A Tree for my Grand Daughter November 12, 2022

 This is a Summer Chocolate Silk tree.  I love the burgundy-colored pinnate leaves. 

A Tree for my Grandson August 20, 2022

This is a Huisache tree.  It's fierce because it has lots of thorns.  It also has beautiful pinnate leaves and wonderful smelling yellow puffball flowers that are very much loved by the bees. 

Pink a Boo Camellia November 26, 2022

 I finally got around to planting this camellia in my Camellia Garden.  I have In the Pink, Anacostia, Professor Sargent, and Junior Miss in there already.  I love these stately, evergreen, winter-blooming, frustratingly slow growers.  I had to move a clump of red Firespike over to another bed so that I could plant the camellia in that spot.  They grow slowly, but (if they make it) they take up a lot of room eventually.

Roses November 22, 2022

 Marie de Orleans

Gaye Hammond

Caldwell Pink

Madame Antoine Mari

Iceberg

Duchess de Brabant

Weekend at the Farm November 18 - 20, 2022

 

I was going to work on Friday from the farm, but I forgot my computer at work.  I guess I walked off and left it on my desk.  I didn't know it wasn't in my bag until I got to Burton.  So I took the day as vacation.

We have already had a freeze, but it was a brief one because some plants are freeze damaged and some are still fine.  I won't get any green beans this fall.  I knew I planted them late, and if we had an early freeze I'd get no beans.  And that's exactly what happened.  The time got away from me, and I didn't plant them early enough. 

I spent the whole day cutting back perennials and pulling up annuals in the Star Garden and the Rose Garden.  I don't cut back the freeze-dead debris off of perennials that I really value.  It helps insulate the plant from hard freezes.  But for salvias, I won't miss them if I lose some (and I doubt I will).  I pulled up almost all the gomphrena and cut a bunch of the seed heads off onto a cookie sheet to dry.  That's not really necessary.  I could just throw them into the flowerbeds and they would germinate in the spring.  I still might do that.

I sowed seed in most of the places I cleared out.  I sowed Johnny Jump Ups, Ox Eyes, California Poppies, a package of pom pom poppies, dill and parsley.  Dill and parsley like cold weather, and they will be great larval food for butterflies in the spring.  Everywhere I sow seeds I stick a bamboo stake in the ground, or I forget where I sowed seeds.  That is a new idea, I have never marked my seed beds before, and it's a very good likelihood that, in the past, I have re-sown many seed beds.

All the Mexican sunflowers were killed by the freeze.  I got so much enjoyment out of them this year.  I spent time pulling some of them up.  Many more to go.  The trunks of Mexican sunflowers can get 3 fingers thick, so it's a chore.  

Saturday.  Cold and rainy all day.  It never poured but it never stopped lightly raining all day.  

I drove to the Antique Rose Emporium with my neighbor Amy.  I bought a polyantha rose called Sweet Pea, 2 packets of larkspur and a packet of poppies.  The man there said we had been the only customers all day - not surprising since we were shopping in the rain.  Sweet Pea rose is perfect as a container rose which makes it perfect for me since I am only growing my new roses in feed buckets.

I did nothing else all day, too rainy to be fun.  Sometimes I work in the rain, but the rain was too steady.

Sunday.  The day started cold and sunny.  I had Bert drill holes in the bottom of 2 feed buckets so that I could plant my new rose and move a few roses.  I filled the buckets with potting soil, a bag of mushroom compost and some of my compost.  I planted Sweet Pea rose in one of the buckets.  My daughter in law, Amy, gave me 3 Kordes miniature roses a couple of years ago.  I planted them in the Star Garden, but I planted them in a terrible spot.  The Mexican Turks Cap, Mexican salvia and butterfly weed soon over-shadowed the poor things.  So I dug all 3 up and planted them in one of the feed buckets.  Not sure I did them any favors since I  crammed them all together, but at least the will get some direct sun.  

I raked pine needles in my good spot next to the Rose Garden and mulched Enchantress, Sweet Pea and a few of my other roses in pots.  

I spent time cutting down the salvia in the Noisette bed and cleaning out around the Noisette.  There is a certain weed that starts growing in the late fall around that rose, so I scraped it all away (which is easy when the weed is still small) and mulched around the rose with a thick layer of pine needles.  

I used my little electric saw to cut down two thick Mexican Sunflower trunks and some old rose canes.  

I roughed up the soil in the Noisette bed with a shovel and spread Johnny Jump Ups, California Poppies, blue Larkspur and some purple poppies.

I cleared out another area in the bed that encircles the old dead tree and spread some California Poppies and Johnny Jump Ups.  

And I spread some Larkspur and Johnny Jump Ups in the Ducher bed. 

I did a little raking in the Rose Garden, not much.  

