http://statebystategardening.com/la/blog_01_summary/ en jean@statebystategardening.com Copyright 2012 2012-03-18T15:51:54+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/garden_bloggers_bloom_day_and_bulb-o-rama/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/garden_bloggers_bloom_day_and_bulb-o-rama/   Tulipa clusiana On the 15th of every month it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. Though I may be a little late (Blogger problems), I can't pass up posting in springtime, can I? In the last week our area has exploded with blooms of all kinds. I've had my bulbs going for a while but I still have some to show off. So I'll start off with my Bulb-o-rama exhibit and then show a few other pretties blooming in the yard. Gotta love that clusiana tulip, which reliably returns each spring.   The color of these 'Treviathian' daffs is no joke; the darkest yellow ones I've ever seen. 'Ice Follies' daffodils in the front yard. Alas, they faded fast this year with the warm temperatures. 'Excelsior' Spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica- this latest purchase from Old House Gardens had huge bulbs compared to last year's purchase. Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' White "cemetery" iris - the ones on my little hillside are always the first iris to bloom in my yard. The 'Mrs. R.O. Backhouse' daffodils are interesting. According to Old House Gardens, she was known as THE pink daffodil for decades. But as you can see, she starts out with a yellowish cup (left) that matures to an apricot color (right). An older 'Mrs. Backhouse' - isn't she a faded beauty? 'Thalia' daffodil Through the gate "sidelight" - 'Thalia' daffs and Wave petunias I'm so excited I finally grew some borage from seed! The flowers taste similar to cucumbers and can be used as a garnish. Almost forgot to show you my "Wave Purple Improved Spreading" petunia (as it was labeled).I planted this last spring and I've never fertilized them or done anything to them really. In fact I meant to cut it back a few weeks ago. Guess it was made for this mild winter. A new hellebore for me, 'HGC Joker' has upright blooms. 'Hinckley's' columbine I think. I bought it in Texas (where Hinckley's is common)  last year but it had no label. Lanai Bright Pink verbena with blooming rosemary and candytuft in the background. Not blooms exactly but if you squeeze your eyes almost shut they could look like blooms! One of my latest fun projects. I really need to stop now! Hop on over to Carol's blog to see other GBBD contributors! This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2012-03-18T14:51:54+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/its_starting_..._spring/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/its_starting_..._spring/   'Grand Primo' Narcissus tazetta (I think) Is this the start of spring? It's been unseasonably mild here, a far cry from last winter, and some of the bulbs are blooming much earlier this year. I dug up these narcissus, which I think are 'Grand Primo', the first week in March last year while they were in bloom. It was part of my daffodil rescue. But they're blooming already. I really like these bulbs - very robust leaves and stems and extremely fragrant (maybe too fragrant!). Plus they're just plain pretty.   Southern grape hyacinth, Muscari neglectum Last year the grape hyacinth were just starting to open about a week later. So they seem on track. If I were to buy more grape hyacinth bulbs, I think I'd buy some larger cultivars. These are very teeny.   'Gravetye Giant' summer snowflake, Leucojum aestivum These 'Gravetye Giant' snowflakes are new for me this year. Last year I had the smaller summer snowflakes blooming about a month later. The smaller ones have yet to bloom so I don't know if it's a cultivar difference or not. I do like the bigger blooms on these!   Flowering quince The flowering quince is starting to open, probably a week or so earlier than last year. I'd say it's got a good month of blooming left though.   'Peggy Clarke' flowering apricot, Prunus mume My new baby is blooming! I planted my 'Peggy Clarke' flowering apricot last January and it's covered in blooms and bees now! I'm so glad there are some bloomers for my pollinator friends.   Are you starting to see signs of spring earlier than last year? What's blooming for you?   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2012-01-24T13:46:21+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/garden_bloggers_bloom_day_for_the_new_year/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/garden_bloggers_bloom_day_for_the_new_year/   Improved Meyer lemon blooming indoors What is blooming in your yard or house this Garden Bloggers Bloom Day? I have a few plants, mostly indoors, and a couple in bud outdoors. To start off, here's a couple of shots of my Meyer lemon tree. It's happily blooming away in the guest room. But I think I need to bring it outdoors for some pollinators if I want some lemons! Improved Meyer lemon Lemon trees need pollinators to set fruit, right? Duba   This is my cat Duba, who was getting in my way as I tried to take the next photo (yes, he has one eye that's mostly brown and the other very light blue).   African violet I wish I knew the name of this African violet. It never fails to bloom in winter and it continues to bloom for a long time.   