Covering with Crossvine

Crossvine is a beautiful native vine that I've been admiring from afar in gardens around Austin for some time. They are some of the first flowers to bloom in the spring and (apparently) the hummingbirds love them. Even more important for my purposes, crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is evergreen.

I recently bought three healthy plants and planted them along the back chain link fence. Here's the fence.

Blech. The neighbors are actually quite wonderful, but I really don't like that 9 foot tall black chain link fence, nor the dog run and garage that it fences in.

The crossvine, which is 'Tangerine Beauty,' was already blooming (which many store-bought plants are wont to do). I can't wait for them to totally conceal the fence...

Oregano on Ice

We've had a few pretty cold days here in Austin (beware the crazy winter storm, bwa-ha-ha). I awoke this morning to find my oreganos covered in a beautiful frost. Not cold enough to harm them, but the contrast brought on my the light covering of frozen fuzz was just beautiful...

Beautiful Day

The view of sunrise from the front porch on this glorious morning!

Papa's Beets

So, this is year two in my effort to grow beets. First year: got nuthin. This year, things are going much better! Here's my first harvest. These are truly beets that only a daddy can love. They'd never go over in a market. Yes, they're small (about as big as my thumb), but fabulously hand-grown, you know?

I pulled these smaller beets to give the larger ones room to grow. So, there will be at least a second harvest.

And here is the rest of the harvest from Monday, including secondary broccoli shoots and some more mature arugula. If you've never grown broccoli or tasted it straight from the garden, you are absolutely missing out. It is the sweetest, tenderest, most wonderful thing ever. And that's raw. These broccoli heads were so fresh and scrumptous they were dripping phloem/xylem (sweet yumminess) from the cut stems.

We had this broccoli in a salad with the tiny beets and some fresh cut arugula. Yum!

And tonite, I also learned the grand beauty of beet greens. I kept the greens from those tiny beets and sauteed them up with the more mature arugula, bits of chopped garlic, squeeze of lemon, and a dash of salt and pepper. Fresh and full o' vitamins.

Here's the original broccoli head from that plant. Harvested last week. Fresh broccoli is so tender you can even eat the stems...

I love winter gardening!

Mountain Laurel Fascination

This time of year, Texas mountain laurels (Sophora secundiflora) are laying in wait to explode in sprays of purple flowers and infuse the air with glorious grape bubble gum scent. It's gonna start happening in about one month. Spring in Austin...ah.

In fact, you can see the mountain laurel buds shooting off the tips of the branches already - they are the long thin gray question marks hanging off the ends without leaves. When the time's right, they'll grow and expand into a wisteria-like flower bunch. I see small buds on mine in the backyard which has never bloomed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Yesterday, I was walking by a mountain laurel and spied the craziest growth on it buds. I did a double take. What in the heck is it? A fungus? An insect gall? It's like deer antlers growing from a plant. Super wild.

No google searches turned anything up, so I turned to Mr. Smarty Plants, who's always prompt and full of information.

Turns out it's called a "fasciation." Here's more from the Mister:

Cresting or cristation are other terms applied to the phenomenon. It occurs when the apical meristem (the cellular growth center) at the tip of the forming stem, flower or fruit spreads out perpendicular to the direction of growth so that not only does the stem lengthen it grows and flattens horizontally as well. It can cause some very strange growths. It is uncertain what causes it. There is evidence that it is heritable in some cases, but it may also be caused by bacteria, fungus, virus, herbicides or injury to the plant. Mountain laurels are especially susceptible to fasciation. Here are some links to more information about fasciation and some fascinating fasciation photos!

Check out this fasciated bluebonnet. Looks like Marge Simpson.

The Wall Crumbles

In a manic fit last week, I decided to go at the front retaining wall with a sledgehammer. The wall, pictured below, has driven me crazy since we bought the place. The POs had the right idea, but it was just executed poorly--the bricks were wobbly, the old sidewalk cement base was u.g.l.y., and one half of it was left unfinished. It was time for it to go.

Here's half the pile of rubble.

Now, I'll have to figure out what to do up there by the curb. I have a ton of ideas drawn out for terracing and future walls and plantings, but I'm afraid they'll have to wait until the money tree bears fruit. Only so many gardening projects at one time, unfortunately...