Thanksgiving Cactus

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - hope you're ready for the day!

The Thanksgiving cactus are in different stages of readiness - one in full bloom, two budded, and one with no hint of possible flowers.


Loaves of whole wheat, and artisan white and cornbread are done - ready for baking is a batch of the 'No Knead Bread' developed by Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Street Bakery, which has an 18-hour rising time. The New York Times published the recipe back in fall 2006.


It's 11 AM and the outside temperature is 68°F...time to turn the oven on to 450°F.

Tomorrow I'll throw a couple of these Meyer's Lemons in the food processor with cranberries & a couple of tablespoons of Southern Comfort - love that Cranberry relish.

GBBD List for November

As the days grow short but the weather continues to be pleasant, many plants have flowers. Unless otherwise noted, plants included on this list have just a few lingering blooms.

Abelia chinensis, flowering Abelia shrubs

Ageratina havanense, Fragrant white mistflower, one plant covered in flowers, one plant no flowers

Antirrhinum majus, Yellow snapdragons looking good since Christmas 2007

Asclepias curassavica, tropical milkweed, two plants with lots of flowers

Barleria cristata/Philippine cristata

Begonia semperflorens – one 2-year old white wax begonia

Brugmansia - unnamed variety Yellow Angels trumpet covered in flowers

Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow', lots of flower wands

Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira' in full bloom

Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’

Capsicum annuum – garden peppers, still making lots of flowers

Citrus x meyeri, Meyer's Improved Lemon, one tree covered in flowers

Clematis unknown hybrid, handful of purple flowers

Clerodendrum ugandense – Blue butterfly flower.
(Royal Horticultural Society says it's Clerodendrum myricoides 'Ugandense', nicknamed Blue Cat's Whiskers), many, many flowers

Clitoria ternatea- the Blue Butterfly Pea, still blooming

Conoclinium greggii Gregg’s Mistflower, still blooming and calling butterflies

Cuphea ignea, orange Cigar flower, loaded with little orange flowers

Cuphea llavea – small pink & lavender form (two plants) both in full bloom

Cuphea llavea –red & purple ‘Batfaced’

Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet'

Delosperma cooperi ? Dark pink flowered hardy ice plant, growing and flowering

Dendranthema x grandiflora. -cushion mums - pink and yellow still flowering

Dianthus – several colors of ‘Telstar’ hybrids

Duranta erecta, Skyflower - three wands of bloom

Eriobotrya japonica, Loquat, Japanese Plum , tree is covered in flowers

Evolvulus glomeratus, Blue Daze

Gaura lindheimerii ‘The Bride’

Gaura lindheimerii, unknown tall rose-pink variety (‘Pink Cloud’?) covered in flowers

Hibiscus mutabilis, Confederate Rose or Cotton Rose, young plant with a few flowers

Impatiens walleriana, bedding impatiens, some pots look better than ever, others almost dead.

Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato vine

Ipomoea quamoclit, Cypress vine - I chopped most of it down, and it never stopped blooming

Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta'

Lantana, unknown varieties both upright and trailing – pink & yellow, white and gold

Lavandula intermedia 'Provence', true lavender, maybe a dozen flowers

Lavandula multifida, fernleafed lavender, many wands of nonscented flowers

Leucophyllum frutescens, Cenizo

Lobularia maritime, Sweet alyssum, here and there

Lonicera sempervirens, coral honeysuckle

Ocimum basilicum, Basil

Osmanthus fragrans/Sweet olive, lots of little fragrant flowers

Passiflora X possibly 'Lavender Lady' Passionvine - buds and blooms

Pavonia lasiopetala, pink rock rose,

Pelargonium – various containers of bedding geraniums in white & coral

Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian Sage

Petunia multiflora? Heirloom petunia

Piper auritum/Hoja Santa or Rootbeer Plant

Platycodon grandiflorus (several plants), Blue Balloon Flower

Plumbago auriculata (two shrubs), Blue Plumbago month)

Poliomintha longiflora, Mexican oregano (3 plants), all blooming

Portulaca - a few Moss Roses and Flowering Purslanes with lingering flowers

Punica granatum 'Nana', dwarf pomegranate - couple of flowers

Rosa 'Belinda's Dream' - handful of buds

Rosa ‘Champagne’ mini rose - a few buds, one flower

Rosa ‘Julia Child’, butter-yellow rose, maybe a dozen buds and flowers

Rosa 'Mutabilis' , Chinese butterfly rose, both are absolutely fabulous!

