Foliage Follow-up April 2014: Those Bismarck Palms

I'm joining Pam at Digging for Foliage Follow-up for April by checking in on my frozen Bismarck Palms (Nobilis bismarckia).

So what about those Bismarck Palms?  Back in January I posted on the State of the Bismarckias after a deep freeze took us down to 20.8 and those poor tropical palms quickly showed the effects of exceptional cold exposure by browning up.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day April 2014

It's Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and time to join Carol at May Dreams Gardens to share flowering plants in the garden for April.  It has turned unseasonably cold again this week befitting this wacky winter which means the blooms have been slower to arrive.  Still there are some old reliables and new ones to share so lets get started.

Claret Cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) or hedgehog cactus is native to West Texas, the cup-shaped red flowers brighten up the spring garden each April.

March 2014 End of Month View

Sometimes we gardeners are so focused on what remains to be done that we forget how much progress has been made.  This is why I enjoy looking at the changes through past photos, and just one of the reasons I'm joining  The Patient Gardener for the End of Month View for March.

March is one of the best months for gardening in our climate and we are typically in a big push to get large projects finished.  Plants put in the garden now get a chance to grow in and gain strength before the heat of summer sets in.  This year March has been cooler than usual, but the weather has been great for gardening except on a few days when high winds kept us indoors.

The Salvia greggii blooming along the street are an especially welcomed sight after our cold winter.  These tough native plants are evergreen and resume blooming as soon as the weather warms a bit.  By design the front view does not change much through the seasons, providing an enjoyable view throughout the year.

Wildflower Wednesday March 2014: More of these please!

It's the fourth week of March and time for Wildflower Wednesday when I join Gail at Clay and Limestone and other bloggers to highlight flowering native plants in our gardens.  For March I'm featuring plants growing naturally around my area and native to South Texas that I'd like to see become established in my garden.

Last spring I discovered a small stand of Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) along the creek behind the house.  Pretty and delicate with bright blue blooms in the spring, I was so pleased to find this native member of the iris family growing naturally just a foot or so over the property line.

Garden Visitors: Hummingbird Moth

Watching creatures of all types visit the garden is just one of the pleasures we gardeners enjoy.  Late last week I discovered a hummingbird moth visiting the front yard and paused to watch its fascinating movements while enjoying the blooms of the Texas Mountain Laurel on a very windy day.

The Fence Post Two

We just built a cedar post fence which provides a deer-proof gardening area.  We have no backyard fence to allow an unobstructed view of the dry creek area which we enjoy, but critters also feel welcome to wander in and browse the foliage.  The new fence is not high, but deer avoid jumping into narrow and restricted spaces.  So this fence will work well for allowing roses and other deer candy to be grown in this area, while also enabling an excellent view of the plants from the house and yard.

Book Review and Giveaway: Refresh Your Garden Design With Color, Texture & Form

**The winner of the book giveaway is Jackie Holliday!**

This week I'm reviewing Refresh Your Garden Design With Color, Texture & Form just in time for the spring garden spruce-up we look forward to each year.

If you've had an exceptionally cold winter and lost quite a few plants like I have then this spring brings a good opportunity to make some changes to the garden.   You might be thinking your garden doesn't look as pulled together as you originally envisioned or maybe you just know it's time to update your garden.  At this point questions such as how to decide what to change and how to get started come to mind.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a top-notch garden designer "visit" to share her ideas for bringing a fresh look to your garden?  Even very good gardeners would welcome that opportunity.

In the book Refresh Your Garden Design With Color, Texture & Form, author Rebecca Sweet
speaks to you as if she is visiting your garden to share her tips on how you can restore harmony to your own garden.   Rebecca addresses the concept of "harmony in the garden" as what's often missing in gardens that aren't living up to expectations.