Basil Seeded

Something that’s been glaringly missing from this year’s backyard garden are the volunteer basil plants that normally sprout about this time of year. I fondly remember the monstrous basil plants that drew in all all the pollinators.

I dug into my seed drawer several days ago to empty out some of the basil seeds that I ordered from previous years.

Sprinkled them into my stock tank beds and here they are aplenty, sprouting happily.

I’m looking forward to some colorful Purple Ball basil as well as Fino Verde and Amethyst Improved.

Of course I’ve always had rooted cuttings of the pesto perpetuo basil that I keep indoors. However, they don’t flower very well and they really can’t handle the Texas heat.

Tyler Rose Gardens

Tyler’s Municipal Rose Gardens offered more flowers for our viewing pleasure. Especially noteworthy during our stroll was their Camellia garden, where nearly every giant camellia bush was drenched in enormous blooms. The park also displayed some seasonal color throughout the gardens, including daffodils, tulips, pansies, and hyacinths. Meanwhile, it appeared that most of the roses we saw had been recently pruned and mulched with pine needles.

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Laboring over divisions and stumpless in color

I had some extra time this morning prior to a doctor’s appointment to putter around in the garden. I took some cuttings of yellow salvia greggii, tricolor sage, and variegated oregano to foster indoors. Meanwhile I discovered it was time  to replant the lime thyme and the variegated oregano since there were clear signs of root congestion in their cinderblock homes.  It wasn’t too difficult trimming down the roots and dividing both plants; I had desired more clones of these plants and now I have at least 2 of them out in the herb garden, with baby cuttings currently fostered in my patio planter boxes.

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Still on my list for cuttings, divisions and replanting: coreopsis, catmint, dianthus, dusty miller, hakonechloa, gaura, white salvia greggii, Sierra San Antonio salvia greggii, basil, and possibly the variegated society garlic. Dividing the gauras will be tricky…the front yard gaura has grown into a monster, and the two flanking our rose look imposing.

Meanwhile, the ajuga cuttings I took recently have begun to bloom. The lily bed is afire with red/white dianthus and pansies. The Valentines look especially vigorous!

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Purple flames arise from our purple loropetalum! Emerald Snow is blanketed in white fringes. Elsewhere, signs of life emerging from the tulips in the front bed. And those giant grape hyacinths are looking thick and healthy!

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Taking a quick peek at the Jiffy seedlings, it appears most have already germinated. I expect to retain the dome for at least another week or two.

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And then back to the stump-sized hole in the ground! Stump has been removed! The man decided he just couldn’t handle another day of sawing and digging and hired some professionals to grind down the remains.

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