A Calendar of Gardening Blog Memes

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Tina

When I began preparing to host a garden blogging meme, I only knew of a couple of memes and didn’t realize how many active garden blogging memes there are. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Memes are fun! Memes promote a sense of community and nurture the artistic and scientific aspects of gardening and related interests. Garden memes are educational. I guess I must have said something about how many gardening memes exist in the blogosphere to The Husband and Tech Support guy and, well, he developed a widget, (ahem, with my help), that I can now add to my blog as a link to a list of currently active garden blogging memes. The debut of the Calendar of Garden Blogging memes is today! On my homepage, if you scroll down a bit and look to the right, you’ll see a the lovely native Texan Goldeneye which, when you click on it, will bring you to this page. There may be other active blogging memes that I missed and that are not on this list: no slight is intended–I’ve included the memes I know about and that are currently active. If you know of other active garden blogging memes, please don’t hesitate to contact me with the pertinent information, either through the handy-dandy little blue envelope (the one that says, contact me), or through the comments section. Happy meme-ing!

Below is a list of current garden blog memes and their dates, the hosts, and their websites :

Date	Name	Description	URL	Sponsor
Mondays	In a Vase on Monday	Showcasing flowers from gardeners’ gardens	http://ramblinginthegarden.wordpress.com/	Cathy Lyon-Green
Wednesdays	Wednesday Vignette	Showcasing interesting photos and/or ideas	https://flutterandhum.wordpress.com/	Anna
Wednesdays	Wordless Wednesday	Showcasing photos, no text		None
Fridays	Floral Friday Fotos	Showcasing flower photos	http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/	Nick
Saturdays	Six on Saturdays	Showcasing six special plants	https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/	Mr J
7th of the Month	Tree Following	Showcasing a chosen tree, monthly	https://squirrelbasket.wordpress.com/tree-following/	Pat English
15th of Month	Bloom Day	Showcasing current blooming plants	http://www.maydreamsgardens.com	Carol Michel
First Wednesday	Wildlife Wednesday	Showcasing garden wildlife	http://www.mygardenersays.com	Tina Huckabee
Fourth Wednesday	Wildflower Wednesday	Showcasing wildflowers & native plants	http://www.clayandlimestone.com	Gail Eichelberger
Monthly	Top Ten (Monthly) Blooms	Showcasing ten best blooms of each month	https://thebloominggarden.wordpress.com/	Chloris
End of Month	Through the Garden Gate	Showcasing gardens throughout each month	https://downbytheseadorset.blogspot.com/	Sarah
End of Month	End of Month Views	Showcasing gardens at end of month	https://glebehouse.wordpress.com/	Steve
Odd Months 21st-25th	Street Plant Bloggers	Showcasing plants found in urban settings	http://hjsmiscellaneousstuff.blogspot.com/	Hollis
Quarterly	Lessons Learned	Showcasing lessons learned in the garden	http://plantpostings.blogspot.com/	Beth Stetenfeld
Quarterly	Seasonal Celebrations	Showcasing seasonal change in the garden	http://gardenseyeview.com/	Donna

If you would like to add this widget,

to your blog, follow these directions:

Copy and paste the following html in the appropriate admin section of your blog :

Blue Mistflower(s)

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Tina

This is Blue Mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum.

This is also a blue mistflower,

…except that it’s Gregg’s Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii. From the shared Latin name, Conoclinium, it’s obvious that these two lovelies are related.

Both Blue Mistflower and Gregg Mistflower are in the Asteraceae, or Aster, family of plants and both are native Texas groundcovers. Blooming in August until the first light freeze, these mistflowers are desirable pollinator plants, easy to grow, and downright pretty.

I planted the Blue Mistflower many years ago in a different spot from this,

…and loved it. About five years ago, as spring arrived, only about ten “sprigs” emerged from winter dormancy. I was in major garden redo mode, so I pulled those few surviving sprigs up and replanted them.

The leaves are dark green and slightly serrated, with fuzzy, rich blue-violet flowers atop the branches.

The color of the photos doesn’t translate well, but Blue Mistflower is quite striking in full bloom.

The Gregg’s Mistflower is a newer addition in my gardens, though it’s more commonly planted in Austin gardens than the Blue.

I’ve only grown the Gregg’s for about three years. It’s an excellent attractor of pollinators–bees, butterflies, and moths are constantly working these flowers.

The flowers are similar to the Blue, though a lighter blue with a hint of lavender,

…and the leaves bright green and deeply lobed. Another common name for Gregg’s is Palmleaf Mistflower, because of this lobed characteristic.

These two mistflower species are members of the autumn cast of garden performers here in Texas. They provide nectar for pollinators,

and visual pleasure for gardeners.

Caterpillar Happenings

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Tina

This is one of my fennel plants.

These are the cause of why my fennel plant looks like it looks.

And these,

…and these.

Actually, they’re all the same caterpillars. They ate fennel and they grew; caterpillars are like that. There were ten Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes, butterfly larvae dining on this fennel over the past week or so.