June 25 , 2009
From Linda: 11 January 2025
When Tom and I first metMary Irishand her lensman husband , Gary , we dance around the studio apartment with joy . Their passion for plant is infectious , and Mary ’s knowledge fascinate us with question after motion . I ’m always riffle their ledger , Agaves , Yuccas and Related Plants , and the later one , Perennials forthe Southwest .
On her last sojourn , Mary told us about her undertaking in forward motion , Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest . I kept an centre on its publish date to pester her about when she ’d be in Austin again .
Mary ’s aboriginal to Austin , but moved to Arizona , where for years she was Director of Public Horticulture at theDesert Botanical Garden in Phoenix . So , she ’s very sharp about what grow in a widespread region .
bring out a hebdomadal program is like gardening : looking ahead pay off ! This week , Mary meet with Tom to enthuse us again , with her beautifully written and photographed now - in - mark latest dangerous undertaking .
I ca n’t get enough of this book . Mary has the bent to combine specific horticultural details with hands - on , personable penetration , including aim ideas . Plus , she has a lot of great suggestion to regenerate our passion , despite the heat energy !
One bush she mentions on CTG is Texas olive ( Cordia boissieri ) .
It was coinciding that the week after taping , one of my neighbors mentioned how much he loves his . Here ’s my pictures of his growing in east Austin at his curb , obviously in hot reflected sunlight .
For more intake on these too - red-hot days , our video tour takes us to theUmlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum . We tape it last fall , so it ’s changed its scenery for the season . That is part of the fascination . On every visit to Umlauf , I accrue under its reverent spell once again , but with Ed Fuentes ’ video , I was often in tears as I edit this one . Director Nelie Plourde is one of my personal inspirations , too , so this one means a batch to me .
I ’d rather be sit under the trees at Umlauf quietly communing with the sculptures than actually sweating in my garden . There sure is work to be done . I wonder what would pass if I put it off until November ?
Well , I know the solution to that , so I ’ll venture into the steam bath for a few former hours this weekend . In the evenings , I ’m too pooped to do more than a piddling watering and a tour around the “ grounds . ”
Even in this record - breaking heat energy , I always find something that keep me from throw in the towel on gardening in Texas . ( It does help to be IN a towel , after a cooling cutpurse in kiddie pool ) .
In the crape seam , Bouncing stakes ( Saponaria officinalis ) flowers recently topped their evergreen plant carpet . Later , they catch pinker . Lambs ears beyond .
They ’re in the front of the seam , which gets morning sun with a few hitting , and then a flack in the late afternoon . They do care to run , which is fine by me , since they ’re easy runners in my patch .
But a rampant runner is the passionvine .
One of my chores this weekend is pulling it off the neighboring Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and perennials .
Still , we ’re harvesting a undecomposed crop of next Gulf fritillary butterflies .
Once he / she eats enough to pupate , it will receive a practiced hiding smirch to transform into a chrysalis ( moth are cocoons ) . One year , they were determined to do so on the garbage can . Thanks to advice from theAustin Butterfly Forum , I managed to carefully remove the chrysalides before glass daylight . One got bite by a spider within five minutes and died . The others successfully emerged .
After that , when I saw caterpillars on the trash bank identification number , I inveigle them onto a stick and put them somewhere safer to transform .
These caterpillars are poisonous to birds , but that does n’t mean something wo n’t interpose in the mental process that turn them into this :
I had a hard time get this stroke of the Barbados cherry ( Malpighia glabra ) due to fart . But every time I went back out , the harvest had diminished , so here ’s what I ’ve got .
When their mouth are n’t full , the mockingbirds have been spreading the word about this counter . Here ’s a broad blastoff of the Barbados cherry tree in former photinia - ville , when it still had some fruit .
In Tom ’s interview , Mary gives us her rationality why she loves Barbados cerise . In her account book , get more details about grow it .
She also mentions Red Bird of Paradise / Pride of Barbados ( Caesalpinia pulcherrima ) . Mine need more sunshine to perform like the showoffs around town or in her book . I prize the heyday I do get . Am looking for a sunnier spot for it , though .
No pictures , but Greg report that the hummingbird(s ) love life dance through the birdbath fountain for a short shower . A few years ago I father a mister when fellow nurseryman told me the hummingbirds love it , since they like to lavish . I ’ve never had much luck with it , possibly because our pee pressure is so low , but I ’ll try it again this class . In the meantime , they seem to like the birdbath fountain .
issue note!Last year I attended theTravis County Master Gardeners’free seminar : Becoming a Garden Detective : diagnose Plant Problems . I plan to go again this year , since it ’s a great means to determine out what ’s pass on in the garden ( dirt ball / disease / faulty slur ? ) It ’s July 11 from 10 a.m. to high noon atZilker Botanical Garden . Bring $ 3 for parking .
By the fashion , if your club or establishment has an event , please submit it toCTG ’s web sitefor our calendar .
Until next hebdomad , stay on cool , Linda
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