Red Firespike October 23, 2024

 In full bloom right now, so pretty.

 

At the Farm October 18 - 20, 2024

 This is second generation Cosmos.  I sowed some in the beginning of summer.  And I pulled them up once they got tired looking.  A whole new crop sprung up, and I have a second wave of gorgeous blooms from the seeds that dropped on the ground.

Busy October for plant-related activity.  The La Bahia plant sale was October 5.  And the next Saturday I attended the milkweed propagation demonstration at the NPSOT Symposium in New Braunfels.  

I planted 4 Frogfruit next to the Possumhaw, live oak seedling and grama grass at the edge of the Star Garden.  Ever since the linemen came and cut down the dead tree that was growing there, I've been trying to wrap my head around the fact that the area is sunny now.     

I cut yaupon and poisoned the tips in the area I am trying to convert to native that is next to the Greenhouse.

Cleared out the bed by the front arbor.  In the spring, it always gets covered by chickweed, so I am not going to seed the area.  

I worked in the shady parts of the Star Garden clearing, weeding and tending.  I spread lots of Philippine Lily seeds.

Planted a live oak sapling along the boardwalk.

I pulled up all the mistflower in the front bed and sowed the area with wildflower seed.  And I pulled up all the zinnias on the other side of that bed, roughed it up, and watered.  A couple of months ago I threw down zillions of coneflower seed in that area.  So, now that the zinnias and weeds are gone, it is prepped and ready to grow coneflower.  

Watered in the Greenhouse Garden all day on Saturday - so dry!

I began the milkweed propagation process by putting the milkweed seeds (that I got from the demonstration last weekend) into moistened vermiculite.  They will stay in the fridge in baggies of moist vermiculite for 6 weeks.  I'm kind of fired up about it.  That would be amazing if I could successfully grow milkweed.  It is notoriously hard to grow milkweed from seed.

I stayed outside working and wandering until darkness (and fear of snakes) drove me in to the house Saturday evening.  But before I went in, I watched the moths on the Almond Verbena shrub.  Constant activity here at the farm.

The Mexican sunflowers and Cosmos are a so entertaining to watch.  Butterflies by the hundreds are fluttering all around them.  And the white and blue mistflowers are waiting in the wings, just about to bud out. 

I tried to cut down some yaupons in the wooded area next to the Long Border, to open up the area and also to really showcase the loblolly pines that grow in that area.  I used a new electric saw to do it, but that was a total bummer.  The chain kept coming off.  Not happy about that.

Sunday.  I cleared out the remaining beds in the Vegetable Garden.  I raked pine needles in my good spot and laid them down over parts of the beds that I am not currently going to use.  I sowed turnips, parsnips and cilantro.  I sowed some pea seeds in one of the beds to use as green manure.  I will turn them under in a month or so.  So, lots accomplished in there.  At one point I was pulling weeds, and I picked up a copperhead IN MY HAND!  I thought I had a handful of weeds, then I felt movement, looked down at my hand and saw the snake.  Naturally I threw it down.  But I let it live.  I shooed it away - which is not easy with copperheads.  Their instinct is not to move at all, so prodding them mostly just makes them mad. 

Headed home about 3:00

  

At the Farm September 26 - 29, 2024

 

Wednesday.  Worked.

During lunch, I sowed Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover in a corner of the Rose Edge Border.  I marked the area with sticks so I would remember the spot.  I'm thinking about seeding the whole bed.  I haven't done that in some years because it's been taken over by Tall Winecup in the spring which is so pretty, why try to improve on something so successful and effortless.  

I also seeded another bed in the Rose Garden with Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover.  

Watered them both.  I'm planning to be here Wednesday through Sunday, so I can keep the seed beds moist while the seeds germinate.  This is the most critical time for success.  

