CEDAR POLLEN

If you live in the mountain juniper belt you will know exactly what this is. This morning around 9:45 am the temperature must have just been perfect for the junipers to release their pollen. Just a slight breeze resulted in huge clouds of pollen puffing into the air. Within a matter of seconds hundreds of trees were adding their contribution to the air. It looked as though there was a fire burning in the trees. Fifteen minutes later, as we drove out, the city of Austin was was barely visible. The hills lying under a misty cloud. For allergy sufferers this was not a day to spend outside, even though it was going to be a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70s. Spoilsports.

RHUBARB RHUBARB

Northern gardeners may smile when they hear me talking about growing rhubarb. It was so easy when we lived in Canada. My freezer was stock full of rhubarb to tide us over the winter. Rhubarb crumble and rhubarb pie, yum yum. Growing up in England I developed a fondness for the tart fruits; blackcurrants, gooseberries and best of all rhubarb. My grandmother made rhubarb and ginger jam and rhubarb wine.

This fall, at the Master Gardeners' program on vegetable gardening I heard for the first time that in Texas we need to grow rhubarb as an annual. Imagine that. Not only that, but from seed. Impossible! Not. This rhubarb plant was grown from seed, sown in summer by Patty Leander, who gave the presentation and passed on some seedlings for me to try. Here's a link for other gardeners to read about growing rhubarb in Texas.

I'm so excited about how well it is doing. It has been getting special treatment on these cold nights; an extra thick blanket. I'm not about to risk any of those stalks. For now I'm going to wait until spring before I do any cutting.

Every morning for breakfast we have a wonderful Texas grapefruit. The skins have a second life in my garden. They are used to trap slugs, snails and pillbugs.( I learnt this one from my mother) It appears as though we have something else that likes grapefruit. I think it's the hispid cotton rats but it might also be the ring tailed cat. Most mornings I find them turned over and all the remaining fruit eaten.

Just as long as they don't go eating my Napa cabbage.

GARDEN BLOGGER'S BLOOM DAY

When I lived in Canada I was never tempted to try to grow plants that were out of my zone. Here in Texas it is too tempting to grow these plants. After all, it's only once in a while that we get an Alberta Clipper descend as far as the Gulf Coast. It is going to happen tomorrow. For the last 4 days we have had freezing every night but the warm ground has helped protect the plants. Tomorrow I don't think anything will help.
So here is what is blooming in the garden. I had to search hard but I came up with a few stragglers from the summer.

Alyssum usually blooms all winter. Tough little plant in all shades from white to purple. Seeds itself.

Purple lantana growing alongside copper canyon daisy.

Another yellow daisy, Tetraneuris scaposa.

Several salvias are still blooming.

Violas

Osteospermum didn't want to open even though the sun was shining.

Finally, in the greenhouse the lemons continue to bloom.

I'll be working in there tomorrow.

THE GARDENER AND GLOBAL WARMING

I have to admit that when I woke up on Saturday morning to a big chill over the Austin area I was rather glad. It meant I didn't have to miss a day spent out in the garden. I had signed up for a class at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, "Gardeners and Global Warming". This was an introductory class aimed at educating gardeners about the impact of global warming and how they can take action to limit those impacts.
The class was a joint presentation by Alice Nance, Conservation Program Coordinator, of the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Andrea Dravigne, Regional Education Manager for the Gulf States, National Wildlife Federation and Go Native U. ( University of Texas)
When I saw the words "Embrace conservation and reduce waste" I couldn't help but think of May Dreams and her multitude of Embrace postings. Apologies if you already did one Carol!  Over the two hour class we listened,got together in groups and offered our observations on possible effects of global warming in our own gardens. Have you noticed any changes? Here is a sampling of some of the things we can do to help in the effort to limit global warming.

Start a compost pile for kitchen and garden waste.

Conserve water. Replace water thirsty exotic plants with native plants.

Remove invasive plants.

Develop a rain garden. This is just one of the many web sites with information on developing a rain garden.
Our sunken garden is a more unusual form of rain garden, being completely surrounded by ledgestones. Rainwater drains into the area and is absorbed through the spaces between the flagstones.

Replace as much of your lawn as possible. Not only will this reduce your watering bill but will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions produced in the treatment of water and gasoline emissions from mowing. If your neighborhood demands a lawn then use a push mower!

Plant trees.

Encourage local garden retailers to stock native plants.

Ask elected officials to eliminate weed laws. I have to admit I had to ask what weed laws were and the response was, the practice of mowing the edges and center strips of the road. How I despaired when they mowed down all the Maximillian sunflowers, Helianthus maximilianii, that used to grow along Southwest Parkway.

Use drip irrigation.

Replace landscape lighting with solar systems and outdoor lighting fixtures with fluorescent bulbs.

Raise awareness of climate change at the local level.

Ask your Member of Congress to support global warming legislation.
We've all seen those bumper stickers that say we are spending our children's inheritance. Well it's no joke. We are. Our children inherit the earth from us.

