Spring Flower Seed Sowing

With the spring weather finally here, I was motivated to plant some annual flower seeds to brighten up my spring and summer garden, as well as to attract pollinators, butterflies, and to have some beautiful cut flowers.

Today in some seed cells I planted:

• Zinnia - Lilliput, Mixed Colors
• Zinnia - Giant, Violet Queen
• Zinnia - Purple Prince
• Marigold - Burpee's Best Mix

Earlier this week, I directly sowed the following annual flower seeds out in the garden:

• Alyssum - Royal Carpet
• Gomphrena - Strawberry Fields
• Sunflower - Vanilla Ice
• Sunflower - Autumn Beauty Mix
• Sunflower - Aztec Gold Hybrid
• Cosmos & zinnias - unknown varieties from Austin garden-blogging friend, Melissa, of Dirt & Wine.  Thanks, Mel!

I also got the following herb seeds planted in the ground or containers:

• Sweet Basil - Ocimum basilicum
• Oregano - Greek
• Tarragon - Russian
• Chamomile - German
• Bulbing Fennel - Trieste

Can't wait to see these beauties in the coming months and to constantly have fresh cut flowers in the house.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2015

Spring has sprung in my Zone 8b Central Texas garden.  The weather broke from cold and rainy days in the 30s-40s (our version of winter) to sunny days in the 70s and I'm lovin' it.

Relatively few plants are in bloom right now.  Most are still shaking off the winter chill, but here are some of the plants that are blooming in my garden right now:

The hyacinths are in full effect right now.  I planted a border of them in January after chilling the bulbs in the refrigerator for several weeks.  I'm not sure the chilling was necessary, since I've planted hyacinth bulbs other years, left them in the ground, and they still came back, but it apparently didn't hurt.

I'm not sure of the varieties, other than the mixed bag they came in said they were "shades of purple." Most look to be pink to me, with a few lavenders scattered in.  But, no matter.  They are beautiful and smell lovely.

The Erlicheer narcissus are also blooming away right now.  They were also new bulb additions to my garden last fall.  I'm definitely enjoying their first bloom season and looking forward to many more to come.

My Meyer lemon tree is still sitting indoors, as I haven't had a chance to move it outside after the freezing temperatures.  It has started blooming (five blooms at the moment), and since it is indoors and without pollinators, I've had to step in and do some hand pollination.  It is really quite easy - just use a cotton swab and get some of the pollen on the stamen.  It seems to be working, as I can see little lemon fruits start to appear.  I think these blooms have my favorite fragrance - nothing beats its floral citrus smell.

Back outdoors, the arugula is still blooming like crazy.  The bees are loving it, and since the ground has been too wet to plant any new spring veggies, I'm keeping the arugula in place and letting the insects enjoy the blooms for now.

I've shown the pansies before, but they have been going strong all winter, adding a burst of color to the otherwise blank courtyard.  And since they will most likely be nearing their seasonal end soon, I thought I'd showcase them one last time.

And finally, while not quite making it in time for this month's GBBD, I see the potential of other blooms around the garden, including other narcissus and daffodils, and even my first Blue Bonnets are well on their way to blooming!

Thanks to Carol over at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this garden meme each month!

Collard Wraps & This Week's Harvest

The winter greens are getting to the end of the season and starting to flower, so I've been trying to use up as much of what remains as possible while I still can.

I haven't consumed my collards in many ways this year, other than by juicing them.  Since I had a lot of salad and sandwich type of ingredients on hand, I decided to make some collard wraps.

I grabbed three large collard leaves from the garden, as well as some kale leaves and fresh cilantro from the garden for my wraps.

I de-ribbed (took off the stem) of the collards and kale, and then prepped other items to stuff inside my wrap: grape tomatoes, avocado, red pepper hummus, deli turkey, pepperjack cheese and lemon.

I spread a couple tablespoons of the hummus on the leaf first (it helps to "glue" the leaf together), then stuffed the rest of the ingredients inside and rolled it up.  One and a half wraps were quite filling, so I'll have the remaining wraps for lunch tomorrow (yay for leftovers!)

Other winter green harvests this week included swiss chard and salad greens.

Arugula, Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, and baby spinach.

My harvest totals so far this year include:

• 7.5 oz Cherry Bell radish
• 1 lb 9.7 oz kale (unknown variety)
• 2 lb 6.8 oz Flash collards
• 1 lb 7.7 oz Ruby Red chard
• 14.2 oz Fordhook Giant chard
• 7 colanders salad greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula) 
• 1 lb 2.9 oz Meyer Lemons (5)
• 1 lb 1.2 oz Broccoli (5)
• 7.1 oz cilantro
• 6.5 oz parsley

For the Birds

Rebecca Hershman, Animal Lover.  That's what my return address labels read, the ones my parents let me purchase when I was in the fourth grade (I was also an avid pen-pal at the time).  Some things never change, I guess.  I still have a very strong affinity for critters, and was recently compelled to purchase some new homes for my feathered friends.

