Welcome! As "Annie in Austin" I blog about gardening in Austin, TX with occasional looks back at our former gardens in Illinois. My husband Philo & I also make videos - some use garden images as background for my original songs, some capture Austin events & sometimes we share videos of birds in our garden.
Come talk about gardens, movies, music, genealogy and Austin at the Transplantable Rose and listen to my original songs on YouTube. For an overview read Three Gardens, Twenty Years. Unless noted, these words and photos are my copyrighted work.
Like many of you I've been eagerly enjoying the tweets and posts and photos from the bloggers who are meeting in Chicago this weekend.
Mr McGregor's Daughter has posted a photo of the wonderful Carolus Linnaeus statue as it looked for the Chicago Spring Fling participants yesterday. The statue seems to be unchanged but apparently a vegetative barrier keeps the public away from the sculpture. On the chance that someone might be interested, I hunted down an old photo.
Carolus Linnaeus Statue, Chicago Botanical Gardens, 1988
The set-up was a little different 21 years ago in 1988 when this picture was taken. Everyone had their photo taken with Linnaeus, sort of like every kid in Chicago having a picture taken sitting on one of the stone lions at Brookfield Zoo. The protection seems like a sensible decision. The Linnaeus statue is composed of many individual representations of plants and animals, very unlike the smooth lions.
Here in Austin's Zilker Park several large gates are decorated with representations of the plants and creatures found in Central Texas.
Thanks for the photos and notes, Chicago Flingers!
A few people wondered how I grew this delphinium which was budded for GBBD on May 15th and is now opening blooms. They're not generally recommended for Austin so growing it wasn't part of a plan...it just sort of happened:
April 2006, dig out St Augustine grass to make a triangle-shaped bed. Buy an obelisk and add it to the bed. Grow things in this bed for 3 years, continuously adding compost & decomposed granite. Water, weed and use Hasta-gro, Liquid seaweed and John's recipe.
In winter 2009 plant sweet peas to grow on obelisk. By March 30, realize drought followed by hail equals no sweetpeas. Stop by Shoal Creek Nursery on way home from somewhere else and impulse-buy a vigorous plant of Mixed Pacific Giant Delphiniums for less than $2. Add more compost, plant, water in with seaweed. Water a couple of times a week for 6 weeks and rejoice when we get a short spell of cooler weather just as bud stalks emerge.
Since the flowers are semi-double white, the variety might be 'Galahad'. I will think of this genuine Knight of a Delphinium as an annual, a consolation prize for the failure of the usually dependable larkspurs/annual delphiniums. (EDIT: Added this second photo May 21 - weather heading back to 90's so it may not last longer than a cut flower - but cost no more than cut Delphiniums and I had the pleasure of watching it grow and unfold)
The Addendum is where the list of botanical names is kept - photos appear on the main Garden Blogger Bloom Day post for May 15th at the Transplantable Rose. All of these plants have made flowers - a few like the daylilies and the passion vine sometimes have only buds one day and flowers the next. These 'Prairie Blue Eyes' daylilies had flowers open on May 14th and 16th with buds on the 15th.As you can see, the image is rotated, something that happens every GBBD. When uploaded to Twitter it worked perfectly. I don't know why Blogger wants the perovskia to grow upside down. I also don't know why it disappeared the number on the list. There are 101 items.
Abelia chinensis/Abelia, four white shrubs in bloom
Antirrhinum majus, Yellow snapdragons living and producing flowers since Christmas 2007
Asclepias curassavica, tropical milkweed, just a couple of buds open
Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Mother of Thousand, just a few remaining flowers
Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow'/ yellow bulbine will keep blooming with deadheading
Calibrachoa hybrids, annual, some from Natural Gardener, some from Shoal Creek Nursery in hanging baskets and troughs. One basket hangs outside the breakfast room window and the hummingbirds come to it
Canna X generalis 'City of Portland' one plant in container near shed
Canna X generalis, unnamed tall, bright green-leaved with red-orange flowers
Capsicum annuum – garden peppers, had a few peppers, still a few flowers
Castilleja indivisa, Texas paintbrush, grown as annual, one plant fading, one still blooming
Citrus x meyeri, Meyer's Improved Lemon, a few buds on the one in the pot
Citrus aurantifolia? Mexican lime, in container
Clematis unknown hybrid, one reddish-purple flower
Conoclinium greggii, Gregg’s Mistflower - closely related to C. coelestinium, the mistflower I grew in Illinois, but leaves are quite different. Lavender blue flowers in front bed.
