Happy First Day of Spring!

Today is the spring equinox, and the flowers and wildlife seem to know that it is time to wake up from their wintertime slumber.

It is so invigorating to see all the life spring forth, helped along with the late winter rains.

Like the daffodils (complete with a tiny spider) and other narcissus,

the sugar pea blooms,

the Mexican Plums,

or even the little blossoms on weeds (like this clover/oxalis).

While the bluebonnets,

bearded irises,

antique roses,

and poppies are all on the verge of blooming.

Even the Florida Prince peaches (which I thought I had lost in the late freezes) are starting to swell.

And the purple martins have returned, officially heralding the start to the new season.

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.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - February 2015

With the warm, 70 degree days we have been having in Central Texas (zone 8b), there are early signs of spring with the blooms in the garden.

Most notably is the Florida Prince peach tree.  I love the pink and white blooms on this tree, but I'm heartbroken because we have some freezing temperatures in the forecast this next week, and I'm doubtful that my blossoms will survive, which means no peaches for me.

That's the trouble with selecting a peach tree that was not right for my location.  I recently learned at a home fruit seminar, held by the local master gardeners, that we require fruit tree varieties that need around 700 chill hours.  The Florida Prince only needs 150, which is why it blooms so early and is exposed to the danger of freezing its blooms.  Looks like I'll be taking this peach down and replanting a new one this year.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy its blooms while I can.

The veggie garden is also putting on a show of flowers.  Many of the fall and winter veggies have bolted and the bees are loving the blooms, especially on the broccoli.

This is the first time I've seen the arugula flowers - so dainty.

The peas are starting to shoot out blooms - I'm looking forward to some nice pea pods for stir-fry recipes in a few weeks.

The rosemary is a-bloomin' with its delicate violet flowers, which is buzzing with bees.

Finally, with the decent amount of rain and warm temps, the yard has sprouted up with blooming weeds that I appreciated for a moment before my hubby mowed them down.

Thanks to Carol for hosting Garden Blogger's Bloom Day on the 15th of every month.  Be sure to stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming in other gardens around the world.

Florida Prince Peach Tree

In March, Jon and I bought a Florida Prince Peach Tree from Costco.  We planted it in the backyard where there is plenty of sun and where it would be safe from the deer.  We had to stake the little tree and tie it down with some supports because the windy Texas spring was too much for the little tree to handle.

After several weeks, I noticed several small peaches forming on the tree.  I was very excited that the first year we planted the peach tree we would also be getting fruit!  There were about 5-6 small little fruits forming.

The peaches slowly turned from green to an orange/peach color.  I didn't see any indication of disease or bugs on the plant, so I was very excited for the juicy little peaches to get bigger for me to eat.


And then disaster struck.  One day the little peaches were perfect, the next they looked half eaten, by the birds I am assuming.  I was so saddened by the event and that I wouldn't get to eat any of my peaches that year.


It was a definitely a learning experience on needing to keep my fruit away from the birds that surround my house.  I plan to use some bird netting next year, as well as place some shiny objects around the garden, like ornaments, silver streamers, and metallic pinwheels. 


Does anyone else have any suggestions on organic ways to keep the birds away from your fruit?