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus' - Prostrate Rosemary, covered in pale blue flowers

Rosemarinus officianalis, Rosemary

Salvia coccinea, red Hummingbird sage, nonstop

Salvia coccinea, white Hummingbird sage

Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’, coral pink Hummingbird sage

Salvia elegans, Pineapple sage - blooming well

Salvia farinacea, Mealy Blue sage, a few wands

Salvia greggii, Autumn sage, red, cherry, white , all have some flowers

Salvia guaranitica, Majestic blue sage, just a few

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' , just a few

Salvia leucantha, Mexican Bush Sage, big, bouncy and blooming

Salvia leucantha, hybrid Mexican Bush Sage, not much

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' , Hot Lips sage, light bloom

Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon' , Nuevo Leon violet sage - some plants lots of tiny flower, some hardly any

Scutellaria suffrutescens, pink skullcap, dependable pink bloomer

Scutellaria wrightii, blue skullcap, just a few flowers on three small plants

Tagetes lucida, Mexican Mint Marigold, Texas Tarragon, all gold and in bloom

Tradescantia geniculata, groundcover , in bloom

Tradescantia pallida, syn Setcresea pallida/ Purple Heart, here and there

Zinnia linearis/ syn Zinnia angustifolia, several plants, abundant white flowers.

Posted as supplement to November 15, 2008 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day at the Transplantable Rose.

GBBD is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Vintage Dibble

Margaret Roach at "A Way to Garden" has posted a fun drawing by Andre illustrating Dibber Envy. I may have quite a few hang-ups but Dibber Envy isn't one of them!




The Dibble, Dibbler, Dibber variations seem to be regional - mine has always been called a Dibble. I've owned this Dibble for decades and it was already old when I saw it lying on a table at a garage sale in the late 1970's. I picked it up and turned to Philo, saying with delight "Look! It's an old Dibble! For planting bulbs!" The seller was so happy to have a gardener call it by name that he practically gave it to me for free.


Although my Dibble was used in well-prepared beds in Illinois, it hasn't been much use in Texas so far. We've been in this house for four years - will our efforts at cultivation, our additions of many composts and granite, our layers of mulch ever make the soil good enough so that our Dibble comes out of retirement to plant bulbs once again?

GBBD List for October 2008

This list of what is currently blooming in my garden is reasonably accurate but as usual not guaranteed. I tried to keep the botanical names correct and included a few photos of plants that didn't make the October Garden Bloggers Bloom Day entry at my main blog, the Transplantable Rose.

Abelia chinensis , two white shrubs covered in flowers, two white shrubs blooming lightly, two pink shrubs blooming lightly;

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, Flame acanthus from Pam/Digging doing really well;

Antirrhinum majus, Two plants of these yellow snapdragons have bloomed since Christmas;

Asclepias curassavica, tropical milkweed, two plants in bud and bloom;

Aster frikartii 'Wonder of Staffa'. Four plants in four different areas - one in sunniest spot is in full bloom, others making buds.

Barleria cristata/Philippine cristata three blooming plants. The open flowers were a mess from the rain so I didn't photograph them.

Brugmansia - I don't know the rest of the name for this Yellow Angels trumpet but it steadily makes fragrant flowers

Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow', have increased and are reblooming;

Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’ several plants – a few flowers

Capsicum annuum – some of the garden peppers have buds & flowers, and several have small peppers-in-progress;

Clematis hybrid 'Ramona', in container, one flower plus buds;

Clematis unknown hybrid, handful of purple flowers left;


Clerodendrum ugandense – Blue butterfly flower. (Royal Horticultural Society says it's Clerodendrum myricoides 'Ugandense', nicknamed Blue Cat's Whiskers) One plant that is now like a shrub with flower heads in all stages of bud and bloom. It's nearly 5-feet tall!

