{"id":335,"date":"2011-03-25T19:33:37","date_gmt":"2011-03-26T00:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/gardenlog\/?p=335"},"modified":"2022-03-22T11:58:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T16:58:15","slug":"week-12-in-the-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/weekly-comparison\/week-12-in-the-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 12: 3\/19 – 3\/25"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suddenly, the yard is plunged into shade. The morning sun stops shining through my bedroom window and plants that have grown all winter in the full sun, plants about to flower, are now in the shade. The cedar elms have leafed out and transformed the landscape. I’m not as fond as cedar elms as I once was, as they are the trees that tend to fall in high winds. But this week, they are gorgeous. They leaf out a chartreuse green that deepens to a bright green. The red oaks and live oaks are leafing out too. Only the pecans are still bare.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2011<\/strong>
\nSpring will not be ignored. It rushes into the garden whether or not I’m there, just not in the way I would have planned it. The pink evening primroses smother the path while the areas I consider my meadow are bare. I’m not blind to the lesson.<\/p>\n

This is the week that something new opens every day. All of spring’s bounty comes just as the yard is plunged into shade. The weather continues dry and hot. The toads and mosquitoes have returned. Temperatures rise into the 80s and the larkspur, just sending up its flower stalks, droop. The Tulipa clusiana and the Muscari racemosum have also faded quickly in the heat. A whole year of anticipation…and then they whither as they open.<\/p>\n

If you don’t look too closely the garden is filled with swathes of Easter basket colors: yellows (Engelmann daisy and Jerusalem sage and some snapdragons that have finally recovered from the freezes); pinks (pink evening primroses, pink bluebonnets, Indian hawthorn, ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’, ‘New Dawn’, ‘Blush Noisette’); white (bridal wreath spirea, cilantro); blues (bluebonnets, baby blue eyes, starch hyacinths) and purples (false dayflowers, Nierembergia gracilis, tradescantia, prairie verbena). There is also one jarring red, the St. Joseph’s lily.<\/p>\n

So much needs to be done which will be left undone. Right now the garden is blooming on the strength of previous years. It really is a garden wild<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2008<\/strong>
\nThis is the week I both look forward to and dread. On the one hand the garden finally looks like a garden. I take pleasure just walking around in it and frequently forget to do anything but just stare. On the other hand, the shade has descended which means the sun-loving flowers will soon turn sulky and I’ll soon be counting the days until fall.
\n
\nThe cilantro and baby blue blue eyes have taken over the yard and so the initial impression of the garden at the moment is blue and white. This has been a bad year for bluebonnets. Most of the ones which came up in the fall are small with only a stalk or two blooming and those keep getting felled by cutworms or something. There are much fewer plants than I normally have. The ten or so that oversummered are doing most of the work.<\/p>\n

The Tulipa clusiana came into full bloom, as did the Indian hawthorn and the rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ and the Spanish bluebells. The replacement rose ‘Ducher’ is blooming like crazy and the rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ is still putting out flowers. The orange-red California poppy ‘Mikado’ and the yellow Jerusalem sage make a nice combination blooming together.<\/p>\n

We are eating Swiss chard and making lots of salads from our lettuce and greens. Twelve feet of lettuce greens once they get big is too much for two people. On March 20th, I planted 3 tomatoes and one poblano pepper in spots that I hope will be sunny all summer.<\/p>\n

First flower: Verbena canadensis (3\/19); Hyacinthoides hispanica (3\/20); Centaurea cyanus Black Magic’ (3\/20); Aloe barbadensis (3\/22); Engelmann daisy (3\/25).<\/p>\n


\nDateline: 2007<\/strong>
\n\"photo:
\n2007-03-24. Do I ever get tired of photographing Tulipa clusiana? No, I do not.<\/i>
\nI was in New York City until Thursday (3\/22). As this is the week the garden starts blooming like crazy, I missed the exact dates of a lot of first flowers. I will average it out and say they bloomed on March 18th.<\/p>\n

Friday (3\/23) was the quintessential Austin spring day in my mind: in the 70s, humid with low dark clouds churning in from the Gulf and a promise of rain. As much as I enjoyed my trip to New York, I flung myself into the garden with a feeling nearing ecstacy. It was so green and so quiet and so blooming!<\/p>\n

First Flower: rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ (3\/17); Centaurea cyanus ‘Black Magic’ (3\/19); Hyacinthoides hispanica<\/a> (3\/19); Lavandula heterophylla ‘Goodwin Creek Grey’<\/a> (3\/19); rose ‘Blush Noisette<\/a>‘ (3\/19); rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere<\/a>‘ (3\/19); rose ‘New Dawn’ (3\/19); Salvia greggii ‘Raspberry’ (3\/19); Spiraea (3\/19); Tulipa clusiana<\/a> (3\/19); Lathyrus odoratus ‘Regal Robe’ (3\/25); yaupon holly (3\/25).<\/p>\n

