Wednesday at the Farm August 31, 2022

 

This is my butterfly weed, but I haven't seen any Monarchs in a long time.  Last summer I had so many Monarchs in the garden.  It was very entertaining.  This year weather has played a huge role in their absence.

Last day of August.  I won't miss that month.  

• Fortunately it rained yesterday.  There was a half inch in the rain gauge.  I was thinking there would be much more because it looked like a downpour was getting us on the weather app.
• Some of the daylilies that I planted last spring are emerging, refreshed from the weather relief.  I don't expect blooms, but I'm glad to see at least some of them survived the drought. The greenery disappeared immediately due to the dry conditions, and I wasn't sure if they died or if they went dormant. 
• During the lunch hour I sowed Polar Bear zinnia seeds (white) throughout the Rose Garden.  
• Almost all of the Nasturtiums have emerged.  Yay. 
• I walked around the Star Garden, the Water Garden and the Rose Garden. 
• I also sowed white zinnias in the White Garden.  
• The zinnias should bloom in the fall and give me a good show.  The Heavenly Blue morning glories will be blooming soon.  And the perennial ageratum is in bud.  My red leaved celosia will be in bloom soon as well as the sunflowers I sowed.  The Mexican sunflowers will begin blooming soon.  It's time for fall.  The cannas, salvias, lantanas, gomphrenas, roses, and all the other summer flowers will still be blooming.  Fall is always beautiful.
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More Luffa Pictures August 31, 2022

 

Below, the interesting flower pods are female flower buds.

Below, this is a male flower.  There is only one flower on a slightly enlarged stem which will become the luffa gourd. 

Below, a luffa gourd a bit further along in its growth.  They get a lot thicker and about 12 inches long.

Weekend at the Farm August 26 - 29, 2022

 

This is a Candida rain lily that popped up amongst the Artemisia in the Water Garden.

For the first time in a while Bert and I drove up together in the same car.  We got here early Friday morning and I worked from the farm on Friday.  Took Monday as vacation.

• Friday I did nothing except work. 
• I did stake one plant and move a sprinkler or two.
• Saturday.  Up before daylight.  Outside at first light.
• I worked in the Rose Garden working toward perfection.  I spent time in about half the beds in that garden.  I troweled-out dayflower one at a time trying to get the long, thick, tenacious roots.  I raked the paths everywhere I worked.  And I watered one bed at a time.  I cut away plants, mostly basil, that was crowding my roses and Fruity Pebbles lantanas. I did some more fertilizing.
• I dug a hole in the Rose Edge Border and filled it with water many times throughout the morning.  Planted a Witch Hazel tree.  I have 2, but I'm not sure where I am going to plant the other one.  Witch Hazel is a winter-blooming small tree / large shrub.  The flowers are spidery and yellow.  It can also be used medicinally, and it is one of the few natural remedies that are approved by the FDA.  The leaves and bark can be used to make compresses and tinctures to ease swelling, itching, sunburn, hemorrhoids, and abrasions.
• Took a nap for 3 hours.  I couldn't believe I slept that long!
• I went back outside to do more watering in the Rose Garden.  I pulled up dayflower in more beds.  I cut down dead oregano ground cover.  It might not be dead, it may spring up somewhere.  I deadheaded basil.  I could make that a full time job because I have so much basil in the Rose Garden. Deadheaded roses.  Deadheaded salvia.  
• I finished clearing out the Hot Border.  All the Giant Rudbeckia is coming back.  I cut down the dry stalks and pulled out the dead vegetation.  I spread the seed. Watered my Texas Kidneywood and my new Senna really well.
