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Annie in Austin
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.
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Showing posts with label Seasons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seasons. Show all posts

Friday, March 12, 2010

A Figgy Embrace for GGW Picture This Contest

The theme for this month's Gardening Gone Wild photo contest is Awakening - something that's already happening in Austin and coming soon to more Northern gardens, long under snow.

Thalia the Muse of Comedy influences many of my posts and today I'll let her rule my photos, too - this photo of my Celeste Fig Tree waking up amused me because it seems to be stretching and reaching out and declaring, "Embrace Spring!"AnnieinAustin,Figgy EmbraceHappy Spring to all of you!

Monday, December 08, 2008

It's Still Autumn in Austin

Even though the Brugmansia went from still-in-bloom last Thursday afternoon
December Brugmansia, Annieinaustin
To crisped and frostbitten by Monday afternoonfrosted brugmansia, annieinaustin

Even though the Blue Butterfly Flower Clerodendrum is also crispy brown today
Clerodendrum & Russelia, annieinaustin
Even though the Loquat is no longer blooming and the hoped-for fruit may have been hit with cold and we'll have another year of no loquat fruit
Loquat flowers hit by cold, annieinaustinEven though we're now using the big comforter instead of the light blankets, and the berries on the Burford Holly are a wintery-Christmasy red .
Burford holly berries,annieinaustin
Even though the cannas that backed up the Julia Child rose are no longer green as in this photo from last Thursday Julia Child rose with cannas,annieinaustin

...it still feels like autumn to me. Must sweep patio,annieinaustin
After all, that Julia Child rose is still blooming and holding onto her foliage (in answer to Jean, the bloom is good, but she does get blackspot and has fewer leaves than she should)
Julia Child rose December,annieinaustin
After all, the temperatures are in the sixties and the leaves are falling and swirling around the patio, needing to be swept so we can use the barbecue,Leaves on patio,annieinaustin

After all, it took a long time to rake and sweep this pile, go over it with the mulching mower and empty the bag over and over into the wire leaf enclosure
Leaves to mulch,annieinaustin
After all, there seems to be an endless supply of unfallen leaves that will need raking - even if the projected cold front arrivesDecember pecan tree,annieinaustin
After all, the pomegranate tree is still glowing golden in the Secret Garden
Pomegranate fall color,annieinaustin
After all, the pink rose near the Brugmansia is still blooming
Pink climbing rose,annieinaustin
And a rather dimwitted Monarch thought there was still time to raise a new generation
(Renee - as you wrote in your Statesman blog, this is not a good idea, is it!)

December Monarch larva,annieinaustin
Oops - someone should get out the ladder and cut those pods of moonflower vine seeds to save for next spring
Moonvine pods,annieinaustin
But the ladder is already in the living room, surrounded by ornaments and decorations boxes, placed next to the Christmas tree so I can reach the top branches. bought LED lights,annieinaustin

Being organized for Christmas gets complicated where December acts like autumn.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

The Shadiest Time of the Year

This is our fifth autumn in this house and as each October ends we've noticed that the air-conditioner seldom kicks on no matter how warm the day. The sun is so low that it can't penetrate the still-full, green canopy of the two tall pecan trees to heat the rooms on that end of the house. The east end of the garden gets sun in the morning, but by the middle of the day the back garden is all shadows. As the sun swings around to the west around 3 PM, it illuminates the outside edge of the garden along the fence and then shines on the vegetable patch. Spanish Spice peppersAfter barely surviving the long hot summer, the pepper plants obey their biological imperative, using the sun at low power to reproduce and set a couple of dozen peppers. We'll let the peppers run their race to grow until the freeze warning comes - and will be glad to have even a small crop!

In late afternoon enough sun falls on the Secret Garden to trigger a few Confederate Rose blooms. Hibiscus mutabilis is a close relative of hardy Hibiscus like my 'Blue River II'. Hibiscus mutabilis, Confederate RoseConfederate Rose can grow to tree size in Austin if sited well, but my small plant is new this year - a passalong from my friend Carole, it's still in a 10" container.


Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira' Enough sun fell through the pecan leaves to set buds on the Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira' a few months ago. The taller, older Camellia japonica did not enjoy this summer. It looks stressed and may have a handful of flowers this winter. In contrast this little sasanqua didn't seem to suffer one bit and is prepared to open dozens of blossoms.


When I wrote about berries in October I had to leave out the most spectacular berry in our yard - a tall Yaupon near the gate. The paperbark type of birch tree was always something I admired for decades but could never own. They didn't do well in Illinois and could not survive here. Now the sight of bright berries, beautiful trunks and white bark have vanquished any longing for birches... I love my yaupon!



Brugmansia buds in progressThe morning sun is enough to make these Brugmansia set buds but they develop more slowly than they did a month ago. If frost comes too soon these buds will never become yellow trumpets and the peppers and warm weather annuals will die and these passionvines will turn to threads, but the garden won't go to sleep.



Instead, as the pecans let loose their leaves, the winter sun will shine through the spaces between the bare branches.
Loquat Tree in BloomWhen the shadows turn again to sun it will be time to plant pansies and snapdragons, alyssum and dianthus. The loquat will keep opening fragrant flowers and when we take our coffee out to the patio, we'll be glad to have the patio umbrella over our heads.