CAN THIS BE WINTER?

It has been a gorgeous week to work outside in the garden. A garden that grows year round needs constant attention. I usually spend more time working out in the back garden because it is more sheltered, gets the morning sun and that is where the greenhouse and potting shed are. Today, as soon as the sun reached the front, I ventured out to cut back the skullcaps, remove the dead stems from the Salvia leucantha and lantana  and pull out the remaining zinnias. I will also have to pull out a lot of bluebonnets because if I don't we won't be able to use the seating area. This is what happens when I am not around to control the bluebonnets throwing their seeds.

It seems odd to have such warm days and for there to be very little flowering in the garden. The Copper canyon daisy in a sheltered spot in the front garden still had blooms.

This little butterfly spent the afternoon flitting around the flowers.

We had a new visitor to the garden last night. When we came in late last night I noticed a dark shape on the window ledge above the kitchen cupboards. We went out with a flash light and at first thought it was a raccoon because we saw a striped tail. Then a closer look determined that it was a ring tailed cat. It was difficult to get a picture of him and his tail all in the same shot but there was no doubt of his identity.

 
This is becoming a popular spot because we keep seeing a squirrel up on the ledge. He has just about eaten every berry on the pyracantha. At least, I hope he is eating the berries and not burying them in the garden. I'm afraid the cedar waxwings will be disappointed this year.

I think it is time to take my cup of tea outside and relax with a few gardening books.

I'll bet we are going to have another great sunset tonight.

A TERRIBLE HAPPENING

Something terrible happened in my greenhouse on Saturday.

I have 5 citrus in there for the winter and all are in flower. Their perfume is almost overwhelming. With temperatures around 80 degrees on Saturday I opened the door and all the vents. When I went back in there in the late afternoon it was almost as though I was in the vicinity of a beehive. There were at least 30 bees in there. Some were busy on the flowers but others were up against the back window trying to get out. Apparently they were unable to navigate back through the door. 

I stood there quite helpless not knowing what to do. A felt terrible because I knew they were probably going to die. I left the door open all night but in the morning they were still there clinging to life.

A lesson learnt. I won't leave the door open again. I'll just open the screen in the door. In the past we have had a screech owl, cardinal, Carolina wren, hummingbird, rabbit and umpteen butterflies and moths in there and I struggled to get them out alive. This time I was not successful.

SECRET GARDENS OF THE HEART

Do you ever wonder if you inherited your love of gardening? When I look back at my grandfather I know he planted the seeds of his love of gardening in me. This is a photo of my grandfather and my father in 1914. As you can see the garden, in the city of Manchester, England, is quite modest but the important thing is that my grandfather is teaching my father to tend his plants. When my grandfather retired he moved to the coast where he built a house with a beautiful garden which he tended until the day he died.
After my grandparents passed away we moved into that house and became the guardians of their roses, fruit trees, lawns, sunken garden, rockery and greenhouse with grape vine. I loved that house and garden. My memory still carries the scent of roses wafting through the window on a summer's day. Now, far away from that English garden, I have my own garden to take care of.

Last year I had the opportunity to visit my grandparents' garden once again. The house was empty and there was a for sale sign in the front garden. I snuck down the driveway into the back garden. I was saddened to find a neglected and derelict garden. The only remnant of the garden I remembered was the bird bath in the center of what had once been the lawn. My father had built the birdbath just before Word War 2. There was a little stone rabbit, ears missing, sitting on the edge. Here I am at the age of 3 with the little rabbit.

The little rabbit was still on the bird bath. I rather wish I had brought him home with me

The visit reminded me of the lyrics of a song by Judy Collins, Secret Gardens. It has always been a favorite of mine. Take a moment to listen to Judy singing this moving song.


SECRET GARDENS
My grandmother's house is still there

But it isn't the same

A plain wooden cottage

A patch of brown lawn

And a fence that hangs standing

And sighing in the Seattle rain


I drive by with strangers

And wish they could see what I see

A tangle of summer birds 
Flying in sunlight

A forest of lilies

An orchard of apricot trees


Secret Gardens of the heart

Where the flowers bloom forever

I see you shining through the night

In the ice and snow of winter


Great grandfather's farm is still there

But it isn't the same

The barn is torn down

And the fences are gone

The Idaho wind blows

The topsoil away every Spring


I still see the ghosts

Of the people I knew long ago

Inside the old kitchen

They bend and sigh

My life passed them up

And the world passed them by


Secret Gardens of the heart

Where the old stay young forever

I see you shining through the night

In the ice and snow of winter


But most of all

It is me that has changed

And yet I'm still the same

That's me at the weddings

That's me at the graves

Dressed like the people

Who once looked so grown-up and brave


I look in the mirror

Through the eyes of the child that was me

I see willows bending

The season is Spring

And the silver blue sailing birds

Fly with the sun on their wings


Secret Gardens of the heart

Where dreams live on forever

I see you shining through the night

In the ice and snow of winter

The memory of their garden will always have a special place in my heart.

