Gulf Coast Greenie

March of the Foliage

Lots of leaves have emerged since the last Foliage Follow-Up.

The pomegranate leaves weren't out at all a month ago, but they're mostly green already.

The citrus trees are adding to what made it through winter. Our Ujukitsu lemon is winning so far:

And our new roses seem to love their new home. In addition to the Reine des Violettes in my Bloom Day post, we have a new fortuniana, now also in bud.

Our prickly pear, which I think is an Opuntia engelmannii, shriveled up during the winter but is "turgiding" back up again. You can see where the folds were while it was temporarily crumpled.

Wade at Yucca Do explained to me that many cacti expel most of their fluid before they go dormant to help them survive freezing temps.

It's Springtime on the Bayou

Just in time for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, wildflowers have started blooming around the bayou by our house and in our garden.

I haven't been able to identify these two:

Is this a tree that sprouted from a paddler's picnic apple?

The lizards are out again too.

We have anoles in our garden, but they've been to fast for me so far. Their more patient cousins like the one above were willing subjects on sunny Sunday as we kayaked on Armand Bayou.

Back at home, our blue curls are unfurling.

I first became familiar with blue curls last year and was determined to have some of my own this year.

Our "Forest Pansy" redbud, which we planted about five years ago is blooming more than ever before.

Close by, verbena is firing back up again.

And Formosa azaleas are just beginning to open.

The spirea too seems to have timed its flowering just for Bloom Day.

These azaleas have been blooming since last month:

The strawberries started blooming soon after last month's Bloom Day.

And the pansies are still going, snapdragons just hitting their stride.

A new addition to our garden that is just about to start blooming is a "Reine des Violettes" rose. We got it at the Antique Rose Emporium last month while we were up there.

There are seven buds in all so far.

Am I silly to be nervous that the sliver of color on this one looks more red than purple? I'm a rose newbie but have purchased mislabeled camellias before.

I'll post new photos when it finally opens, but please let me know your thoughts in the meantime.

My First Foliage Follow-up

I'm coming to the party a little late here. This is my first time to participate in Pam of Digging's Foliage Follow-up, and I'm even posting on the wrong day. But I'm definitely feeling "better late than never." I was having a very bad day today until I decided to take a look around the garden to check for progress among the leaves.

For Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day I posted, among other things, photos of two types of azaleas that have begun to bloom. The one other type we have in our garden, Formosa, hasn't started to bloom yet, but at least one of our Formosa plants is putting out new leaves already!

Our azaleas weren't damaged by this particularly rough winter, nor was our gardenia. It's putting out new leaves also.

Other plants experienced freeze for the first time and took it pretty hard. Many are just now letting me know they lived through it.

 

How subtle is the green of the new hydrangea leaf buds. They could easily be confused for flower buds, like those on our "Forest Pansy" redbud, which are starting to loosen up in this week's sunshine.

Elsewhere, agapanthuses are emerging from their dens:

And pineapple sage is proving its survival skills.

Old-timers more accustomed to spring returns, like spirea, refuse to be outdone by winter novices like sage.

Most delightful of all for me though was to see great use made of shed leaves from last season. A pair of Carolina wrens have been carefully selecting weathered leaves for their nest in our new birdhouse.

 
It's not a simple matter to get the leaves into the gourd, but they're dedicated workers; I expect great things from them.

While I was out this afternoon looking at foliage I also caught glimpses of these fairly infrequent visitors:

A downy woodpecker.

 
And tufted titmouse.

Thank you, Pam!

Valentine Bloom Day

This bloom day happily finds one of my Christmas plants still flowering:

We bought this Dendrobium C.K. Oka x canaliculatum just before Christmas to help make up for the fact that we had a tumbleweed instead of a Christmas tree because we had just moved back from New Mexico. I never expected its blooms to last past Valentine's.

In addition to the tumbleweed, I brought these corn husk flowers from out West. I found them at a fair trade market in El Paso called Mercado Mayapan.

They are still blooming too ( :

For Valentine's Day accents, I didn't travel very far. I found these prolifically blooming New Guinea impatiens at a nearby grocery store.

I don't buy plants at groceries very often, but every once in a while I come across great and unusual things there. I found this wonderful succulent at a different grocery last week. It, like the impatiens above, was completely alone in a sea of commonplace plants like pothos. I haven't identified it yet, so if you know it, please tell me. It's about the size of a large grapefruit.

Not very much is happening out in the garden yet, but there are some signs of spring. Two varieties of azalea have begun to bloom.

The strawberry plants have begun to bloom again since the last hard freeze, but I've also been enjoying the reddened leaves left by the cold. They're as bright as the fruit to come.

We've also been enjoying the cold weather standbys of pansies and snapdragons, though the latter have been slow to open their mouths fully.

On Valentine's Day, my husband and I were treated to more bright colors that weren't in flower form. We went kayaking in the bayou near our home and found these wonderful birds.

The roseate spoonbills seemed to have made friends with a snowy egret and tricolored heron. We'd never seen these species traveling together before, but after they left this perch, the four hunted together further upstream.

