STANDING CYPRESS

Just look at the standing cypress, Ipomopsis rubra, reaching for the sky. Isn't it a stunner? Worth the wait for this biennial flower. It's just a beacon for hummingbirds and is lapping up today's temperature in the high 90s. That's because it has a very long tap root which not only helps it tap into moisture deep within the soil but also allows it to grow to 5' or more and sway in the wind without being uprooted.

 This is one plant that likes my poor rocky soils and manages well with a minimum of water. I will cut it back after blooming in the hope of another round of flowers in the fall. Seeds germinate in the fall when the temperatures are in the 60s and need light to germinate. They found good spot here as I see several seedling plants in the same area which will provide me with a good showing next year. In the past I have had plants with yellow flowers but this year they are all red. Gone are the days when I would have banished red flowers from the garden. They re certainly a match for our current fiery weather.

This is how the plant looks in its first year of growth.

 This one has seeded just at the foot of the steps going down into the veg. garden. I won't be able to move it for fear of not being able to get out the whole of the tap root. Not a good location but I will let it stay. I'm certainly planning on having more if these next year. 
Look for the small ferny plants in 4" pots in the fall.

A GARDENER MUST DO THIS EVERY DAY

Every morning, before the heat of the day sets in, I take a stroll around the gardens. Most times I am carrying a cup of tea and not infrequently I put it down, pull out my phone and take a  photograph of a particularly pleasing view. Early morning is the best time which captures plants refreshed by cooler night temperatures.

View from the vegetable garden over the wall into the pool garden

The Monarda 'Peters Purple' and the tall spires of mullein, in the sunken garden, just looked perfect this morning.
I have no control over where the mullein place themselves. In fact I tried to transplant one this year and it didn't like the place I put it. But these just add a little drama to the back corner of the garden. Gone is the sadness of losing the Rosa Zepherine drouhin rose that once sprawled over the wall.

This spring we removed much of the planting along the back of the pool and replaced it with Mexican river rocks. I only left a few grasses and echinacea. On my morning walk I made a note that the wall looks a little stark. Maybe a taller grass behind the rock or maybe a mullein will plant itself there. I am definitely much happier to have the rock rather than the bare soil and I like the variety of colors in the rock.

Just a few more weeks to enjoy all 'this' in the herb garden. Soon it will be time to remove the parsley and cilantro gone to seed, and the seed heads of nigella.

And the Confederate rose agave clump, on the center pedestal, with the mother plant sending up a flower stalk. I will probably have to redo the whole pot because the mother plant is going to leave a big hole. Will the youngsters stay in there or will I have to make a completely new planting?

Two things took me by surprise in the herb garden. The flowering of the dill. Rather like parsley it makes a pretty umbel worthy of a place in any garden.

And an unusual variation in the color of Coreopsis tinctoria. Among all the yellows a beautiful burgundy. Now if that isn't a reason not to pull out all those seedlings. You never know which will be a surprise. I must remember to collect seeds.

I like this clump of self-sown echinacea in the English garden. If only it bloomed all summer!

But I need to remove this pink self sown lantana nearby. It just gets too big and requires too many cut backs during the summer.

This walk around the garden is not just a pleasure but an important part of noting changes you need to make. What works and what doesn't. Now on with the day's work

FRIDAY AT THE FLING

The itinerary for the first real day of 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling was, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the garden of Diana Kirby, ( Sharing Nature' Garden), The Natural Gardener nursery, with a talk from owner John Dromgoole, followed by lunch in their tented pavilion, and two afternoon tours at the Mirador garden and my garden (Rock Rose).

What can I say? How foolish of we Texas gardeners to have been praying for weeks for rain because this was the day it arrived and while we are at it, why not show our visitors what a real Texas rain looks like. That means 3 1/2" in a matter of 3 hours. I know they were rained out at the WFC, but heard the shop was doing a brisk business, and at Diana's they took shelter in the house. Thank goodness for the ponchos that everyone got in their swag bag.

Because my garden was on tour in the afternoon I was unable to go to the earlier events. I had anticipated going to Diana's and I probably would have if I had not been standing at the window staring out at rain sheeting off the roof. All the anticipation of showing this great group of garden bloggers my garden washed away in a matter of hours. I watched the radar intently but that system was moving so slowly. I made lunch and I don't usually have a glass of wine but this day I did. Then as the rain tapered off we got out the wet vac and began a clean up job on the patio where the waterfall had carried with it a sea of muddy soil. I felt a lot better after that. At 2:00pm a quick text from Pam told me the first group of 50 was on its way and David and I prepared to meet our guests. I gave David strict instructions to take photos because I knew I never would. This week when I asked him about the photos he said they were awful and had deleted them. Thanks goodness we could recover them because they are the only record I have that anyone came here. Apart from this photograph of Jenny Peterson brightening a dreary scene.

