Alamo "Gardens"

Last week-end we headed to San Antonio to watch a little Notre Dame football.  Sunday morning was a beautiful day to stroll around the Alamo.   It had been many years since we'd last been on the grounds and have they ever been working!    Streetside of the walls are beds of palms and other tropicals.  This one contains Sago Palms (really a Cycad, not a palm), Queen Palms, Mediterranean Fan Palm, and Windmill Palm.   With the exception of the Queen, these are all pretty cold-hardy species.  The Queen, though, is fast-growing and relatively inexpensive - so replacing them after a hard winter is not so difficult. 

This young Pindo Palm, Butia capitata, is flanked by a Yucca and a Texas Mountain Laurel, Sophora secundaflora.   There are Texas Mountain Laurels all over the grounds - bet they are gorgeous in March and April! 

In front of one planting bed, they have used Asiatic Jasmine as a border.   I have never seen it used this way - but looks really nice - They must just trim it regularly.   

Some of the beds are full of desert plants and mulched with river rock. 

The grounds are shaded by large Live Oaks, Pecans and the tallest Anacua tree I have ever seen. Some of the shadelovers growing beneath these canopies are split leaf philodendron and cast iron plant.  

Where do you find bluebonnet seeds?

As I was pulling nutgrass out  the other day, I noticed a new little bluebonnet plant.  That reminded me that this is the time of the year to get my bluebonnet seed planted.  If you want to know how to grow bluebonnets, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has some good info.    Here in Harlingen, I could always find bulk seed at Grimell's - but this year they had none and suggested I order from Wildseed Farms out of Fredericksburg.  (1/4 lb is $7.45 and contains about 450 seeds).    The perfect temps for germination is 55-70 degrees and that will be our temp range soon. 

I stopped by  Stuart Place Nursery and picked up some 6-packs.    If you haven't been there since they re-opened, it's worth your visit.   The staff is both knowledgable and helpful and the plants look terrific!

If anyone knows nurseries in the Rio Grande Valley that have bluebonnet seed in stock, please "comment" and let us know.    Here's hoping our drought is over and we have lots of beautiful Texas wildflowers next spring! 

Desert Willow 'Bubba'

This is a tree I think we're going to see alot more of -  Desert Willow 'Bubba'  Watch for it!

Got Pumpkins?

Journey Pre-school at First United Methodist Church in Harlingen does!   Any size, shape or color pumpkin  you could possibly want. Wonderful photo ops too!
They're located on Harrison Street between 3rd and 4th streets.  The Pumpkin Patch is open the rest of the week and they've alread slashed the prices.

Mexican Mint Marigold

Mexican Mint Marigold, Tagetes lucida, is quite the hardy herb.  Growing in heavy clay and receiving sporatic irrigations, this yellow flowering perennial catches your eye.  Planted as a 4" pot two years ago, it survived a 6 month construction project and a few winters.  This spot has such poor soil that we have reverted to using potted plants.  I love how it fills the area.   An equally hardy Lemongrass is growing behind the Mexican Mint Marigold.  Also known as Mexican Tarragon or Winter Tarragon, Tagetes lucida can be substituted for French Tarragon.   Personally, I think it has a stronger flavor so I use it sparingly.   Use it in soups or chicken dishes.   Mexican Mint Marigold blooms in the summer and fall - attracting lots of butterflies.  

If you are in the market for some herbs, drop by the Master Gardeners booth at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.    The trade show is located at the Casa de Amistad in Harlingen, Texas and runs from November 12 -15

Nasturtiums

I struggled for years trying to grow nasturtiums, Tropaeolum spp. when a friend, Jean Anne shared her secret.  They must be planted before Halloween.  Now I can't think of fall without thinking of getting a little nasturtium seed into the ground. 

I do soak my seed for an hour or more before I put them in the ground.  I only plant them a 1/2 inch deep.  If I'm feeling lazy (and the soil in my bed is nice and loose), the seed gets sprinkled on top and then raked into the soil.   

A few things I love about nasturtiums are they are easily grown from seed (if you know when to plant them), they grow well in heavy soils, and they reseed themselves.    I'll be you have a spot for some vibrant spring color.