'Patrick's' abutilon I can tell our "hard" freezes haven't lasted too long because the abutilon is still blooming. The blooms are pretty small but it's still got them!   Flowering quince The flowering quince is not quite in bloom yet. In fact, though there are many buds, it's coming out a little later than it has in the past.   'Peggy Clarke' flowering apricot (Prunus mume 'Peggy Clarke') And last but certainly not least, one of my newer trees is getting ready to burst into bloom - 'Peggy Clarke' flowering apricot. It's loaded with buds now, and if we don't get a hard freeze, I expect to see a sensation.   Be sure to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what she has in bloom along with many other folks around the world!   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2012-01-16T20:47:28+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/davis_mountains/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/davis_mountains/   Davis Mountains, far west Texas Happy New Year! Though it feels like spring here right now, I thought I'd reminisce about the winter we experienced over the holidays. We went to one of our favorite places - the Davis Mountains. They're in far west Texas, north of the towns of Marfa and Alpine, and northwest of Big Bend National Park.   Hiking trail in the Davis Mountains State Park When we arrived, snow and "ice fog" had just started roll in, and it made for a less-than-ideal mini-hike, which we took immediately. Who knew that those conditions would hang around for most of our trip?   Indian Lodge lobby We stayed at Indian Lodge, which is located in Davis Mountains State Park. The original part of the lodge (which we always stay in) was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was established by FDR to put many young men to work, and I learned that at that time many of Texas' state parks had just been established but there was no money to build structures. So the CCC built many of the beautiful cabins found within those state parks. Post and beam detail in lobby of Indian Lodge For Indian Lodge, the CCC made their own adobe bricks, cut posts from the area, and built much of the furniture that is still in use today.     Ceiling in our room The cane used on the ceilings came from Boquillos Canyon, down Big Bend way. Indian Lodge courtyard and snow as seen through our window (and screen!) We were there to do some hiking, see some wildlife and for me to check out the plant life. The wildlife was a bit sparse. I guess they preferred to stay warm as I did. We didn't see the usual javelinas but did see some mule deer and a few birds (canyon wren, red-naped sapsucker, mountain chickadee, towhees and phainopepla were some of the "good" ones for you birders). And we saw many plants endemic to the area.   Cholla, Cylindropuntia sp. The cholla is a very common cactus of the area.   Berries of the madrone tree, Arbutus sp. There was a beautiful madrone tree in the courtyard of the Lodge. Though you can't really see it here, the berries are bumpy, and if you stretch your imagination, they can be said to resemble strawberries from whence they get a common name of "strawberry tree."   Madrone bark Madrone trees are probably more famous for their peeling bark.   Ice/snow on Emory oak I learned from a park ranger that most of the oak trees within the park are hybrids between the Emory oak and the gray oak. Interesting (in a geeky way).   Havard agave Havard agave (Agave havardiana) is the common agave in the area. I saw them mostly near the bottoms of hills.   Chihuahuan Desert and Davis Mountains in the background Why do we love this area so much? Many reasons - the wide-open skies, interesting high desert flora and fauna, friendly people. It seems the Wild West past is always simmering just beneath the present there. I have much respect for those who have been able to make a living out there.   Wildfire damage It can be a hard place to live, and there was much evidence of that from the wildfires that terrified the people and ravaged the area this past spring. That's not fall colors in the photo, it's burnt trees.   Snow near McDonald Observatory But we'll be back. And if I can get a little time, maybe I'll do a post about Marfa, an interesting place!   Meanwhile in the garden, though the weather is balmy I know winter is here from the winter birds: dark-eyed junco, white-throated sparrow, cedar waxwings, tons of robins, and soon to arrive ... the American goldfinches!   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2012. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2012-01-09T13:34:40+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/tidying_up_for_winter/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/tidying_up_for_winter/   Gulf fritillary butterfly on Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) It's that time of year again. Time to tidy up the garden before it goes to sleep (not that the garden really goes that dormant in the South). I love the colors this time of year, and the last of the butterflies. The butterflies seem slower, on their last wings, so to speak. And so it's time for me to start moving the potted plants to a safer area. The last few years I've moved the succulents to my storeroom and the rest of the plants to a portable pop-up greenhouse. Uh, but as you can see ...     