At the beginning of the new year, I purchased five new bird houses to attract and keep some of the avian critters around.  I purchased three wren/chickadee homes, one bluebird home, and a screech owl/kestrel nesting box.

My husband sprayed the outside of the homes with some fine textured finish Rust-Oleum and some water-based Polycrylic protective finish to help the birdy homes last longer.  I decided against painting the homes, 1) because the light wood color helps to keep the home cooler inside during the brutal Texas heat and 2) because I'm no artist.

Next, I had to find the right placements for the boxes.  Different birds like to be different heights above the ground, in certain locations, and spaced certain amounts away from other nesting boxes, all of which had to be taken into account.

One of the wren/chickadee homes was hung under the eave of the porch, a nice protected area that faces out onto the backyard and feeder food sources.  Another was positioned on top of a fence pillar, facing the back garden, where the birds will find many seed and nectar sources.

The third wren/chickadee home was nailed to the backyard fence, facing into the backyard of natural and supplemental food sources, as well as positioned in a perfect spot for me to view future residents from the kitchen window.

The bluebird box needs to face an open field for the named birds to find it welcoming.  As luck would have it, I just so happened to have an old clothes-drying post in the backyard, positioned just in the right place where the nesting box faces the open park behind our property.  Perfect for my little bluebird friends.

The final installment was the screech owl/kestrel box, which was attached to one of the trees the lines the side of our property line.  The box was placed about 10-12 feet high, and faces into the backyard.  It is in a great spot for us to view from the kitchen or family room, and hopefully positioned well so that the future predator residents can be the sentinels of the yard - keeping watch and capturing any rodents and vermin that may invade the gardens.

Unfortunately, an unwelcome and invasive European starling already took up residence in the owl box.  We had to kick him/her out (nesting material was removed and the little door of the box was covered up with a nifty sliding component of the box).  We will open the box back up in a week or two, and hopefully not too late for an owl to find it inviting.

I do not yet have a purple martin house, but this is definitely on my garden wish list for the next year. For now, I can at least enjoy the purple martins that are attracted to my next door neighbors' martin apartment.  I look forward to the mating and nesting season ahead, and to see what feathered friends make their homes in the houses I've provided.

For details on bird house dimensions and placements, I found the Wild Bird Watching and NestWatch sites helpful.

Wildlife Wednesday - March 2015

There were two main wildlife "stars" in my garden over the last month.

One was probably my all-time favorite bird - the Cedar Waxwings.

I just love their markings (especially on the eyes!), the crest, and probably adore them more because I only get to see them for a fleeting moment each winter.  I only saw them around for a few days, basking in the treetops on a warm winter's day.

This guy is so cute - reaching for a berry on the tree.  I plan to add more berry-bearing shrubs and trees to my yard over the next year to hopefully keep them around a bit longer.

The second star was a giant hawk that I spotted across the street in my neighbor's yard, hanging at the top of a very large tree, close to a squirrel's nest, no doubt looking for his next meal.  When I first spotted him, I actually thought he/she had a kill in the tree, considering the big clump of feathers that I saw.  Nope - it was just the hawk's massive tail.  This hawk was much larger than the Cooper/sharp-shinned hawks that have been hanging around my yard over the last month or two.  I'm horrible at hawk identification, but I think it might be a red-tailed hawk.  Please help confirm/correct my ID!

The past few weeks have been chilly and wet in Central Texas, with temperatures dipping into the 20s (F), accompanied by wind and sleet.  The Inca doves tried to keep warm on a dreary gray day by fluffing out their feathers.

Yet, I know that spring is on the way, as indicated by this American Robin, likely starting to make the journey back North for breeding.

Then there are the "regulars"... first, this Carolina chickadee.

Then there is a cluster of female red-winged blackbirds.  It is strange how I see the females hanging out so often and haven't once yet spotted a male.

I couldn't have the post only cover the pretty birds in the garden, so here is a wasp, pollinating my peach tree to close out this month's wildlife recap.

Thanks to Tina over at My Gardener Says... for hosting Wildlife Wednesdays on the first Wednesday of every month!

End of Month View - February 2015

February was a whirlwind of extreme temperatures - ranging from days close to 80 degrees, all the way down to lows in the mid 20s.  On the weekends of beautiful weather, I seemed to be in the garden all weekend, making obvious signs of improvement along the way.  The last couple of weekends have been nothing but wet and hovering around freezing, bringing spring-prep gardening chores to a halt for the time being.