Clitoria ternatea- the Blue Butterfly Pea, annual vine blooming non-stop for months;

Conoclinium greggii, Gregg’s Mistflower - closely related to C. coelestinium, the mistflower I grew in Illinois, but leaves are quite different. It's really happy in the new front bed, seen here decorated with three Queen butterflies;

Cuphea ignea, Cigar flower, covered in tiny orange flowers

Cuphea llavea – small pink & lavender form (two plants), covered in tiny flowers

Cuphea llavea –red & purple ‘Batfaced’, covered in flowers

Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet', covered in red-orange & purple flowers;

Delosperma cooperi ? Dark pink flowered hardy ice plant, spreading over gravel walk in Pink Garden;

Dendranthema x grandiflora?. - ordinary cushion mums in several places, blooming muddy pink, dirty white, and plain yellow

Dianthus – several colors of ‘Telstar’ hybrids in assorted containers responding to cooler temperatures by flowering;

Evolvulus glomeratus, Blue Daze, several plants, most with flowers;

Gaura lindheimerii ‘The Bride’ (two plants), some white flowers on long wands

Gaura lindheimerii, unknown tall rose-pink variety (‘Pink Cloud’?), many flowers

Impatiens walleriana, bedding impatiens. The surviving plants are all blooming strongly.

Ipomoea alba, Moon flower vine, one or two flowers a day

Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato vine - dark purple leaves, wishy-washy magenta flowers

Ipomoea quamoclit, Cypress vine, covered in flowers, making it hard to get from back door to patio;

Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta' - one tiny budded bloom stalk

Lantana, unknown varieties both upright and trailing – pink & yellow, white and gold, all rebounding with weather and in bloom;

Lavandula intermedia 'Provence', at least a dozen wands of fragrant flowers
Lavandula multifida, many, many flower wands on this fernleafed lavender- too bad they don't smell like lavender;

Lobularia maritime, Sweet alyssum, a couple of old tired plants but blooming since late winter;

Lycopersicon lycopersicum, I pulled many of the tomatoes - ‘Juliet’ and 'Celebrity' have blossoms;

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, many red flowers on two plants;

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, white form in Secret Garden, two plants with lots of flowers;

Ocimum basilicum, Basil – keep trying and I keep clipping;

Osmanthus fragrans/Sweet olive two more established shrubs pouring our fragrance from tiny white blossoms. The one planted this spring not in bloom yet;

Oxalis crassipes 'Alba' (dotted around and in containers), several blooming

Oxalis regnellii 'Atropurpurea' (dotted around and in containers), a few flowers;

Pelargonium – various containers of bedding geraniums in white & coral, outdoors and indoors, red and coral doing well, whites not so good;
Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian Sage (two beds), lots of flowers, foliage looking tired;

Petunia multiflora? Some plants died on old-fashioned petunia, others blooming;

Piper auritum/Hoja Santa or Rootbeer Plant has made several odd wand-shaped white flowers

Platycodon 'Fugi White', a few flowers

Platycodon grandiflorus - only plants blooming are near veranda;

Platycodon 'Miss Tilly' (3 plants), still a couple of flowers;

Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue', has some flowers but should be cut back to encourage rebloom

Plumbago auriculata (two shrubs), growing and opening pale blue flowers for months;

Plumeria sp, only pale yellow has blooms - guess rose red is done for year;

Poliomintha longiflora, Mexican oregano (3 plants), all blooming;

Portulaca - about a dozen assorted Moss Roses and Flowering Purslanes with rain-beaten flowers;
Punica granatum 'Nana' - I think this is the right name for my new dwarf pomegranate. It's still in the pot from the Natural Gardener and the planting spot has been chosen;

Rivina humilis , Pigeon Berry, no flowers, just berries;

Rosa ‘Julia Child’, just finishing a big bloom - think some new buds are forming;

Rosa 'Mutabilis' , two shrubs that have grown a lot in past year and open new flowers every day;

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus' - a flurry of tiny blue flowers;

Ruellia brittoniana 'Katy' a couple of flowers left;

Salvia coccinea, had to chop back both plants and red flowers - smothering neighbors!

Salvia coccinea, white, a couple of flowers left;

Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’ , most plants out of bloom but were recently cut back;

Salvia elegans, Pineapple sage - blooming but flowers soggy in rain;

Salvia farinacea, still making flowers but are crowded by Asclepias and Blue Pea vine;

Salvia greggii , blooming white, red and cherry;

Salvia guaranitica, a few flowers - were cut back a few weeks ago so should make new buds;

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue', several places - in front bed blooming like mad, just recovering from chopping in back fence bed;

Salvia leucantha, one large plant from Diva Karla in bloom;

Salvia leucantha hybrid - small, with a few flowers;

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips', starting rebloom after weather change;

Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon', there were more plants but a few died -survivors in light bloom;

Salvia regla/Mountain sage has lovely red-orange tubular flowers. It's a small plant now but Bill at Prairie Point says it can be a very large shrub;

Scutellaria suffrutescens, pink skullcap (2 plants), lots of tiny blooms;

Scutellaria wrightii, there are 3 plants - only one plant has any flowers;

Tagetes lucida, Mexican Mint Marigold, one plant in full bloom; the other just starting;

Tradescantia geniculata, in front woodland border it never stops making tiny white flowers;

Tradescantia pallida, syn Setcresea pallida/ Purple Heart, many lavender flowers;

Tricyrtis, Toad Lily, the species in not known but there are buds!