this old greenhouse isn't exactly in shape for anything. This is how it looked after a stormy night in October. I've found these types of greenhouses really don't hold up more than a year for me (I've had two of them). I think the intensity of the sun and heat here is too much for it. And yes, you're supposed to be able to roll it back up at the end of the season and put it in a case, but we tried that one time and it was a real comedy of errors. It never would go back in the case. So this year I never got around to replacing it, which meant the plants would have to go indoors.   Readying plants for lower light levels on the patio They say you should gradually introduce your potted plants to less light before sticking them indoors. I have rarely done that but decided to make the effort this year. The large plants - olive tree, lemon tree, bay tree and bouganvillea - are the ones I'm most concerned about (I leave these foxtail ferns out during winter, though I'll move them closer to the house and cover them when there are heavy freezes). So here I've got them under the patio roof to ready them for the house. I left them here for at least two weeks.   Olive tree in the dining room A week after moving the olive tree indoors it started to shed leaves. I'm expecting that to happen on most of the big ones (except maybe the lemon tree). Hang in there baby - it's only a few months.   Lemon tree, geranium and miscellaneous other plants Fortunately, we have some good south-facing windows for these plants.   A few succulents upstairs in my office (with Chobe) Still facing south, a few of the succulents that didn't fit in my storeroom are joining me in my office for the first time.   Succulents in the storeroom In my storeroom I put as many succulents as will fit on a shelving system in front of the window. Unfortunately the window is an old polarized one, which means it doesn't get much sunlight. So I supplement with a few grow lights from the other side. I also clean up the plants by removing the fallen leaves and detritus from them. That can be hard to do when the plant is quite thorny, like my agaves. Since I don't own a leaf blower, here's a little trick I use - I use chopsticks to remove the leaves. Or just two thin bamboo sticks. If you don't have the hang of using chopsticks, just one stick can still knock out any fallen leaves and leave you relatively scar-free.   Front side garden Just today I realized how much I liked the fall look of my front side garden. The pink muhlys aren't so pink anymore, but the 'White Cloud' muhly is really looking good. I realized this area is mostly a summer and fall garden, but it'll still look good in the winter with the grasses, cactus and agave giving it some structure. Maybe I need to think about adding some good spring color.   'White Cloud' muhly grass and Ipomea lobata vine above it Here's the 'White Cloud' grass with a lovely fall-blooming (at least for me) vine. This vine, Ipomea lobata, has lots of common names but probably my favorite is exotic love vine.   A close-up of Ipomea lobata Such lovely fall colors on this vine. It's an easy one to grow from seed. I'm not that competent at growing plants from seed but I can grow this one!   Mexican mint marigold and unknown wasp(?) So it looks like the season is winding down. I will miss my connection to the various pollinators in my backyard. But other than me needing to plant a few lettuce and kale seeds and a shrub and a tree, I think at least the garden is ready.   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-11-15T19:16:53+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/where_did_summer_go/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/where_did_summer_go/   Snow Sonata cosmos (and spider friend) I simply can't believe it's been two months since I last blogged - that's ridiculous! All I can say is that I have been super busy, way more than usual. In the meantime, the hellish weather has passed (although we're still in a severe drought) and a new leaf has turned over, so to speak, in the garden. Take for instance, this one little cosmos plant. I had no luck this year getting cosmos from seed to grow. True, we had no rain but I do have a sprinkler! I planted three packages of various types of cosmos seed and got very few plants. This white one was the only survivor of its package and it never bloomed until this month. If I had been lucky with this plant, a whole bed of them would have looked sublime. And speaking of sprinklers ...     Near the white cosmos I planted some iris transplants and then set up a sprinkler to settle them in. The next day I had an explosion of different types of mushrooms. It's amazing what a little water will do!   A mushroom eruption The squirrels are driving me crazy with their digging. The photo below shows why I can't plant bulbs right now.   pesky squirrel damage I have a lot of open areas in the bed I put in last fall since the plants haven't filled in yet, and the squirrels really like that. So last weekend I started making rodent proof guards for the bulbs I'm going to plant. I cut chicken coop wire into sections and fasten them on top of the soil with landscape pins. Then I cover them with mulch. It's some trouble but worth it.   Agave desmettiana bloom stalk And here's a fall surprise - a bloom stalk on my agave. Since this photo was taken, the stalk has doubled in height. I do hope the blooms open before a hard freeze. But I guess the plant will die after blooming, and I'm OK with that since this agave has been too tender for me, and thus a hassle to protect.   