I wondered if it I should leave everything be, or pull it out of the ground. Among the suggestions was one from Cindy, that if things were black and mushy, to cut them back to healthy green stem.
New Year's weekend the weather was so glorious it made me forget all about the drought-ridden dog days of summer in Texas. I couldn't wait to get out there and get started on my garden clean up!
These are the kind of days that I'm happy to garden in Texas. I savored the winter sunshine on my back (and the fact that I wasn't sweating) and the quietness around me. All I heard were birds, the snip, snip of my secateurs, and the occasional small plane going overhead from nearby Hooks Airport.
Back to the task at hand, looking around the front garden it was immediately apparent that the milkweed fit right into the "mushy black" category.
But what a pleasant surprise I had as I set about trimming them back....
... they are already putting out lots of fresh green leaves! There should be lots of plants ready for the Monarch butterflies when they come through.
I found similar sights as I trimmed back the lantana...
... and the garden mums..
I even have some flowers in the garden (not counting the pansies which have been blooming faithfully since before Thanksgiving as always)
This Gazania, or Treasure Flower, kept firm and green, while others around it turned to mush and has flowered repeatedly through the winter. I really haven't paid much attention to it before, but it really is a "Treasure" to have in the garden.
Lastly, this garden mum, which I trimmed back a little while ago, already has blooms on it. I seem to have an orange theme going on in the front garden which is totally accidental!
Anyway, I'm posting this a week after I took these photos and it's lovely outside again now. I'm getting that itch to garden again -- and there are some more black and mushy things out there awaiting my attention.
I'm going to head outside now and I'll sit and catch up on my blog reading later on this evening.
Happy Gardening everyone!
Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.