Jenny Peterson in her cheerful rain jacket

My garden does not show well in the rain partly because the current cottage garden-type flowers hang their heads and sulk when it rains. Not to mention my inability to control what is growing At least until they have set their seed. That means a lot of pushing plants aside to walk by plus places to plant feet are small. Did I worry that some of my little seedlings would be trampled? Absolutely not. Everyone was completely respectful of every little seedling and not a plant was damaged.

The group is gathered around me holding the branch with the praying mantis egg case and a tiny mantis is just hatching, running up and down the branch and onto my finger. I have a feeling he must have been terrified being ogled by a bunch of camera-toting poncho-wearing faces.

 That's it, the sum total of my photos.

But someone took a photo of the two of us as they were leaving. We look very happy don't we? But not as happy as I would have been if I could have shared my garden in better weather conditions.

So I am going to do that now. Come on in and notice how important shadow play is in the entrance to the garden.

The wet weather creek is dry now as sunny skies pervade once again.

Before you crossed the creek did you spot the hypertufa trough I made? I love the flap jack plant Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, because it grows quickly and takes on great color when stressed.

And the little seating area, also in the breezeway, which may have been hidden by the door. It's a favorite winter afternoon place to have a cup of tea because the sun shines right in here. Or we sometimes sit here in the shade in the morning.

The little table is just a plant pot with a piece of sturdy cardboard supporting years of shell collecting on beaches far and wide.

The wet weather creek continues across the path into the corner of the house.

Beneath the bird-planted yaupon holly, Ilex vomitoria,  as far as the 'I didn't plant that' Texas flowery senna tree, Senna corymbosa. They pop up everywhere but are not long lived. There are always more waiting in the wings but will they plant themselves so perfectly? It's a great place for the bird bath because and a hanging feeder because the tree affords them some shelter.

We used to have some Indian hawthorn plants here but I opted for a cleaner look with the A. desmettiana  'variegata' in the pot. Of course I can't help but add a few plants and a few seedlings are popping up.

When I walk to the end of the garden I like to glance back through a haze of Englemanns daisy.

I wonder if you noticed the water feature. The repurposed post support from a basketball stand dumped in the alley behind my son's house in Dallas. I knew immediately what its second life would become. Good job we were in the truck with a couple of strong backs to heave it up.

Now out through the front gates and around the back into the Secret garden.

And through the Gulag into the English garden. So much more inviting on a sunny day.

And then passing thought the Sun and Moon archway and down into the sunken garden.

And if you don't sit and linger for a while

 down into the herb and vegetable garden which on a sunny day is a hive of activity.

There! I feel so much better now that the rainy Friday is over with. Visits to gardens on Saturday and Sunday will be in the full sun, I can promise.

A FLINGing good time

Can a week really have gone by since I spent the weekend with a group of 93 garden bloggers, touring Austin gardens? The annual event, the brain child of local garden blogger and author, Pam Penick, held it first meeting in Austin in 2008. Named the Garden Bloggers Fling its aim was to bring together garden bloggers from all over the country. With the help of 3 Austin garden bloggers the first fling brought together 37 garden bloggers from 12 US states. This year the Fling returned to Austin to celebrate its 10th Anniversary and with 93 visitors from all over the USA, Canada and England.

Attendees at the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling

The Fling officially kicked off on Thursday evening with an introductory dinner at the new Austin Central Library. But..... early arrivals were treated to brunch and garden tour at the home of Laura Wills, one of this year's organizers. She laid out a delicious spread of home grown and home cooked delights, including quiches, and deviled eggs from her own chickens, as well as salsas and pickles from her large vegetable garden. (Where was my camera you might ask. It was largely silent as I was introduced to many new faces) But, all was delicious.

Walk through the wildflower meadow at Laura Wills' garden

Diana Kirby, Pam Penick and Laura Wills did a fabulous job of organizing the event, from the selection of gardens, hotel, lunch, dinner venues, printing out a special anniversary booklet of the 10 pervious flings, gathering together gifts for the Goody Bags, name tags with Austin buttons and many more behind the scenes arrangements.

But most important they spent many hours canvassing sponsors, many of whom attended the fling, and who made the whole weekend more affordable for us all. Thank you Diana, Pam and Laura.

Coupons, garden tools, snack packs, phone gadgets, books, cookies and packets of seeds in our goody bags, made it feel like Christmas morning.

And so to the first event Thursday evening's dinner in an event room at the Austin Library. Because I was not staying at the hotel I did not join the happy band of gardeners as they streamed out of the hotel to walk the mile to the library. I can only imagine what might have happened as they crossed intersections. Old friends, made at previous Flings, were greeted and new friends made over dinner. The organizers welcomed everyone and all the while, on a large screen, gardening programs, courtesy of Hortus TV,  played in silence. We don't get enough gardening programs in the USA and we have to look to look further afield for a good garden fix. Hortus TV is where you will find them all.

And so the day ended with some visiting the roof garden of the library and with everyone in high anticipation of the upcoming 3 days of garden visits. Stay tuned.