Mariachi, jalapeno, and maybe some small Gypsy peppers Fall has brought a bumper crop of peppers. Last spring I got carried away with all the pepper varieties The Natural Gardener had, and I came home with five pepper plants and not really enough space to plant them. So I crammed them all into one area and now have a strange mix of slightly hot sweet peppers and truly hot, hot peppers. The Mariachi pepper, which is supposed to be only mildly hot, causes my husband's eyes to water. If you know him, that's saying a whole lot (the man can finish a jar of ghost pepper salsa in two days all by himself).   'Tiburon' poblanos Last weekend I picked a bunch of poblanos, roasted the whole lot and froze half of them. I find the easiest way to roast them is to throw them on the grill.   'Helvola' miniature water lilies I'm glad I took this photo of my little pond a couple weeks ago because the water lilies are now slowly putting themselves into winter hibernation. In the stock tank pond I have a blue rush, miniature 'Helvola' water lilies that Pam of Digging gave me, and my sweet little glass floatie ball I brought back from my Seattle trip.   Lindheimer's muhly grass, Muhlenbergia lindheimeri And at last, one of my favorite things about fall is when the grasses start to bloom. I have quite a few blooming now: 'Northwind' switchgrass, pennisetum, 'White Cloud' muhly (which I must get a photo of to show you), pink muhly, and this muhly grass commonly called Lindheimer's muhly. Here it's not quite in full bloom. It's fairly big - about 4 by 4 feet. I love it.   pink muhly And how could I not show a photo of the pink muhly? It looks so luscious, like a frothy ice cream treat.   I hope never to be so tardy with my blog posts. See how an entire season faded away and another appeared in just these past two months?   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-10-21T17:05:02+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/a_few_of_my_favorite_fling_things/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/a_few_of_my_favorite_fling_things/   Cherries from the West Seattle Farmers' Market You know, it's hard to feel like blogging about the garden when it's so hot and dry that most of your outdoor time is merely running from air-conditioned house to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office and back again. My plants are struggling to survive and some are dying, but ever the gardening optimist I continue to think about what I'll do in the garden come fall. But in August, the here and now, how about a little trip to cool Seattle for a few of my favorite things I saw or experienced at the Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling 2011?   Some type of veronica at Bellevue Botanical Garden Originally I had planned to write a separate post for each day and/or garden, but I just don't think the time for that is in the cards. So I've picked out one or two things from each place to highlight. We visited both private and public gardens. At Bellevue Botanical Garden on the east side of Seattle, they have a fantastic perennial garden chocked with full-sun plants, most of which were attracting bees, butterflies and other pollinators. If the sun hadn't been so intense and my fair skin starting to sunburn, I probably would have rolled around in all those flowers!   Rosa glauca In Shelagh Tucker's marvelous garden I first spied Rosa glauca, a rose that's grown not so much for the little flowers but for the blue-gray leaves. I believe I remember Shelagh saying it can take shade. Andrea at grow where you're planted eventually got a cutting of it at Dragonfly Farms Nursery and I hope she gets it going so we can all have cuttings!   Shelagh Tucker's front yard I loved seeing this open yet somewhat concealed-from-the-street sitting area in Shelagh's front yard. This area was modeled after Beth Chatto's dry garden (Ms. Chatto is a famous nursery owner and author in England). Several of the plants here were familiar from my days of gardening in Austin where drought-tolerant plants are the norm. A shady spot in Shelagh Tucker's garden Her side yard and part of her backyard were more shady. I liked this little vignette and combination of plants (hosta, oakleaf hydrangea, the odd poppy or two, Mexican feather grass). The Mexican feather grass grew so tall and with such dark seed heads that those of us from down South (mainly all the Texans and me) almost didn't recognize it. Some type of helenium and culver's root behind it Shelagh is a master at plant combinations. This was the first helenium I saw in Seattle but certainly not the last. I may try to grow this next year.   Entrance to the vegetable garden at the Birrell residence Right next door to Shelagh's house live the Birrells. Wouldn't you love to live next door to some incredibly good gardeners? I loved their ultra-comfortable backyard and their gorgeous fruit and veggie plants. Have you ever seen a more beautiful entrance to a vegetable garden? Actually, they had veggies here and there but this was the working part of the veg garden. And how about that knockout color on their workshop? It must brighten up a dreary, rainy day (I have to keep reminding myself that it rains there, although I think maybe that's a myth ).   Clever lights in the Birrell workshop One of the things I want to do with this post is show you some things that you can apply in your own garden. I.e., it doesn't always take much money to do some clever things. How about these bucket lights?   