My New Trellis June 25, 2017

My husband took an old, rusted cattle gate and set it on its side to use as a trellis.  I'm training my hops vines to climb it.  Behind it you can just see a small, dead tree.  It's the second Mayhaw that I've managed to kill.  I won't try a third time.  



Gingers June 25, 2017

We are starting to come into the ginger bloom season.  The first ones to bloom are this unknown variety below.  I can't even remember how I came into possession of this fine bloomer, but I'm lucky to have it.





Below, this is a big stand of the ginger that is in the picture above.  I have them growing in the Star Garden, the Infinity Garden and two places along the Boardwalk.  It spreads really quickly.

In the photo below are some of my white butterfly gingers.  They have a wonderful smell.  They are later bloomers, their blooms show up after the peach ones have stopped blooming.



Zinnias and Montbretia June 25, 2017

Mojito Colocasia June 25, 2017

It always takes a couple of warm months for the Mojotis to really get started.  They will get taller and fuller throughout the summer.  This is one of my favorite plants.  It's a very hardy elephant ear.  Some of the fancy elephant ears get smaller and more insignificant with each passing year - not so with this variety.  I've grown many varieties, this is the best of the ones I've grown.

New Growth in my Post Oak Savannah Project June 25, 2017

Lots of plants are coming up in my new meadow.  I recognize a few things, but mostly I don't know what the plants are called, and I don't know if I should discourage their growth.  Lots to learn!  Saturday morning I walked the area and sprayed herbicide on the crab grass.  That will be a constant effort - at least for a while.

Below, that is Poke Salad.  There is a lot of it coming up.  It loves the sandy soil.

Below, this is a vine. I'm wondering if it is the wild morning glory - as often as I have looked at the morning glory I haven't actually really, really noticed the leaf shape.  I'll keep an eye out for it to see if the plant in the picture is morning glory.  I have lots of this as well.

 Below, I only have one of these plants coming up.  It's pretty, don't know what it is.

 Below two picture - I see this all over the place, don't know the name of it.

 The below two pictures - I don't know the names of the plant, but it's common around the property.

 Below, I think this is a vine?? but no tendrils yet.

 The two picture below are interesting.  I have never seen a plant like this around the place.  I'm kind of wondering if it's a tree.

 Below, this is a vine, don't know the name of it.

 Below, this is a vine as well - passion vine maybe?

 Below, this is a baby Beautyberry.  This grows all over our place.

The two photos below, this is some sort of sunflower.  I have many, many varieties of sunflower growing on the property.

 The two pictures below - don't know the plant, but the leaves are pretty, sort of rounded.

Below, this is a ground cover weed.  It stays completely flat to the ground.  I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.  Is a good shade-provider or will it crowd other plants out that are more desirable?  Not sure.

Butterfly Weed - A Garden Essential June 23, 2017

Every garden should have some butterfly weed.  The Monarch butterfly population is struggling, and this is the only food they lay their eggs on.  Butterfly Weed will re-seed, their long narrow pods will burst open and new plants will spring up (often in places where you don't want them, but luckily they transplant readily).  

Red Shrimp Plant June 26, 2017

How bright and cheerful my shrimp plant looked this weekend!  This all started from a few cuttings that I took from the old house on Nixon Lake Road.

Spider Flower June 24, 2017

There are a lot of names for this plant, I call it Spider Flower.  I dug up the bulbs from the old house on Nixon Lake Road.  My original few bulbs have become a very nice clump.

Weekend at the Farm June 23 - 24, 2017

These are Jacob Cline Bee Balm.

I arrived Friday morning. I left on Saturday about 2:30 to babysit Koy and Cleo.  Brunch at M&D's for Amy's birthday on Sunday.

• Friday I loaded the cadet with the mulch that Bluebonnet Electric dumped at the front of the fence at the cul-de-sac.  I decided the quality was not good enough for my flowerbeds, so I decided to mulch the Daffodil Border with it.  I sprayed the weeds with herbicide and dumped the mulch on top.  I will do it in small sections because it's already too hot to work for hours at a time shoveling mulch.  
• I put on the bee suit and went down to the hive to see how the honey is looking.  There's lots of honey, so next weeken d I'm going to harvest.  Sunday, just for good measure, I put on the bee suit again and filled up the feeder with sugar water.
• I watered in the Rose Garden most of the day, and I watered in the Star Garden for part of the day.
• Weeded, weeded, weeded.
• I picked mustang grapes along the neighbor's fenceline and made grape jelly.
• Sprayed herbicide here and there.
• I walked around the cleared land spraying herbicide on the crab grass.  I don't want it to take hold.
• Picked lots of tomatoes.
• Sunday.  I was up really early, sat on the front porch with my coffee and watched the sun rise.  Listened to the birds waking up.
• I started working in the Vegetable Garden about seven.  I pulled weeds.  I deadheaded my sunflowers, anise hyssop, and zinnias.  Picked some more tomatoes.  Sowed some Juana's Orange Amaranth.  Basically just tidied up in there.  It started raining, but I was loving it - the temperature dropped and the rain was steady but light - I kept working.
• Next I went down to the Orchard and worked.  I pulled a lot of weeds, I had to do a lot of crawling around plants to get to the weeds, so it was time-consuming.  I deadheaded my zinnias and anise hyssop.  Cut away new blackberry growth that was leaning into paths.  There is lots of dead cane that needs to be cleaned up - I will tackle it next visit or the next one after that. I cut away a lot of grape vine that was touching the ground.  Basically just tidied up - about two hours.
• Spent some time weeding in the Star Garden.
• Sat on the porch with Bert for a long time watching the rain.
• Staked my Pringle Aster in the center bed of the Star Garden.
• Headed home about 2:30.

Montbretia June 23, 2017

These grow from small bulbs.  They are round and flat and hairy little bulbs.  They grow along little strings that spread underground.  Last year I dug up a bunch of them from a spot in the Star Garden where they were becoming a nuisance, and I moved them to various gardens. 

The Snake and the Vole June 23, 2017

I can't believe I caught something like this with my camera.  I assume that the snake chased the vole right out of the ground and caught it in the middle of the driveway.  I drove right by that spot on my way to my mulch pile, and I filled the cadet with mulch.  The road was empty at that time.  On my way back towards the house right in the middle of the road was this ball of something.  I drove closer to it, and I thought it was either a snake that I had run over or it was two snakes mating (I have seen that before and they writhe around each other).  When I got right up next to it I saw that there was something furry tangled up with the snake.  The snake was squeezing the vole to death in preparation for swallowing it.  Wow, I have never seen anything like it before!  I raced to the house for my camera, drove back and took these pictures.

 In the picture above and below you can see the snake's head and the vole's paw.

 

 In the picture below the snake is becoming aware of my presence, plus my little dog Sadie was sniffing around.

 The snake decided there was too much activity so he left his meal and slithered off.  The vole raced for cover, but I doubt he lived through the ordeal.