• Sunday.  Up before daylight.  Outside at first light.  
• I worked in the Rose Garden for a couple of hours.  I worked on cleaning out the other beds of the tenacious dayflower.  I cut several salvias to the ground.  Cut some plants away that were growing in paths.  Did more raking.  Watered here and there.  Since I recently fertilized I'm trying to dissolve the fertilizer.  I cut to the ground all the Heliopsis in the Carefree Beauty bed.  Spread the seed around.  I pulled up the last of the chicken wire in the Rose Garden that was protecting the wild area. I dug up the 2 dead Ballerina roses in the front boxes.  Next weekend I plan to bring up some compost and plant 2 new Ballerina roses.  
• Next to the Star Garden.  
• I spent quite a bit of time in the Dining Room bed.  I cut down phlox stems.  Pulled weeds.  I cut to the ground all the wild petunia that I saw.  Cleared out dried up iris fronds.  
• In other beds I cleaned up the dried debris around my Giant Rudbeckia plants.  Cut to the ground wild petunia as I came across it.  I staked the Pringle aster.  Cut away plants crowding plants I like more.  
• I cut down a huge Autumn Sage Hotlips.  I've had it for many years.  It looks completely dead, but before I dig it out I'd like to see if it will green up from the roots.  It should be drought tolerant, and all the plants around it are fine.  
• The Tall Wine Cup is already popping up in the Rose Garden.  It made such a pretty display last year.  I loved it. 
• Inside for the hot part of the day.  Then into town for some grocery shopping.  I'm on a plum kick.  I can't get enough of them!  Baked banana bread.  
• Outside to do some watering in the Water Garden and the Rose Garden.  Everything looks really good, very neat.  The temperature was pleasant.  
• Sprayed herbicide in the Star Garden paths.  
• Monday.  Up before daylight.  Outside at first light.
• I went out to the Vegetable Garden.
• I cleared as much of the weeds in the big asparagus bed that I could reach between and around the fence barriers we have surrounding the bed.  It was that ground cover weed that will carpet an area when the conditions are moist. I weeded amongst the field peas.  I sprinkled baking soda on the algae.  It's working, but it doesn't work completely after the first application.   I cleaned up the stakes and cages that were lying scattered on the ground.  I knocked them all over when I was trying to kill the Muscadine grape vine on the fence.  I pulled weeds in the paths if they were tall.  I cleaned out all the buckets in preparation for seeding.  I'll have to do that again, but if I didn't do it the weeds would have time to seed.  I trimmed back the arugula that was spilling over the sides of the bed.  Threw it in the compost pile.  Sprayed herbicide in the paths.  I'm using organic methods on the algae, but I can't get out of the habit of my Roundup.
• Rocky was attacked by something last night.  He can't hold his bladder anymore, so he has to go out at night.  Blind and deaf, he ran into some animal.  He survived, so maybe he got the better of them??  I don't see any solution except to put him down.  He doesn't feel well.  Diabetes, etc.  He's suffered long enough.  He's been a great dog.  A great, great dog.
• I worked in the Medicine Garden pulling up the groundcover weed, raking, picking up sticks and twigs.  I cut back all the dead branches on the Strawberry Bush.  It's still alive and will bounce back fine, but it suffered in the drought.  I see the Bears Breeches is coming up.  I wasn't sure if it died, but it's back.  That's good, I love big-leaved plants.  I cut away some Turks Cap leaning into the path.  
• Dragged hoses around.
• I fed the bees again.