Agaves in a rock wall at The Dunn Gardens We visited The Dunn Gardens, a historic suburban garden planned by the Olmsted Brothers in the 1910s. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area. Although this photo of the rock wall is not that great, I took it because I have a rock wall and I have the same kind of agaves growing in a pot. So why not move some to my wall? I thought this planted wall was just beautiful.   Find the drain here How's this for an unusual way to hide a drain system? At least that's what I'm assuming is down there. There's a rain chain to the right and these perfectly placed stones were all around the building. Nice contrasting plant colors too.   Japanese forest grass with lilies and monarda The Epping garden in east Seattle had the most monstrous hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass) I've ever seen. This is one plant I lust after yet can't have. The Eppings also had a stunning view from their hilltop home. It must be a challenge to grow on such a site though.   Water feature at the Epping garden Seattle has a thing for glass and I saw lots of these blown glass balls in water features and accompanying plants in containers. And yes, I bought a few to take back with me.   Kate Farley's garden I was in awe over these tuteurs in Kate Farley's backyard. Well not just the tuteurs but the skillful way she combined their colors with alstromeria, roses, sweet peas and clematis. Oh my, you just had to be there to really experience it.   Succulent trough at Lorene Edward-Forkner's house Lorene, one of the hosts of our Fling, had a darling home and garden in West Seattle, and she's the author of the forthcoming Timber Press book Handmade Garden Style. Her garden is chock full of interesting items she made herself, including this "trough" for succulents made out of a rain gutter. I think it's a brilliant idea!   Lorene Edwards-Forkner's outdoor terrarium This outdoor terrarium made from a very large industrial light fixture blew me away. Isn't it cool? Of course, if I tried that at home it would roast the plants in no time. But even here it was in a little shaded nook, and I'm sure Lorene occasionally pops the top when it gets too hot.   I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the neat little things, plants or objects, that I found on my garden trip. My very favorite place I toured was Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, which I posted about here. I'd like to give a big thanks to all the folks that worked so hard to make the 2011 Garden Bloggers Fling such a great success. It was fabulous; what more can I say?   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-08-19T12:21:32+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/peaceful_bloedel_reserve/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/peaceful_bloedel_reserve/   Japanese maple How do I tell the story of Bloedel Reserve? I can only tell you of the impressions this beautiful garden on Bainbridge Island made on me, and hopefully show you through some of the few photos I took how I felt. Bloedel Reserve was our last big outing of the Seattle Fling for garden bloggers. To say that the whole experience exceeded my expectations is no exaggeration. But I'll save the telling of the Fling experiences for later. Meanwhile, join me on this rainy day in Bloedel.   The silent mower The photo of the lawnmower is a bit of joke. I was in the first group who attended the three photography workshops given by David Perry (the fabulous garden photographer and funny man to boot), and we were constantly assaulted by the sounds of mowers going as he spoke (it was the one day per week the Reserve is closed, so naturally it's when some of the heavy work gets done). The finally silent lawnmower was the first thing I encountered when I left the visitor center to shoot photos.   Garden gate near the Japanese guest house I spent most of my time near the Japanese garden. The sense of peace there was palpable to me. Wherever I turned I saw majestic trees and the slight hand of man.   Gunnera Rain and lack of a Death Star means gunnera grows quite large there.   Ever present moss But many small things grow in Bloedel as well.     Near the visitor center is a Japanese guest house (the Reserve was only established in 1988, two years after the Bloedels lived there). One of the powerful aspects to Bloedel is the way in which each scene invites one to further exploration. Leaving the visitor center I saw this large pond and little glimpses of other interesting things to come beyond the pond.   Japanese guest house Sure enough, the guest house appears.     The Dry Garden Just outside the guest house is a traditional Japanese dry garden, very serene and meditative. I spent some time around the guest house, just imagining what it might be like to stay a long time there.   Stream outside guest house Each step took me farther into tranquility as the light rain muffled sounds and deepened the green.   Rain on pine tree While I was sitting and contemplating the beauty, I realized I had only one shot left on my camera (long story but my digital SLR died that day and my compact camera only had room for a few photos). So what would be my last photo of the Fling experience? Because I was in such a peaceful frame of mind, and because I wanted to shoot into the light (inside joke), I thought the raindrops on the pine tree I was near would be perfect. And so I hope my last photo brings you peace as well.   