Verbena bonariensis – some plants died, some chopped back, some going to seed, a few still blooming;

Zinnia –rose red hybrid, pulled up all but one with a couple of left;

Zinnia linearis/ syn Zinnia angustifolia, the plants I bought in spring have grown into mounds and are covered in white flowers. There are also a few small plants that seeded from last year's plants.

GBBD List for September 2008

The eye candy is on the main blog - here's the list of names, both common and botanical, of what is flowering in Annie in Austin's garden for the September 2008 edition of Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, that charming meme started by Carol of May Dreams Garden.


Abelia chinensis/Abelia, four white shrubs covered in flowers; three pink ones blooming lightly.

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii/Flame acanthus blooming lightly.

Antirrhinum majus/Yellow snapdragons, two surviving plants, flowering since last Christmas.

Asclepias curassavica/ tropical milkweed, two plants reblooming.

Barleria cristata/Philippine violet, just opened a couple of flowers, but it was too windy to get a photo.

Brugmansia, unknown species/Angel's Trumpet. Around 6-feet tall with a couple of dozen buds and flowers in various stages of development or decrepitude.

Buddleja lindleyana/ Weeping butterfly bush, many flowers on branch tips.

Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow'/ Bulbine, just starting to rebloom after cutback.

Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’/ Canna, one flower on front plant.

Capsicum annuum/edible peppers – some of the garden peppers have buds & flowers, and a few have developing peppers

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides/Hardy Plumbago, AKA Blue Leadwort, doing well, many dark blue flowers.

Clerodendrum ugandense/Blue butterfly flower - nonstop flower production.
Clitoria ternatea- the Blue Butterfly Pea - lush growth in constant bloom.

Conoclinium greggii/ Gregg’s Mistflower - after near death in the Secret Garden, it has rebounded in the front - growing, blooming and attracting butterflies.

Coreopsis 'Crème Brulee' /Coreopsis, (5 plants) still some flowers.

Cuphea ignea/ Cigar flower, covered in tiny orange flowers.

Cuphea llavea / pink cuphea, small pink & lavender form (two plants), covered in tiny flowers.

Cuphea llavea/ Batfaced cuphea, red & purple, covered in flowers.

Cuphea llavea/ Batfaced cuphea, 'Georgia Scarlet', covered in red-orange & purple flowers.

Delosperma cooperi ? / Hardy ice plant, many small dark pink flowers in two beds.

Dianthus/pinks – several colors of ‘Telstar’ hybrids in assorted containers keep making a few flowers.

Evolvulus glomeratus/ Blue Daze, several plants, most are blooming.

Gaura lindheimerii ‘The Bride’/Gaura (two plants), many white flowers on long wands.

Gaura lindheimerii/Pink Gaura, unknown tall rose-pink variety (‘Pink Cloud’?), many flowers.

Helianthus/Sunflower, unknown variety, gigantic, annual sunflower with many blooms, buds and some heads going to seed.

Hibiscus syriacus/Rose of Sharon, one white flower.

Impatiens walleriana/ bedding impatiens. More than a dozen plants, some with many flowers, some barely alive.

*Indigofera amblyantha? /pink false indigo - started reblooming after rain three weeks ago.

Ipomoea quamoclit/ annual Cypress vine, hundreds of buds and flowers.

Lagerstroemia indica/unnamed hot pink crepe myrtles (5 trees), all blooming

Lagerstroemia x hybrida ‘Acoma’/ white semi-dwarf crepe myrtles (2 trees); a couple of flowers.

Lagerstroemia indica 'Catawba'/purple crepe myrtle, in container, a couple of flowers, just cut back.

Lantana/Lantana, some unnamed trailing white variety in bloom.

Lavandula intermedia 'Provence'/Fragrant Lavender, a dozen wands.