It had been cold and rainy for many days before this, so perhaps they were just goofy on sunshine like we were.

Happy Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!

Waxwings, Wrens, Warblers, Robins, and a Sapsucker, with Video

Despite the recent freeze, our garden is alive! Last Sunday we had an astounding number of visitors.

The Cedar Waxwings coordinated well with our oak trees.

But the Yaupon Holly was what they came for.

 

It was delightful enough watching them enjoy the berries, but their "Don King hair" definitely added flare to their entertainments.

Our first Robins of the year and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came through at the same time to partake in the berry eating. 

Elsewhere in the garden, Yellow-rumped Warblers sought insects.

 
And Carolina Wrens went house shopping?

Below is video my husband took of the Waxwings, Robins, and Sapsucker. You can hear the Wrens and other birds, such as Blue Jays, in the background.

The other background noises are my camera shutter and the resurfacing of our nearby water tower. I thought the water-tower work had been scaring off the birds, but this crowd didn't seem to mind it.

Wordless Wednesday

Creative Frost Protection in My Neighborhood

I'm not going to cover my plants for the freeze until Thursday morning, but many around me started earlier this week. Driving around my neighborhood, I've spotted some unusual methods.

This is one of my favorites. I don't know what is under here. I suspect a plumeria but am unsure. Perhaps it's a plant from the land ofthe Arabian Nights? Regardless, it is clearly well loved.

I hope it won't be a problem that the fabric doesn't quite reach the ground. That is always a challenge.

Another house has even bigger gaps. Maybe they're just trying to protect azalea buds?

This gardener was far more generous with his or her fabrics. The warm colors make it look even toastier.

Here is another attractive approach:

Their use of landscape rocks as anchors is practical and dresses it up.

One method I came up with that I haven't seen elsewhere is to top a leaf-bag holder with pillow cases to make a warm but breathable teepee:

Rummaging in my garage I came across some other useful items: old dog-bed covers, a grill cover and weed fabric I hadn't gotten around to putting down yet. I bought some frost cloth, but it's not in my budget to use it exclusively.

What are some creative or useful ideas you've seen lately?

Snow in the Forecast Again Already?* (Updated)

* Wednesday night the forecasts called for snow, by Thursday morning that had changed. Weather expert Stan Blazyk of the Galveston Daily News writes that it can't be completely ruled out yet, but "there are many unknowns."

Update 12/11: The Chronicle's SciGuy is now reporting on the potential for additional snow in the Houston Area.

Gambel's Quail in New Mexico last week

I missed the last snow because I was in New Mexico again. (I'll explain why pretty soon.) But two different extended Houston forecasts tonight, Wednesday, give high chances of snow for December 18th or 19th! I know extended forecasts are unreliable, but I'm excited anyway. Since it might change, I figure I ought to enjoy the possibility while I can.

It snowed on us in New Mexico last week, and it was really pretty, but I'm dying to experience snow at home. I've missed the last three of three.

In 2008 when we were away during the snow, our plants didn't get much damage at all. This time we had a lot of leaf damage, but only some herbs, peppers, begonias and coleus were total losses. The top survivors were shrimp plants, crotons, and camellias. They look every bit as content as before the frost.

Still alive but begging to be put out of its misery: A bed of lantana in our front yard looked spray-painted black. I've been wanting to replace it, and this was the motivation I needed. I dug them up today.

The red leaves are from our sweet gum.

Ripe and Blooming for the Holiday

I'll get back soon to writing about the Bosque del Apache, but here's a quick look at what's happening in my garden right now:

Our very first satsumas were ready just in time for Thanksgiving. We planted the tree last spring and removed most of the fruit early because it was too heavy. The only three that we left came though spectacularly. (The banana peppers are probably the last for the year.)

We also have lots of food for the birds. We have an exceptional amount of acorns and yaupon berries this year. Has anyone else noticed an explosion in acorn numbers? I think we still have so many yaupon berries left because the squirrels are occupied with the nuts.

The nandinas are also heavy with berries, but they're mostly for looks. Nothing ever seems to eat them.

Many flowers are also coming into their own now that the weather is cooler.

The pineapple sage is at its peak and covered with bees.

And our 'Yuletide' camellias are already set for Christmas. We planted these to replace an old ligustrum hedge that died after Ike. What a happy improvement!

 I hope you and yours had a very blessed holiday.

New White Blooms This Week

In addition to long-awaited flowers like those of this Plumeria,

recent rains encouraged some flash-flowering by others. The Tahitian wedding veil appeared like a blanket of stars in the gloom.

We also had many mushrooms we've never seen before appear overnight. All three of these varieties were much better-behaved visitors than the yellowish, mushy ones we've had before. I enjoyed these as much as flowers.

This brand new crown of thorns seems to be adjusting to its new surroundings despite the odd weather. I knocked off its nursery peat as Cindy of From My Corner of Katy suggested, and I really think that helped.

This Brugmansia bloom seemed happy near the ground, showing off its elegant texture.

 

We have many colorful blooms this week too, but the above held up best through the recent deluges.