But one more thing - I want to leave you with some interesting facts about Bloedel Reserve. Prentice Bloedel took over the helm of his family's timber business but retired early to work on his property. This is from their website: "Prentice Bloedel was a pioneer in renewable resources and sustainability. He was the first to use sawdust as a fuel to power his company’s mills. He replanted clear cut areas, and started a company that marketed fireplace logs made from sawdust. He also was deeply interested in the relationship between people and the natural world, and the power of landscape to evoke emotions ranging from tranquility to exhilaration. Indeed, some believe that due to his early school experiences and his bout with polio as a young man, Prentice Bloedel may have been ahead of his time in his understanding of the therapeutic power of gardens and landscape."     Amen. This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-08-12T20:34:24+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/ailing_oak_tree_update/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/ailing_oak_tree_update/   Notice top of oak tree? Last month I posted some photos of the awful state of my relatively new oak tree. See my June 9 post for some gory pictures. The diagnosis from the Extension agent was bacterial wet wood, for which there is no cure. He thinks the squirrels may have made things worse and suggested I spray it down with water to remove the "slime." Doing some research on it, I discovered that if the damage is not too extensive, the tree may recover. The oozing stopped and I was hoping for the best. But as you can now see, the top is dead. Should I cut that down and hope a new leader grows? Or is it just a matter of time before the rest goes? I spoke to the Extension agent again and his opinion is that if I left it, I would not be happy with its looks and it will still be stressed. So bottomline is to cut it down. :-(   As depressing as all that is, I'm still on cloud nine from my trip to the Seattle Bloggers Fling. I've got tons of photos to share and so it'll probably take several posts. Stay tuned!   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-08-05T15:01:31+00:00 http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/july_bloom_day/ http://statebystategardening.com/state.php/la/blog_01/july_bloom_day/   'Goldsturm' rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) I'm a little late for this Bloom Day (seems I only have time to blog on weekends these days). I could complain about the weather here, but I'll try to spare you. Many plants are doing their customary peak of summer shutdown a bit early. Guess the heat and lack of rain started too early for them. But my stalwart black-eyed Susans are still managing a cheerful show.   Black-eyed Susan and Eupatorium dubium 'Little Joe' (Joy-Pye weed) Next to one of my stands of Susans (I have plenty to spare if you want some!) is this 'Little Joe' Joe-Pye weed that I was most excited to find locally this spring. Considering that this plant likes it a bit moist, it's doing pretty well. It's supposed to be a short variety, reaching only 48 inches tall (versus the 6 feet or more the usual Joe-Pyes get), but this one probably hasn't grown over 12 inches, pretty much as short as it was when I bought it. It was fairly potbound, and coupled with lack of rain, it may just want to stay this short this year. But since it's so short, I can't see it from my patio! I bought it for the butterflies so I'll just have to trust they're finding it.   'Coral Nymph' salvia and bumble This is kind of an odd view of this plant but these plants are pretty short as well. Besides, I was going after the bumblebee shot, not the plant. 'Coral Nymph' salvia is a self-seeder in my garden and pretty much comes up wherever I let it. They've gotten shorter as the years go by, now about 10-12 inches. They're a nice filler plant though.   Heirloom 'Yellowstone' daylily and Wave spreading petunia in background I'm loving this little daylily. It's an heirloom I bought from Old House Gardens, fragrant, from 'Hyperion' parentage, and its blooms last well into the night. OHG warned it may not bloom its first year but no problem here (maybe they say that for more northerly gardeners??). Though I'm not much of a petunia fan, these purple Wave spreaders are still looking pretty decent and are a nice contrast to the daylilies.   Poblanos with dead 'Sky Pencil' holly in background OK, I had to show at least one casualty of the drought. Not these lovely poblano peppers but the brown and very dead 'Sky Pencil' holly behind them. I have had a tough time with some of the shrubs I planted in the fall. Probably the larger the plant, the tougher time it's had. Ah well. My husband said "Remember how in Austin you had to just let go of some plants when the drought would get bad?" That was supposed to remind me that sometimes there's not much I can do and like it or not, I got through the summer and just started over again. Guess I have no choice! It can be a bit expensive though.   I hope you hop on over to Carol's blog to see what's happening around the world on Bloom Day. Stay cool.   This post was written by Jean McWeeney for my blog Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog. Copyright 2011. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc. 2011-07-19T20:46:30+00:00