Tag: lavender

And yet more March buds and blooms part deux

More new bloomers!

3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (1) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (2) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (3) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (4) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (5) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (6) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (7) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (8) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (9) 3/14/2012 March Buds and Blooms pt 2 (10)

Ballerina white gaura in the purple bed (these have yet to be divided), standard purple oxalis, a surprise viola in the blue bed (returning from last year, another shot of the 3rd camellia, Thalia narcissus in full bloom and bud, azalea Autumn Embers (the newest shrub), green oxalis triangularis, and of course Bella purple lavender stoechas.

New Plants and Blooms of March

My High Country Gardens order arrived. I’m somewhat disappointed by the tiny specimens I was sent. Given that they appear so delicate, I’m placing them under grow lights for the time being.

3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (1) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (2)

Check out the new blooms on the ornamental pepper Purple Flash and the “perennial” Easy Wave Petunias. The red petunias have opened, while white buds threaten on the other.

3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (3) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (4) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (5)

Lavender stoechas Bella Purple is in bloom. The buds appeared about a month ago, and I’ve been reluctant to shear it back since it started to sprawl. As soon as the blooms have faded, I’m trimming it back by at least a  foot so that the neighboring chives, garlic and sage get more light. Notice the lavender bud with the crane fly perched on it? Crane fly populations have exploded in Texas since the temperatures have warmed up (i.e. early February). There’s not a day that I get in a collision with a cloud of these crane flies while puttering in the yard. A friend indicated that these prey on mosquitoes; however, I researched this and discovered that they do NOT feed on mosquitoes at all. They love nectar and their larvae will feast on vegetation, and may cause considerable damage to turf and plants. I would like to find a natural way to get rid of these flies; maybe by enticing more birds to visit.

3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (6) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (7) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (8) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (14)

I finally caught some good pictures of my yellow salvia greggii in bloom. The camera is still having difficulty capturing the pale yellow colors, but at least I now have a record of it.

3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (10) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (11) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (12) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (13)

The potted oriental artemisias look like they are enjoying the cooler, moist weather. I do recall that these are part shade plants and they experienced a difficult time last year in the full sun. The yarrow I uprooted from the blue bed is adjusting to its temporary home. I also snapped another picture of the growing leeks in the herb garden bed.

3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (9) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (15) 3/8//2012 New Plants and Blooms (16)

I also spent some time this morning sowing more seeds to the bathroom greenhouse. Stardust Ice Plant, Blue Fescue, Dreams Patriot Mix petunias, Zinnia Profusion mix and Zinnia Starlight Rose are now planted. Thankfully I had easy seeds to deal with this recent go-round, pellets and chaff-like seed aren’t as difficult to stick in Jiffy pellets.

Weed weeder weedest!

All week I’ve been tidying up in the garden. Weeding here (cleaning out the gravel strip), pulling dead or dying plants out elsewhere (dead rosemary, salvia, dianthus, herb garden). I’ve pruned back on a few plants (such as the gaura) and transplanted a few (ginger mint into the cinderblock wall). I’ve observed some unusual sights, like the brown-burnt asters in the blue bed that are still blooming, the flowering Mexican heather in the purple bed, and the Autumn Monarch azalea that put out a few more flowers this week. I am in awe of the salvia/marigold tree ring in the front yard, though I have also noticed a ton of ant condos springing up everywhere lately. Time to get out the ant killer!

‘Tis the time to be fertilizing and weed-killin’. I hope to have some funds to invest in a good pre-emergent and lawn food this weekend. With the summer drawing to a close, and the weather amenable, it’s easy to get out in the yard to do some work. I spent this morning killing some crabgrass in the courtyard. But of course, I saw some more patches in the front yard.

I also turned out the last of the bathroom tenants. The pepper plants are getting some quality sun time on the patio. I hope to transfer them into bigger pots and get a chance at some fruit before the winter frost. And speaking of fruit, what about some eggplant? Should I sink my Chinese eggplant into the herb garden bed, or bring it indoors over the winter? It keeps flowering but not producing any fruit. It seems to prefer more room to spread its roots.

This is also the time to ponder the fall-winter flower display, not to mention purchase the spring flower bulbs. I’m writing up a list!

Perhaps on this list, we’ll be adding a new Japanese maple. My JM unfortunately has been confirmed dead. And I discovered some alien fungus residing in the pot. Scawy!

9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (1) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (2) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (3) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (4) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (5) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (6) 9/28/2011 End of Summer Blooms (7)