Sound Gardener

 A view of the front garden Recent addition -- Musa sikkimensis 'Bengal Tiger' from Dancing Oaks

Over the last year and a half, much of the garden has been negelected, but there is one area of improvement: we replaced the crumbling trellis at the south end of the deck. I never photographed this corner because I was not a fan of the lattice. Thankfully, I found a few photos from Paul for the "before" shots. The old trellis with wisteria blooming on May 14, 2018. About a week earlier on May 5. The old trellis in March 2019 as the house demo progressed (trellis is on the top right). And again in April 2019. The trellis was completely removed and the wisteria temporarily attached to a makeshift support. Very temporarily, the whole thing blew down in late October. Note the mass of green mixed with caution tape in the middle, that is the wisteria which should be up on the top right. The wood on the ground is the fallen support. And now the new trellis, looking north just as the wisteria was beginning to bloom on May 3 of this year. And loo...

Just before leaving for Denver last week to attend the Garden Bloggers Fling, I was in the process of finalizing an order for some hard to find bromeliad species. My visit to the San Antonio Botanical Garden last December inspired the purchase; I admired the garden's display of epiphytic bromeliads growing on tree branches, small pitchers connected by a dramatic network of long stolons. Below are the new arrivals from Michael's Bromeliads, all arrived neatly wrapped in newspaper with handwritten labels. If the offsets/pups look undersized, they should; most are mini Neoregelia species with a couple of small Aechmeas, plus an Acanthostachys for fun. Apologies for the terrible lighting. This was the bromeliad I most wanted but seemed impossible to find in the US, Neoregelia pendula var. brevifolia. Acanthostachys strobileacea arrived already in bloom, or perhaps fruit? While bromeliads are monocarpic, an unbloomed offset was also attached, so the bloom was not a cause f...

I am back in Texas visiting family and enjoying the local flora, mostly around Comal County. The native cacti in this area are generally Opuntia species and Echinocereus reichenbachii (my ID, so take it with a grain of salt). I am particularly fond of E. reichenbachii, seen below. And a small village of E. reichenbachii. The size and shape of the cactus varies but always appears attributable to growing conditions in each site. That was until today, when I found a crested form! From another angle, note the three normal growths at the top and the mutated squiggle towards the bottom right. Nurseries frequently offer crested forms of cactus and euphorbia, but I have never discovered the mutation growing naturally in the wild. Judging by looks, there is not much economic potential (and obviously I would not remove it in any case). The plant certainly looks very healthy, despite its unusual growth pattern.

I had the opportunity yesterday to stroll through Carkeek sans dogs, a rare opportunity to view the garden around the Environmental Learning Center without distractions. The garden showcases drought tolerant natives, and yesterday I saw an exciting new addition, Xerophyllum tenax , a beautiful bear grass native to the Pacific Northwest. Compared to many grasses, X. tenax has a stiffer, almost plastic texture, which creates a lovely fountain shape and displays the pale undersides of the leaves. The tall, white blooms are stunning too, seen here on our hike to Tomie Peak Lookout in Mount Rainier National Park in late July 2016. The plants at the Environmental Learning Center appear to be mostly shaded and may not bloom as much, but beautiful foliage nevertheless.

While I am generally not a fan of the home & garden genre (the focus is always on the former), the project dominating this year's growing season will be a major house renovation. I do not intend to switch the focus of this blog to the renovation work, but given it will pose a significant challenge for the garden this year, I believe it is relevant to mention for context. Currently, we are still in the demolition phase. Previously, the master bedroom was on the left, and the master bath on the right. The roles appear to have switched in this photo, taken shortly after demo started in mid February. Removal of wallboard by the fireplace revealed the original wood veneer checkerboard. Successive owners hid the house's mid century roots with traditional remodels, resulting in a very odd look, particularly with the asymmetrical fireplace location. And a week later in early March, with the wood tiles, ceiling, and pole gone. Apparently the pole in the middle of the room ...

Continuing from yesterday's post , our second walk in Carkeek Park began around 2 pm, and the sun made an appearance... Snow on this particular tree was especially beautiful... Pipers Orchard, wind was causing a secondary snowstorm to fall from the trees... The crooked trees were still standing... A little snow certainly makes a city park look like pristine wilderness. Unfortunately, the cold weather is forecasted to continue, with more snow expected in the coming days.