We caught 2 mice in traps in the laundry room.  I left a door unlocked when I was here last, and it blew open while we were gone. It's possible the door was open for several days.  Some mice got in - they chewed a hole through a bag of Lays potato chips.  Gross.  But I think that's all - no raccoons and hopefully no snakes since it was cold. We have set out more traps to see if there are more mice, but I have a feeling we got them all.

Cleaned up all my equipment and headed home. 

  

Day at the Farm November 9, 2022

 

Duchess de Brabant.

Iceberg rose.

This is Valentine rose.

Drove up for the day and worked from the farm.

The roses are loaded with buds.  Roses love this Texas fall weather.

I deadheaded Mexican sunflowers.  They are extremely floriferous.  So pretty.  Staying on top of the deadheading has really helped them stay standing.  

I stopped at Home Depot on the way to the farm and bought some bags of potting soil. I used the potting soil and some mushroom compost and planted 2 True Passion roses in feed buckets.  They have deep orange blooms.

Watered in the Rose Garden.  The water has been turned off since Saturday when I was here last.

I laid down ant poison in the back where there are well-worn ant trails weaving back and forth.  And I put ant poison on some active entrances in the Orchard.

Sprayed the roses for blackspot.

White Butterfly Ginger November 9, 2022

 My ginger is in full bloom, but it seems like the foliage is beginning its decline into dormancy.  I cut some of the blooms, brought them inside and put them in a vase.  They have a wonderful smell.  One of my favorites.

Giant Mexican Turk's Cap November 9, 2022

 Mexican Turk's Cap is a fall bloomer.  The other varieties of Turk's Cap I have bloom all summer and through fall.  The flowers are much bigger on the Mexican than on the other varieties.  I have mine growing in an area where it gets a little protection from full sun, I'd call it part shade.  

Red Fire Spike November 9, 2022

 Fire Spike is a shade perennial.  As soon as it finishes blooming I'm going to dig it up and move it.  I bought a new camellia that will need a lot of room (someday - they are very slow growers).  So I'm going to put my new Pink-a-Boo camellia in this spot.

Trailing Purple Lantana November 9, 2022

 This is a little hedge about 10 feet long of trailing lantana.  It is in the Rose Garden.  

White Mist Flower November 9, 2022

 I often see this sold as Fragrant Mist Flower.  This white variety has a very strong smell, but it's kind of a not very good smell in my opinion.  However the insects love it.  I have this growing in shade and in full sun.  It performs better in full sun, but it will bloom in shade.  This variety throws off seed, but it is not nearly as aggressive as the blue mist flower. 

Morning Glories November 9, 2022

 One more look at my pretty morning glories.

Pretty Flower Bed November 5, 2022

 Same area, different angles.  White salvia, blue salvia, purple gomphrena, Country Girl mums, Heliopsis, butterfly weed, celosia, Giant Rudbeckia, Mexican Mint Marigold, perennial ageratum, zinnias.

Day at the Farm November 5, 2022

 Monarchs on blue mist flower.

Drove up Saturday morning for the day.  Bert was hunting.  Watched the Astros in the World Series with Mom, Dad and Nancy and Lisa on Saturday night.

I planted 3 Russian Sage in the center area of the Star Garden.  It stays pretty dry in that area which suits sages very well.  Russian Sage has white foliage which I thought would look very pretty with the low-growing Artemesia that I planted near there a couple of weeks ago.  Russian Sage is a sub-shrub.  If it takes off it should be very attractive with its lavender flower spikes.  I have bad luck getting plants to grow there, my hope is because it is so dry, these plants will be perfect there.  

I planted a Summer Chocolate Silk tree which I will dedicate to my granddaughter Zelda.  They will be here next weekend, and I have a plaque ready with her name and the date.

I planted 2 Ballerina roses in the rose boxes attached to the arbor in the Rose Garden.  I filled them with mushroom compost last week in preparation for planting and I added some more compost today.  I also planted an Enchantress rose in one of my feed buckets.  I had some pentas in that pot, so I pulled them up.  I saw armadillo activity in there and walked around the garden until I found 2 entrance holes.  I hammered down some stakes on the wire fencing to close the holes.

I cleared out the front flower bed of ageratum before it went to seed.  And I pulled away all the luffa vine from the fence.  I brought 13 huge luffa gourds into the house to dry out.  Did some general clean up in the bed once that mess was gone.  And I sowed seed:  Cornclockle, yellow yarrow, Larkspur, and California poppies.

Yellow Flame Acanthus November 5, 2022

 I think this is Benny's Gold Flame Acanthus, a selection from Benny Simpson.  It has been really showy this fall.  I bought two tiny little plants in the early part of the summer.  This one is doing better than the other one, but they have gotten pretty big.  Acanthus will get large and spread if you let it.  You have to keep an eye on it, or you will look up one day and the only thing you have in your garden is Flame Acanthus.

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories November 5, 2022

 Finally, some blooms.  I've waited all summer.