After work, I sowed seeds in several more places.  Marked the spots with sticks.  I cleared out the Country Girl mum bed while I watered them in.  I seeded the Country Girl bed after I cleared it out.  I gathered some handfuls of mum runners that broke off while I cleared the bed.  I decided to pot up the ones with a little bit of root and see if they will take off.  I made 3 small pots and 2 gallon pots.

I cleared one of the big beds in the Vegetable Garden and sowed lettuce seeds  I used up the last of 3 different kinds of Bibb lettuces.  Lettuce seeds are small and don't have a long shelf life.  Better to use them up  

Outside to the Vegetable Garden.  I cleared out a 4 x 4 bed and sowed 4 rows of kale.  Watered it in and watered my lettuce seeds.  Keeping the soil moist until germination is important for lettuce. 

Next to the Rose Garden to water all my new seed beds.  I made 3 more seed beds of Moss Verbena at corners so that the flowers will spill out into paths.  I seeded some of the rose buckets with moss verbena as well.

Pruned the Noisette.  It's big, but the canes are scabby.  I really need to cut away some old canes to encourage new canes.   Maybe next winter.  But I pruned it quite a bit and cut away a lot of dead canes.  It would be great to get some late October and November blooms.

I pruned the Mlle Franziska Kruger and a couple of the Perl d'Or in the front bed.   

Friday.  Watered here and there while I worked.

During lunch I cleared a 4 x 4 bed in the Vegetable Garden and a bucket.  I sowed Cilantro in both.

After work I hand watered seed beds in the Rose Garden.  Just a little more babying and they can make it on their own.  Upfront work produces future results.  I'd love to get a good show.

I sat on the sofa for a long time watching the butterflies on the Bandana orange lantana.  It was quite a show.  So far I've grown many colors, and I  find the whole series to be stingy bloomers.  But it was very lovely today.

I ran into some poison ivy in the armadillo fence around the Paw Paw tree.  I immediately washed up as carefully as I could, changed clothes, threw away the gloves.  That took the wind out of my sails and I didn't do any more gardening that evening.

The butterflies are entertaining.  I saw a Variegated Fritillary yesterday.  First one this year.  And the Giant Swallowtails, the black and blue swallowtails, Zebra Longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, sulphurs, Hairstreaks, Long Tailed Skippers, the tiny skippers - they are all here this weekend.

Saturday.  Cool morning.  So pleasant.  I started in the Rose Garden.  I cleared out the wild corner and sowed Purple Prairie Clover and Rattlesnake Master.  Watered the area.

Finished clearing out most of the Rose Edge Border.  I sowed Prickly Poppy that Molly Glentzer gave me, Moss Verbena, Rattlesnake Master, Clasping Coneflower and Mexican Hat.  Watered the area.

I went down to the Orchard and did a bit of weeding, not much needed because of the heavy layer of pinebark mulch I put down.  I got the Orchard under control, now I am trying to maintain it with mulch.  It looks really pretty in there right now with ageratum and coneflowers and salvia blooming.  I am loving it, and only a few months ago, I was despairing that I would never get it back under control.  I scraped away some mulch in 4 or so spots and sowed Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover.  There are a lot of Tall Winecup and Brown Eyes seed in that garden, and they are going to want to take over in the spring.  So no sense in seeding too much.

I cleared out a 4 x 4 bed in the Vegetable Garden and sowed parsley seed.  I cleared out another space to sow dill, but I have none!  I'm so surprised that I didn't re-order when I ran out last fall.  

Worked the majority of the afternoon in shady locations in the garden.  Clearing, clearing, clearing.  Looks pretty to me!

Sunday.  Another cool morning.  

I sowed 2 packages of Calendula in the Vegetable Garden.  I cleared an 8 x 4 bed on Saturday.  I was going to plant dill there, but I ran across the calendula seeds in my seed box and decided to plant them

Frostweed September 29, 2024

 This is snakeroot and frostweed.  I am liking how this looks.  This is the wild area in the Star Garden.  I sowed a ton of frostweed seed last winter, so I have lots of it just about to bloom.  This is a good fall pollinator plant. And I like have big leaved plants in the garden.

