Garden Notes

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Looks Like Autumn

Pear trees are flaming, and the old Pecan tree is throwing pecans at us like crazy. A nice welcome for our first Autumn here.

Dec. 2

Old Elm in front.

Phase 2

Phase Two landscaping is going in this month thanks to help from Steve Huddleston.

Flagstone edgings around all beds, front and back yard. Here we've added a bench and AC screen, planted a lot of Coralberry and Turk's Cap, a little Abelia Twist of Lime, a Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum and a Yaupon Holly.

Possumhaw Holly in foreground.

Another view of Yaupon, and vines all along fence ~ Coral Honeysuckle and Carolina Jessamine.

Other side of the Possumhaw, and view of other AC screen and new plantings by garage. (I moved the two clematis vines here from the intense heat of the west sideyard, and added white Salvia Greggii, some Snakeherb, and more Katie's Ruellia. Also moved Abelia Kaleidoscope here.)

An Abelia Edward Goucher (to eventually hide the gas meter) and Salvia Leucantha were added to butterfly garden. Compost bin and G's digging area moved slightly, and Coralberrys planted here too.

Holly ferns were moved from under old pecan tree and planted under Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum. Turk's Cap and Katie's Ruellia planted under pecan. Crossvine planted to grow on iron fence.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Assassin Bug vs Fly

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Tawny Emperor??

Tasting a composting cantaloupe rind.

Friday, October 17, 2014

October

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Black Swallowtail Cats!

10-14-14 found four black swallowtail caterpillars on my fennel this morning. How can I not have noticed them sooner?

Friday, October 3, 2014

Wheel Bug

So glad to find another beneficial bug in our yard! We've seen a lot of other assassin bugs, but this is the first wheel bug I've seen here.

First Monarchs

First visiting Monarchs I've seen. There were two partaking of mistflower nectar. I'm so hopeful that in future years when the garden has expanded and matured we'll feed a lot of butterflies.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Birds Nest Fungi

A lot of these in the bed at southwest corner of house.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/Gardening-Handbook/PDF-files/GH-070--birds-nest-fungus.pdf

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

On Deck 2014

Blue Daze

Cape Plumbago

English Ivy, Scented Geranium, Pineapple Sage, Orange Mint, Lemon Thyme

Bee in Trouble

I found this bee struggling in the birdbath and fished it out with a stick. After a few minutes of airing and thoroughly wiping it's proboscis, it flew away.

Oh, hello.

Lacewing Eggs 9-16-14

Found lacewing eggs on the potted Mandevilla vine this morning.

Also an assassin bug.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Katydid

I first saw these when they were very tiny and I thought they were a different kind of assassin bug. After they got bigger I realized they must be some kind of katydid.
http://www.austinbug.com/tettigoniidae2.html

I thought I'd better kill them so they wouldn't continue chewing up my plants. (I'm happy for caterpillars to do so, but then they become beautiful pollinators.) James reminded me of my "natural garden" policy = no interference with the circle of life in our yard. We've only been here a few months, but so far it's been amazing. A pest arrives, shortly followed by predators of that pest.

So the green bugs stayed. Yesterday a couple that I had been keeping an eye on had disappeared. Birds got them, maybe? This morning I went to check on one that lives on our deck in a pot of herbs. Couldn't find him. But I found this instead: