So here I am back home on my corner of Katy ... I spent the morning in various areas of the gardens, reacquainting myself with the south central Texas plant palette and trying not to compare it unfavorably with that of the Northeast. As I was working in the sunny back garden, I realized that although the heat and humidity of Buffalo's worst days is similar to ours, what is very different is the intensity of the sun. Our sun is painfully intense at this time of year.
I spent a bit of time watering, of course, although The Executive Producer did a nice job of keeping container plants hydrated, considering that he has not even a fraction of the gardening gene in his DNA. I'm glad that a few days of rain made his task less onerous, although it appears I may lose my Caryopteris 'Summer Sorbet' to wet feet from all that rain. It's a shame, because it was looking so good before I left. I'm not too emotional about it, though, since it was one of my $1.00 clearance finds at Lowe's last year.
The Fish Wrangler (aka Hayley) did her job well: Larry, Darrell and Tammy Wynette are hale and hearty, while their offspring are becoming bolder in surfacing for food. It's hard to get an accurate count of the youngsters but I think there are at least 7 of them. I'm not sure if my pond is big enough for 10: I'll have to ask the folks at Nelson's Water Gardens what they think. Good thing they will not achieve the size of the fellow above, seen in a Buffalo pond.
Out front I see that the Susans (as my dear friend Gail of
Clay and Limestone calls her Rudbeckias) are beginning their annual summer decline and as usual, I responded by yanking the manky ones. I'll be keeping an eye on the others and yanking them as needed. They reseed freely so I usually pull the mankies out instead of cutting them back to regrow.
I'm really happy with how my Jackmanii Clematis is coming along, wending its way along the trellis and blooming quite prolifically ... prolifically being a relative term.
One of my Japanese maples is doing splendidly with only a few leaves crisping at the edges. The other, however, is most affronted by the spot in which I chose to plant it earlier this year. I will probably move it in the fall.
Much to my surprise, even after all the recent rain on my corner of Katy, the snails and slugs are avoiding my Hostas. Stained Glass is proving itself to be heat-hardy as advertised and the leaves are easily the size of a child's hand.
The sun finally got to me and even a dip in the pool didn't cool me down enough to make staying out there worthwhile. My energy levels were flagging as well, so I spent the rest of the day in my cool and comfy corner of the bedroom, sorting through pictures and writing this post. Tomorrow is another day!
So here I am back home on my corner of Katy ... I spent the morning in various areas of the gardens, reacquainting myself with the south central Texas plant palette and trying not to compare it unfavorably with that of the Northeast. As I was working in the sunny back garden, I realized that although the heat and humidity of Buffalo's worst days is similar to ours, what is very different is the intensity of the sun. Our sun is painfully intense at this time of year.
I spent a bit of time watering, of course, although The Executive Producer did a nice job of keeping container plants hydrated, considering that he has not even a fraction of the gardening gene in his DNA. I'm glad that a few days of rain made his task less onerous, although it appears I may lose my Caryopteris 'Summer Sorbet' to wet feet from all that rain. It's a shame, because it was looking so good before I left. I'm not too emotional about it, though, since it was one of my $1.00 clearance finds at Lowe's last year.
The Fish Wrangler (aka Hayley) did her job well: Larry, Darrell and Tammy Wynette are hale and hearty, while their offspring are becoming bolder in surfacing for food. It's hard to get an accurate count of the youngsters but I think there are at least 7 of them. I'm not sure if my pond is big enough for 10: I'll have to ask the folks at Nelson's Water Gardens what they think. Good thing they will not achieve the size of the fellow above, seen in a Buffalo pond.
Out front I see that the Susans (as my dear friend Gail of Clay and Limestone calls her Rudbeckias) are beginning their annual summer decline and as usual, I responded by yanking the manky ones. I'll be keeping an eye on the others and yanking them as needed. They reseed freely so I usually pull the mankies out instead of cutting them back to regrow.
I'm really happy with how my Jackmanii Clematis is coming along, wending its way along the trellis and blooming quite prolifically ... prolifically being a relative term.
One of my Japanese maples is doing splendidly with only a few leaves crisping at the edges. The other, however, is most affronted by the spot in which I chose to plant it earlier this year. I will probably move it in the fall.
Much to my surprise, even after all the recent rain on my corner of Katy, the snails and slugs are avoiding my Hostas. Stained Glass is proving itself to be heat-hardy as advertised and the leaves are easily the size of a child's hand.
The sun finally got to me and even a dip in the pool didn't cool me down enough to make staying out there worthwhile. My energy levels were flagging as well, so I spent the rest of the day in my cool and comfy corner of the bedroom, sorting through pictures and writing this post. Tomorrow is another day!
Comments
Larry, Darrell, and Tammy Wynette...you crack me up, Cindy:)
EAL, uh-huh. (BIG CHEESY GRIN)
MMD, it's NOT???????!!!!!!!!!