Consolida ajacis, Larkspur – one plant with a few flowers and a couple of surviving plants with buds
Coriandrum sativum., cilantro, all gone to flower
Cuphea ignea, orange Cigar flower, many little orange flowers
Cuphea llavea – small pink & lavender form. Plant near back door blooming but the one in triangle garden not happy
Cuphea llavea –red & purple ‘Batfaced’, a few flowers
Cuphea llavea 'Georgia Scarlet', just budding
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 pink and off-white
Dianthus – red, white and pink shades of ‘Telstar’ hybrids in assorted containers
Dietes bicolor, African Iris, butterfly iris, a few every day. Best bloom it ever had.
Evolvulus glomeratus 'Blue Daze', in Secret garden and near gate, but plants in containers still leafing out
Feijowa sellowiana / Pineapple guava- the shrub in secret garden still has flowers and buds but one on patio seems done for year
Gaura lindheimerii ‘The Bride’, two large plants plus seedlings
Gaura lindheimerii, unknown tall rose-pink variety (‘Pink Cloud’?), many flowers
Hemerocallis cultivar 'Pinochio', dwarf, burgundy, brought from Illinois, one plant near gate another in Pink Entrance Garden
Hemerocallis cultivar 'Vi's Apricot', brought from Illinois. Now divided into 6 small plants.
Hemerocallis cultivar 'Prairie Blue Eyes', brought from Illinois, has 3 bloom stalks
Hemerocallis cultivar 'Happy Returns', almost through with bloom cycle. Will deadhead and may rebloom in 6 weeks
Hesperaloe parviflora, Red yucca, tubular, slow opening flowers all along one long stalk
Hibiscus syriacus/Rose of Sharon a few purple and a couple of white flowers
Hippeastrum hybrid Peach & White, #5 of seven kinds in Bulb Garden
Impatiens walleriana, bedding impatiens, white, lived over winter in Secret Garden
Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta', couple of buds at top
Justicia spicigera/ Mexican Honeysuckle, a few open, orange flowes
Lantana, unknown varieties both upright and trailing – pink & yellow, white and gold and lavender
Lavendula heterophylla, Sweet Lavender, lots of stalks
Lavendula stoechas, Spanish lavender, just a few left
Leucophyllum frutescens/ Texas sage AKA Barometer bush AKA Cenizo – one shrub, a few flowers - supposed to be a sign of rain and an inch fell today.
Lilium unknown Easter Lily type - couple of trumpets on two plants in Bulb garden
Lobularia maritime, Sweet alyssum, alive, but fading in heat
Lonicera sempervirens, coral honeysuckle (just a few flowers)
Lycopersicon lycopersicum, tomatoes
Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' , one flower a day for past week
Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina' a couple of flowers on surviving plants
Mazus reptans, tiny blue flower on ground cover
Melampodium leucanthum / Blackfoot daisy- think there are 5 plants, each with a few flowers
Myrtus communis nana/ dwarf Greek myrtle- just a few flowers, three shrubs in ground
Nerium oleander/ double yellow oleander 'Mathilde Ferrier', double yellow, fragrant, near steps to veranda
Nicotiana 'Perfume Deep Purple', annuals from Shoal Creek
Ocimum basilicum, Basil
Oxalis crassipes 'Alba' (dotted around and in containers), several blooming
Oxalis regnellii 'Atropurpurea' (dotted around and in containers), couple of flower
Passiflora X possibly 'Lavender Lady' Passionvine - see above, buds and blooms
Pavonia lasiopetala, pink rock rose, makes flowers but leaves are always mildewed, even with sun and air
Pelargonium hybrids– assorted bedding geraniums, red, white & coral, in containers
Pelargonium hybrid, coral, blooming in breakfast room window
Penstemen tenuis, Gulf coast penstemon- planted a couple of months ago- buds and blooms
Perovskia atriplicifolia, Russian Sage (two beds), floppy but making flowers
Phlox sublata/Creeping phlox in lavender blue, very long bloom season
Pisum sativum Sugar Snap, sugar snap garden peas - flowers and peas - ate a few raw!
