My Blog List

Saturday, August 31, 2019

HALF AN HOUR IN THE GARDEN

Yes, I am still laid up. How long this is going on for is becoming somewhat irritating. On the other hand it is too hot to spend more that an hour out there, which I did early this morning.
I felt a desperate need to run the hose over the sunken garden which has no irrigation. It is looking quite good considering our long spell of triple digit days and no rain. Even the most drought tolerant of plants can struggle under such conditions.  But the tough flowering native cosmos, Gomphrena 'Fireworks' and 'Strawberry fields' Pride of Barbadosn and the green of the Euphorbia are the best for this season.


When we had the late frost this spring and the nurseries were caught out and I was lucky enough to be at Lowes when they were having a "frost sale" Honestly, they were giving plants away for 50c and I couldn't resist buying some plants I would never normally buy-the pelargonium for instance. But it has fared well even in the south-facing garden although a mullein has seeded there and is trying to take over. What to do!



In the herb garden it is the grasses that speak the loudest.


I have moved some of my poly, roughed- up and painted boxes (think of a new word for them) so they get some afternoon shade.


I did the same with the hose in the front garden especially around the grasses which will green up almost instantly when they get water, and was thrilled to find the native poinsettia, Euphorbia cyanthophora,sometimes known as Fire on the Mountain. It would be fun to have both this one and Snow on the Mountain,  Euphorbia marginata,  growing next to each other. Both share the same season of flowering. How easy it is to love some of the Euphorbias and not others.


 These plants were given to me by my friend, Shirley Fox, who gardens south of here in San Antonio, Rock-oak-deer They were pass-a-longs last year when we had the Fling in Austin. Did they survive or seed here? I am not sure. But, I noticed the other day that she had posted something about hers blooming which made me wander over to the spot where I had planted them. What a lovely surprise.

Always a faithful, fall-is-coming, plant, and right on cue for September, October bloom, is the Velvet leaf senna, Senna lindheimeriana. It is a particularly good plant for the front courtyard as it just pops up in the gravel and always looks good. I probably give it just a little too much freedom but with all that August heat and lack of rain I welcome it.



While I was taking the photograph a bee was busy collecting pollen. I'm not positive of his identity so would welcome knowing if he is a wood bee or bumble bee.


Just look at those pollen sacs.


It shows how important it is to have plants flowering even during this heat. These bees need to collect pollen if they and their larvae are to make it through the winter. Ah! Yes. winter.

19 comments:

  1. (so this is what you call being "laid up"?!...AHEM.)

    as I suspected, your idea of the water-starved garden looking dreadful is anyone else's idea of looking great...just came from the twins, whose garden now contains many, shall we say, "artful dried arrangements", much like mine which appears to be asking for a merciful death...do you have a painting of an old, dessicated Dorian Gray garden stashed in your attic? there can be no other explanation!



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well it was just half an hour but I felt better for having watered a few things and pulled a few of thewretched euphorbias I mentioned. More agaves will will be permitted in the front courtyard next year. Expensive but hardy and tough.

      Delete
  2. I didn't know you were laid up, Jenny, and I'm sorry to hear it. I hope both your body and the weather give you a break and allow you to get back to more active gardening soon. It's been warmer here this week but not as hot as it's been out your way. Our air quality stinks (literally), however, and as I don't feel I can take deep breaths at the moment, I'm limiting my time in the garden too. I love your Fire on the Mountain Euphorbia, which is entirely new to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry Ca is having hot and smoggy weather but soon it will be that wonderful fall winter and spring. Our fall can't come soon enough and that is the plants saying it loudly too.

      Delete
  3. What a great reminder of your wonderful garden (I was happy to visit it on the recent Garden Blogger's Fling in Austin). Thanks for sharing it with us now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa. There were so many people I didn't get to meet over those wonderful days. Maybe we will meet up on another Fling.

      Delete
  4. Your bee looks like a bumblebee with it's furry collar. I find when you leave the garden to it's own devices for a while it carries on just fine without me. Your's looks like it is doing quite well too. Hope you are feeling better soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did work hard to remove and trim a few things so it i presentable. But I haven't been out there for 3 weeks now and no rain and triple digits take their toll on the weaker plants. But Fall is around the corner.

      Delete
  5. Your gardens look wonderful even in the heat of summer. Glad you were able to get out a bit in them and enjoy. Thanks for sharing ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your welcome Lorraine. Hope your home and garden are spared the worst of the hurricane.

      Delete
  6. Even just a half hour in the garden is guaranteed to lift our spirits, glad you got out there.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think that is a Sonoran Bumblebee. We have several of them working our beds nonstop lately. I think they are somewhat new this far north...a sign of shifting weather patterns perhaps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Must check that out but glad to hear it might be a bumble bee.

      Delete
  8. Your garden is looking beautiful even in this heat and awful dry spell. And like you, I'm looking for all the signs of fall (please go away, summer) and finding hope in beautyberry and garlic chives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pam. I am pretty good at hiding the not so good bits from the lens. And I take them early in the morning. At 5pm it is not so pretty a picture.

      Delete
  9. How about "styrotufa?" The portmanteau amuses me, anyway!

    Your garden is looking better than my garden, which is just fried, fried, fried with the exception of the gomphrena. I can barely summon the motivation to drag my hoses around the pots once a day. Hoping we get a good rain sooner rather than later!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You nailed it. Styrotufa! Why didn’t I think of that.

      Delete
  10. Styrotufa, thumbs up!

    Hope you are feeling better. Your garden looks great. A Fling highlight it was.

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad to see you've been out in the garden. It's your best medicine and despite the heat and drought, looks lovely. I've wandered mine and am seriously slapping myself for signing up for the September go-go. What was I thinking!?

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments unless they are spam comments which will always be removed in comment moderation.