WE'LL GROW WHERE WE WANT TO GROW

It would appear that most of the time I don't have much say in where plants are going to grow. I would like them in the beds. They would like to grow in the pathways.

This is the scene between two of the beds in the vegetable garden and is played out in may places in the garden. Here's another grouping slap bang in the middle of the two beds. They all want to be in the same place. Mexican feather grass, alyssum, narrow-leaf zinnia, Zinnia linearis, and a gaillardia, Gaillardia pulchella.

My job is to do some weeding out so that we can actually walk through the area. As usual the ruby crystal grass seedlings have been abundant. I must have pulled out over 50.

It is hard to believe that 4 weeks ago there was nothing growing here except the mealy blue sage, Salvia farinacea.  More narrow-leaf zinnia, Zinnia linearis, dahlberg daisy, Dyssodia tenuifolia and gomphrena, Gomphrena globosa.

The one disappointment this year has been the seedling chocolate daisy, which seems determined to co-habit with another seedling gopher plant. You can see the pair here in the lower center of the photo. I am wondering how this is going to play out. Should I make the choice for them?
This is the sunken garden where I rely on plants to self-seed.

Another plant that is in abundance this year is the native frost weed, Verbesina virginica. I saw this being sold as a shade plant at a recent Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center sale. In my garden it has seeded with abundance this year in full sun. Not only does it put on this floral show in the fall, but when we have a frost it will exude water from the stem which will create  incredible crystal like structures. For now it is a favorite of the bees.

It is always a thrill for me to find a special plant has reseeded. Such is the case with this Philippine violet. It found a spot right along the edge of the path. I hope I can get it out without damage when it loses its leaves.

A similar seedling along the edge of the walkway to the patio was never removed. It is a good job that it dies back every winter because it is now too late to move it. Why do they always choose the edges?

This garden just wouldn't be the same without all the help I get from mother nature.

IT'S EASY TO GIVE THE WRONG IMPRESSION

It is all too easy to make it look as though your garden is nothing but perfection. The tight shot of that beautiful blooming plant belies what is going on around it. The same is true of wider shots of the garden. They may not be all they seem. At least to the owner/gardener.

Take this shot of the dry creek taken from the driveway. Your eye might pass over all that green growth in the gravel. It is a mixture of zexmenia, feather grass and oak sprouts with a few rain lilies thrown in. It will probably take a whole morning to clean up to my satisfaction. If you have live oak trees you know the oak sprouts just keep coming back and have to be trimmed time and time again.The granite area you see at the top of the picture is another story.

When we took out the two large Texas sage bushes that had seeded in the granite I felt quite relieved. I loved the cleaner look. Well, I learnt something new about this plant. If you leave a little piece of root behind it will grow into a new plant. So there were 15 new Texas sage growing up, clustered together. I should have just taken a few pieces of root and stuck them in the ground in a place where I would like this bush to grow. Of course, I have potted them up until they make a good root mass and I can put them where I want them. It took an hour of my gardening time this morning.

I have mixed feelings about this scenario. Bluebonnet seedlings. Do they really have to clump together like this. I feel the need to save them from strangling each other. There are so many other places I would like to see them. The good news is that I am going to need some extras having discovered this morning that the decollate snails have a taste for the the seed leaves. They have eaten every one in my front garden. So having discovered this I spent an hour searching and removing every snail I could find. It's rather difficult for a snail to dig itself in in the gravel. Its broken cone is always sticking up in the air.

Down on my hands and knees I noticed this little plant beneath the Weber's agave. Is it a ghostly Eryngo? I have never grown this plant so I have no idea where it came from.

I also spotted something else growing and I am hoping it is standing cypress, Ipomopsis rubra. Will it send up that gorgeous red flower stalk next spring?

I couldn't possibly remove this frost weed, Verbesina virginica, even though it is crowding out the rose and spineless prickly pear at the back of the pool. You don't get to see the wide shot! In previous years it was on the berm outside the walls. I may never get to see the frosty stems when we have our first freeze because by then it will be long gone. For now the bees and I will enjoy the pretty white flowers.

The potager may look reasonably tidy but you should see all the weeds. It's a nightmare!

THEIR TIME HAS FINALLY COME

Some plants want to be in the spotlight when summer blooms start to fade and days become cooler. This grass is fast becoming a favorite. For one thing, I don't have to do anything. It just shows up. Then it is easy once the seed heads have faded. They either blow away or you can run your hand over them and pull them off. Pink crystals Melinis nerviglumis stays green all summer with a minimum or no water at all. It isn't fussy where it grows.

Another major fall bloomer is the Philippine violet. This is a plant that dies down to the ground during winter, but just look how much growth it puts on before blooming in late October. It seems to have no pests and the leaves stay green all summer. If you see one at the nursery, snap it up. You won't regret having such a beauty in the garden.

This is my first year to grow Salvia madrensis. I bought a 4" pot in the spring. It has grown quietly in a shady corner under the Lady Banks' rose, biding its time, until finally the flower racemes began to color and open. It may be root hardy but if not I am happy to grow it as an annual.

Celosia spicata, bristly pink plumes. It is hard to imagine what a hummingbird would find in one of these flowers, but they find something.

The fragrant mistflower, Eupatorium

Fall obedient plant, Physostegia virginiata, on cue.

Frost weed, Verbesina viginica. This one is in the border behind the pool. There are none outside the walls this year due to drought.

Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida.

I only just identified this plant last evening. It is Exotic Love vine, Firecracker vine, Mina lobata. The single vine was growing in among the Cardinal vine. The leaves were completely different and I just thought it was some kind of morning glory that wasn't producing flowers. Imagine my surprise, today, when I noticed some flower racemes. The seed must have been mixed in with the Cardinal Vine seeds I received from gardening friend, Meredith at Great Stems. I hope to save some for next year as both these vines seem to be the answer to a trellis in a difficult spot.

Tithonia rotundifolia, 'torch' The monarchs love this flower.

Scutellaria wrightii with Erigeron annus.

The calamondin orange moved from its corner in the vegetable garden so that we can enjoy its fruits.

Some plants never stop. Gaillardia pulchella is one. A non-stop bloomer year round.

Zinnia seeds planted in late August make a show in a pot.

The yellow knockout rose with its faint lemony fragrance. Who would knock a knockout. Not I.