left town before Christmas, just in case.

And it was needed as the temperatures plummeted to 18º and never rose above freezing for 3 days. I am so glad I did because it has lifted my spirits to see something blooming in January.

I'm cheering on my little calamondin tree which is just beginning to flower ensuring a good supply of fruit for marmalade next fall.

The pantry shelf is stocked with jars made from the current crop of oranges and my new trial of lemon marmalade.

Another cheery sight was in the potting shed. Having pulled out a couple of orange tree there was now room for me to get inside. Among the small cactus and succulents on the bench a blooming mammillaria. This one seems to bloom year round.

And that delightful Echeveria 'devotion' I picked up at the grocery store last summer is keeping its color during this cool winter.

Do you have plants which lift your spirits during the winter?