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Garden journal entry |
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Copper Canyon daisy in full bloom | January 01, 2019. 2019 has arrived! Here in Houston, the weather has been mild through the holidays. No lack of rain (you can stop now, please), but also no new freezes since one that arrived early on, way back in November. So everything that survived that first cold snap is still alive and often thriving. So much so that I decided to put together a page showing off what's in bloom around our garden this New Year's day. All in all, not bad for a time of year when Pennsylvania's gardens offer little besides some holly berries, sweeping evergreens, and pretty bark – for those willing to brave the elements. I'm not sure it's enough of a trade-off for the unrelenting heat and humidity we endure down here in the summers, but I'll gladly partake of the good times while they last. I look forward to the spring bulbs, which should be bursting forth soon, and foresee a few more "enhancement projects" on the horizon this year. Wishing you a happy New Year from our garden to yours!
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Visitors to this page have left the following commentsJustin Ayers | Jan 22, 2019 | Hi. I happened upon your blog and would like to suggest a few things for consideration. A plant that I would definitely like to grow, but can't in my zone 6, is the shrubby red delphinium cardinale. They aren't the ugly heavily-bred doubled delphinium most people think of and they are pollinated by hummingbirds. It fits comfortably into your zone. It is available for sale from a popular online store and probably elsewhere. However, it likes a dry summer so it may not thrive for you unless you plant it in high-drainage soil if you get much summer rain (it is tuberous and summer dormant). Another plant I like is Asclepias asperula. It has two subspecies. The eastern one is native to Texas and can handle more moisture. It's a good monarch food because its leaves are very high in protective cardenolides. It also has cool-looking flowers. It doesn't grow higher than 2 feet or so and puts down a deep taproot so it will like high-drainage soil as well. You can use an auger to dig down and then add finely-crushed lava rock and perlite to the clay. If you're amending heavy clay with sand you have to replace no less than 50% of the clay with sand to prevent it from making a sort of concrete, according to an expert. You also have to go down no less than two feet for typical planting. So, she warns people about adding sand to amend heavy clay. The nice thing about a taproot plant like asperula is that you don't have to do a lot of amending in a wide area around the plant, as you would with one that has very spreading roots. However, it may be somewhat clump-forming. There is a very rare species of Mexican milkweed that should grow in your zone. It's Asclepias melantha. It has gorgeous star-like deep crimson flowers. Someone really should propagate it and sell it. The perennis milkweed species is a nice choice for a pond border because it can be planted in a pot so that its roots are partially submerged. It is also very high in cardenolides, high in nectar, and has attractive looks. It grows in my zone also and I am planning to plant a lot of it this year. Another good pond border plant is lanceolata milkweed. It has especially vibrant flowers that seem to float in the air because its leaves are so thin and few. Purple milkweed, Asclepias purpurascens, is also a favorite for its flowers, as is the part-shade redring, Asclepias variegata. Milkweeds are great for wildlife (not just monarchs but other insects and butterflies) although they can end up being stripped, at least where I live. A small and dainty red delphinium that is hardy in your zone is naudicaule. It is a really attractive plant. Wow, thanks for those suggestions. I'll definitely look into them as I'm preparing for next gardening season! |
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