Sweet basil seedlings.Butterfly milkweed is up in the backyard too but hasn’t flowered yet (same as front yard).Yellow flax still blooming! It’s annual, so I hope the seeds like it enough here.Whitlow-wort gone to seed. Another native annual from TX home.False gaura that I planted from potted last night is doing well.Texas verbena has bloomed! It’s a perennial.The rattlebox had adorable seed pods as promised.The Rocky mountain bee plant from the botany club plant sale is blooming! There were ants at the blooms.The Phacelia is really fun.The prairie bluet is flowering a bit. I’m worried since it’s early that this means it’s not happy. However, it’s a perennial, so hopefully it will do its thing now and be less worried next year.The twice-moved yucca is making new little leaves!This yucca is in the shade which I figure is probably okay at this age. Many plants seem to like to have nurse plants.The baby winecups are starting to get true leaves.Second year for this mystery plant with no blooms.It does have a square stem. Abby suggested Monarda, which I did seed here at one point, so fingers crossed!!Slippery silk beans and several other varieties are up!!The two leaf senna didn’t have a lot of roots when I planted it from a pot last night. So, I put two containers of water so it would gradually keep it damp for now so it can get established. It’s my only sprout from the seed and I love this plant! It’s a host for Cloudless Sulphur butterflies.
Normally we let both dogs settle their own spots, but Gracie needs space with her arthritis now.WedgeRoom for old bonesHELLOPlz hello GracieBriar eventually got comfy.But she still kept wanting to see Gracie.Gracie says haha I’m safe!!Wow! The popcorn came up while I was gone!!Potatoes in the straw bales are up!!Mom documented my plant site choosing.Here goes some annual groundsel and a cute little Euphorbia!Mom did most of the digging to save my arthritis, for which I am very grateful. She let me do this one though. Thanks to Mom and Dad and Gracie for a great staycation-vacation!!!!
A little centipede in the garden dirt. Hopefully it’s an earwig predator.Hoops in!Seeds planted, cover on! We put lots of extra and smelly plants like cilantro and parsley among the carrots and bok choy and beets in hopes of earwig distraction.
Gram pretends to be a plant while all the plants are outside.We stopped to visit Shackleton on the way to compost facility. He likes to smell car bumpers while on his leashed walkies. Cars have been places!We were told we could self-load from this pile.Paula and I self-loaded.Thanks again to Dad for an excellent set of giant cardboards. We used all but two for this load of compost. Briar supervising.
Snowed Saturday overnight, so this is Sunday morning.Heated bird bath, much luxury.Hopefully the bit of snow kept baby cacti and succulents and Hedeoma safe with a low of 12°F overnight.Leaves and wire mesh stayed put.So did the towels. We’ll probably uncover again in a few days once the next deep cold snap is over. A season of extremes!This strawberry had a flower. Bad idea.Rain barrels all open so they don’t crack.Sugar peas definitely done this time.The rain softened the ground enough that the three of us managed to dig the shallow trench needed for the border (to keep Bermuda grass out of raised beds) in about 40 minutes before dinner tonight.
An outdoor dinner. Garden basil and oregano.Moved the chives and garlic chives that Judy gave me last year. Maybe they’ll like this spot better.Uzbek golden, little, and New Kuroda carrots.Gram helps me get seeds out.Fall seeds planted of cabbage, mizuna, greens, and cauliflower. Tomatoes and peppers for overwintering. And a few pots of Roman chamomile for the front yard ground cover.This is where I shall attempt peppers and tomatoes over the winter.This goldenrod was already here and is doing very nicely.A giant 1″+ horsefly on a backyard window sill.Never going outside again.I lied. Outside again. Chiltepin peppers.Frostweed doing alright after it died back earlier in summer.A little spider got this Eastern Tailed-Blue on the englemann daisy.Texas mallow blooming!The non native clematis. I’ll clean it out over the winter.Okra flowerA bumblebee on the okra!