Happy 2019

2019 could be "the year."  Meaning it looks like we'll be on bloom watch for the huge Agave ovatifolia which has anchored the front landscaping for nearly a decade, and presented an opportunity for decorating during the holiday season.

At 6' diameter this silvery agave has grown well past the advertised standard 4' range to reach its known maximum width.  The middle has noticeably thickened in the last year or so.  This spring will mark nine years in the garden and I'd estimate it was five years old when planted in 2010.  Agaves can live longer than 15 years but we've had a lot of rain recently which has forced blooms in many agaves around town.  

Shortly after beginning my blog in 2011 I had the bright idea to drape blue lights on the agave.  Two strands of 60 LED lights covered its three foot diameter and it made a nice photo.  

I've decorated it with blue lights every year since.  For several years I used blue and white snowflake lights for fun while thinking I would never see real snow in December.  The joke turned real in our bizarre early December 2017 snowfall.

The snowflake lights quit working shortly after the big snow so I switched to fairy lights.   This year I needed three 10m strands of 100 fairy lights which works out to over 90ft of lights!  Could it be the last year for this agave and that many lights?

Not to worry though, I have one in waiting, about three feet diameter.  Cue Lion King circle of life....

The original arrived with a rare pup tucked (the one shown above) down among the roots.  We carefully removed and nurtured it the last eight years or so.  A few years ago we moved it to full sun so it will be ready just in case.  Obviously smaller at this point, it is larger than the original when we planted it and I'm sure this baby will grow into the beauty its parent has been.

No point in being blue about it.  As disappointing as it will be, Agave bloom watch for 2019 (or hopefully later) is the realistic view.

Happy New Year!

April Garden View

This past Saturday I volunteered at our local Watersaver Landscape Tour.  The gardens were exceptional and we had a great crowd.  I'll show you my view of the tour in future posts but first I like to tour my own gardens at the same time to see how it would go.  The landscape tour, usually held in October, was moved to April this year due to weather.  It's been a while since I took you on a walk around my own gardens, so let's see what visitors would see if they toured my garden over the weekend.

Bright yellow Damianita makes for a cheery welcome at the front walk.  Damianta blooms like this several times a year and is evergreen which is why we replaced 'New Gold' Lantana which fell short in both departments.  My new Yucca rigida is settling in nicely.



I'm adjusting my usual tour pattern and starting with the star of my front garden today in honor of Moby, Pam Penick's Agave ovatifolia, which has sadly begun to bloom.  Agaves bloom just once and die.  Following Pam's "Moby" posts on her blog Digging inspired my own interest in adding one to my garden.  You can follow Moby's bloom daily on Pam's Facebook page or see her post at Digging.

So here's to Moby going out in a spectacular way.

While most information on Agave ovatifolia states that it does not offset, I was surprised to find an offset in the nursery pot back in 2010 when I planted mine.  We carefully separated and nurtured that precious pup for five years before planting it out in the front gravel garden last year.  Now about six years old, it's to the left of the large white stone as a "spare" against the day when mine goes the way of all Agaves.

Look closely to see our neighbor's Agave americana is sending up an enormous bloom stalk.



Now we'll step back a bit to take the long view from the street where we usually begin our tours.



Moving across the front for a different view.  I think I should add a few Damianita to repeat the color across the landscape.

Yucca rupicola bloom stalk has emerged and is beginning to set blooms.

Jerusalem Sage in the island bed is producing multiple blooms for the first time.  Planted three years ago it seemed to take forever to grow into a mature plant.  It's sure to become a favorite since it needs zero attention to look like this most of the summer.

Yucca 'Color Guard' pups have replaced larger ones which died over the winter.  I'll have more on that story in another post.  Opuntia 'Santa Rita' blooms bright yellow against that gorgeous purple hue.

The shady front garden functions as a courtyard walled in by silvery shrubbery.

 Not many flowers here by design though there is a Canna blooming.  I've begun to bring out non-hardy plants in pots for summer display.



Through the fence to see the buffalo grass is greening up

The tank garden filled with Larkspur blooms.