Fruity Pebbles Lantana September 27, 2024

This is a fun plant.  It is growing in the Rose Garden.  After the flowers are pollinated, they create a cone-shaped cluster of purple berries / seeds. For me, the plant behaves like an annual.  But I get lots of plants the next season from all the seeds that drop.  

 

Weekend at the Farm September 19 - 22, 2024

 

Blue mist flower and yellow and orange Cosmos in my front flowerbed.

Bert and I drove up together on Thursday evening after work.  I spent a little time in Mom's Garden pulling up Louisiana artemisia and weeding.  I haven't spent any time in that garden for a long time.  I didn't water it one time the whole summer until I seeded it last week.  But it looks pretty good.  

Friday morning before work I went back out to Mom's Garden.  I filled up the water tank and fixed the fountain apparatus.  It's working again, and looks fine, not sure why it stopped working.  I finished weeding and I trimmed the Mdm Alfred Carierre rose.  I watered.  

Cleared out some basketgrass in the Greenhouse Garden.  Did some watering in the Greenhouse Garden.  While I was in there, I found the fourth Ninebark I bought at the beginning of the summer.  I planted it, and then I couldn't remember where I planted it.  I looked and looked.  I finally decided it must have died.  But there it is tucked under a sweetshrub.  Mystery solved at last.

After work I raked the Greenhouse Garden and Mom's Garden.  And I did some raking in the Rose Garden.  I walked along the elderberry trail and cut away elderberry and Turks Cap so that one can walk freely without brushing against anything

Saturday.  Up before daylight.  

Nelly went to the vet on Friday and was finally spayed.  She was still feeling punky on Saturday, poor thing.

I cleared paths in the Star Garden so they are mostly walkable now.  Pulled weeds.  Staked a few things.

I checked on the Orchard, pulled a few weeds while I was there.  The little salvia are blooming pink and red, so pretty in the early morning.  But they wither away by the time the sun comes out hard.

Everything looks pretty good. 

Did some cooking and prep work for my NPSOT volunteers.  We worked on plant sale activities from 1:00 - 5:00.  Signage, plant tags and laminating plant signs.

Sunday.  Up before daylight.

I planted 2 Bushy Lippia in the Rose Garden and one in the Orchard.  I bought them from Ann about a month ago, and I finally got around to planting them.  I was going to plant all three in the Rose Garden in a group, but I ran into a really thick peppervine vine.  I scraped it with my scissors and poisoned it with a drop of Remedy / diesel in my oil can. 

I spent all morning pruning my roses in buckets and my La Vesuve rose, fertilizing and watering.  Hopefully October and November will give me a good show.  I weeded here and there as I worked, poisoned vines, and watered beds.  

I sprinkled some baking soda on nostoc algae in the Orchard.  Either applying baking soda last year was a total success or the change in my watering schedule or a combination of both have really gotten rid of the problem.  This little patch of algae is the only one I have had this year.  It's an incredible transformation.  It was a real problem for years.  Now it is gone with this one exception.  Wow.

I weeded a bit in the Orchard. when I went down there to plant the Bushy Lippia.

I watered in the Greenhouse Gardens.    

I watered all my seed beds - two in the rose Garden and one in Mom's Garden.  

Sunday was a beautiful day.  I had a wonderful time working in the gardens.  

Headed home to Houston after the football game.

  

Velvet Leaf Senna September 18, 2024

 This is a current favorite of mine.  This came up from seed that I spread last year from a plant I purchased at Buchanan's.  I now have one growing in both arbor boxes in the Rose Garden, the wild corner in the Rose Garden, and 2 beds in the Rose Garden.  The mother plant did not come back.  It was a rough summer last year, perhaps that's the reason why.  

Below you can see the seed pods beginning to form.  

