Monday, March 18, 2024

The waiting game

We planted our Blanco crabapple tree in April 2013 as part of my birthday. Needless to say, we've been watch and hoping to see buds this spring. But so far, nada. After all, we've had some rough weather the past few years–ice storms and droughts. But lo and behold, look what I spotted! New growth (photo below)! Yay! So it's going to survive after all. What a blessing.
In the meantime, we're still waiting for signs of life on our possumhaw (below), which we planted in September 2015. It's well established so it just HAS to be still alive. Stay tuned.


Monday, March 11, 2024

Our blooming trees and shrubs

Mexican persimmon

Mexican buckeye

Agarita

Redbud

Mountain laurel (my favorite aroma)

Peach

Mexican plum

Texas buckeye


Volunteer saplings

Mexican plum
 
Last year, we dug up a volunteer Mexican plum and a possumhaw. James put them in the ground yesterday in our back yard. He also dug up a volunteer roughleaf dogwood, which we'll plant somewhere later on. Thank you, Mother Nature!
Possumhaw

Roughleaf dogwood


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

This is why I weed by hand

"Don't you want to use a rake?" James asks me quite often whenever I'm weeding by hand.

"Nope," I reply as I continue to pull henbit, chickweed and bedstraw. "I want to see what I'm pulling."

Yesterday, I was QUITE surprised when I pulled away dying henbit and chickweed and found THIS in a backyard bed. A bluebonnet! Wowzer! 

After supper, James ambled up while I was working. 

"So, what do you think THAT is?" I stood up and pointed to the plant I'd just found.

"Hmmm," he thought. Then he shrugged.

"A BLUEBONNET!" I exclaimed. "That's exactly why I don't want to use a rake!" 

Humbly, James smiled. "Well, that's pretty cool," he said.


UPDATE MARCH 18, 2024 Alas, the stem broke off at the ground soon after our bluebonnet bloomed. I put the flower in a little vase on our dining room table. I am sad.


Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Live owl cam at Wildflower Center

Check this out, folks! So cool.


MEET ATHENA

 The Wildflower Center’s resident owl

For more than a decade, the Wildflower Center has been home to a nesting pair of great horned owls (Bubo virginianus). Lucky for us — and our guests — the female, who we call Athena, nests in a very conspicuous place, right above the entrance to our Courtyard in the sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri) planter nestled in the north corner. When conditions are right and her eggs hatch into owlets, she provides a rare opportunity to view a wild great horned owl rearing her young.

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Master Gardeners rescue volunteers

For at least the third time, Blanco County Master Gardeners came to our yard to dig up native plant volunteers growing in the mow zone. They'll be sold at the April 20th plant sale on the Blanco courthouse square. 

Prima was on hand to meet and greet, of course. Shown are Megan Soltesz, Bernadette McFarling and Suzaane Stevenson. It was super windy, but we got a lot of plants dug up and bagged for potting later.