The Garden is on its way

It has been such a beautiful weekend.  On Saturday, we planted our transplants in the raised bed garden to include large red cherry tomatoes, crook neck squash, cilantro, red bell peppers, long suyo cucumbers, and black krim tomatoes.  We also planted rosemary, chives, strawberries and lavender transplants and several wildflower seeds around our property.  If all goes well, we should be seeing "fruit" in 60-80 days.  Ella of course was a big help in the yard.  She played in the dirt and followed her daddy around.  A few times she actually crawled into the raised bed to grab at the plants but eventually lost interest.  And I mean eventually.  Still loads of fun enjoying the sunshine.

Bluebonnets!

Wildseed Farms

A couple of weeks, my family and I explored Wildseed Farms just outside Fredericksburg, Texas. It was simply amazing. Bluebonnets, poppies, paintbrushes, just about any wildflower indigenous to the Hill Country was in full bloom. You can also pick up a catalog and order seeds to plan your own garden or you can even pick up the plants and seeds there at the Farm. We can't wait to plant them this Fall. Poppies everywhere!

After the rain

It poured last week which was really needed. We've had burn bans, wildfires, and the ever pending threat of wildfires due the dry conditions and high winds. I love rain and I have certainly missed its' benefits. It rained again today and now everything is fresh, green, and beautiful. Best of all, these beautiful
white rain lilies (Zephyranthes) keep popping up everywhere.

What happened to the Wildflowers?

This has not been a good spring for the wildflowers. Bluebonnets are rare these days. We hoped to get a change of scenery and see if we could find a few on the Willow City Loop outside Fredericksburg where it's rumored to have the best display of Texas wildflowers. We loaded up on bikes on Sunday and arrived just in time for the coldfront and we were sorely disappointed. Harry's was closed (biker bar and BBQ) and there were no wildflowers in sight. We did see a few birds but the only bird that really stood out was the red-tailed hawk we saw flying along the ridgeline.

Photo taken by © Don Holland, Oregon, April 2007

Antelope Horns

This wildflower is Asclepias asperula, with a common name Antelope Horns. A strange yet beautiful plant that is growing wild all over our land. It was by lucky chance that Dripping Springs Babble featured a photo of it as a pic of the week identifying it as a milkweed. I then googled "milkweed" and was surprised to learn that there are many many varieties. This variety is prevalent in the Southwest and it primarily serves as a source of nectar for bees and larval for butterflies.

Photo Taken by Wing-Chi Poon on 23rd April 2005 at Gorman Creek Trail, Colorado Bend State Park, Bend, Texas, USA. Category:Asclepias asperula

Bluebonnets and Goldfinches

Spring is here. I spotted several patches of bluebonnets and also the cutest American goldfinches this week. Soon, we'll have huge fields of wildflowers.

Name that tree, name that plant

Last week we consulted with an arborist and landscape designer to help us identity plants that are in and would work within our landscape as well as identity and prioritize issues. Since we're both from other areas (East Texas, Boston, MA), we have had a lot of difficulty identifying the plants, trees, shrubs and flowers on our land. Within a few minutes, the designer rattled off everything he could see. Sure beats referring to a book! Stay tuned.

Texas Sage

One of the coolest things about living in a new place is the joy of discovering what your landscape looks like every season. I came home earlier this week to beautiful purple flowers blooming on the sage bush at the front corner of our yard. I wish I had more of them!

Photo of Texas purple sage flowers © Nancy Lee on Flickr - noncommercial use permitted with attribution / share alike

Stop and Smell the Horsemint

I have seen clusters and clusters of this beautiful purple flowering herb all over the Austin, Dripping and Wimberly areas. I had no idea what they were until I received my weekly bulletin, Dripping Springs Babble. This beautiful photo made the Dripping Springs pic of the Week and the wildflower I have been wondering about was finally identified. I looked up Horsemint on the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center's plant database and discovered that it's commonly referred to as Lemon beebalm, Lemon Horsemint, Purple Horsemint, etc. It's native to U.S. and has a distinctive lemony scent when you rub or crush its leaves. It's no wonder that bees and butterflies are attacted to this beautiful plant.

Photograph of Horsemint by Melanie Cambron.

Yucca see these everywhere

Yuccas are blooming all over the roadsides near our new home. I tried to capture a photo of them but thought this photo that I snagged from the Ladybird Wildflower Center's plant database was more beautiful. What can I say? iPhones just don't take good pictures. What's blooming in your neighborhood?

Firewheels aplenty

The blues and purples of the bluebonnets and other flowers have slowly disappeared in and around Austin. Now, the oranges, yellows, and whites have eased in and taken over the fields, roadsides, and parks. I am enamored with firewheels (pictured above) especially in huge clusters like this. I love that the wildflower landscape changes with each passing month - blues/pinks to yellow/oranges to I wonder what's next.