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Pop Ups August 26, 2022

 Oxblood Lilies, Hurricane Lilies and rain lilies are all popping up right now.

Late Blooming Boneset in the Rose Garden August 26, 2022

I noticed this plant some months ago in one of the beds in the Rose Garden.  It's just a chance seed that landed there.  This is native.  I decided to let it grow and bloom.  It gets tall, up to 6 feet.  It has been used through the ages as an herbal tea that basically heals everything:  bronchitis, joint pain, nasal inflammation, and also osteoporosis and other bone issues (as a compress because it increases blood flow around bones).  The flowers are just about to open, and I know the bees and butterflies will love it.  I have lots of it growing out in the Meadow normally, but the Meadow is a crispy desert right now because of the drought.

Wednesday at the Farm August 24, 2022

 

Red Celosia in the Rose Garden.

I took a vacation day and drove up for the day.  I just needed to get my hands in the dirt.

• I tried as hard as I could to clean up only the big chunks - plants leaning into paths, plants that have fallen over, gigantic weeds, etc.  It's hard to do that because I will suddenly realize that I've spent an hour cleaning out one little area and then - it's an hour gone.  
• What a difference a weeks makes.  We have had some rain, I don't know how much, but it has also been cloudy which has really provided relief to my gardens.  There has been a whoosh of growth, and lots of things are blooming.  The pink and the red Oxblood lilies are popping up.  The Hurricane lilies are coming up.  Most of my roses are blooming.  The Gomphrena, Celosia, and Turnera are very pretty in the Rose Garden.  The cannas are all in bloom. Butterflies are fluttering here and there.
• I planted a Huisache at the top of the Long Border.  It stays pretty dry there, so I finally decided to put a drought tolerant little native tree / shrub there.  It is a fierce little tree with long thorns and yellow fluffy round flowers in the spring.  It is out of the way of all paths, so the thorns should not be a problem.  
• I planted a Texas Kidneywood in the Water Garden.  It blooms white flowers, not profusely, but the scent is amazing.  It will fill the garden with a wonderful smell when it's in bloom, and the leaves are very pretty and lacy.  
• I planted a little Senna tree in the Hot Border.  Now I will have yellow flowers in the spring with my Retama which is planted nearby and yellow flowers in the fall with my Senna.  Senna is a small, short-lived tree, but it sets seed that sprout pretty easily. 
• I planted a tiny Red Buckeye in the Star Garden in the bed where the Harlequin Glorybower used to be.  When one of the people at Buchanan's saw it in my cart they told me that it was a slow grower.  That's okay.  I'm very patient.  I garden in decades, not seasons.  
• I worked in the Rose Garden for some hours pulling up basil growing in paths, pulling big weeds, getting rid of dayflower (it is in bloom, I don't want it to set seed).  I fertilized most of my roses.  I watered here and there.  Moved my sprinklers around.
• Next I worked in the Star Garden.  I pulled weeds.  I cut plants away from my Passalong Pink verbena that were crowding it.  I cut away dead branches off my Snowball Viburnum - it suffered greatly in this drought.  I cleaned out the Dining Room bed for a bit.  I cut down some red cannas that had fallen over.  I thinned out the zinnia seedlings.  I sprinkled baking soda on the Nostoc algae.  Baking soda is working, but I'm not sure it's cost-effective.  
• I finally planted the little tree that Debra gave me last year.  I have had it in the Vegetable Garden in a little pot all last winter and all summer.  I finally put it in the ground.  Unfortunately I had to cut the tenacious roots that had grown out of the bottom of the pot and into the ground.  And then when I took it out of the pot the soil just fell apart.  Well, it's a little native Acacia of some variety, and I am hoping it will survive.  I put a sprinkler on it to give it a little encouragement.  I planted it in a sunny spot in the Greenhouse Gardens.
• I worked in the Water Garden for a bit.  I cut away morning glory vine that was crawling over plants.  But other than planting the Kidneywood and pulling a few weeds, that garden is in really good shape. 
• In the Vegetable Garden I cut away sugar cane that had fallen over.  
• In the Hot Border, in addition to planting my Senna I cut away dead stalks of Giant Rudbeckia.  They all look dead without a bit of green growth, but I don't think they are dead.  We'll see soon enough.  
• Put all my tools away and headed home. 

Passalong Pink Verbena August 24, 2022

 I bought this verbena at The Arbor Gate.  It has hung on really well during this very dry summer.  It does not seem to be susceptible to spider mites.  With the exception of Colonial White, Passalong Pink, and to a lesser extent Homestead Purple, verbenas are never blooming here in August. 

Luffa August 24, 2022

 This Luffa vine popped up in the front bed from some random seed that accidentally got into the flowerbed last year.  It's in full bloom right now, so I hate to pull it up even though it is totally in the way.

A Tree for My Granddaughter August 20, 2022

 My granddaughter and I planted this Parsley Hawthorn (Crataegus marshalli) together.  It will grow to about 25 feet (if I can keep it alive!).  It is native.  Dainty white flowers in the spring followed by edible red berries and beautiful bark and leaves that look like parsley make this a very special tree.  Bert will afix the sign to a post and place it next to the tree.

Day at the Farm August 21, 2022

Drove up on Saturday afternoon with Koy and spent the night.  Cleo, Josh and Amy were having a special day just with Cleo before she starts her first day of school.

• Koy and I planted a Parsley Hawthorn together.  This is a small native tree that grows to about 20 feet at its tallest.  It has pretty white flowers in the spring and makes red edible berries.  I will put a plaque under it to mark the occasion of her 7th birthday which is just around the corner.
• I fed the bees.
• It rained - not much, but it kept me from running around madly trying to water.  
• I sowed a bunch of Nasturtiums in the Vegetable Garden.  The seeds were from 2020, so I thought I'd better go ahead and use them.  The flowers and leaves of Nasturtiums are edible.  They should have plenty of time to bloom before the first frost.  
• My field pea cover crop is thriving. 
• All is right with the world.
• Koy and I left about 2:00 on Sunday. 

Day at the Farm August 10, 2022

 

I drove up on my work from home Wednesday and worked from the farm.

• My field pea cover crop is already popping up from the ground.  Adorable.
• I watered my little Two Winged Silverbell tree and took a close look at it.  It has dropped most of its leaves due to the dry conditions, but it is alive and about to put out some new leaves.  That is excellent. 
• In fact, I see flushes of growth here and there throughout the gardens.  The shorter days and longer nights are beginning to show results.  Yes, it is just as hot during the day, but there is less of it.  We are so close to the end of the hard Texas days.
• Bilski was here in the morning fixing the well.  The water pressure was weak.  They pulled the well cover off and pulled all the pipes up, fixed the pump and pressure gauge, added some chlorine and put it all back together.  I can tell a difference in the sprinkler system in the Star Garden.  I didn't check any of the other sprinklers due to time constraint

Weekend at the Farm August 5 - 7, 2022

 

Drove up Friday morning and worked from here.  Bert was already here.  

