April 18 , 2023
Something Old, Something New
When I establish a narrowleaf globemallow ( Sphaeralcea angustifolia ) last November , it was a raw - to - me that I had to try when I spot it at the Wildflower Center ’s plant sale . Big selling point : It accepts my remains dirt and part shade . Now top 2 ’ , I started with a small-scale plant that danced through frost and methamphetamine in this part tincture / late good afternoon sun island bed . piffling did I be intimate that Gulf penstemon ’s tubular lavender flowers would bloom in tandem bicycle with narrowleaf ’s sick pink cupped blossom to beseem any bee ’s fancy . ( By the means , make your reservation now for theWildflower ’s Spring Plant Salewhich locomote through May 7.)A few months ago , I added a tailwort transplant since I ’ve had no circumstances with seeds ( give thanks you , squirrels , atmospheric condition , and manipulator misplay ! ) . aboriginal zexmenia flanks it , soon to be covered in golden xanthous prime . Old - timekeeper bearded irises frame one side , passed along from propagation of gardeners before someone pass me a bag of rootstalk . I have n’t harvested borage flowers for salads yet , or enthrone in its various healthful properties , except for one that ’s especially valuable to me : captivation and awe for its intricate smasher . The bee are n’t that soupy — they just speed to the flowers to chow down . plant for me . For weeks now , the spuria iris crew throws a daily buffet for enthusiastic wasps , flies , and other pollinators . An athletic fly appears to have pollen on one foot!These stately pass - alongs thrive in my clay soil in various sunlight atmospheric condition : morning or evening lightness or a little of both , but they do need some sun for best unfolding . Their leaves will brown up in a few month when I ’ll chop them to the priming . They ’ll pop up again in late fall / former wintertime . There are many colour , mostly sourced online . Vivid magenta popping in to assert its tower of flush on convoluted gladiolus . Another old - timer pass - along , I ’ve part its corm from a sunny daub in the island layer to frame an arbor near the spuria . cheery - chicken Jerusalem salvia bloom beyond . One of my first pass - alongs was a Louisiana iris from Don Freeman , a wise man to so many throughZilker Botanical Garden . Demure lavender and yellowed suit this calm , shady / some sunshine nook where aboriginal Indian currant colonizes beyond and purple center ( Tradescantia pallida ) weaves along its feet . Salvia ‘ Indigo Spires ’ peeks in at the right field . Now , how about groundcovers ? Texas frogfruit ( Phyla nodiflora ) stands up to sun , part shade , all kinds of soil , and yes — weak foundation traffic . Tidy and tiny , clip its rambling stanch to achieve this flagstone appealingness in a garden we visit recently . Butterflies head to its teensy blank flowers from springtime to shine . Without a question , evergreen native snake herbaceous plant is my all - metre favourite to embrace the soil without a fuss in sun , shadowiness , drought , photoflood , and freeze . indisputable , intense freeze take it to the land , but it cod fast , flummox to about 8 - 12″ tall in some areas , light in others . you’re able to snip it if you wish , but I do n’t . This calendar week it favour pocket-size pollinators with almost close little lilac blossom , but you’re able to bet they find them . No , it does not attract snakes!If the common name worries you , enwrap your clapper around its botanic one : Dyschoriste linearis ! Yowsers ; I ’ll go with serpent herb . CTG ’s on the route quite a bit these days and new stories are coming up before long ! Walking into Austin PBS one day , triumph in the drizzle , I stopped to admire this drouth bad ensemble : wintertime - discolour muhly grass , evergreen sedges , and beyond , aboriginal four - nerve daisy blooming to feed pollinator . Low maintenance and twelvemonth - round attraction .
gravid outcome coming up!April 22 : 1 - 4 p.m. Central Texas Plant People Plant Swap at Tillery Street Plant CompanyMay 6 : 10 – 4 p.m. American Botanical CouncilHerb talks , tours , plant sale
Thanks for turn back by ! Linda
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