April 24 , 2014
Wild Ideas for You + Luci & Ian Family Garden
We ’re not all so favorable to have a wild flower front yard scent with acres of bluebonnets and Native American paintbrush !
At least I get a wild flower soda pop driving home every twenty-four hour period past the Mueller prairie strip along I-35 .
Most of us ca n’t have our very own prairie , but we can go a little fantastic in our gardens .
At Mueller , I spied spindle of lavender Texas verbena ( Verbena halei ) among Indian mantle and Thelesperma .
I used to have some verbena until things got too shady . Now I have a sunny spot where I ’ll seed next gloam .
I ’m tempted to tryErodium texanum , since it ’s grow only a mile from my house .
Then , garden creative person Bob Pooltold me , “ It ’s also called fillaree by almost all Texas rancher . It is already maturate by surrender in a low , ground hugging mode and is the most significant plant in the Hill Country for a lot of wildlife . It is the in high spirits in protein , about 17 % , of any plant in the Hill Country . ”
That sound not bad , but I ’m on categorical Blackland Prairie , not on a scruffy dirt slope . But I do qualify for empurpled prairie verbena ( Glandularia bipinnatifida ) .
I ’m not the only gardener on the block who ’s made a fatal error in assuming that “ native ” translate to “ my garden . ” So , this week , Daphne solvent , “ What is a native plant ? ”
Indeed , what ’s native to rocks or sand is not aboriginal to my soil . Many are adaptable , like Engelmann ’s daisy .
Calylophus berlandieriisn’t the best option for me , but it works where I ’ve given it redundant grit in the lax spots .
After a few fille , I found a perfect spot for saltation - bloomingSalvia roemeriana .
I last figured out where aquilegia is happiest for me , here join by really really happy Widow ’s snag ( Commelina erecta ) .
I swear on theLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’snative flora database to keep me on track . Also , the City of Austin ’s Grow Green program now has afabulous searchable databaseby grime character .
We ’ve all learn that some plant just move themselves to the right-hand spots . That ’s the eccentric with my Gulf penstemon , a busy bee justly now . Aside from husband water , wildlife is tops on my listing to choose indigen when I can .
Bees fuck wildflowers , even the seminal fluid head on Indian blanket !
I ’m completely impressed that Matt Jackson snagged this pellet of a bee head to Mexican buckeye on an up-and-coming park romp with his unseasoned children !
In the veracious spots , aboriginal plants will increase their universe without our helper . To up the ante , this week John Dromgoole shows how totake cuttings .
10 years ago , the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center launch its Mother ’s Day weekendGardens on Tourto help us visualise native industrial plant designs in our garden .
This week , Director of Horticulture Andrea DeLong - Amayajoins Tom for apreview of this year ’s May 10 tour .
Put on your walking shoes , grab your camera and get the details !
The Wildflower Center is on the tour , of course , and you do n’t want to drop the unexampled Luci & Ian Family Garden that opens May 4 .
15 years in conception withlead designer W. Gary Smith , it ’s an adventure in vision and fun with “ secret ” messages on watershed care , water management , and native plant wildlife connections .
Here ’s director Ed Fuentes taping Gary as he set up intricate tiles in the spiral based on plants with spiral flowers or forms . Plants like Turk ’s cap and ferns with furling frond complete the theme .
The garden extends Lady Bird ’s mission in a garden where kids can melt , explore , and fiddle .
or else of instructional signs , Gary ’s project interactional element to inspire the muscular childhood translation that puzzle with us as we grow up and buy our first business firm and make our first garden .
Gardeners can frolic and wander , too , while getting plant idea for sun , ghost , and pelting garden . Lots of volunteers recently finished planting , so it ’s a heavy means to tie to complementary textures and spacing for blade fresh plants .
Take the tour now !
Thanks for stopping by ! See you next week for garden art . Linda
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