The crevice/gravel garden fills with yellow Greenthread flowers each spring.

We've added a firepit in the only space with no tree canopy.

Rock-lined paths lead through a cactus garden in the sunniest part of the yard.  One of the new yuccas looks stressed but it's fine.  Some of the leaves were damaged in transporting and planting so they've turned brown and we'll cut those off as new ones grow in.

Looking through the gate on the south side of the house with those arching trees.  Sedge on both sides of the path beginning to fill in nicely.  I would tidy up the pot ghetto before a tour and clean out the dry creek which requires lifting all the rocks and raking out accumulated leaf litter.

That's the tour for April and it's good to see our hard work paying off now in our 6th year of gardening here.

Guest Posting at Garden Style San Antonio

When my friend Heather at San Antonio Water System (SAWS) contacted me about writing a guest post for their website Garden Style San Antonio I didn't hesitate to say yes.  Garden Style San Antonio has been an an excellent resource for watersaving garden ideas and I'm excited to have my first guest post published on the site today.  If you garden in San Antonio or Central Texas, you will enjoy browsing their extensive plant lists with photos, design ideas, seasonal reminders for tasks in the garden and the latest on SAWS watersaver coupons.

Another reason I was happy to guest post for SAWS is my article highlights the stars of my winter garden--agaves, cacti, and succulents.  Lawn is not the only welcoming option for a front yard, these plants have led to many compliments from passersby and opportunities to chat with neighbors over the years.  Planned about six years ago with the idea that our front landscape would look much the same year round with minimal maintenance, we've achieved our goal.  Mid-January is an excellent time to check out our plan.  With a silvery foundation of drought-tough agaves, grasses, and evergreens like Texas Mountain Laurel, all anchored by native Live Oaks, the front garden needs only a few tweaks each year to keep it looking great.



Any post highlighting agaves in my garden must begin with Agave Ovatifolia, the focal point of the front drive.  Heather knew I wouldn't turn down a chance to write about this beauty!  Damianita at its feet have just finished blooming.

Upright and comparatively small Agave neomexicana provides a focal point in the narrow island.  There are two offsets emerging and I can't wait to plant those out in the garden when they're ready.

Tough agaves and yucca add form and structure while echoing the silvery color theme throughout the front garden.  The narrow leaves in the middle belong to a small Yucca rostrata.

A special variety of native Yucca rupicola features gold-edged silvery leaves.  Color Guard Yucca in the right foreground picks up the the gold and green theme against a background of native Salvia greggii.

Golden Barrel cactus (foreground) needs little care to look its best in this tough spot along the driveway.

And here they are close up.



Fishhook barrel cactus continues to produce bright magenta blooms during our mild winter.

Another welcoming garden near the front walk is in the works.  Deer resistant Wooly Stemodia will eventually make a silvery carpet for small agaves placed here.

Agave Victoria-reginae grows slowly so it's a great choice for small spaces.

Opuntia Santa-Rita and Color Guard Yucca add winter color on the north side of the driveway.

Around back the crevice garden holds a sunny slope where little would grow previously.  

It's a perfect spot for more small agaves, grass-like nolina, yucca, and cacti nestled into pea gravel.  By the way, those low-growing green plants in the gravel are wildflowers, not weeds.

My favorite here is Agave 'Blue Glow' in the left hand corner (above).  Below it's shown with a backdrop of Texas Blubonnets from last spring.

Agave angustifolia picks up the silvery theme in the narrow side yard.

Agaves, cacti, and succulents keep my garden looking its best year round.  I'll have an opportunity to write more posts for Garden Style San Antonio this year and I'm looking forward to sharing my San Antonio garden adventures with you.  Be sure enter your email on the front page of the Garden Style San Antonio site to keep up with the best of San Antonio gardening.

Agave "Blue Aglow" For Foliage Follow-Up

It's been two years since Christmas 2012 when I first wrapped a strand of blue lights around the Agave ovatifolia in the front garden and posted this photo as Agave 'Blue Aglow' for Wordless Wednesday.

