The Turk's Cap Gets a New Home

Oops - here I am posting once a month again! I really do need to step it up a bit!

Last Friday I decided to see if I could do some rearranging that I had been wanting to do for quite some time.   My Turk's Cap , Malvaviscus drummondii , was in a container underneath the wax myrtle and had managed to root itself through the drainage holes.  The pot was leaning and the Turk's Cap really needed to be relocated.

As it happens, I have a small raised bed right next to it with only the native honeysuckle and a recently planted mandevilla, which hadn't had a chance to get going yet.  

So the first thing to do was to snip through the Turk's Cap's roots and detach it from it's current located (ever hoping that it doesn't mind the disruption)

As you can see, it's a pretty decent sized plant.  It was definitely time to move on from it's little container.

The next task was to dig a hole for it in the raised bed.  This proved more difficult that I expected.

On a hot and humid day I was trying to dig through a mass of roots which almost proved too much for me.  I ended up getting in there with snippers and cutting roots to enable me to dig a hole big enough for planting.

The roots appeared to be coming from all directions, so I think there was a combination of honeysuckle, Wax Myrtle and even Turk's Cap roots in there.

Anyway, after several breaks of sitting in the shade of the pine tree, and drinking at least a gallon of ice tea, I finally got the Turk's Cap replanted.

I'm really happy with how it fills the raised bed, and it hides the bare lower stems of the native honeysuckle (as well as the "volunteer" millet that the birds planted behind the trellis).

To learn more about Turk's Cap, visit:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/malvaviscusdrum.htm

The Mandevilla got a new home too.  I planted it in the container that the Turk's Cap came out of (after it was well cleaned, of course) and set it by the trellis on the western fence.

To learn more about Mandeville, visit:
http://floridata.com/Plants/Apocynaceae/Mandevilla%20spp./68

Finally, to let me know she approved of my rearranging the garden, this little hummingbird stopped by.  (she was actually browsing the native honeysuckle while I was taking a break in the shade, but I didn't get a picture until later, when she visited one of the feeders.

I think my gardening for the rest of the summer will be confined to gently pulling weeds, in the early mornings or in the evenings.

No more digging in the heat of the day for me!

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

In the Company of Hummingbirds

Here I go again, not posting in weeks. I keep telling myself I'm going to post regularly and then, things happen and the blog goes untouched.

The reason is really two-fold.  Firstly, I've been busy at work, which has been rather draining, physically and emotionally.  But secondly, the garden is just ticking along and nothing much has changed.

Photos I took of the island beds last weekend looked very much like the photos I took of the island bed several weeks ago.  Except perhaps there are more weeds. 

What am I saying?  I KNOW there are more weeds!

But things are perking up a bit.  For a start we've been getting regular visits from some hummingbirds.  Usually my photos are taken out of the window, looking at the hummingbird with the sky behind, so they end up almost being silhouettes.

But I was out in the garden with my camera when I heard that familiar bzzzzzz and when I turned, this female hummingbird was approaching the feeder on the patio.

I was about 10 feet away, so I raised my camera to my eye and started taking photos.  I think these are the closest, clearest photos of a hummingbird I have ever managed to get.  If you click on them, you can see them at a larger size.

She stayed quite a few minutes before heading back to her perch on the Vitex tree.

She reminded me that I needed to make some fresh nectar, which I did.  She and a male have been swooping around the garden and enjoying the feeders all week.

I just made more fresh nectar this evening.  I'm waiting for it to cool and will fill the feeders tomorrow.

We have a long weekend coming up.  I hope to be spending it In the Company of Hummingbirds


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

If you Hang it, the Hummers will Come

I supposed there's some truth in the saying, "If you build it, they will come." You could even say "If you hang it, they will come" with the same effects :-)

I saw a video on Facebook yesterday that really made me jealous.  It was of a hummingbird feeder on a patio, and there were at least 10 hummingbirds on it.

I had set my feeders out in the garden, but hadn't seen any activity around them.  When I went to check, I realized that they really felt hot -- probably not very refreshing for thirsty hummingbirds.

So I cleaned them up and made some fresh nectar and hung them on the north facing patio where they are shaded from the sun and can stay much cooler.

Within an hour, I had a visitor.  (Please click on the photos to see a larger image)

 There were two of them actually, and they were really more interested in chasing each other away that trying out the nectar. 