The Fields of Coryell County

Today, I headed to Coryell County for a hearing and fell in love with the beautiful surroundings. Who knew Coryell County was so beautiful? Wildflowers, amber waves of wheat, rolling hills. The perfect setting for a long leisurely bike ride and a picnic.

The flowers above are Firewheels or Indian Blanket.

Rolling in Thyme and Dough

Rolling in Thyme and Dough is a real treat for locals in Dripping Springs and those who venture out to this beautiful little town (and home of Lance Armstrong) on their bicycles. It's also the perfect place to lounge on a nice sunny day (like this past Sunday) and to browse around for that perfect flower or plant to add to your garden. It's a nursery, antique shop, and bakery all in one. The chicken salad on rye is amazing. We can't wait to haunt this bakery every weekend!

Spring showers bring more flowers

And the showers and flowers are bringing more butterflies and birdies too. I spotted this Black-capped Chickadee a couple of days ago sitting in the tree just outside my door. Photo courtesy of AllAboutBirds.org. Sweet little fella with a pretty whistle.



I feel as if I'm driving through a Monet painting every day. Bluebonnets, paintbrushes, buttercups, warblers, goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals.

Hello Bluebonnets

Bluebonnets are popping up everywhere. I love this time of year!

Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory

I got my first sunburn of the year yesterday at Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory in Austin at the Austin Water Utility's Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. It is hosted by the Austin Water Utility's Center for Environmental Research. If you live in Austin, you've probably heard of "Dillo Dirt". Well, Hornsby Bend is where you can find lots of Dillo Dirt. The smell is overwhelmingly bad but luckily, the "birding" trails are on the other side of the center. As we drove toward the trailhead, the smell dissipated and we found ourselves wandering down the paths along the Colorado River and having a wonderful time. The weather was perfect. Sunshine, balmy breezes and shade. Our dog, Izzy, had a blast off-leash and listening to the sparrows and cardinals. The trail winds along the river for about three miles. We did about half of that before turning back. Most of the birds we saw were typical to most central Texas backyards - sparrows, doves, and cardinals. Next time, we hope the more colorful buntings will be out and about. There were also lots of colorful butterflies as well as wildflowers. We'll definitely be coming back here often.

Do you know what this is?

Since I moved to Austin, I have been wondering what type of tree this is. I see them everywhere. They’re short squatty trees with gnarly limbs and loads of big burr looking things. I finally found out what it is on my stroll through LBJ State Park where most of the trees were marked, or at least it was marked as a "Post Oak". It’s called a “Post Oak” because its wood is “very durable in contact with soil and used widely for fenceposts, hence the name.”. However after reading about it, I'm not so sure because it doesn't mention the furry burrs in the description. Maybe I looked at the wrong tree/sign. Does anyone know?

Stopping to Smell the "Tyler" Roses

Yesterday I was at the Capitol and couldn't resist stopping to smell the Tyler roses after spotting them in the Tyler Rose Garden just outside the State Law Library. The Tyler rose is native to and is grown primarily in east Texas but especially in the town I was born in, Tyler, the Rose Capital! They were planted by Cherokee Indians to mark tribal trails in the early 1800s. If you're from Texas, you know all about these roses - how fragrant they are and all the beautiful colors you can imagine. Pink, white, orange, red, and of course, yellow.

The roses at the Capital are in full bloom now and their fragrance took me back to a special time in my childhood. My younger brother and I used to play in the rose fields near our house and would run barefoot on the hot blacktop road to get there. I also fondly remember buying dozens of them in all colors from roadside "honor" stands on any given day. Drop a dollar in the bucket in exchange for a dozen roses wrapped in paper.

Now I'm headed to Austin City Limits festival. There's a full lineup this afternoon that I just can't miss.

Training has begun

I still haven't decided whether I will train for the marathon or half-marathon but at least I'm training. It all started with a "placement run" on Saturday morning. Despite the early hour, it was still hot and it definitely affected my performance. I ran 2 miles in 19 minutes which is okay. However, I can't imagine maintaining that pace without injuring myself so I signed up for the 10min-11min group. Thankfully, the AustinFit training program builds mileage gradually with most runs during the week at only 20-30 minutes and the longest runs in cooler months. Yesterday I ran for 20 minutes along the trails at Barton Creek. I don't think trail running is in the program but I couldn't resist with the cooler temps and of course the scenery.



I saw this lovely flowering prickly pear cactus. Check out other beautiful flowering cacti at the Lady Bird Wildflower Center online. There are so many beautiful blooms! Who knew that cacti could be so beautiful and so prickly?