2012

Foliage Follow-up November 2014

While I was out yesterday getting bloom photos I decided to go for two and capture the mist on my foliage plants for Foliage Follow-up sponsored by Pam at Digging.  Those of you who live in perennially damp climates are probably laughing yourselves silly by now.  We average about 30 inches of rain a year which usually arrives in downpours just a few days a year and within a few hours it's dry out there again.  A series of rainy days or a light mist/drizzle day is rare.  Even if you find my misty wonderment hilarious I hope you will enjoy these views of my garden.

The shiny droplets on the Yucca recurvifolia look almost frosty in the chilly mist.  A predicted freeze last week never arrived.  We have another freeze warning for Tuesday morning and it might happen this time so the tender plants are protected.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day July 2014

It's been a surprising year in my gardens with a record cold winter slowing down the spring blooms to the point that we have a Bluebonnet in July.  No kidding, this early March bloomer has surprised with a bloom as we near the hottest time of year.  I'm joining Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and sharing blooms in my garden for July.

End of Month View: May 2014

I enjoy taking stock to see how much the garden has grown and the changes that have been made in the garden each month so I'm joining Helen at The Patient Gardener's Weblog in sharing views of the garden for May.

I usually begin with a view of the front garden where things don't seem to change much so we'll just skip to the driveway side where the yucca blooms have turned to skeleton forms.  I like the effect at least for a few more days.  The Texas Sage along the drive are just about to burst into bloom due to the recent rains.

Inside Austin Garden Tour: The Garden of Lori Daul

The Inside Austin Garden Tour is held each year by the Travis County Master Gardeners.  The chance to see Lori Daul's garden was a big draw for me to make the trip to Austin for this year's tour.

I've seen Lori's garden on her blog "The Gardener of Good and Evil" and Pam Penick featured it on "Digging" last spring.  Lori's garden was also recently featured on the local gardening program "Central Texas Gardener" so I knew we were in for a special treat when my friends Melody and Jeannette joined me on this adventure in garden touring.

End of Month View April 2014

I look forward to looking back.  What?  I mean looking back at changes in the garden over the past month which why I'm joining Helen at The Patient Gardener for the End of Month View for April.

We haven't had much rain yet this year but spring has brought a nice green-up and most plants have recovered from the exceptionally cold winter by now.

More Spring Blooms and Happy Easter!

Sometimes one bloom post per week isn't enough, especially in the spring.  Almost as soon as I finished my post for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day more blooms appeared in the garden that I just had to share.

The gorgeous light coral cactus blooms have returned in the front agave bed.  I have identified them as a type of hedgehog cactus although I can only find one photo other than mine on the internet with this color bloom.  Last year there were two blooms at once in the spring and this year three have appeared with a fourth in progress.  In the background a hardy aloe is also blooming.

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.

State of the Agaves Report

One of the many fun things about reading blogs is stealing their ideas being inspired by other bloggers.  Loree at Danger Garden reports on the state of the agaves in her garden several times a year.  Loree lives in Portland, Oregon, which is not the most agave-friendly climate and in her latest report she wondered how much those same agaves might have grown in a southwestern climate for three years.  I took the challenge and decided to post about this even though I don't actually live in the southwest according to most regional guides.   I do live about 300 miles or so east of the line which is no distance at all in Texas and I own a copy of the Sunset Western Garden book so I figured it's close enough.  There's not a lot to post about in the heat of August and the agave is a plant that does well in our climate.

First up is the cornerstone of my front garden, the Agave ovatifolia.  Inspired by "Moby" on Pam Penick's blog Digging, it was planted spring of 2010 after we had finished our big construction projects--replacing the roof and building a new garage.  A very important point since it's a good idea to get big projects out of the way before adding specimen plants. 

The A. Ovatifolia in early October of 2010 newly planted and still showing the effects of the 3-gallon grower's pot.  I'd guess it was about 24 inches diameter at this point.  This was planted Before Blogging (BB) so you can tell it was a big event in the garden because I have photos.

Blooms for Good Friday

Let's take a peek at the Easter basket and see what's blooming this holiday weekend.

Bougainvillea