But finally one of them stopped to take a sip :-)

 

 One thing I noticed as I was looking through the photos on my computer; if I clicked quickly between the two photos above, it looked like one of those vintage bobbing birds, lol!

 Anyway, now I know they're around I will be sure to keep the feeders filled and fresh and enjoy them for a while until they start their migration in a few weeks.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

First Hummingbird of the Year

Some other garden bloggers and Facebook friends in the Houston area reported having over-wintering Rufous hummingbirds in their gardens this past winter.

I wasn't that lucky, but my husband reported that he had seen a hummer in the garden last week when he was working on our new island bed. It was enjoying the blossoms on the new orange trees he had just planted.

I made up a batch of hummingbird nectar last night and put up two feeders and - lo and behold - we have a hummingbird!

The first one of the year appears to be a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. 

I don't recall seeing them this early in the year before - in fact, as I look through my iPhoto catalog for last year, the first hummingbird photos weren't taken until May.




The red dome over the feeder is designed to protect the feeder from damaging UV rays as well as rain, and also protects the nectar so it stays fresh longer.  I'm thinking that a flying hummingbird could probably spot it from a mile off, so hopefully we will see lots of hummingbird action this year.

Now the garden just has to catch up and be ready for them!












Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Master of All He Surveys

This mighty little Ruby throated hummingbird has been on duty in the garden this morning, engaging all visitors in an energetic aerial  acrobatics, before returning to his perch in the Crepe Myrtle tree.

This photo was taken from about 30 feet away, through the patio door. Of course, as soon as I tried to get closer, he took off. 

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Hummingbird in the Sun

I was so happy when I snapped this photo earlier today. We've seen what appears to be a pair of hummingbirds zipping around the garden for the past few days, but I never have the camera handy.

At breakfast this morning, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and realized it was a hummer at the bottom of the garden.  Luckily, by the time I grabbed the camera, positioned myself at the back door and zoomed in to the feeder, I caught her just as she was landing to check it out.

Unfortunately, since that time I have spent a frustrating morning being frustrated by technology.

Let me explain.. For my birthday, my husband bought me a new iMac with a 27 inch monitor, which I love. 

However, some tasks that used to be simple on my old iMac don't seem to work quite the same way on the new one and I spent a frustrating morning trying to figure out how to edit the photo, add my watermark and save it for the web.

Hubby came to the rescue like a knight in shining armor and all is well with the world.


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Three Firsts for the Year

One day last week I stepped out the back door just as a hummingbird had been coming to inspect the hanging fuschia.  I swear it stopped in mid-air and reversed when it saw me!

This past weekend I got around to whipping up a batch of sugar water and filling three hummingbird feeders to place strategically around the garden.

Within ten minutes we had a diner! Not a great photo I'm afraid, it would only give me a back view, not a nice side view, but with my new camera and a tripod, I plan on getting LOTS of hummingbird photos this year.

Another visitor to the garden this weekend was this rather battered looking Monarch.  Does it look like this because it has flown all the way from Mexico?  I don't know but it sounds like a good explanation to me!  

If you click on the photos to see the large versions, you can see how distressed the wings look.

And in the photo below, you can actually see the red bloom of the milkweed through the hole in its wing!
 

You can see the hole in this photo too, although the rest of the wing doesn't look so bad.

Remember I showed you our little veggie patch last week? Well look at this!  Another first!  Our very first pea pod!  And let me tell you, they were oh, so sweet!

There are loads more pods beginning to ripen now, we're going to have some good eating soon!

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

A Banner Year

Just a couple of days ago, I blogged that we were still getting Monarch butterflies in the garden, and that we had a lot of caterpillars on the yellow Milkweed in the back garden (but none on the red and yellow variety).

I was worried that they would run out of leaves before they were ready to turn into chrysalises so I was out in the rain, snipping stalks with caterpillars on and relocating them to nearby plants!

Here's the yellow milkweed now:  as you can see, there's not a leaf on it, nor any caterpillars.

 Happily, the ones I relocated to the other milkweed plants are still doing well.

 

 But what  of the rest?

So far, I've counted four chrysalises -- including these two on the underside of the birdbath:

There are also a couple more on the fence:

 
I also saw a caterpillar crawling up the side of one of the planters, so I'm sure there will be a chrysalis there in the morning.