The Value of Trees

While the preferred trees and types of soils are different, Tom Spencer of Soul of the Garden says it so much better than I ever could.   Click here for his thoughts on slow-growing, long lived, hardwood trees.  

And remember, Fall is the perfect time to plant trees in Deep South Texas.  Which tree are you adding to your landscape this year?

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - September Edition

Mexican Bird of Paradise or Caesalpinia pulcherrima is the one plant is is blooming profusely this month.    The hummingbirds and butterflies are enjoying it as much as us people are - maybe more.  

Caesalpinia is a large shrub or small tree.   It has brittle branches with vicious thorns!   It's a vigorous grower that can take all the pruning one might want to do!    A heavy re-seeder, you may find yourself pulling many volunteers.   Caesalpinea is a great filler for bare spots of the garden -  spread a few seeds and within one season y ou will have a mature plant. 

It looks equally striking from a distance or up close.  Just check out the detail on the bloom below! 

Others things blooming in Deep South Texas right now are:

Kapok Trees (but not mine - must still be too young)

Fire Bush, Hamelia patens

Bougainvillea

Porterweed

Liriope, Giant Monkey Grass Liriope muscari

Frangipani, Plumeria rubra

Night Blooming Cactus or Cereus, small bloom Epiphyllum oxypetalum

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day to you all!   To see what's blooming  in gardens all around the world, visit May Dreams Gardens. 

Mixing Textures

This vignette welcomes me home every afternoon. When this Royal Poinciana, Delonix regia, branch began to hang low in front of the Firebush, Hamelia patens, I finally got "mix your textures"! What the photo doesn't show well, are Live Oak branches in the top right corner. They are small and a dark green. The contrasts in texture and in color make for an appealing vignette!

Crotons - Tropical Beauties

Crotons, Codiaeum variegatum, always remind me of Autumn! That's a little ironic since Crotons are tropical plants. Originating in Australia and the South Seas, they are grown as houseplants in most of the United States.

Its usually in the Fall when I purchase Crotons - I think they look as Autumnal (is that a word?) as mums do. Mix potted ones in with a few pumpkins and mums and you have a great welcome at your front door. After the season, use them, either potted or in the ground, for a tropical punch.

If you are lucky to live in a temperate climate (or if you don't mind using them as annuals), plant your Crotons in part sun. The sunlight will bring out their vibrant, varied colors. But it's been my experience that too much direct sun tends to burn them. Actually they can handle it if they've been "seasoned" a bit. When I plant one in full sun in the winter, it can usually handle the summer's full sun.


Crotons come with a variety of leaves. The first photos shows the most common broad leaf variety.

The plant on the left is a spiral leaf croton. My favorite (and the one I have the hardest time finding) is the oak leaf croton.

You can propagate Crotons from green stem cuttings or air layering. Personally I have only had success with air layering.

I'm still trying to decide exactly how I'm going to use these - but that's the fun, isn't it?

Last month, I posted pictures of one of our night blooming cacti. I had listed it as Epiphyllum oxypetalom, but am now thinking that I was wrong. Carol at May Dreams Gardens grows this and you can clearly see that it has much wider petals. Click here to see her blooms - but I wish I could see her actual plant! The bloom below is more like Carol's. Big and hearty! Maybe Aiyana over at Water When Dry could guide us in this! Do night blooming cactus grow in Arizona? I am thankful that neither of these cacti have thorns. Even though they are bulky to work around and prune, they aren't dangerous!

One thing I love about both of these plants is their source. The top cactus came from my father's yard and the bottom from one my father-in-law dug from a pasture fence-line. Maybe I should just name them Tom's Cactus and LP's Cactus.

I apologize for not really having any information to share - but I hope this post serves as a reminder for me to do a little reading!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - July Edition

Stepping out the front door this morning, it smelled just like heaven! Right by the front door are a couple of potted Maid of Orleans, Jasminum sambac. Although they have been terribley neglected lately, they have already responded to the thorough watering they got last Saturday (4 days!) This is a tender tropical that most of the country grows as a houseplant or an annual. It's a climber (but has no tendrils or suckers). I think it should be given something to weave it's branches around. Some people down here grow it as a large shrub. Pruning probably keeps it bushier than mine are. One thing for sure, Maid of Orleans will bloom and bloom and bloom - and the aroma is heavenly!

