Sunday, March 1, 2009

Here comes color


Our mountain laurel every mid-Feb. decides either to leaf out or flower out.  Looks like this Spring it's a bit of both.  It smells like Welch's grape juice.  Yum.
This is an ice plant.  Alien-looking.  It's a succulent ground cover.  Wikipedia says it's now classified as an invasive species--fitting, huh? 

Below foreground is the result of bad pruning.  I learned that a plumbago can be cut back almost to the ground.  Because it seems to grow back in the Spring from way at its base.  Does anyone know if I should go ahead and prune these old branches anyway?  
Last summer, I scattered bluebonnet wildflower seeds over our easement (whatever that space is that's publicly owned between sidewalk and street).  I pressed a few into the ground for good measure.
To my delight, about 8 of the 20 or so seeds took.
Talk about anticipation.

6 comments:

  1. I love your pretty garden! Sorry, no help for you. I'm no gardener

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  2. I think you can prune the plumbago branches off or not. Soon the new foliage will cover up those little stubs, so it doesn't really matter unless you want it to look a little neater in the short term.

    It's always a pleasure to see bluebonnet seedlings coming up. Mine have just started blooming.

    BTW, thanks for changing your comment settings so I can leave one. :-)

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  3. Welcome to Bloggers World. I think the ice plant they are talking about is a much larger one than this. It grows like crazy in Ca. I love the ice plant- I have Delospermia cooperii and another unnamed one. Most years my plumbago dies back to the ground but this winter was a lot milder and it didn't die back.
    My bluebonnets by the road, which have had no supplemental water are quite tiny. They may not flower this year.

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  4. Hi.
    Just followed the link on Pams blog that led me to yours, and thought I would introduce myself and the ESP to you. I am working with more and more cacti and succulents in my yard and currently developing a couple more xeriscape planting designs around town. Always good to hear from another Austin blogger and I look forward to following your progress and your blog.
    Regards,
    ESP.
    http://east-side-patch.livejournal.com/

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  5. Those little stalks will come loose later in the summer and are usually not there when you prune it the next year. My Mom would never prune hers till spring so if we had a light winter it would get much larger the next year.

    Welcome to the garden blogasphere.

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  6. THanks, all. And Lancashire Rose - thanks for the welcome as well as more info on the ice plant.

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