• We are dog sitting Mijo for Jess and Nathan while they go to her grandmother's funeral in California.
• Several of my sunflowers have popped up that I sowed 10 days ago or so.
• Watered along the Boardwalk where the sprinkler system is broken.
• Saturday.  I worked in the Vegetable Garden all morning from seven until noon.
• Weeded.
• I pulled up all the amaranth and threw all the seed heads behind the garden.  With decent rain next spring I should get lots of volunteers. 
• I cut back floppy celosia and tossed the seed heads into various beds in the Rose Garden.  I did that last year too, and I have celosia blooming in the Rose Garden this year.
•  I worked the bed to loosen the soil and sowed my field pea cover crop in the 32 x 4 bed in the Vegetable Garden.  Dragged the hose over there to water because the sprinkler system doesn't hit it.
• I worked the beds and sowed field peas in several other places through the garden.  I still have some left, but I don't exactly remember where I sowed all my sunflowers, so I put a pause on that chore.
• Spent some time in the large asparagus bed weeding.  Asparagus doesn't like crowding, so I try to be vigilant about keeping my asparagus beds really clean.
• I spent some time behind the garden where castor and Four O'Clocks are usually flourishing at this time of year.  I pulled up the old canes from last year.  I left the new castor even though the stalks are leafless and dry.  I cut down all the withered Four O'Clocks (I don't like them much).  I chopped away at the male grapevine growing along the fence.  
• Hauled all my debris to an erosion spot and dumped it.
• Helped Bert clean up the mess from a big dead limb in the Medicine Garden that he cut down.
• We got a little rain shower about 5:00 which was desperately needed.  It was enough to fill the rain buckets.
• I read online about the Nostoc algae that has invaded my decomposed granite paths over the years.  The literature suggests  applying a chlorothalonil or mancozeb based fungicide.  Or, an organic alternative is baking soda.  I used 2 half-boxes of baking soda that I had on hand and sprinkled it over several areas in the Vegetable Garden.  I will give that a try first, and if that isn't effective I will get a fungicide.
• Sunday.  Got outside about 8:00.
• I pulled up the rest of the Four O'Clocks behind the Vegetable Garden.  I guess because it's so dry, I am able to pull almost all of them up with the bulb (or tuber, whatever it's called).  I cut off the bulb and threw them in the fire pit.  Those things are hardy.  If I dump them in an erosion spot they will grow.
• Spent some time in the Water Garden.  I pruned my climbing rose (the name escapes me right this minute) and trained some canes across the goat wire fence.  I cut away dead verbena debris - there is a lot of it in this horrid summer drought.  Deadheaded Icecap rose.  Fertilized the 2 roses.
• Down to the Orchard.  I cut away dead canes in the 2 brambles nearest the entrance and one of the narrow beds .  Pulled up some patches of crabgrass.  Watered.  Raked.  
• I used my small electric hand saw and cut the male grape vine to the ground.  Poisoned the cut with Remedy and Diesel.
•  Watered my newly sowed (sown?) peas. 
• I made some sugar water for the bees and fed them.  They are definitely in distress, I wish I had fed them in July several times.  But I was in distress too.  The heat is, well, hot.
• Dumped the blackberry canes next to a trail.  
• Did some spot watering in the Rose Garden. 
• Arranged all my hoses in the Water Garden and the Rose Garden. 
• Sowed lots of Polar Bear zinnias in the Star Garden and the Rose Garden wherever the sprinklers will hit the soil. 
• Headed home about 5:00.  Bert stayed because we are having some major repairs done on the well. 
• It was a job well done weekend.   

Day at the Farm August 3, 2022

This is the tassel of an amaranth.

 I drove up Wednesday morning to drop Rocky off at the vet.  They are going to check his glucose levels related to his newly acquired diabetes, poor good dog.

• Worked.
• During lunch I sowed field peas in 3 places in the Vegetable Garden.  This is a cover crop, I will turn it under next month.  Peas are nitrogen-fixing, and when I turn them over it will condition the soil and nematodes don't like all that richness in the soil.  I'm determined to rid myself of nematodes the sensible way (I've tried various remedies - orange oil, crushed crab shells, elbon rye, and beneficial nematodes).  And the theory of the moment - my best estimate of the sensible way - is green manure and lots of it.  Peas don't like hot weather, but I just need them to sprout, they don't have to do much else.
• Watered here and there in the Star Garden.
• Watered a bit in the Rose Garden.
• Headed to Brenham at 5:00, picked up Rocky, then home.

August 2022

 

The sky is blue, the fields in view, 

All fading green and yellow.

Come, let us stray our gladsome way

And view the charms of Nature.

The rustling corn, the fruited thorn,

And every happy creature.

 - Robert Burns, Song Composed in August