This was the first bloom I saw this morning and the only one I'll post for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. My garden is pretty much like it was in June (only a little more parched and stressed). To see what's blooming all over the world today, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Impulse Purchases - Good or Bad

Less than three years ago, this palm was an impulse purchase of mine - actually 200 of these in 1 gallon pots were. and I regretted it almost immediately. It was the first year that we were going to grow (or try to grow) palms for the nursery industry - and we did everything wrong. Some died in our Christmas Eve snow; some we killed with herbicide; some got nibbled on by the deer. But today my impulse purchase has changed from bad to good! I am absolutely lusting after this Clustering Fishtail Palm, Caryota mitis. The leaves on these palms are triangular shaped (much like a fishtail - surprise?) They are easily beaten and shredded by the wind. But even growing out in an open field, you gotta admit this is gorgeous! I do have to admit that it's a bit of a prima dona - it doesn't like the wind; it doesn't like the cold; and when I move it to my house, I'll probably find out that it doesn't like clay soil.

In zone 9B, we can grow Fishtail Palms if we give them a bit of protection from the north wind. They do well in pots as patio plants or in a Courtyard Garden. Farther north, given enough light, they are used as house plants. They are very fast growing. But once an individual stem blooms, it will die. The books say that's no big deal since the other stems just fill in that area. Clustering Fishtail Palms grow to about 20 feet tall by 15 feet wide.
I've been planning on putting a Clustering Fishtail to the right of this window. This spot is protected from our 30+ mph Spring winds. It does faces the North - but out of camera sight is a very large clump of Yucca and three Chinese Fan Palms - hopefully they will divert the North wind.

Personally, this bad impulse purchase has become a good impulse purchase. I don't know if we'll be able to sell all the ones that have survived our abuse, but at least I'll get to enjoy a beautiful specimen.

Especially for Night Owls

Gardening has something for everyone, even night owls! Here's a plant that doesn't bloom until after the sun sets.
I think this is a Epiphyllum oxypetalom - more commonly known as Night Blooming Cereus, Dutchman's Pipe, or Queen of the Night. Most of the pictures of Epiphyllum oxypetalom that I see show a flower with wider petals. I would be happy for anyone to correct my identification of this plant.

My dad has this plant climbing up some of his mesquite trees. They aren't actually climbing as they don't attach themselves to a support; they are just supported by the branches and tied to the tree. It's quite a floppy plant. Anyhoo, Dad gave me a cutting years ago. You can tell from the actual plant that I abuse it terribley. It's rarely watered and grows in heavy, heavy clay. Wikipedia says that it needs rich compost with lots of humus and lots of water in the summer. What do they know?

These blooms are only open at night and for a few hours in the morning (that's when I see them) - then the bloom dies. It usually has blooms that open for 5 or 6 days in a row. Then a few weeks later, we get another evening show.

So, if you are a night owl, this Night Blooming Cereus might be a plant to consider.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June Edition

Shrimp Plant - I thought I was buying the traditional color and seem to have picked up the maroon ones - I guess it's good for me to get away from oranges and reds a little bit.

Flame of the Woods, Ixora coccinea

Firebush, Hamelia patens

Wild Olive, Cordia boissieri

Variegated Shell Ginger, Alpina vittata

Pato de Chiva (Goat's Hoof),

Penta, Penta lanceolata

Lantana

Frangipani, Plumeria rubra

Bougainvillea

Rosa 'Adam'

Daylily
Marigolds

Milkweed
Mexican Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia pulcherrina

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming today in gardens all over the world!

The Mistakes I Have Made

So often, I don't realize my mistakes in the garden until they have become large and difficult. Then I am faced with the delima of how to correct them! Most of my mistakes have to do with a great plant in the wrong place - like this Bougainvillea. I've shared lots of pictures of its gorgeous multi-colored blooms and it is growing well here - in fact, it's growing too well and therein lies our problem. Bougainvillea needs LOTS of space to spread and I knew that when I planted this one; left to her own devices, she would block the entire front porch and the sidewalk leading up to it.

