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 ...

When to prune|No lawn designs|oak wilt

Thursday, January 26th, 2012 Posted in Insects, bees, drought, garden design, garden designers, garden projects, lawns, native plants, pruning, trees, wildlife | 6 Comments »

We’re all just itching to prune! I love the winter cleanup to start the slate clean, but I won’t be pruning that thryallis just yet. Others, like Salvia greggii, should be pruned now. Whatever I prune, as I work around each ...

Soil drought recovery|tree decay|how low can it go?

Thursday, January 19th, 2012 Posted in Nurseries, bulbs, disease, drought, fall plants, garden design, garden designers, mulch, soil mixes, trees, winter color | 2 Comments »

Troublesome Central Texas weather does have its upside! Most winters, seasons converge with greenery and flowers, even as dormant perennials take a break. Early bird Paperwhite narcissus starts the bulb parade. Bees raced from one flower to another. Then they checked out The ...

Anticipation|Peach trees|Italian design|Insect control|Ponds

Thursday, January 12th, 2012 Posted in Insects, books, bulbs, fruit trees, garden bloggers, garden design, garden designers, ponds, trees, vegetables, winter color | 7 Comments »

Somebody thinks it’s spring! I treasure fragrant old-fashioned petunias for cascading perfume in my spring and summer patio containers. Warm winter days prompted an energetic splurge at the base of a potted sweet olive (Osmanthus fragrans). Since they’re hard to find, ...