Veggie Beds

There hasn't been too many changes in the veggie bed over the last month.  I continue to harvest lots of winter greens.  I cleaned up a couple of the beds that had left-over debris from last summer/fall and did some major Bermuda grass weeding in the beds (once they are in there, you never can fully get rid of them).  I also planted a few new seeds for spring harvests including some lettuce, kale, spinach and green onions.

Shade Tree

Before the cold weather hit, I ordered a LOT of mulch and started spreading it around the garden.  The shade tree got a fresh new layer of the native mulch after a major weeding session.  I didn't quite finish the job, so I'll need to complete the mulch-laying once temps warm up again (and more importantly, once it is dry again).

Deck

The parsley in the herb bed is pretty much out of control at this point.  I can't seem to use enough of it before it is producing more leaves.  I need the swallowtail caterpillars to come back and help me keep it in check.  The purple hyacinth bulbs have also broken through, though I haven't seen any blossoms yet.

Triple Threat

In these flower beds, the poppy rosettes are getting larger and the larkspurs and some other wildflowers that were planted last fall are starting to pop up.  Some bulbs, ranunculus and narcissus, are sprouting up.  I also planted several foxglove plants in this bed.  I'm not sure how they will do, since they aren't fans of hot weather, but I'm hoping I'll be able to enjoy their English garden feel for at least a good portion of the spring.

Pomegranate

The pomegranate bed also got a new layer of mulch over most of the bed.  I still need to finish the job once things warm up a bit.  The spring bulbs are also starting to push through here, including the ranunculus, narcissus, and even a few tulips.

Neighbor Fenceline

While still bare, there has been a lot done to this bed to prep for the roses that will inhabit the area in the future.  I did some major weeding, turned in several bags of compost into the soil as well as laid down fresh mulch.  A couple volunteer blue bonnet rosettes have been left, otherwise the bed is a clean slate for my future rose collection.

Bulb Bed

Not much to report here.  I'm anxiously awaiting the blooms of my bearded irises, which were planted last year and I'm really hoping will bloom this year.

Front Fenceline

Some fresh mulch has been laid in this bed, otherwise, not too many changes since last month in this bed.

Courtyard

I've done some light pruning to this area, as well as incorporated a few cast iron plants in the shady corners of the courtyard for some year-round color.

I have yet to plant a new shade tree in the center of the courtyard - still leaning towards a Texas Ash for now, unless we get a better recommendation for a good, fast-growing shade tree that won't overtake the courtyard, yet will have enough height and spread for a decent shade canopy.  I also want something that will provide good nectar and fruit to my wildlife friends.

I've also been thinking about some new shade-loving, blooming vines that would be good for this space.  After several years, my wisteria still hasn't bloomed, so I think it is time to remove it from the back trellis and replace it with something more interesting, reliable, and preferably native.


Front of House

Nothing new to report here this month.

Thanks to Helen over at the Patient Gardener for hosting the End of the Month view.  Be sure to check out other gardener's End of the Month views!

Frozen

It has been a chilly couple of weeks in Central Texas, with highs around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 27 degrees.  My garden has not been a fan of the below freezing temperatures.

I was most concerned about my Florida Prince peach tree, considering it was in the middle of blooming when the cold front came in.  To try to salvage the blooms, and ultimately at least a little bit of a peach harvest, I covered the tree in Christmas lights and then put a couple freeze cloths over it.  This might have helped somewhat, but with the wind that also blew in with the freezing temps, the freeze cloth didn't stay covering the full tree for very long.  I guess we will see once temps rise again if my efforts helped keep the peaches at all.

The greens, while normally cold-weather lovers, were not digging the freezing rain we've had the past few days.  They were all limp and defeated-looking this morning.  The good thing is that they generally bounce back pretty well once we get back into the 40s.

The poppies also took a beating.  I'm really hoping they bounce back like the other cold-weather greens.  I have so many poppy rosettes this year, it would break my heart if I lost them before getting to enjoy all their glory.

It has been a bummer having this crappy weather, mainly because it means I'm stuck inside and can't play in the garden.  At least I have a small garden indoors that I can enjoy on these cold and rainy days, like the hyacinths that I forced in a pot indoors.  Their heavenly pungent aroma fills up the entire kitchen.

And even my Madame Joseph Schwartz rose, which was brought indoors since I purchased it recently and haven't put it in the ground with the chaotic weather we've been having, sent out a bloom for me to enjoy while I wait for the spring weather to arrive.