Lavandula multifida/Fernleafed lavender, dozens of unscented flowers on lax stalks.

Leucophyllum frutescens/ Texas sage AKA Barometer bush AKA Cenizo – one shrub, a few flowers.

Liriope muscari/Lilyturf, in long lines all over the place, almost done - just a few blooms left.

Lobularia maritime/ Sweet alyssum (dotted around), a few flowers but plants look wrecked.

Lonicera sempervirens/ coral honeysuckle - 2 little flowers.

Lycopersicon lycopersicum/Tomato, a couple of tomato flowers - most plants dead

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii/Turkscap or Red Wax Mallow (two plants), loaded with bloom.

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, white form of Turkscap/Wax Mallow (two plants), sprawling and covered in flowers.

Mentha /Mint - English and orange varieties in bloom.

Osmanthus fragrans/Sweet olive, just starting to make a few flowers... no real scent yet.

Pavonia lasiopetala/Pink rock rose, lots of flowers on moldy looking plant.

Perovskia atriplicifolia/Russian Sage (two beds), in bloom.

Petunia multiflora?/Old-fashioned petunia, a couple of flowers on the pink one.

Phlox paniculata/Grandma’s white phlox, one plant barely alive, the other has one fading flower.

Piper auritum/Hoja Santa or Rootbeer Plant, a few flowers.

Platycodon 'Fugi White'/Balloonflower, in large rebloom.

Platycodon grandiflorus/Blue Balloonflower,(several plants), many flowers.

Platycodon 'Miss Tilly'/dwarf blue Balloonflower,(3 plants), a few flowers.

Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue' / Blue Balloonflower, a few flowers.

Plumbago auriculata/ Blue Plumbago (two shrubs) in constant bloom. They'd cover the back door if didn't keep cutting them back.

Plumbago auriculata var. alba/ White Plumbago (one plant), blooming with Blue Balloonflowers.

Plumeria unknown species/Plumeria or Frangipani, two plants with one flower stalk each - one rose red, one pale yellow.

Poliomintha longiflora/Mexican oregano (3 plants), all blooming.

Portulaca several species/Moss Roses and Flowering Purslanes, about a dozen assorted plants. The ones in containers are blooming better than those in the ground.

Rhodophiala bifidia/Oxblood Lilies AKA Schoolhouse Lilies, in seven places - some in bloom, some in bud, some just have empty stalks, some are making seed pods.

Rivina humilis/Pigeon Berry - making tiny white flowers and red berries.

Rosa 'Belinda's Dream'/ Pink shrub rose, one open flower and a handful of buds.

Rosa ‘Champagne’/pale pink mini rose, two plants in light rebloom, but flowers bleach out fast.

Rosa ‘Julia Child’/Yellow shrub rose, has rebounded, now covered in new leaves, flowers and buds.

Rosa 'Mutabilis' (two good-sized plants) nonstop bloom - I love these roses!

Rosa /unnamed apricot mini-rose, one open flower and a couple of buds.

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus' /creeping Rosemary, many tiny blue flowers

Ruellia brittoniana 'Katy', dwarf Mexican Petunia, quite a few flowers at last.

Salvia coccinea /red hummingbird sage, many plants, many red flowers, many bees.

Salvia coccinea 'Alba'?/white hummingbird sage, two plants, blooming.

Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’/coral pink hummingbird sage, many plants, some flowering, some ready to be cut back.

Salvia farinacea /Mealy blue sage, a few plants with many flower spikes.

Salvia greggii/ Gregg's sage, lots of plants in white, red and cherry pink, in various stages of bud, bloom and needs pruning.

Salvia guaranitica/ Majestic sage, large clumps, blooming well in some places, sparse in other beds.

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue', Black and Blue salvia, in beds and containers, blooming well in some places, sparse in other beds.

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'/Hot lips salvia, 2 plants; they took a break, but now have a few flowers.

Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon'/Hybrid salvia in several borders and containers, few flowers and a couple of plants are dead.

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’/Dwarf Blue Cushionflower, a handful of buds and flowers.

Scutellaria suffrutescens/Pink skullcap (2 plants), lots of tiny blooms.

Scutellaria wrightii/Blue Skullcap...there are 3 plants - one plant has a few flowers.

Tradescantia geniculata/Bridal veil, now spreading across front woodland border, covered with many tiny white flowers.

