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Catching Up On The Blog So Far
If you’re catching up on reading about my urban “rewilding” project that started in February 2023, here are some key posts: And here’s a cloud image of the 100 most popular (as defined by WordPress!) key words and phrases in the posts I have written. Selecting any of these tags will pull up related posts,… Continue reading
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Eagerly Waiting For The Texas Mountain Laurel To Bloom
My Texas Mountain Laurel (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum) was planted almost three years ago. It looks as if this spring it will bloom for the first time, judging by the many buds that are swelling and showing hints of purple. This tree is near the rain gauge that I read at 7am each morning, so of course… Continue reading
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Bluebonnets And Wildflowers As Early Succession Plants
Secondary ecological succession naturally occurs after land is disturbed in some way. This is when plants and other aspects of nature appear in a somewhat predictable order to repopulate an area that has been disrupted by fire, hurricane, farming, etc. (Primary succession occurs in areas where there has never been soil before, such as at… Continue reading
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Rapid Freeze Recovery
In mid February in central Texas, it’s still too early to say whether we’ll get another freeze this winter. In January we had a single night in the 20s F, and a few days later a more extended period of freezing with overnight temperatures in the teens F. For several of the deciduous perennials here,… Continue reading
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The First Bluebonnet Blooms Of 2026
I seeded Texas Bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis) in front of the house in fall 2023 and now there are hundreds of plants in that “meadow” area. There are also many behind the house as well. This is how tightly packed they are near the street. Bluebonnets are among the earliest of the wildflowers to bloom, and… Continue reading
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An Unexpected Visitor At This Time
Just after dawn on February 14, 2026, a Monarch butterfly visited the garden. I could not tell if male or female. It was there for at least an hour, but then I had to go out and I didn’t see it again. While is it not unheard of to see Monarchs in Texas in February… Continue reading
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Replenishing The Mulch Pathways
I have several mulch pathways in the back garden, to define areas and give access to key plants or features. Most of the pathways are in the same place as when I defined them three years ago. However, the convenience of using mulch is that I can redirect, create, or decommission pathways as needed, and… Continue reading
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How Did The Garden Handle A (Wet) Freeze?
Since the garden here is primarily made up of native plants, I generally don’t need to worry about winter freezes — the plants have evolved to handle those situations. However, there are a few protective things that I do before, during, and after freezes to take extra care. Here’s a summary. Until January 2026, the… Continue reading
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A Review At The End Of Year Three
My garden “rewilding” project is now almost three years old, and this time of year (January 2026) is a good time to reflect on progress achieved and lessons learned. Planting is finished until spring and projects now largely involve tidying, trimming, or fixing things here and there, and waiting for the garden to wake up… Continue reading
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Shrub Growth Report, January 2026
It is now an annual tradition that I take note of how my trees and shrubs are doing. This post addresses shrubs, and when I have multiple copies I refer to the one growing most vigorously. Trees are described in a previous post. The measurements were recorded on January 30, 2026. Some of these measurements… Continue reading
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What Frostweed Looks Like After A Thaw
In last week’s freeze, one of my new Frostweeds (Verbesina virginica) produced its first ice sculpture (see photo above). This is something that these plants do after the first hard freeze of a winter. In this case, the ice structure was in place for two nights and the day in between. On the second day,… Continue reading
About Me
Nature Lover.
Inquisitive Observer.
Student Gardener.
I invite you to join me on my journey to convert my sterile (from a nature point of view) new house lot to a healthy and diverse ecosystem, as I make discoveries, mistakes, and hopefully progress. I am not an expert or professional. The project started in February 2023 and the location is Seguin, Texas, USA.
Rewilding My Lot 