The original plan was to train this bougainvillea up onto the roof - but I just let her just grow wild. That certainly didn't work so Saturday, I began limbing her up on the backside (just to see if I'd like it). I already love the openness when I walk out the front door.
My second BIG mistake is on the other side of the front porch. Same song, second verse. By the end of the summer, this Frangipani, Plumeria obtuse will have covered both the window and the sidewalk. We try to keep it trimmed up so noone gets slapped in the face when they pass by - but when it is blooming, I have the hardest time removing any branches!


I mean, how could you remove these gorgeous flowers - love those buttery yellow throats - and the fragrance is to die for.



I have a friend who spent months removing Pothos Ivy that had crept into her front yard from the next door neighbors. It's hard to remove but it's even harder to dispose of those vines. I've tried letting them lay and dry so I can compost them - only to have them put down roots!

When I planted this, the plan was to NEVER let it climb higher than I could reach . . . . the best laid plans, right? An added problem is that I have seen a rat in this tree - so no matter how tall or short the vine is, I simply don't want to reach in to pull any down . . .

So I've let a small task become a large problem. . .


This Daturea, Angel's Trumpet has two problems. Its leaves are very delicate and I have it planted in a spot that gets lots of wind - thus, all the leaves are ragged. It took many years to establish and really start growing (5 or 6 years). Since the blooms hang down, I think they are prettiest when I am looking up at them.


But now that they are blooming at eye-level, I don't like the color! When I planted this, I was into white flowers. In fact I went to great lengths to get the pales blooming one I could find . . . Now I am loving oranges and reds and anything bold - and frankly find these blooms to be a bit dull.

This little area is also full of 'mistake' plantings - it's been done and redone 3 or 4 times - but the wonderful thing about gardening is that it's not about the end result but the process. Happy Digging!

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!

We picked the perfect weekend to spend in New Orleans - it was our first time back since Katrina and things in the French Quarter look better than ever. This trip, all the balcony gardens struck me as extra-beautiful - so I want to share them with you. How welcoming is this street!

I'm not sure where there is room for people to sit out on this balcony - but if there is, the Queen Palms or Cocus Plumosa, Syagrus romanzoffiana, and banana trees will certainly shield you from prying eyes.

The baskets of ferns were full and healthy - Nothing says "southern" to me like a hanging fern does. Ferns do so well here you'll see them growing out of lots of nooks and crannies in the walls. Check out the photo below. . .

. . . do you see it? In the recessed area in the very middle, ferns are growing!

and while we're on ferns, I believe this is a tree fern. Anyone out there want to share some info on it? I'm at a loss - except that it is pretty darn striking! I apologize to the foot-weary lady in the shot. My group was heading out and I couldn't wait.

Back to the balcony gardens . . . Although the ground floor appears to be boarded up and empty, the balcony is teeming with life and beauty!

Just in case you needed a closer look - now that's a riot of color!

And along Bourbon Street, beads are used at garlands on this balcony. The days were overcast so no need to open up the umbrellas - and all the better for me to enjoy their gardens.

Check out how full these baskets are! I especially like the spikey plants in the back of this one. Each basket on this balcony was a little bit different

I wondered if these flowers would have been more open if the sun was out . . .

I usually like a large sweep of the same plant(s) - but my favorite balcony gardens had more random plantings. This just makes me want to grab a book, a beer, and a chair.

I couldn't resist sharing this pittosporum - Yep, you read that right - this is a pittosporum (and the sign at the base of this "shrub" verified our identification) It's a shrub on steroids!

Agapanthus were in full bloom all over the city! These happen to be at Audobon Park

Palms are used all over New Orleans. These Windmill Palms, Trachycarpus fortunei, are in Cafe Beignet, an outdoor jazz joint on Bourbon Street.

Mediterranean Fan Palms, Chamerops humilis, dot Jackson Square. Each and every clump is as beautiful as these! Some of the most stunning specimens I've ever seen.

And along Cafe Du Monde are planted a line of Chinese Fan Palms, Livingstonia chinesis.

I got home with more pictures of plants than of people. Go figure! Laissez les bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!