Shock the Lime

Alright people, I need your collective wisdom.

My potted Mexican lime tree has decided to throw off all its leaves. Pop. The potted Meyer lemon doesn't seem too far behind. Help.

The backgrounder: I left both citrus trees out all winter. We've had a pretty mild winter, and they've both been in bloom almost the whole time. I've been watering, but not too much. I did not fertilize all winter, but since spring is here, I decided it was time to give them a boost. I know that citrus likes nitrogen and needs extra.

In the past, I've used blood meal, which has worked pretty good for the trees. Problem is, Libby (le pooch) loves to snarfle that stuff down, exposing the roots. So this past weekend, I stuck a Miracle Grow Fruit & Nut tree spike into each pot. Now, the directions are clearly meant for planted trees. In fact, the package clearly says not to plant the spike within 2 feet of the trunk, impossible in my potted trees. I took a risk.

So this week, all the leaves just started falling off. Some of them are turning blotchy tan first. I've checked for scale, another citrus killer, and there ain't nothing.

I promptly removed the spikes.

Any thoughts out there in the blogosphere?

(I'll try to post photos this weekend.)

All My Buds (and Blooms)

Every day now I rush home to see what new things I can find happening in the garden. Spring = anticipation. And this year, I'm very happy to say that three trees that have never bloomed before have buds or very small blooms. None of the three will be lush with blossoms, but I'm now satisfied that they are on the way.

Sweet white Mexican plum blossoms


This redbud that I transplanted from the veggie garden (and massacred along the way) is already turning into a regular small tree. First buds it has ever had.


The mountain laurel in back has finally decided to bloom. Small clusters, but they'll be enjoyed by the pollinators no less.

Some other surprises around the garden on this gray rainy day...

Agarita is one of my favorite spiny natives, filled with yellow blooms.


This African aloe was a present from Pam at Digging. It's stalk of buds is amazing.


These violets have mostly been doing the cleistogamy thing, but they decided to bloom this year.


Not a beautiful picture, but these buds are strawberries to be. Yum.

Small Changes Up Front

A lot of my focus in the garden has been on that back. That's where we spend the most time, and I think it's pretty common for most folks to focus on the spot where they'll be first. And, there's still a ton of work to do back there. Always will be.

But, I've started to take some baby steps up front. Pruning here, transplanting there. I'm very excited about two new things up there.

First, chairs. It's important to have a place to sit out front. Our 2-foot wide porch was designed my imbeciles, and is no good for watching the neighbors stroll by or catching a glimpse of the sunrise. So, voila: chairs.

I've had the one blue one + ottoman for a while, but it was lonely and relegated to the garage. But John found this white one in someone's garbage pile this week. Garbage chairs have treated us well in the past and this one'll do just fine. So, now we have a pair, and I can't wait to see what they look like with tall green buffalo grass growing up around them. Inviting, I bet.

I also decided to turn the ratty larger circle of buffalo grass into a planted bed. My first step was to plant this twiggy, young Anacua tree (Ehretia anacua). I'm really stoked about this tree. It's also called Sandpaper Tree and its leaves feel rough like a cats tongue. Rough enough to file your nails on. This tree is from South Texas, but I first saw them growing all over the place on Austin's Lower East Side (Holly Street neighborhood), a neighborhood with a relatively distinct plant palette relative to other parts of Austin. There, the anacuas are as tall as pecans and live oaks. These evergreens pack a lot into one tree too. Apparently, they have lovely white flowers in the spring that the bees swarm to, and then orange fruits after that. And their trunks grow all corky, tangled and strange. What's not to like about all that?

Next steps will be to cover all that sod that I painstakingly installed (dammit!) with pea gravel and some new plants. I want lots of sculptural plants, evergreen, hardy. Can't wait to fill that space in!

Garden by Dog

Our old black lab, Libby, has her opinions. They include: "treats must follow every entry back into the house." "Walks should never be cut short (no matter how old I am)." And "Plants should never get in my way." I call this last one, Gardening by Dog.

Recently, Libby decided that I had planted a few lantanas in the wrong place. I thought they'd be great at the base of the desert willow by the back walk, just in front of the screen. I liked the way they smelled in flower and it was nice to see their calico blooms when I came home every day, summer to fall. Libby, on the other hand, thought that they got in the way of her laying down spot.

So she munched and munched on the one until she finally just pulled it out by the roots. Then, she pruned the next one down the line until it was a little stump. That's when I decided she meant business and some changes would have to be made. So, before she completely destroyed that one (and the third), I took her advice and pulled them out myself.

In their place, I transplanted 5 Mexican feather grasses from the front.

Frankly, Libby was right. The grasses are going to look way better there, and the lantanas, which were always a bit scraggly anyway, have been transplanted to a nice new sunny spot.

But I gotta keep an eye on that old dog anyway. Sometimes, her gardening style just doesn't suit mine...