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), one flower head
Poliomintha longiflora, Mexican oregano (3 plants), all blooming
Portulaca - reseeded Moss Roses and Flowering Purslane, in newer triangle garden
Punica granatum, pomegranate - might be 'Wonderful', a few flowers, no fruit seems to have set
Punica granatum 'Nana'/ dwarf pomegranate, two small plants, ornamental
Rosa 'Belinda's Dream', Pink shrub rose-one battered flower, several blooms
Rosa ‘Champagne’ mini rose, delicate pink , two plants, more buds than leaves
Rosa floribunda ‘Julia Child’, butter-yellow rose, still has buds
Rosa 'Mutabilis' (two good-sized plants) nonstop bloom
Salvia coccinea, red Hummingbird sage, reseeded in triangle
Salvia coccinea, white Hummingbird sage, reseeds near patio
Salvia coccinea ‘Coral Nymph’, coral pink Hummingbird sage, in Secret Garden and in Entrance garden
Salvia farinacea, Mealy Blue sage, wandlike flowers, replacements for winter killed plants, still in pots from nursery
Salvia greggii, in creamy white, deep rose, true red, cherry red
Salvia guaranitica, Majestic blue sage
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
Salvia leucantha, Mexican Bush Sage, a few flowers - big season is fall
Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' (2 plants), nonstop flowers, but they're all white - no lips!
Salvia roemeriana /Cedar sage, red flowers in shade, still blooming
Salvia X 'Nuevo Leon' (several borders and containers), many small violet flowers
Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’/Dwarf Blue Cushionflower, steady buds and flowers, two plants
Scutellaria ovata, Heartleaf skullcap, from Pam/Digging. Thought it was lost but reappeared this spring and made a couple of flowers
Scutellaria suffrutescens, pink skullcap, two plants dependable pink bloomer
Scutellaria wrightii, blue skullcap, three small plants, sparse flowers.
Sedum, little varieties with white flowers
Trachaelospermum jasminoides, Star Jasmine, Confederate Jasmine, evergreen vine with white, fragrant flowers. Three vines, on veranda, side fence and shed, almost at end of season.
Tradescantia geniculata, groundcover , in bloom, tiny white flowers
Tradescantia pallida, syn Setcresea pallida/ Purple Heart, many lavender flowers;
Verbena bonariensis – doing well this spring, has seeded around and is blooming in 4 different borders
Viola spp– just a few remaining Pansies and violas still alive
Vitex agnus-castus / Chaste tree, just forming buds
Zinnia linearis/ syn Zinnia angustifolia, reseeded from last year - just a couple of buds.
Welcome if you came here from the May 6th "Thought Pops" post at the Transplantable Rose!
Lavender Sticks are a sweet little thing to make. I read about them years ago in a chapter of Elizabeth Lawrence's book Through The Garden Gate. If you can find the original version her narrative is enchanting. Here's an approximation of what Miss Lawrence said:
The sticks must be made immediately after cutting, or the stalks may break rather than bend. Cut stalks when the first flower opens - they need to be a least 8 inches long but can be as long as 18 inches. (What I grow is Sweet Lavender, which has longer flower heads than some of the other fragrant varieties. The shape and length of the stick will be slightly different with each variety.)
You'll need an even multiple of an odd number. That could be 14 which is 2 X 7, or 18 which is twice 9, 22 which is 2 X 11, etc. If you have enough you could cut 30 which is twice 15.
You also need a few feet of 1/4 inch baby ribbon - or whatever narrow ribbon you can get. Lay the stalks together with the tips of some spikes sticking up beyond the others, making a flowering head about 6 inches in length. Tie one end of the baby ribbon tightly around the stems just below the lowest flower. Then you will make the ribbon and stalks into a basket shape by gently bending the stems back over the flower heads, first weaving the ribbon under two stalks, then weaving it over the next two, and so on....going around and around until you've made the stems into a basket enclosing the flower heads within the ribbon/stick weave. Take your time, slide the ribbon gently and keep it all flat. The size of ribbon, length of stem and closeness of weave will combine to make each stick look a little different. The number of stalks you use will also make them look quite different - 14 is a very slender stick. When you've woven past the flower heads you can tie off the end and neatly clip the stem ends. I like to tie the end of the ribbon into a loop that can be used to hang the Lavender Stick at nose-level. Don't worry if the technique sounds confusing - it becomes apparent once you have the ribbon and stalks in your hands. The resulting little baskets of lavender used to be hung on clothes hangers or layered with sheets in linen closets. As the lavender dries the weave keeps the flowers inside.
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Carolus Linnaeus Statue, Chicago Botanical Gardens, 1988
Here in Austin's Zilker Park several large gates are decorated with representations of the plants and creatures found in Central Texas.
