Texas Mountain Laurel Archives | Page 2 of 2

Crazy Mixed-Up Garden World

What is up with Mother Nature? Last year on February 18, I had beautiful grape-soda-scented Mountain Laurel blooms all along the driveway.

Today, the Mountain Laurels are not even forming buds yet. The caterpillars are eating them already, but no buds. I wonder if the recent freezes killed them entirely.
And, yet, a month behind in our blooms, we already have May flies! This is a lousy picture (YOU try capturing a flying May fly on film (well, not film, either). And I saw a 3″ long grasshopper on the back of the house today. By all rights, he should have DIED in the big freeze. Sigh.

But there are a few reliables in my garden, even if many things are topsy turvy. Ms. Phoebe Hellebore’s two sisters joined her yesterday – one pink and one with a greenish tint.
And since I am so infatuated with the Hellebores, I did order another from Springhill — see her here above in her little cage? Her name is Ice Wine, and she’ll make a nice contrast with the Phoebes, don’t you think?

Does this look suspiciously like someone forgot there were already a different variety of bulbs planted in this very same spot? Hmmmm…
I was lying on the driveway to take this picture for you. Sure wish you could scratch and sniff your screen. It is Yellow Grape Muscari “Golden Fragrance” — a variety very different from the traditional grape-y muscari, known for its scent, which is said to smell a bit like a mix of gardenia and banana. I stuck my nose in it and WHAM! So full of scent – what a wonderful smell, though I had forgotten how it was described. As I smelled it, I thought it smelled like pineapple and cinnamon. Interesting, huh? But boy was it great.
And here are a few of the different Daffs popping up all around the garden. Dutch Master, Tete-a-Tete, and Yellow Fortune.

By Diana C. Kirby|2016-04-14T02:42:34-05:00March 9th, 2010|Blog, bulbs, daffodils, Hellebore, May flies, Phoebe, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas Mountain Laurel|0 Comments

New bed in the making

Out beyond the back wrought iron fence there’s a line of ugly scrub cedars. Beyond that, several acres of floodplain land with a wet weather pond. The cedars give us some privacy, but let’s face it, these are ugy. Not unique, or interesting cedars, just ugly.

So I’ve been whittling away at them making space for a little xeric bed to give us something drought-tolerant and prettier to look at. My guys came today to dig out the rock and deliver soil.
This bed won’t get watered, and deer will wander through her regularly, so it’s my “tough” bed.
Here are the tough characters who will spruce things up in the back:

Quadricolor Agave
A Fishhook cactus
Rats – it’s dark outside and I can’t read this pot, can you? Something bronze!
Bamboo Muhly
Cycad – I think it’s Zamia Herrerae – an upright, skinny leafed one
Pride of Barbados
A Pindo Palm tree
Euphorbia
Whale’s tongue agave
Barrel cactus
Not pictured, a Texas Mountain Laurel and Gulf Coast Muhly.

I am hoping that these things will get some rain this fall to get established and then will survive (for the most part) on their own next summer. (Assuming we don’t have 68+ days over 100 again!)

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:37-06:00November 5th, 2009|agaves, banboo muhly, barrel cactus, Blog, fishhook cactus, pindo palm, Pride of Barbados, quadricolor agave, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas Mountain Laurel, whales tongue agave|0 Comments

The sweet smell of Spring…

…is about to be in the air here in Austin.

My Mountain laurels are plump with buds and a few, ever-so-slightly open blooms.

It seems early, so I checked my blog from last year, and in fact, my post about the beautiful Mountain Laurel blooms in 2008 was dated February 28th, so I guess they are not so early, after all. (Nice to be able to look back, isn’t it?)

And I am ready. I saw one in our part of town that is a good 15+ feet tall and already full of blooms — it’s stunning. I can’t wait to walk along my driveway and smell all 5 of mine at once.

Just a shot to show you Ms. Phoebe Hellebore’s sister bud who will be joining us soon. Even the buds are delicate.

And the misty weather yesterday has made the Japanese quince really pop today, with even more pretty blooms.

And the garden Fairies were recently hard at work, adding a nicely-lined walkway up to the Fairy House.

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:48-06:00February 18th, 2009|Blog, Fairy, Hellebore, quince, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas Mountain Laurel|0 Comments

Mountain Laurels have arrived!

I teased you with a Texas mystery tree in my last post. Well, these are native Texas Mountain Laurels – just starting to bloom. Mine are about 4 feet tall. The two full-tree photos are from more established trees in our neighborhood, and they are well protected – by the house – thus they are in full bloom a little earlier than some others.

On the food network, Emeril says he wishes we had “smell-avision.” Well, I wish we had scent-blogs! The floral scent of these lovely trees is so heady and beautiful, I wish I could share it with you. For now, these photos will have to do!

By Diana C. Kirby|2017-11-29T23:27:55-06:00February 28th, 2008|Blog, Sharing Nature's Garden, Texas Mountain Laurel|9 Comments

Texas Mountain Laurel

Crazy Mixed-Up Garden World

New bed in the making

The sweet smell of Spring…

Mountain Laurels have arrived!

Escape in the garden