Bloom Day, September 2014

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Tina

September heralds a change from the blisteringly hot to the merely hot in Austin, Texas. This gardener welcomes that subtle, but fundamental change: the shorter days, the approaching autumn cool and if we’re lucky, some rainy days ahead. Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this lovely blogging meme celebrating all that flower.

It’s somewhat about the Ruellia this time of year in my gardens. I grow both a native, Drummond’s Wild Petunia, Ruellia drummondiana, like these cuties peeking out through foliage,

…and these that aren’t quite so shy.

I also grow a well-behaved cultivar, the Katie’s Dwarf Ruellia, Ruellia brittoniana, ‘Katie’s Dwarf’, blossoming beautifully during the late summer and autumn months.

Additionally, a less mannerly variety, the Chi-Chi Ruellia, Ruellia brittoniana ‘Chi-Chi’, makes its home in my gardens. Here is it nicely co-mingling with the blooming and berrying Pigeonberry, Rivina humilis,

…and flowering alone.

I love the first two Ruellia species and have a complicated relationship with the third.

The various Salvia in my gardens, like this red Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii,

…really strut their stuff in the fall. Flowers that appear on and off during our hot summer, the blossoms on these woody, native shrubs will consistently impress both pollinators and gardeners throughout our productive autumn months.

A different salvia, the white Tropical Sage, Salvia coccinea, was knocked back this past winter with our late freezes,

…but are lush with snowy, bee-friendly blooms now and will bee that way until there is a killing frost.

Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, opens its Barbie Doll Pink blooms each morning, remaining open longer as the days get shorter.

Another perennial with pretty-in-pink blossoms, is the Purple Heart , Setcreasea pallida ‘Purple Heart’.

I grew up with Purple Heart rampant in my mother’s garden–I have warm memories of playing near stands of this naturalized ground cover with its dramatic purple foliage and charming blossoms.

Sweet Basil produces tiny flowers for pollinators,

… and the native, wildlife perennial, Lindheimer’s Senna, Senna lindheimeriana, blooms from August into September for the pollinators, then sets seeds for the birds later in fall.

I always forget that I planted these Red Spider Lily bulbs, Lycoris radiata,

…. until they pop up, overnight it seems.

These are such gorgeous flowers! I don’t know why I can’t remember that the bulbs are in the ground, waiting for the first of the September rains, to grace the gardens with their exotic beauty. The strappy foliage (which emerges after blooming) disappears in the late winter/early spring. The memory of those exquisite blossoms should stay with me, but I’m always surprised to welcome them again, each September.

Finally, a Monarch butterfly is now visiting my gardens, sipping on his preferred blooms of the Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica.

My heart lifted to see this North American beauty after all I’ve read about the very serious decline in the monarch butterfly population.

Go Monarchs!

Here in Austin we enjoy a second, spectacular blooming season, beginning just about now. Fall blooms abound and there’s more to come! For today though, check out blooms from everywhere at May Dreams Gardens.

Monarch!

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Tina

In my last post, I wrote about the steep decline in the population of monarch butterflies. I mentioned that I hadn’t seen any monarchs in my gardens here in Austin so far this September. Yesterday afternoon as I was in the garden planting more fennel and milkweed ahead of our first, bona fide autumn cool front with impending rain–there she was!

Flying fast and high, this lone Monarch flitted onto the Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, which is ready and waiting, just for her–and any other interested Lepidoptera.

Only one Monarch, but she made my heart sing!

I took photos. Partly because I don’t know if there will soon be a time that there won’t be any monarchs to take photos of and also because I regretted not taking photos last spring when one Monarch visit for a day or two. I remember thinking at that time: There will be more–it’s that time of year.

With serious threats to the survival of this indigenous North American butterfly species, there is no guarantee that monarchs will visit my gardens in the future. I sincerely hope that my generation’s children and grandchildren will see monarchs in their gardens.

Wishing you safe travels to Mexico and a good winter there, beautiful one. And for many, many generations to follow you.

Fabulous Foeniculum

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Tina

By Austin standards, temperatures for spring and summer of 2014 have been mild to downright cool. While still drier than normal, there has been some rain. I think those factors explain the exuberance of this Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare.

This guy is four and a half feet tall! Where does he think he is? Oregon?? I planted this particular specimen a year or two ago–it’s bumbled along for some time and since last fall, it grew.

And grew. I plant Fennel (and Dill, as well) to attract butterflies to my garden. Fennel is the host plant for several species of swallowtail butterflies. The adult butterfly lays her eggs on the Fennel, the eggs hatch and the caterpillars eat until they’re ready for their trip through the chrysalis and to eventual butterfly-hood. Sometimes a chrysalis will form on the Fennel itself,

but usually the large caterpillar transforms into its adult self elsewhere. Either way, planting Fennel is helpful in assuring a regular population of swallowtail butterflies.

I haven’t hosted hoards of caterpillars and resulting butterflies this year,

just a few, here and there.

And the caterpillars haven’t eaten the Fennel to the ground. Yet. Though they are efficient at stripping the foliage from the stems.

I have a dedicated butterfly garden in a different part of my gardens, as well.

I planted these Bronze and Green Fennel for the swallowtails last fall, along with some transplanted Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, for the Monarchs. The Fennel has thrived, though the Milkweed froze in the winter and has been very slow to return.

Which is just as well as I didn’t spot one Monarch in my gardens during spring migration. Not. One. Monarch. That is scary and sad.

The Fennel provides food for swallowtails and some delicious salad sprigs–for me, that is. Several of my Fennel are beginning to bolt, which entails producing flower umbels,

and going to seed.

I’m snipping the flower panicles off to keep the Fennel in a growing mode, but summer heat will continue to encourage the bolting process. Fennel has survived summer before in my gardens and if it doesn’t get too hot this year, it could happen again. Time will tell.

The Fennel has been beautiful for these past eight months. Foliage is the main attraction with Fennel, for people and butterfly larvae. Delicate and lacy–it is also winter hardy, so it’s great to plant in the fall. It can overwinter, grow and be ready for butterfly happenings in the spring and summer. I’m particularly fond of Bronze Fennel and usually choose that variety though I plant both the Green and the Bronze Fennel in my gardens.

Butterflies don’t discriminate–their larvae munch on both. Fennel is a lovely, but unreliable, landscape plant. Gardeners must understand that the caterpillars will eat Fennel, possibly to the ground. And here in Austin, if the caterpillars don’t trash the Fennel, the heat will. I recommend that if you plant Fennel, be sure to situate it amongst other summer blooming perennials, so that when the Fennel disappears (either because of caterpillars or summer temperatures), there isn’t a gaping hole left in your garden.

Don’t even think about planting Fennel right now–that would amount to a major garden fail! Plant Fennel in your gardens next fall, when it’s cooler and there is some regular rain.
In time, you’ll have a beautiful garden addition, some yummy herbs for your salad and cooking pleasure, and an excellent host plant for beautiful butterflies.