pomegranate Archives | Diana's Designs Austin

Fruit trees in the garden bearing fruit after recent rains…

A tour through the garden this week, after several significant recent rains, has me smiling. Several of our trees are bearing fruit, thanks to a change of seasons and the end the our drought status.

The Texas ever-bearing fig tree we planted this spring is perking up after the summer and producing a second crop of fruit. I can’t wait to taste them, as those from the spring were stressed by the transplant and heat.

It’s a lovely little tree, but I have had to put up a fence to keep Dakota, the fruit-vegetable-bulb-grub-eating dog away from it.

The pineapple guava is getting to be quite large for its spot and when it’s done fruiting, I will do some more pruning on it. I’d like it to be a little less multi-trunked so we can see the structural nature of the tree.

Dakota had eaten some of the guavas, but there are going to be enough for us as I’m keeping a closer eye on her!

The pomegranate tree is absolutely full of fruit. The birds and squirrels often get into these, and I usually leave some on the tree to split open and give them a treat. I’m going to try some different ways for us to enjoy the arils this year. They’re so good for you — their health benefits include helping to fight heart disease, blood pressure, high cholesterol. They have also been shown to help inhibit breast, prostate and colon cancer. We have many more than we could possibly eat, so I’ll be sharing. If you’re in Austin, let me know if you’d like to come get some — they’re not quite ready yet, but it won’t be long now. Just post a comment if you’re interested in coming to get some.

There is no fruit on the loquat, but it’s blooming all over, so that’s a promising sign for future production. Except that this fruit tree sits next to the Pom, so the squirrels usually have a field day with the loquats because they are much less work to eat. I’ll have to be the early bird to get this fruit.

What’s fruiting in your garden?

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:26:58-06:00November 14th, 2015|Blog, fig, fruit, fruit trees, loquat, pineapple guava, pomegranate, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas ever-bearing fig|0 Comments

Morning sun in a shady spot…

There was an undercurrent of cool in the air this morning. It almost felt like fall. Almost. But the forecast for today is 97. No kidding. Unbelievable.

Standing on the front porch watering pots, the light was beautiful, highlighting a very shady corner of the garden with the only sun it ever gets. Surrounded on 3 sides by house and growing under the high canopy of majestic oaks and a pomegranate, it only gets a dribble of filtered morning sun through the trees.

Because it’s so protected and the area takes a long time to dry out after rain or watering, it doesn’t need a lot of extra water, which is a plus.

Root beer plant (Hoya santo ) – which means sacred leaf in Spanish) forms a commanding background for Pam’s pink Turk’s cap (Malavisious drummondii ‘Pam Puryear’)and Persian Shield (Stobilanthes dyerianus). Look closely and you can see the Poms coming on in the tree.

I’ll propagate the Persian shield before it gets cold and those new plants will live through the winter in the greenhouse. It is an annual here and I have to replace the plants every year. Such a striking plant in the garden, I wouldn’t be without them. The deer will eat them, but these are up against the house and I’ve been lucky with them in this spot. The deer would almost have to ring the doorbell to get at them. (And now, of course, they’ll get eaten since I bragged that I’ve outsmarted them!)

Though it’s a later bloomer than it’s red Turk’s cap cousin, I love the pop of pink it adds to this space.

This umbrella plant (Cypereus involucratus), just across the dry creek from the other plants, comes back year after year, giving a great texture and contrast to this space.

This is one of my favorite spots in the garden. And, it requires absolutely no care and it bursts forth beautifully every year without any help from me. You can’t beat that kind of performance.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:00-06:00October 12th, 2015|Blog, Hoya santo, morning sun, Pam's pink Turk's cap, Persian shield, pomegranate, propagation, root beer plant, shade, Sharing Nature's Garden, umbrella plant|1 Comment

Beautiful bursts for fall foliage follow-up…

Fall has arrived in Central Texas.

Thank Goodness!

We’ve been eagerly awaiting its arrival, having tired of endless summer.

But the days are in the 70s and the nights have even dipped down to 40 a time or two.

Our prodigious perennials have begun to wane, blooms fading, leaves yellowing and stalks turning spindly.

I love fall.

It’s a great time to grow fall vegetables. And I’m always amazed at the fall color.

We certainly don’t get the brilliant displays of color like gardeners in the north and east, but we do get some small bursts by certain trees and shrubs.

This small Crape Myrtle in my front bed has transformed itself with these beautiful hues of yellow and orange that almost make it look illuminated.

The big Burr Oak has some warm color, too, though it’s a little slower to change — perhaps this lumbering giant is slow to do many things. But it does drop the biggest leaves on the planet! (I might be exaggerating just a bit here.)
The Loropetalum love the chill – their deep plum-colored leaves provide a wonderful contrast in the garden.
My other Crape Myrtles – at least 15 feet tall – are reaching into the big blue sky with their fall colors and seed balls.
This Dwarf Pomegranate is still green as green can be, but the fruit is ready to ripen and bringing on its own fall color.
And one of my favorite color combinations – a coleus and a potato vine. Both seem unfazed by the cooler weather and I’m so glad.