Tradescantia pallida, syn Setcresea pallida/Purple Heart, blooming in several places.

Verbena bonariensis /Brazilian tall verbena, seeded all over the place, in various stages of bud, flower and seed.

Zinnia/hybrid border zinnias– a couple of rose-red flowers on ratty plants.

Zinnia linearis syn Zinnia angustifolia/Narrow-leaved zinnias, several plants, abundant white flowers.

By the way, that photo at top uploaded sideways again, as did the photos of the Mexican Oregano, Tropical Milkweed and Red Wax Mallow/Turkscap over at the Transplantable Rose blog. I changed the jpgs to pngs in Elements and they reloaded as landscapes.

Rotated Photos Uploaded in Proper Orientation

In the August 30 Post at The Transplantable Rose you saw several photos that reversed from landscape to portrait when uploaded to blogger.

Our technical support person suggested that I save the problem photos as a png file and then try to upload them again. I used Adobe Photoshop Elements to save them in the new format and them uploaded them over here.

The zinnias came out in the right direction.

And so did the Cherry pepper photo. The size of the photo is slightly larger than a jpg. It doesn't explain what happened but it might work as a fix.


EDIT July 4, 2010:
In the comments I said "Tech support thinks that blogger is reading some embedded information incorrectly". This theory seems to have been true - my husband disabled a facial-recognition setting inside the camera that autorotated pictures to make faces look "right". Guess it was seeing fruits and flowers as faces in group photos. Human faces are longer rather than wider, but Flower Faces frequently are broader rather than long.
So far it's worked!

A Poster Bee for Chuck B

ChuckB thought the bee on Salvia photo at my last TR post was creepy...

So I disneyfied it with Photoshop Elements - is this better, Chuck? Are you still saying Eeww?

Mamma Mia, The Movie

This is not a review of Mamma Mia, The Movie - it's a public rejoicing about how much I loved this movie and how lucky I am.


Philo and I saw it a few weeks ago at the Arbor when it came out. He's a good sport and I'm glad he liked it.


MSS of Zanthan Gardens and I saw it yesterday at the Alamo Drafthouse.
Yes, that's MSS and Mamma Mia and the Drafthouse...envy is the only appropriate response.


I have a lot to say. If you're planning on going to Mamma Mia and are afraid of spoilers, please come back after you've seen it.


If you don't like musicals, don't like Meryl, don't like women over 50 or don't like ABBA there's not much point to your being here. Anyone still reading?



Thought pops on Mamma Mia:


ABBA was not even on my radar when they were a big deal around 1980... perhaps we were listening to Vangelis and Willie Nelson and Steve Goodman? Or more likely our young children were watching Sesame Street and the Brady Bunch. TV and Stereo shared the same space back then.
I didn't found out why this group was so popular until ABBA music was used in a couple of films from Australia - Muriel's Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert .


Meryl Streep is a genius. Pierce Brosnan is fine brandy - better all the time. Why has he taken such hits for his singing in Mamma Mia? He's not a wailing juvenile pop singer! He's a mature troubador whose every word is full of emotion. We're talking Gordon Lightfoot not American-frickin-Idol.


When Julie Walters and Christine Baranski and Meryl Streep are together I see echoes of the classic characters the Three Musketeers, with Meryl/Donna as Athos, Julie/Rosie as Porthos, Christine/Tanya as Aramis and Amanda Seyfried/Donna's daughter Sophie, as d'Artagnan. This doesn't have anything to do with swordfights and plumed hats ...it came out in the physical comedy and personalities of the three friends. And in the 24 carat gold flakes and donkey testicles.


In the scene above the song is "Dancing Queen". It was funny and exhuberant and it made me tear up...all the women in the Greek Island town joining in the song - young and old, beautiful and plain, of every body type. You can suppress and bury your dancing queen but she's still waiting for a chance to spin again.


Robert Heinlein had Jubal Harshaw say this in Stranger In A Strange Land: A great artist can ...make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart....no matter what the merciless hours have done.

But for Meryl and her band it's not a quiet, endless tragedy - keeping the 18-year old girl safe in their hearts is a triumph.


That Pierce Brosnan and the adorable Colin Firth could be funny and charming was not a surprise...that the usually dour and threatening Swedish actor Stellan Starsgard could be funny and charming and smiling at women was enchanting. Donna had excellent taste.


Do guys know that they are a lot sexier when they are intelligently funny?