 

Weekend at the Farm September 13 - 15, 2024

 

I arrived mid afternoon on Friday.  Grandparents lunches with Koy and Cleo, then headed there.  Bert is in Groesbeck with his boys.  He joined me on Saturday.

Pretty hot when I got there, so I stayed inside for a bit.

I sowed Rattlesnake Master and Prairie Verbena seed in Mom's Garden.  It's just occurring to me that Rattlesnake Master might not be the best name for a plant in a garden dedicated to my mom, but it's white and structurally it is very unusual.  I watered it, and I can get 2 waterings in on Saturday and one on Sunday before I leave.  That should get them going.  I need a timer to really insure that they will germinate and thrive.  There has been no rain to speak of in August or September here, so everything is gasping that is not irrigated.  And Mom's Garden is not irrigated. 

Saturday.  The days have gotten so much shorter.  It's still dark outside at 7:00.  Drank coffee until it was light enough to go out and work.

I started in the Orchard.  I did some raking and cutting plants leaning into paths.  I deadheaded coneflower and spread the seed.  I weeded.  Poisoned the grass that spreads by stolons by cutting off the tops and putting a drop of poison on the cut.  That seems to be working to kill the stolons.  I'm keeping up with it, and the garden is under control.  It looks real pretty in fact, and the butterflies are numerous:  Julias, Zebra Longwings, Giant Swallowtails and Gulf Fritillaries.  The Julias and the Zebra Longwings are especially exciting to see.

I watered The Choctaw Pecan and the Mexican Sycamore.  Watered in the Rose Garden and Mom's Garden.  

Next I worked in the Shade Garden.  It is a garden that doesn't need work very often, sort of a self-cleaning garden.  But It really needed some work today.  I cut snakeroot and gingers away from paths.  I cleared out basketgrass.  I cut down yaupon and poisoned the tips.  Raked.  Still more to do in there.  But it's worlds better. 

Inside for a rest.

Sprayed vinegar in the Orchard, the Vegetable Garden, the Rose Garden and the Star Garden.

I watered the Rose Garden and worked in there as I watered.  

Water the seeds again that I sowed yesterday in Mom's Garden.

Picked up all my piles of debris in the Shade Garden.

Sunday morning took a walk with Bert and the dogs, then drove to Houston.  Koy, Cleo and I went to lunch at Birraporettis and then to see The Little Mermaid at the Houston Ballet.

Weekend at the Farm August 30 - 31, 2024

This is Joe Pye weed with a great big native bumble bee on it.

Friday.  Worked in Burton.  

I did some occasional weeding throughout the day. I staked an Augusta Duelberg that was leaning into a path.  I cleaned out the area surrounding my tuberosa butterfly weed.

During the lunch hour I met with the La Bahia Board members to plan for the plant swap.  That's really coming up soon!

I didn't do anything after work, I just really didn't feel like it.

Saturday.  The humidity was low and the temperature in the morning was pleasant.  The days are getting shorter, summer is coming to a close.  

I spent a couple of hours in the Orchard pulling weeds.  I'm making every effort to keep it from slipping back into a mess.  I spread Texas Orange Lantana throughout the beds.  I'd be okay with blue mist flower (the tall and the short varieties), the orange lantana,  blue salvia, swamp sunflower, and echinacea blooming throughout that garden along with the fruit.  As low maintenance as possible.  

I weeded in the Vegetable Garden.  If I don't get a move on I will miss my window to plant my fall garden.  But it won't get done this weekend.

I watered in the Rose Garden and the Greenhouse Gardens. 

Headed home about 2:00 to pick up Sam.  He's spending the night with me and we are going to an Astros game on Sunday. 

