Valentine's Day

The newest addition to our growing cactus collection is this Golden Barrel (Echinocactus Grunsonii) purchased as a Valentine's Day gift to ourselves.  I was thinking of a rose bush, but this golden beauty was too nice to pass up.

Of course I'm not the only girl around who'd forgo candy and cut flowers in favor of a cactus plant.  The cashier oohed and aahed over it and said it was the best looking one she'd seen come through all day.  Where did we find this awesome specimen?  Wal-mart.  Yes, really.

Hardy to about 20F, It's rare that we get lower than that so I'm looking forward to adding it to the garden.  If it stops raining long enough to get some gardening done.

For those who prefer a more traditional Valentine's Day photo, this red Knockout Rose bloomed late last week.

And we did watch "As Good as it Gets" (again).

Resources - New Birding Blog in South Texas

It's cold out there today so I'm staying inside and highlighting a new blog here in south Texas.  Sam Taylor's focus on birds and birding in Lone Star Birding and Beyond should be very helpful to me as I learn to identify the birds visiting my yard throughout the year.

Sam's blog has already helped out with a bit of a mystery.  When I went through photos for a post on Curve-Billed Thrashers, I found similar birds looking slightly different.  Perhaps the answer is in his post on Estero Llano Grande State Park and one or all of these birds are actually Long-billed Thrashers.  Both are found in this area and more study is needed.

Thanks to Abbey at Down to Earth for bringing this excellent and informative blog to my attention as well.

Around the Block: Aloe and Agave Blooms

Let's take a break from the Plant ABC's today with a few photos from around the neighborhood.  I enjoy reading the posts by Loree at Danger Garden showing yards and gardens from her neighborhood and all around Portland, so I decided to give it a try.  Far from "nailing it" on my first few trips around the block with a camera, I didn't like any of the photos at all.

That doesn't mean I'm not persistent or will give up easily.  Finally, this past Tuesday, I spotted this pretty bloom which I think is an aloe.

Plant ABC's - D is for Delphinium

Today's selection for the ABC's of plants in my garden is Delphinium or Larkspur as it its called here in Texas.   These Larkspur flowers are in my friend Kathy's garden where I took this photo when I visited her beautiful garden last spring.

   
Delphiniums are popular summer perennials in colder climates but here in Texas the Larkspur is grown as an annual from seed for spring flowering.  In addition to allowing some seed to fall naturally, Kathy collects and sows seeds by hand to ensure this wonderful explosion of blooms.

You might think I'm cheating just a bit because this series is supposed to be about plants in my yard.  I'm getting to that part.  Kathy generously shared her Larkspur seeds with me and I planted them last fall.  Here's how they look now....ta daaa!

Hmmm, well it will be a while until mine look like hers.  So you prefer seeing Kathy's flowers?  Thought so.

I've learned a lot about gardening in San Antonio from Kathy, most notably that you can grow lots of flowers here.  I plan to post more about Kathy's amazing garden transformation along the way too.

Plant ABC's - C is for Callicarpa Americana

The "ABC's of plants in my garden" series continues with Callicarpa americana which is commonly known as American Beautyberry.  That's certainly a good descriptive name for this native plant.

The bright purple berries are strikingly beautiful.  When it's blooming the  neighbors stop to ask about it.  In summer the leafy open pattern provides shade for part-sun plants.  They grow best under larger trees and are a lovely welcome along the walk to the shadier part of the garden.  These are 15 years old and are about six feet tall now with a few trims over the years.  They are very drought tolerant, although in last year's extreme drought they didn't look as good as in the past.

The berries form in late summer along the arching branches.  The photo below was taken before I began blogging so it isn't the best, but you can just see the berry laden branches in the center near the walk.



Callicarpa americana is deciduous and the branches are quite bare after the birds and deer have stripped all the berries so they work best against an evergreen background.

Just in case you think we forgot to rake the leaves, the leaves in this area intentionally remain where they fall as a natural plant mulch.

As soon as the berries begin to form, the birds, especially Cardinals and Mockingbirds, gather in the nearby shrubs and wait.  They test the the berries each day and devour the ripe ones until they are all gone.  The berries are safe for humans as well and are used to make jellies.  Herb tea is made from the root and the leaves are said to ward off mosquitoes and flies.

Beautyberry indeed.

Plant ABC's: B is for Brugmansia

The "ABC's of plants in my garden" series continues with Brugmansia.

There's something about those large beautiful trumpet blooms emerging from scrawny stems topped with average looking leaves that makes Brugmansia special.

That's Dr. Seuss (above) bathed in summer morning light.

Plant ABC's - A is for Agave

Recently I noticed the range of plants in my yard just might cover the alphabet.  I'm only missing one and plan to add it before we get there. Agave begins my A-Z plant alphabet series.

There are several Agaves in the garden and it was hard to pick just one.  We just planted this Agave Lophantha 'Splendida' over the weekend giving it plenty of space to offset and spread.  Note the two little pups to the left.

It was tough not to choose the Abutilon because it looks so spectacular right now.  So here's the honorable mention from the A-list.

I'll continue posting the alphabet of plants in my garden throughout the year.