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Wild Thangs

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Wild thangs.

That’s Texas-speak for Wildlife Wednesday.

Beginning July 2, 2014, on the first Wednesday of each month, I’m inviting garden bloggers everywhere to post about those wild and wooly (or feathery) visitors we all enjoy (or simply tolerate!) in our gardens.

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Gardeners understand that one upshot of gardening is the increased wildlife visiting and settling in our gardens.  Mostly, we love that.

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Whether we’re particularly fond of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles or amphibians of varying sorts, sustainable gardening requires encouraging wildlife in our gardens.   As habitat is disrupted or destroyed, the home gardener plays an increasingly important role in wildlife preservation through planting for pollinators, planting seed bearing trees and shrubs for birds and mammals, providing cover for protection and the rearing of young and providing fresh water sources.

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Let’s celebrate our wild garden visitors with silly or scientific, informative or artistic blog posts about their visits or living quarters in “our” gardens.

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So, on July 2–don’t be shy.  Post about those bees, butterflies, birds or bears who are in your gardens.  (I’m REALLY hoping for some bear photos!)

This doesn’t count:

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But she would.

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This doesn’t count:

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But he would.

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I know many gardeners curse them but yes, deer count.

And squirrels–I like squirrels,

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they count too.

On Wildlife Wednesday, I’ll ask that you leave a comment on my post with a link to yours so we can enjoy a variety of information about those wild things in our gardens.

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Wildlife Wednesday.  July 2, 2014.

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For more information about how you can encourage wildlife in your gardens, visit Garden For Wildlife  link of the National Wildlife Federation.

Wild thang.  I think I luuvv ya.

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Foliage Follow-up, June 2014

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As The Warm settles in for the duration here in Austin, Texas, interesting and lush foliage positions well alongside flowers in our early summer gardens.

Yes, summer in Texas is hot.  But here in Texas reside tough, tough plants that shrug off the heat and the dry and are magnificent to behold.  One such is the Retama, Parkinsonia aculeata.  Retama is a small, airy tree which grows along highways receiving no care and yet is stunning: in form, bloom and  foliage.

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The leaves are tiny, delicate and bright green. They form on a long leaf stalk and are paired opposite one another.

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The Retama is a Texas beauty.  I’m glad it graces my garden.

The pairing of a not-in-bloom Goldeneye, Viguiera dentata and Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus, provides lots of lushness.

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The Mexican Orchid Tree, Bauhinia mexicana, returned after our cold winter.  It hasn’t bloomed yet, but the leaves on this little tree have always reminded me of ungulate hooves.

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Really, how often does one have an excuse to use that word??  Ungulate

The American Agave, Agave americana, in the container  provides a striking contrast with the Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra elatior.

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If you look closely at the photo, top right, you can see The Husband’s bicycle, wheel a whirl, as he pedals to work. That’s a brave man in Austin’s traffic.

The unfurling of new Agave growth.

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Beautiful.

The Mexican Feathergrass, Nassella tenuissima, is lovely with the Yarrow,  Achillea millefolium, in the background.

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Both plants have delicate-looking foliage, but are hardy choices for our challenging soil and climate.

Another look at the Yarrow,  a summertime favorite of mine.

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I love this shot of the Sparkler Sedge, Carex phyllocephala ‘Sparkler’, behind (and above!) the Uruguayan Firecracker Plant, Dicliptera suberecta.

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The spiky, variegated ‘Sparkler’ looms over the soft, gray-green Firecracker Plant–they are opposite in  the foliage spectrum, but a nice combination.  The Firecracker doesn’t  bloom often, though it’s pretty when it happens.  I chose this plant primarily for its lovely foliage.  The ‘Sparkler’ is relatively new for me and so far, I love it.  It was evergreen during the winter and seems like a winner for summer as well.

Thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting this festival of June foliage!

 

 

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, June 2014

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It’s June and that means warm and sticky, but full of blooms here in sunny Austin, Texas.  Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the June jubilation for blooms in the garden.

The pretty, small flowers of the ground cover  Leadwort Plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides,  lend a sprinkling of blue in my gardens.

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I planted four-inch pots of these several years ago and they’ve been slow to develop and spread.  I think this will be their year.

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I’ve grown another ground cover,  Pink Skullcap, Scutellaria suffrutescens, for several years as well.

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A hardy, evergreen perennial, it’s unknown whether this plant is a native to Texas.   It’s a great perennial in my gardens though as it sports its bright fuchsia blooms throughout our long, hot summers.

The native shrub Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii,  is a staple in my gardens.

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There are a variety of bloom colors for this perennial shrub, but the red is a favorite of mine–and of the hummingbirds as well.

The spring and early summer blooms of  Zexmenia, Wedelia texana and Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, continue showing off–both have a long bloom cycles.

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Another beautiful red-flowering perennial is the Rock Penstemon, Penstemon baccharifolius. 

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There are several types of penstemons in my gardens, but the Rock is the only summer flowering penstemon that I grow.

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The Mexican Honeysuckle, Justicia spicigera, died completely to the ground this past winter, but is resilient in foliage growth and blooms.

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Finally, there’s nothing that shouts “summer!” like the common sunflower.

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I don’t know which one this is and I don’t care.  It grows from the sunflower seeds that I feed the birds throughout the growing season. As I’m weeding up the seemingly millions of spring seedlings in my pathways,  I  curse myself for setting out the sunflower seeds,

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but I’m always glad that I allow a few seedlings to mature.  Pollinators like the flowers and finches like the seeds.

Happy June Blooms! Pop over to May Dreams Gardens to see what gardeners around the world have blooming in their gardens.