The idea of visiting Greek Islands never had any appeal for me until I saw this movie. It would take months of training first - those hills and stairs are daunting. Meryl is in great shape and the whole ramshackle island resort is a wonderful set.


The beautiful scene where Donna helps Sophie get dressed for the wedding and does her hair was overwhelming. If you are a mother of a daughter watch out for this one.


The scene when the guys come to take Dominic Cooper/Sky off to his bachelor party, dancing on the pier in swim fins to "Lay All Your Love On Me" sure took the song in an unexpected direction, as did Christine Baranski's "Does Your Mother Know" with boy-toy Phillip Michael. Very Broadway.


Traditional musicals have lyrics that are written for a certain point in the story - for Mamma Mia the songs existed as separate works. I've read that Catherine Johnson refashioned the plotline of Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell to fit the lyrics. I find that very interesting.


I may have to edit this and add more. Although the DVD doesn't have any projected release date, the soundtrack is out. If I buy that it might lead to another post! Or maybe somebody else wants company and I'll see it a third time. More Pierce in a wet, white shirt.

Bloom list for July 15-16, 2008

Abelia chinensis (several shrubs in light bloom)

Achillea 'Moonshine', a couple of flowers

Amarcrinum ‘Fred Howard’ (three large flowering stalks)

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, Flame acanthus just started

Antirrhinum majus, Yellow snapdragons (about 6 plants), in bloom since Christmas

Asclepias curassavica, tropical milkweed, one plant very happy, one spindly

Ocimum basilicum, Basil – one plant is bolting…Stop making flowers!

Begonia semperflorens – one 2-year old white wax begonia in bloom

Buddleja davidii ‘Black Knight’, flowering, but the heads are very small

Buddleja lindleyana, Weeping butterfly bush, about four wands opening

Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow', light bloom – need to be cut back

Canna, unnamed tall, bright green-leaved with red-orange flowers

Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’ several plants – 2 flowers

Capsicum annuum – some of the garden peppers have buds & flowers, and a few have developing peppers

Clematis – possibly C. viticella, 4 flowers

Consolida ajacis, Larkspur – one surviving plant with a few flowers

Coreopsis 'Crème Brulee' (5 plants) abundant bloom but messy

Crocosmia, may be ‘Lucifer’ – three plants with one spray of buds & flowers

Cuphea ignea, Cigar flower, covered in tiny orange flowers

Cuphea llavea – small pink & lavender form (two plants), covered in tiny flowers

Cuphea llavea –red & purple ‘Batfaced’, covered in flowers

Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet', covered in red-orange & purple flowers

Cyclamen persicum, a Florist’s cyclamen from last fall is hanging on to a couple of flowers

Dianthus – several colors of ‘Telstar’ hybrids in assorted containers keep making a few flowers

Echinacea purpurea, still blooming

Echinacea purpurea alba? – a white cultivar, stems lax but blooming well

Echinacea purpurea ‘Purple Stars’, still blooming but could be cut back

Evolvulus glomeratus, Blue Daze, several plants, some blooming, some not

Gaura lindheimerii ‘The Bride’ (two plants), some white flowers on long wands

Gaura lindheimerii, unknown tall rose-pink variety (‘Pink Cloud’?), many flowers

Helianthus, unknown, gigantic, annual sunflower with many blooms, buds and some heads going to seed

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Blue River II’, a few huge white flowers each day

Impatiens walleriana, bedding impatiens. More than a dozen plants, some with many flowers, some barely alive

Ipomoea quamoclit, Cypress vine, a few red flowers

Lagerstroemia indica, pink crepe myrtles (5 trees), all blooming

Lagerstroemia x hybrida ‘Acoma’ white crepemyrtles (2 trees); they keep blooming if I deadhead

Lagerstroemia indica 'Catawba', in container, keeps blooming if deadheaded

Lantana, unknown varieties both upright and trailing – pink & yellow, white and gold, in bloom but looking ratty and some should be cut back

Lavandula intermedia 'Provence', a few fragrant flowers

Lavandula multifida, many, many flower wands on this fernleafed lavender, but they lack true lavender fragrance

Leucophyllum frutescens, Cenizo – one shrub, covered in flowers

Liriope muscari, all over the place, the best flowering is in the secret garden

Lobularia maritime, Sweet alyssum (dotted around), blooming since late winter

Lonicera sempervirens, coral honeysuckle (just a few flowers)