Looking back at my blog throughout the year, it's really been a banner year for Monarchs.  We first had caterpillars in the front garden back in April.

In June, we had so many chrysalises, I lost count of them all! 

At the end of June, we were lucky enough to witness some newly hatched Monarch butterflies.

In July, we had another generation of caterpillars, this time in the back garden.

By August, the second generation had eaten us out of house and home and had turned into chrysalises in some unusual spots and once again we got to witness new butterflies.

And now here we are in October, when I really thought we'd seen the last of them, we get to witness the miracle again. 

Something else I thought we had seen the last of for this year are hummingbirds.    I hadn't filled the feeders in a couple of weeks (but had neglected to take them down and clean them).

Imagine my shock when I saw a female ruby throat attempting to get a drink from one of them the other day!  

Luckily, we still have some blooms on the Rose of Sharon, the Vitex and the Flame Acanthus, so she wasn't going to starve. But I turned the kettle on then and there and made up some fresh nectar and later pulled the feeders down and cleaned them and refilled them.

I was able to get this photo of her.  My apologies for the poor quality but I was losing the light, plus I was taking the photo through a dirty window!

 
It's moments like these that make gardening in the brutal Texas summer a little easier to bear.  This is why I garden and I still find it amazing that in four years we've accomplished so much.

Happy gardening all. 
 

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

The Hardest Working Plant in the Garden - Lantana

I find it amusing that a few years ago, I really didn't care for lantana much.  I planted one in my garden at my previous house and this one plant spread over an area about 6 ft x 6 ft, which happened to be where I wanted to grow some other plants.  So I was forever cutting it back and I hated the smell of it when I cut it.  I swore I'd avoid it in future.

When I moved to this house, I discovered the New Gold and White Gold varieties which don't take up as much room and are more mounding in habit. I loved them and planted them throughout the garden. I've shown them on my blog many times.

I think my current favorite now is Dallas Red.  I've got it in the border across the back of the garden, underneath the Southern Wax Myrtle and it's growing like wildfire.  I had to hack it back as it was hanging over the stone border and out into the lawn. I still don't care for the smell when I cut it, but the spectacle of all the butterflies and hummingbirds enjoying it makes it all worthwhile.

This past weekend I took a break from pulling nutsedge out of the front border and spent some time out on the patio with my camera zoomed in across the garden and managed to get some snaps.  I'd love to be able to get closer, but when I did, the hummers went elsewhere which was frustrating. So I had to be content with cropping the photos in Photoshop Elements. As always, you can click on the photos for a larger version.

For example, can you spot the female Ruby Throat in this photo?

How about in this cropped version of the same photo?

Here's another shot of her.

The hummingbirds aren't the only wildlife to enjoy the Dallas Red.  This Giant Swallowtail spent all afternoon flitting around.  I had a hard time getting a good photo because his wings moved so quickly.  Thankfully out of the 10 or so duds, I got this decent shot.

At the end of the day, I loved the way the Pink Muhly grass, Muhlenbergia capillaris in the island bed looked with the sun behind it.

 
Another of my favorites in the island bed, the Cats Whiskers, Orthosiphon aristatus, has done great this year.  It's bloomed non stop since early summer and is about 4 ft wide and 3 ft tall now.  I had wondered how it would do in the new island bed in full sun, but it seems to like it there. 

 I certainly did enjoy the somewhat cooler weather at the weekend -- it almost felt like fall for a short while.  I'm looking forward to more of the same so we can finish my most recent project (adding another layer of stone to the island bed).

Have a good week!


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Winged Wonders

Even though we're still locked in the worst drought ever in Houston history, I thought I'd blog about something more cheerful today.

I had seen a hummingbird in the garden a couple of weeks ago.  Although I thought it a bit early, I decided to go ahead and put my feeders out.  This weekend I have been entertained by at least three hummingbirds zooming around the garden, performing an aerial ballet that wears me out just to watch them.

I've only been able to snap a couple of photos, but I thought I'd share them anyway.

Our pine tree was the perfect place for them to sit and watch guard over the feeders to make sure no other hummingbirds came close.  Several times this weekend, I've glanced out the back door to see this little figure up in the tree.


I can never quite figure out how people get those photos of several hummers at the same feeder. The ones in my garden seem to spend all their time chasing each other away from the feeders, even though there were enough feeders to go round. 

