4:16 PM Fri, May 02, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Look what I found in the garden
I was checking out some of the vegetable garden beds in the front yard the other day when I spotted this in the grass....
I think this is a black swallowtail butterfly, which would make sense... I just saw its caterpillar feeding on the dill not two weeks ago.
Gosh, it was gorgeous.
And huge! It was nice to be able to examine it pretty closely for a few minutes before it took flight. The queen and monarch butterflies never let me get close.
So, the appearance of the black swallowtail means my efforts to diversify the butterfly visitors have so far been a success!
Today is one of those days I long to be outside in the garden rather than working. It's overcast and warm, but not blazing hot... so it's a good time to be weeding or planting or something that adds green to the yard.
Ahhh... in a perfect world, right?
This weekend, we decided to celebrated my husband's new job with a trip to my favorite local nursery, and I actually managed to restrain myself from bringing home everything I saw.
Since my seed-starting efforts were flat, we picked up more seedlings to fill in the last remaining spaces in the garden -- cherry tomato, verde tomatillo, watermelon, 2 summer squash and cantelope. MMMMMmmmm...
And check this out, since we've been harvesting and eating the chard, the remaining leaves have gotten huge! They're gorgeous!
Next weekend, I'm hoping to start on a long-planned and long-procrastinated garden project. I often mow the lawn, and I REALLY hate mowing between the garden beds in the front. My plan is to dig up the grass for paths rights around the beds and fill in the space with decomposed granite. Eventually, I would like to put a short fence around the garden just to dress it up a bit, but that's way down the line. I figure it will take me weeks of digging before I should even order the DG.
I should have some very strong arms by the time I'm finished digging, too.
I was sitting on my front porch last weekend, eating watermelon, when I noticed some drooping branches on some dill that bolted in the front garden bed. I examined the plant a little closer, and was delighted to find at least three fat and happy caterpillars chomping down on the dill.
I have planted tons of things in the front specifically to attract butterflies and their larvae, so I was really excited to see the caterpillars. It was also a really cool opportunity to show my son real caterpillars.
I'm not really sure what kind of caterpillars they are. I did a quick scan of What's that bug? and found an photo that looked really similar of a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar, which I don't recall seeing in the yard last year. I've ruled out Monarch, Queen and Hackberry, which I've seen in the garden before.
If you know what it is, write in a let me know!
10:36 AM Mon, Apr 07, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Bloom of a century
Aziz Laurent sent this photo in of a Century plant in the garden that is about to bloom.
Apparently this agave is about 10 years.
"I shall send a photo of the flower once it has opened," Laurent wrote.
I'm looking forward to that. Century plants are really impressive plants to begin with, but when you add that bloom stalk, it's just amazing.
I wouldn't say the bloom is all that beautiful in the traditional sense, but the magnitude and the time it takes to bloom make it gorgeous in my opinion.
Can't wait to see that photo, Aziz.
A friend of mine was wandering around my yard recently, looking at all the shrubs and trees I had planted and asked me -- "Which one is our favorite?"
I pointed to the tree pictured on the right, the one I named "Eve." It's an Eve's Necklace -- a delicate tree native to Central Texas with blooms that look like necklaces that only last a few short days in the spring.
When I planted "her" just a few short years ago, she was tiny. The tree barely reached my stomach. Now it stands much taller than me, but her branches still sway softly in the wind.
Every time I go to my favorite nursery to buy a tree, I consider another Eve's Necklace. (I only don't because I love variety in the garden.)
Eve's Necklaces can be hard to find, but they are recommended for planting in the Austin area. They have very light water requirements once established and are very tough in droughts (just don't expect much growth).
I was worried last summer that all of our rain would hurt her, but the tree took advantage of that rare year by doubling its size in just a few short months.
Wow!
Eve is planted in my backyard, and is shaded part of the day by the giant pecan tree -- and it makes an excellent understory tree.