In Full Bloom: Commelinantia anomala, Coriandrum sativum, Lupinus texensis, Meyer lemon, Narcissus jonquilla ‘Quail’, Nemophila insignis, Oxalis (various), Rhaphiolepis indica, Solanum jasminoides, Tradescantia, Viola.<\/p>\n

Also Flowering: Cercis canadensis (fading), Consolida ambigua, Lathyrus odoratus ‘Velvet Elegance’, Leucojum aestivum (fading), Muscari neglectum (fading), Narcissus triandrus ‘Hawera’ (fading), Prunus caroliniana (fading), Sedum palmeri, Sophora secundiflora (fading), vetch, Verbena canadensis.<\/p>\n

In the vegetable garden I pulled the black Spanish radishes that I planted last November because they were covered in aphids and AJM decided he didn’t like radishes anyway. The two tomatoes started flowering.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2006<\/strong>
\nA record-breaking rainfall of 2.93 inches late Sunday (3\/19) night ushered in much colder weather (low 40s). It’s a good thing I hadn’t packed away the winter clothes yet because by Thursday and Friday nights the temperatures dipped near freezing. (Yep, nineties one week, thirties the next…that’s Austin. Two other years I’ve had relatives fly in for spring bluebonnets only to arrive with a cold front and wonder where spring went.)<\/p>\n

The weather was clear and cool on Friday (3\/24), but pleasant because the wind had died down. I spent all day weeding–a task I enjoy when the ground is moist from rain. I also transplanted the ‘Hawera’ daffodils into a bottomless wooden box so that they wouldn’t be overrun by weeds. And I cleaned up the bed around the David Austin rose ‘Heritage’. It is blooming better than ever this year; the flowers are much larger than in earlier years. They still have the bad habit of dropping their petals before they’re faded. Not so ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’. She’s been covered with the same flowers for over a week. Many of my roses like ‘Penelope’ and ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ have flowers that open and fade in one day in Austin’s heat and humidity. All week I’ve been spraying a weak apple cider vinegar solution on the roses to combat the little green worm<\/a>. I was on the lookout for them a week earlier this year, and so far I’m winning.<\/p>\n

First Flower: Hyacinthoides hispanica (3\/20); Oenothera speciosa (3\/20); Hippeastrum x Johnsonii<\/a> (3\/21); Verbena canadensis (3\/24).<\/p>\n

In Bloom: Aquilegia hinckleyana, Commelinantia anomala, Consolida ambigua, Engelmann daisy, Lavendula heterophylla (fading), Lupinus texensis, Meyer lemon, Muscari neglectum, Nemophila insignis, Oxalis (various), Prunus caroliniana, Rhaphiolepis indica, rose ‘Blush Noisette’. rose ‘Ducher’, rose ‘Penelope’, rose ‘Madame Joseph Schwartz’, rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’, rose ‘New Dawn’ rose ‘Heritage’, rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’, Salvia farinacea ‘Indigo Spires’, Tradescantia, Tulipa clusiana.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2005<\/strong>
\n\"photo:
\n‘2005-03-25. ‘Madame Joseph Schwartz<\/a>‘ looking her best ever. (Arg! She died in the fall of 2006.)<\/i><\/p>\n

The peach trees are blooming along Cesar Chavez, the bluebonnets are blanketing the highway embankments, and azaleas in the neighborhoods near UT are making me think again that they might be worth the trouble. Speaking of trouble, I spotted the first little green worm yesterday (3\/24).<\/p>\n

First flower: Tulipa clusiana (3\/19), Hyacinthoides hispanica (3\/24), Consolida ambigua (3\/25), Wisteria sinensis (3\/25).<\/p>\n

Full bloom: rose ‘Madame Joseph Schwartz’, rose ‘Ducher’, rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison, Tradescantia, false dayflowers, baby blue eyes, bluebonnets, oxalis, Iris albicans, narcissus ‘Hawera’, cherry laurel.<\/p>\n

Also flowering: Aquilegia hinckleyana, bridal wreath, Texas mountain laurel, Dianthus chinensis, lavender, Muscari neglectum, Indian hawthorn, roses ‘Madame Alfred Carriere, Prosperity, Penelope, and one flower on ‘New Dawn’.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2004<\/strong>
\n\"photo:
\n
\n2004-03-25. Tulipa clusiana and Texas Bluebonnets. Austin, TX (zone 8). Detail<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Our wet spring continues; it’s warm and rainy all week. The roses are loving it. I’m loving it because I don’t have to water. The weeds are rampant too. I’d rather weed than water.<\/p>\n

First Flower: Tulipa clusiana (3\/21), rose ‘Madame Joseph Schwartz’ (3\/21), Rhaphiolepis indica (3\/21), Wisteria sinensis (3\/21), rose ‘Blush Noisette’ (3\/25), rose ‘Madame Alfred Carriere<\/a>‘ (3\/25), rose ‘Souvenir de St. Anne’s (3\/25), rose ‘New Dawn’ (3\/25).<\/p>\n