I was pleased to see that in between taking sips from the feeders I had put out, or chasing/being chased away from those feeders, the hummers also seemed to enjoy the blooms on the crepe myrtle tree and the vitex. 


In addition to the hummingbirds, there have been some other winged wonders in the garden this week.


Overall this year, I haven't seen many butterflies, compared to years past, but this weekend saw some activity which I was able to get photos of.

I saw this little skipper on the white Texas Star hibiscus - he was so intent on collecting nectar, he was still there after I had gone indoors, got my camera, put fresh batteries in it and came back outside again.


The "Yellow Gold" lantana in the front garden seem to be favorites of many butterflies, including this Giant Swallowtail...

... and this Gulf Fritillary.

As I look over the monitor of my computer and out the back door, I can just catch a glimpse of my little hummingbird friend, resting in the Crepe Myrtle, next to the feeder.  All is peaceful... for now...



Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Red, White and Blue

It's a bit early for a July 4th blog post, but as I was taking photos in the garden recently,  I realized that I was starting to get a little patriotic theme going.

The white Texas Star Hibiscus, Hibiscus coccineus 'Alba', a passalong from fellow garden blogger  Ursula, has been doing very well.  (Ursula will be pleased that I didn't kill it!!)

 It's budding like crazy, as is the red one, although so far I haven't managed to catch one of the red ones in full bloom. 

These are the best I've managed to get so far.  Hopefully there will be more blooms when I am home this weekend.

 I have them growing in containers positioned in front of the Rose of Sharon or Althea (Hibiscus syriacus) and the Flame Acanthus or Hummingbird Bush (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii) which are growing in the ground. There's also a Hamelia Patens in a container in the same area, although it was hit hard by the winter freezes and it's only now starting to put out tiny buds.


But in the meantime, the Flame Acanthus is in full bloom and is a hummingbird magnet.  I was thrilled to snap a photo (from a distance) of a male ruby throat checking out the blooms.

Looking at this little vignette makes me realize -- I need some BLUE plants for my July 4th garden!


Actually, I *do* have an Indigo Spires Sage, but it's clear on the other side of the garden, by the dining room window. I'll have to see what I can do about getting some growing in the back border along with the red and white.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy July 4th.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Happy Easter, from My Garden to Yours

Heading out to the garden this morning, I stopped at the back door for a moment and watched the hummingbird on the feeder which hangs from one of the columns on the patio.  

The location offers a great opportunity to observe them close up (and the cats love it) but unfortunately it's always in the shade, so the photos are always dark. (the blur at the top right hand side is a sticker on the door designed to prevent birds from flying into the glass)

Here's another garden visitor, a grey squirrel.  I know a lot of people consider them pests, but I welcome them and they even have their own feeder.

A couple of weekends ago, Eric and I went out to Washington-on-the-Brazos and, on the way back, we stopped in at Fraziers in Hempstead. Wow - that place could be a whole post on its own! Talk about sensory overload!  Every kind of garden ornament and statuary that you could wish for.  

Eric's eyes rolled and glazed over as he envisioned hours of traipsing round trying to keep up with me as I oooh'd and aaaah'd over everything.  In the end, he was lucky.  I spotted this horse head Welcome sign after only 10 minutes or so and decided I would get it and come back on my own at a later date for a more intense browse.

 

 In the bed where last year I had some tropical milkweed, this year I planted red Salvia coccinea "Texas Sage" and a bulbine.  In addition, last year's Hot Trumpets Salvia has re-seeded and is doing well.  The blue seed tray against the fence has some columbine seedlings.  Although I planted several other types of seed, nothing much else is coming up yet.

 Here's a close up of the bulbine blooms.

The little white trellis I got in Lowe's to hide the utility boxes really does the job.  However, until now there wasn't much planted in front of it. I had some daffodils there this spring, and there was a White Gold Lantana.  Everything else was in containers and I really wanted to start getting some things in the ground.


I made a start on it yesterday and added some Mealy Cup Sage as well as another bulbine.  There's already a Marguerite Daisy growing off to the right so I think that the combination of blue/purple and yellow will look nice with the white lantana and the butterfly bush behind the trellis in summer.

Here's a close up of the Mealy Cup sage, which was already in bloom  when I planted it.

Happy Easter to you all.



Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.