One day, when the tree grows much larger, we plan on building a bench under Eve, so we can enjoy her shade and her brief blooms.
2:17 PM Mon, Mar 31, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
At least the green beans look good
One of the garden beds is right outside my bedroom window, and I did a double-take the other morning when I cracked open the blinds.
"Andy! Did you see the beans and peas sprouted?!"
"Yeah! You hadn't noticed yet?"
I guess I hadn't. I have been so bummed at my third losing attempt at starting seeds indoors that I have been avoiding my garden of late... only lingering long enough to make sure the rain didn't wash anything away.
SIGH.
Well, the beans and peas have encouraged me. I planted some of each in two different place in the yard, in an effort to hedge my bets. I did the same with several herbs and leafy greens... testing different configurations to see what works.
Since my seeds didn't do much, we bought a small number of transplants -- peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos. I knew we weren't done with the cold, so I tented them, and almost everything is thriving. A tomatillo was obliterated by the wind and a tomato looks like its suffering, but I'm pretty pleased.
In fact, the chard I planted last fall is huge and beautiful, and we're eating chard nearly every night. Plus, I can't wait to harvest the garlic in the next couple of months, because the tops are giant!
My next step is to mulch all the beds to help keep the weeds down. I really like using cedar shredded mulch, because it breaks down nicely and has fewer weeks. It hasn't been essential so far, but the heat is on the way!
1:30 PM Fri, Mar 14, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Springtime in Austin
This is my favorite time of year, especially in Austin. Early spring. The elm trees are bursting with bright green leaves, but the pecans are still bare. The red buds are gorgeous shades of pink and the mountain laurels fill your nostrils with the enticing scent of grape bubblegum.
I fell in love with spring in Austin years ago as a student, because spring meant school was almost over, but also because it felt like everything was alive. It's intoxicating, that feeling. It makes the hair stand up on my arms, and I tend to slow down and take a renewed look around at nature and my garden.
I haven't done much gardening to speak of recently, except tend to the seedlings and check that the plants outside are warm and watered. But each evening lately, I have been making the rounds in my garden, taking mental notes of what needs to be done and making sure each and every plant has what it needs.
The plants I have been most interested in lately are the young trees, especially the ones just planted -- Mexican plum and Texas red bud. Both are just now showing signs of bud-break. I had been a little worried because so many other trees have already bloomed.
I was really excited last weekend to see the Kidneywood well on its way to leafing out, and my husband and I both stood on the sidewalk admiring the larger mountain laurel, which has one gigantic bloom.
Yep, everything is coming alive.
I plan on doing some outside garden maintenance this weekend... clearing away the leaves that helped keep everything warm through the winter and composting the dead stuff. I also plan on hardening off the seedlings and planting a few outside -- under cover of course. I was thinking of trying some tomatoes in the ground and some in pots, just to see how they do.
And I've have a request from my family to plant strawberries. Well, I'll guess I have some reading to do.
4:05 PM Sun, Mar 09, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Cool garden event
I just got the heads up about a garden event that looks like it should be really cool... A Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fair is a free event with gardening demonstrations, plant advice and even a plant giveaway.
It takes place Saturday, March 15 at Govalle Park, beginning at 10 a.m.
3:05 PM Fri, Feb 29, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
Garden Event: Sunshine Gardens plant sale
Tomorrow is the Sunshine Gardens benefit plant sale. It's a great place to find tomato, pepper and other vegetable plants for really good prices. I definitely recommend getting there early if you go... it starts at 9! Check out KVUE.com's event calendar for more gardening events.
7:12 AM Wed, Feb 13, 2008 | Permalink Cindy Brummer
What is this bug?
Name this bug!
My son found one of these as he was pulling chard in the garden this past weekend. I didn't think much of it at the time -- except to point out its color and explain that it was an insect -- until my husband spotted another one on the olive tree we were pruning.
I did a little Internet searching, and "Assassin bug" kept popping up as an option, but I don't think it is.