In full bloom: rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’, Lady Banksia rose ‘Lutea<\/a>‘, rose ‘Ducher, ‘Hyacinthoides hispanica’, bluebonnets, baby blue eyes, tradescantia, false dayflowers, bridal wreath, Aquilegia, Lobularia maritima, Dianthus chinensis.<\/p>\n

\"photo:<\/a>
\nTulipa clusiana. 2004-03-25.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2003<\/strong>
\nThe long-anticipated Tulipa clusiana have begun to bloom. (Click the photo to see more pictures.) Ditto the Lady Banksia rose, ‘Lutea’. Bluebonnets and grape hyacinths continue to bloom; the bluebonnets in the front are at their peak.<\/p>\n

First flower: Spanish bluebells<\/a> (3\/19), bridal wreath (3\/19), wisteria (3\/21).<\/p>\n

The false day flowers<\/a> are just beginning to bloom, later than last year because they were damaged by the freeze. The daffodils are finishing up, the ‘Trevithian’ faded first, then the ‘Quail’ and finally the ‘Hawera’.<\/p>\n

Like last year, the Bridal Wreath spiraea, which lost all its buds in the freeze a month ago, blooms. It has produced a smattering of blossom, nothing like its usual show, but it’s encouraging to see it try. The Texas mountain laurel, which usually is in bloom this week, did not recover (I’ve seen it around town, though). Neither did the redbud.<\/p>\n

Once again columbine seedlings are popping up. I’ve tried and tried to grow these from seed (it is supposed to be sown when fresh) and nothing ever happened. New four o’clocks are sprouting from self-sown seed and the old ones are coming back from the roots. (No wonder they get out of hand so quickly). The cannas are coming up. The Brugmansia is leafing out. All the roses are in bud. And the potted Meyer’s lemon tree is covered with flowers.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 2001<\/strong>
\nSaturday March 24, 2001
\nAlternately cloudy and sunny, but in the 60s. Spent most of the day weeding the upper meadow and trying to get rid of the grass weeds before they go to seed. Neighbor J hires someone to do her once-a-season mowing. The weeds were almost waist high in her yard.<\/p>\n

Transition
\nThis is usually the transition weekend from early spring to late spring. The early-flowering trees, the Mexican plum, the redbud, the Texas Mountain laurel, and the spiraea are finishing up. The bluebonnets are peaking, but the larkspur and irises are just starting…sometimes a few early blooms tease. The cedar elms are bright green and the red oaks have suddenly leafed out.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 1998<\/strong>
\nSunday March 22, 1998
\n“One could not imagine a more perfect weekend. The skies were deep blue, humidity was low and the days warmed to the 80s. The garden is at its height: the cedar elms, indeed all the trees are chautreuse with new leaves; the spiderworts and false dayflowers are at in full bloom.” –Yes, this is what I wrote in 1997, and it is true again.
\n–Ditto, 1999. The combination of the newly-leafed cedar elms, bright for only a week, and an intensely blue sky, almost an autumn sky, is intoxicating.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 1998<\/strong>
\nSunday March 23, 1997
\nOne could not imagine a more perfect weekend. The skies were deep blue, humidity was low and the days warmed to the 80s. We did yard work in the morning, went to the Hills and then the library and then spent the late afternoon lying in lawn chairs next to the bluebonnets, reading. In the meadow, I dug a new bed and planted the remaining wildflower seed. I weeded out the grass, loosened the dirt with the fork, and blended in 7 pans of sifted compost.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 1996<\/strong>
\nSaturday March 23, 1996
\nThe columbine is covered in flowers.
\nPlanted six serrano peppers.
\nLooks like rain, but the drought continues.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 1995<\/strong>
\nThursday March 23, 1995
\nThe heat wave that began Tuesday, continues. The high today was 92, which is 20 degrees above average. As a result the crocuses have given up.<\/p>\n

Saturday March 25, 1995
\nThe mountain laurels have already faded as has the Bridal Wreath. The spiderwort remains at its peak. The live oak I planted and the Texas persimmon have pushed out all their old leaves and have their new leaves. The Texas persimmon is forming its tiny bell-shaped buds. About town bluebonnets, azaleas, and Indian hawthorn are beginning to be intense.<\/p>\n

Dateline: 1994<\/strong>
\nSunday March 20, 1994
\nYellow rose beginning to flower. [Note: This is the original Lady Banks rose that died. First of three that I’ve killed.<\/i>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Zanthan
2011-03-24. Pink evening primroses insist it’s spring despite a poor showing of bluebonnets.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[55,196,198,203,297,344,493],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5958,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335\/revisions\/5958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanthan.com\/gardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}