Sedges and Yuccas

We had some extra 6 x 8 limestone blocks from the front wall project, and I used those to create this small, quirky, modern path leading from the new front patio to the neighbor's driveway.


It took me a few weeks to do this, because burying those big stones was no easy task. Just did a few at a time.


You can see in the photos above that I started planting around that path and the front garden with 54 Carex retroflexa var. texensis. These are great sedges that I've used in the back already. Here's what they look like there all grown up:


They come from Barton Springs Nursery. And amazingly, I could probably use about 36 more of them up front. I'm going for a very wavy, lush, grassy look up there with just a few main species. I've also planted small Mexican feathergrass clumps all around, and a few bamboo muhly in the rear (since they get so large). I'm also planning on planting some side-oats gramma when I find it. (It's the state grass of Texas, by the way).

The Blackland yucca (Yucca pallida) dotting the area were picked up at Madrone Nursery, which is a killer place to visit and buy plants - by appointment only. Dan seeded these pale blue yuccas from some growing wild around the Dallas area. They have a wonderful yellow edge that glows when backlit by the sun.

In the Crazy Fungus Category, I present:

Dear Reader, I'll allow you to use your imagination on this one...


Just one of the many strange fungi growing in the garden this fall with these rains.

Lemon Verbena

Of all the crazy years to decide to bloom, my lemon verbena chose this year - the hottest summer on record and in the midst of a massive drought. I cut it back a bit in August because it was looking worse for the wear, and since then, it's put on a ton of new growth and has sprays of these fine, delicate white flowers coming from the tips of the branches. They have a nice generally floral aroma, and the native bees and flies seem to like them too.

Lemon verbena is a gangly shrub that seems to do right well in Central Texas. It's deciduous, loosing it's leaves in winter, and it's loose, arching form means that it's best placed behind other things.

People rave about using the leaves for tea, but I'm more of a black tea kinda guy. I use lemon verbena in place of lemongrass in Thai dishes, which seems to work well (though, I ought to plant some lemongrass, which also does well here with a little winter protection).

I've always heard that lemon verbena had nice little flowers. Welcome to the Grackle little flowers.