Lycopersicon lycopersicum, the ‘Juliet’ tomato has lots of flowers

Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' (opening several buds)

Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' (two plants), moderate bloom

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (two plants), some flowers and plants look okay

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii, white form (two plants), a few flowers

Oxalis crassipes 'Alba' (dotted around and in containers), several blooming

Oxalis regnellii 'Atropurpurea' (dotted around and in containers), just one flower

Pelargonium – variousl bedding geraniums in white & coral, outdoors and indoors, all making at least one flower stalk

Pavonia lasiopetala, pink rock rose, makes flowers but leaves are always mildewed

Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian Sage (two beds), floppy but making flowers

Petunia multiflora? Only a few flowers here and there on this heirloom, but the plants are alive

Phlox paniculata, Grandma’s white phlox, two plants (one flowering head)

Platycodon 'Fugi White', doing fine after cutting back; has a few flowers

Platycodon grandiflorus (several plants), just a few flowers left, time for cutting back so it will flower again

Platycodon 'Miss Tilly' (3 plants), doing fine

Platycodon 'Sentimental Blue', has some flowers but should be cut back to encourage rebloom

Plumbago auriculata (two shrubs), going nuts and covered in pale blue flowers – recently pruned so the back door could shut

Plumbago auriculata var. alba (one plant), finally made one flower head after 2 years

Poliomintha longiflora, Mexican oregano (3 plants), all blooming

Portulaca - about a dozen assorted Moss Roses and Flowering Purslanes in full bloom

Rosa ‘Champagne’ mini rose, two plants, a few flowers each

Rosa ‘Julia Child’, this rose was defoliated by something and remaining leaves had blackspot; finally has some decent foliage, and a dozen buds and blooms

Rosa 'Mutabilis' (two good-sized plants) nonstop bloom

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus' - many tiny blue flowers

Ruellia brittoniana 'Katy' (very stingy – perhaps 4 flowers on 5 plants)

Salvia coccinea (many plants, many red flowers)

Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’ (many plants, some flowering, some ready to be cut back)

Salvia farinacea (a few plants with many flower spikes)

Salvia greggii (white, red, cherry) all in flower and in need of cutting back

Salvia guaranitica (lots), keep flowering when I deadhead

Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' (lots), keep flowering when I deadhead

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' (2 plants), nonstop flowers

Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon' (several borders and containers), many small violet flowers

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’, a handful of buds and flowers

Scutellaria suffrutescens, pink skullcap (2 plants), lots of tiny blooms

Scutellaria wrightii, there are 3 plants - one plant has a few flowers

Tradescantia geniculata (spreading across front woodland border), many tiny white flowers

Tulbaghia violacea (two plants, one flower)

Verbena bonariensis – all over the place, in various stages of bud, flower and seed

Verbena – small lavender and purple bedding-type, blooming well after I stopped the lavender from smothering it

Zephyranthes 'Labuffarosea' (several borders), many flowers in the last couple of days – one clump had 16 open at once

Zinnia – 3 small plants with a few red flowers and a couple of buds

Zinnia linearis/ syn Zinnia angustifolia, several plants, abundant white flowers.


(I'll never be as good at keeping records as MSS, but it's a start.)

Silver Ponyfoot

ON THE PATIO
The native Silver ponyfoot, sometimes called Silver ponys foot, is Dichondra argentea according to the Wildflower Center, but the plants at nurseries are frequently labeled 'Silver Falls'. Mine started out as the "Spiller" in a basket hanging near the wall at right about 3 years ago. Some strands landed in the granite below, rooting and gradually spreading. Last spring the ponyfoot trotted across the sidewalk to the decomposed granite area next to the patio and it kept going. Even in Austin's fairly mild zone 8 winter, this groundcover gets frozen back, but there are usually enough rooted knobs still alive to get it restarted.

Now it's gently lapping the rocks around the fountain.

IN THE FRONT

Near the steps to the veranda a bowl of Silver Pony foot dripped down and has likewise spread to fill this area of decomposed granite. It will look better once the oleander leaves are removed!

Pam/Digging shows Silver Ponyfoot on a garden tour, used to fill in the spaces and soften an area of large flat stones.

King Cake

When I made this cake in 2004 it was pretty good - a sort of yeast coffee cake. I can't find the recipe that was used, but this recipe looks good, although I was a lot stingier with the colored sugar.

If you get the baby you host the next party.