Porterweed August 28, 2024

 I chose this at a plant swap in March.  It was a tiny seedling.  Now it's about 5 feet tall.  This is a tough little plant, I accidentally pulled it up twice while I was weeding, and I just stuck it back in the ground.  It is still thriving.  I've always liked Porterweed, but I stopped buying it because it's not winter hardy.  It never occurred to me to let it re-seed.  So this has been a fun experience.  I was here on Sunday and I specifically noticed that it didn't have any blooms on it.  Now I'm here on Wednesday, and it has many blooms on it.  I guess it needed a little encouragement because we had a little rain here a few days ago. 

Time at the Farm August 21-25, 2024

 The Texas Onion in the Rose Garden looked pretty today. It has partially gone to seed, but still pretty.

I worked on Wednesday, and throughout the  morning I watered the Rose Garden.  

I pulled weeds in the Star Garden.  There is an area where I have a bit of a jungle.  The paths are completely covered up by Texas Vervain and wild ageratum.  I began clearing that area.

I pulled up some spent zinnias and sowed some more.  Watered them in.  I'm going to be here for possibly 5 days, so this is a good time to work on seeding because I can water them every day.

I collected some seeds from my Alamo vine to soak overnight.  Only 4 of the seeds I sowed last week came up.  Maybe I should be patient, but  just in case, I'm going to sow some more.

Thursday.  Sowed my Alamo vine seeds.  After work I spent time in the Star Garden.  I pulled up another patch of zinnias and sowed more seed.  Watered them in.  Weeded and watered.  

Friday.  After work, I worked outside until dark.  I cleaned out one of the front beds.  I planted some of the Passalong Pink verbena that I pulled up.  I trimmed back all the verbena inside the fence.  Weeded.  I cut back the Indigo Spires in that bed. 

I worked in the Water Garden for a long while.  It had really gone to weeds in one particular spot.  I pulled up all the weeds, had to use a tool because they were so big!  Cut back the Augusta Duelberg salvia.  Watered everything.  Cleared everything from around the white sage and Texas Kidneywood.  Cut away Sweet Autumn Clematis from the white althea.  Job well done.  

Saturday.  NPSOT had a lecture at the Brenham Library.  Lauren Simpson, Creating a Pollinator Paradise.  I baked muffins, coffeecake and brought little chicken salad sandwiches , tea and coffee. 

Lunch with some of the group then home for a nap.

I worked until dark weeding and watering in the Rose Garden.

Sunday.  I sprayed herbicide in the Orchard, Star and Rose gardens.

I took my oil can of herbicide and spent time in the Orchard cutting those grasses that grow by stolons and putting a drip of poison on the cuts.  Hoping the underground stuff dies.  That is a real problem down there.  It's in several beds.  

I pulled weeds in the corner of the Orchard.

I worked in the Star Garden cutting down Four O'Clocks and poisoning the tip.  I'd like to get rid of that problem for good.

Bert mowed the Daffodil Border and the Rose Edge Border.  That looks tons better.   

Deadheaded Texas Vervain. 

Headed home about noon so I have plenty of time to bathe those stinky dogs.  

Weekend at the Farm August 2 - 4, 2024

 

The Sweet Autumn Clematis in the Orchard is loaded with buds.  It smells wonderfully sweet.

On Friday I cut back the yellow lantana by the pool.  It loves where it's planted, it always looks beautiful.  But if I don't cut it back, it spreads across the pool deck and blocks the pathway.  

I did some deadheading on the Texas Vervain in the Star Garden.  

I started clearing out the Vegetable Garden.  It's choked with weeds again, but these summer weeds are easy to pull up, you can grab them by the handfuls and they will come up with the roots.  So it's quick work.  I cleared out the tall middle bed so that I can put down some plastic sheeting and put my plant sale plants there.  

I set up a little station under the arbor with a wheelbarrow of potting soil, my watering can, fertilizer, and one gallon pots.  I repotted a bunch of plants from four inch pots into gallon pots.  These are for the plant sale in October.  I fertilized all the plants for the sale with mycorrhizal fungi fertilizer.    I pulled them all out from under the arbor in the Vegetable Garden to look at them, fertilize them and prune them.  Job well done, I feel good about that because it was a bit of work.  I stayed outside until about 8:30 working.