LOOKING BACK AT THE GARDEN YEAR

The two day drive home from Phoenix, this week, gave me ample time to reflect on garden happenings in 2008.

In January we added what was to be the last hard scape feature in the English garden. David used some of our left over bricks ( purchased for a deal at the Habitat for Humanity store) to create a semicircular edging for a new bed, which echoes the other features of the garden; patio, bird bath and the curved dry stone wall. Circular patio stones replaced the original field stones to complete the theme of circles. A Philippine violet was planted in the center and in no time at all plants were filling in the empty spaces.

My absence from the garden for two months in the summer was noted by all those opportunistic seeds. The violet was soon completely crowded out by blanket flowers, cone flowers, cosmos and all manner of salvia.

Nevertheless, the plant managed to put on quite a display in the fall.

Spring is always a riotous mix of California poppies, larkspur and blanket flowers but this year the pink poppies were outstanding.

In the spring I made my debut in the world of garden blogging. Introduced by Pam, of Digging, I became well and truly hooked when I gave the Spring Flingers a tour of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The day before, several bloggers had an impromptu tour of my garden. I have to credit blogging with an introduction to many new plants and techniques and a greater acceptance of mishaps in the garden as well as new gardening friends.

In April we opened our garden for the tremendously successful Master Gardener's Tour. Over 650 visitors strolled through the grounds in the space of eight hours. The only photograph I took was one of Skip Richter, the director of the Extension Service, who gave a talk on sustainable gardening practices. I enjoyed the photographs and comments posted by garden bloggers who visited the garden.

I have been away from my garden more this year than any other year. A total of four months. Plants became overgrown and, during a two month absence in the summer, the garden became a nature preserve!

We enjoyed the foxes for a week before they found our comings and goings too much and moved on.

In the fall D tackled the job of removing a Vitex, 3 Texas sage and a large Southern wax myrtle from in front of the garage. Pulling out can sometimes take a lot longer than planting!

The wax myrtle had been damaged in a wind storm in the spring and the vitex was interfering with the driveway. One of the first jobs in the New Year will be to replant the area with zeriscape plants. Now if I could just find a Whale's tongue agave!! I can't wait to get started.

                                     I hope you all had a memorable year in the garden

           HAPPY NEW YEAR GARDENERS

MERRY CHRISTMAS GARDEN BLOGGERS EVERYWHERE

When Christmas cards arrive from England I am always struck by how many of them have a robin. The English robin (Erithacus rubecula melophilus) is quite different from his American namesake. He is about the size of our wren and behaves in a similar manner, flitting from branch to branch in a friendly manner. He is a year round visitor to the garden but his red breast stands out in the snowy garden. This November a robin followed us as we hiked along a trail in the Lake District. He just stayed still long enough to for me to snap a photograph of him. 

When I was a child we always cut holly to bring into the house but mistletoe was something we had to buy. A bunch of mistletoe would dangle from the light in the hallway. The usually reserved British were apparently open to kisses as this time of the year! Now, we have mistletoe growing in huge bunches from our live oak trees. They tend to favor apple and oak trees. I have even read in English garden magazines how to take the berries and push them into a crack in the tree bark in order to grow your own little parasite! 

It is easy to see how these plants were looked upon as special in the winter garden. The evergreen holly and mistletoe with their red and white berries and the robin with his red breast. They brought a little brightness into the winter home.

I hope your garden has something to offer the Christmas home- be it pine cones, seed heads, ivy or berries. Greetings of the Season to gardener's everywhere.

THE WINTER GARDEN

On Sunday we returned to Austin after spending a month away. You can bet that the first thing I did on Monday morning was to get out into the garden. Long johns, ski vest and every other bit of warm clothing in my possession were not enough to keep out the frigid cold that had settled over Austin during the night. The big problem was my hands. Gardening gloves, which I rarely wear, were just not enough. Anyway, I managed to put in about 3 hours. This is the first year for a good crop of berries on the Burford holly. I will actually be able to pick some to bring into the house.

I began by pulling out all the plants that had succumbed to the two frosts that had hit our garden during our absence; tomatoes, beans, basil, all the lingering summer annuals. It was at this point I decided to pull out some large clumps of the alyssum and what did I find underneath but various stages of over wintering harlequin bugs. 

So that's why the problem continues to plague my garden from year to year. I started pulling out the plants and checking under every plant I was going to keep. Hopefully my problem will not be so bad next year. 

One more job to do before I could retreat to the warm house. The Agave desmettiana, located down the side of the house, needed some winter protection before the promised frost. A good covering of dry leaves and a blanket should keep it safe. This agave is only hardy to about 28 degrees and every one in my garden has succumbed to winter if left unprotected. We seem to be the cold spot of Austin.

This is my Christmas cactus, which lives in England. It loves neglect. It had not had any attention since I was there in May. It is the one plant that remains in my mother's flat. She passed away over 2 years ago. How it loves those long fall and winter nights with no light!

When I travel anywhere I am always thinking gardens so my next post will be about plants and gardens we saw during our time away.