Drought didn’t make it to my spring party

Thursday, March 8th, 2012 Posted in drought, native plants, roses, shade plants | 12 Comments »

Ready or not, here I come with the pruners!  It’s safe now to prune evergreens, Texas sage (cenizo), thryallis, and shrimp plants like these. I’ll cut them down to a foot or so to encourage fluffy growth.  Since the thryallis didn’t ...

Homegrown perfume factory

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 Posted in Insects, bees, bulbs, garden design, native plants, passalong plants, roses, trees, wildlife | 14 Comments »

Right now, my garden is a perfume factory working overtime. Mountain laurel blossoms mingle with the sweetness of bridal-gowned Mexican plum. Beneficial insects swoop between them and ‘Spring Bouquet’ viburnums. As I pruned ‘Maggie’ at last, I had to stop now and ...

Filling up on fragrance|Funky Chicken Coop tour|Square foot garden design

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 Posted in Tours, bulbs, butterflies, chickens, fertilizing, garden design, pruning, roses, vegetables | 4 Comments »

Well, if you had a year or so to read this post, I can show you everything that’s blooming in my garden!  Since I know you’re busy, here's just a sampling that doesn't include “D is for Drought” in their ...

Read your garden’s rule book|Mueller restoration

Thursday, February 9th, 2012 Posted in bulbs, drought, garden design, native plants, philosophy, pruning, roses, winter color | 12 Comments »

Crazy days weather! Narcissus ‘Abba’ is an early performer, but a few weeks earlier this year. Primrose jasmine (Jasminum mesnyi) is a little ahead of schedule, too. It’s a bit early for silver germander (Teucrium fruticans), though flower “scouts” are not unusual. Generally, it ...