Saturday.  Up early.

I went out to the Orchard to pick Muscadine grapes.  I got about a third of what I need to make jelly.  I will go out again tomorrow morning and pick some more.  And then next weekend, one more round of picking should get me enough to make jelly.  I haven't made Muscadine jelly in years.  But I was determined to do it this year.  They come ripe in August, and it's so hot in August that it's hard to get motivated to get out there and pick.  But this is a great summer.  I don't think we have had a 100 degree day so far.  

While I was down there I weeded the areas where I mulched over the last month.  I don't want to lose all that work, so I am keeping up with it as best I can.  I cleared out a few other areas, but unfortunately I don't have any mulch.  I don't like to clear out problem areas without being about to mulch afterwards.  I will check to see if my pine trees have begun to shed their needles.  That's great mulch.   

Next, I did some more weeding in the Vegetable Garden.  I picked peppers and cleared away weeds from my producing vegetables.  Right now I have eggplant and peppers in the garden.  

I laid plastic down on the middle bed of the Vegetable Garden and began moving my sale plants to sit on top of the plastic.  I'm not sure if that will be too much sun.  But, I will keep an eye on them.  I moved the shade plants back under the arbor in the Vegetable Garden.

Inside for the NPSOT quarterly Zoom meeting from 1:00 to 5:00 - very tedious.

I went back outside and worked until about 8:30.  I cleared basket grass out of beds in the Medicine Garden.  It was a creepy exercise since I'm deep into the beds in the early evening - that's snake time of day.  Cleared away weeds that were crowding my new dogwood tree.  I cut back a couple of Henna plants.  I pulled up some Hojo Santo that was spring up in the wrong place.  And I pulled up a bunch of elderberry.  Potted up several elderberry for the plant sale. 

Sunday.  Down to the Orchard to pick more grapes.  I did some weeding while I was down there.  There are only 3 bad places left to clear out down there.  I worked on several of them.  Sprayed vinegar on weeds growing in paths.  

Next, out to the Rose Garden to water and weed.  I also deadheaded my Texas Vervain and staked it in several places.  Sprayed vinegar herbicide in paths.  Thinned my zinnia seedlings. 

Pulled weeds for a bit in the Vegetable Garden. 

I cleared weeds out of my Mangaves around the pool.  I jumped in the pool to cool off, I don't do that very often.  

Cleaned up my tools and headed home. 

 

Unidentified Vervain Looked Pretty Today July 6, 2024

 My friend Connie gave me seeds of this vervain.  Maybe it is Texas Vervain, I don't know.  But it is very showy when it is in bloom.  It responds well to cutting back the spent flower heads, which are thick with seeds.  It will bloom pretty profusely all summer if you deadhead.  No worries on cutting away all the seeds before they ripen.  You will end the season with plenty of seeds to spread around.  It gets really big if you let it, so keep an eye out for it. 

A Good Year for Philippine Lilies July 6, 2024

 The lilies responded to all the wonderful rain we had in June and July.  I wish I'd taken more pictures because - what a wonderful year for the lilies!  Not every year is this special, and I was really fortunate to be here for a solid week during their peak.    Blooms in every garden, along the Boardwalk, in the Shade Garden, the Rose Garden, the Star Garden and especially the Orchard.  They love it down there.    

Cosmos July 6, 2024

 I've been working on my cosmos show for the past couple of years.  Last year I sowed a lot of seeds (pink and the yellow / orange combo).  This year, with the seeds that came back from last year and the seeds I planted this year, I have pretty show.   The yellow / orange variety performs much better for me than the pink ones.  The pink ones, with their thread-like leaves, are true-to-form, very delicate.  The yellow / orange have hardier foliage and seem stronger.