Blog
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A Frog Gift!
I have made it known in my community that I am a nature lover, so when a neighbor found a frog in her garden she asked if I would like it. Of course I did, and so a few minutes later it had taken a short ride in a bucket to be introduced to the… Continue reading
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Trimming Standing Cypress
There is a defined area towards the back of the garden that includes three trees (Desert Willow, Mexican Plum, Red Buckeye), one shrub (Rock Rose), and the rest of the area is filled with taller annual or biennial plants (some seeded, some volunteer). Last year the plants predominantly filling that area were Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis… Continue reading
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Trimming The Clump Grasses
Around the perimeter of the back garden there is a strip of Thunder Turf, a blend of three short native grasses. Those grasses grow low to the ground and get mown a couple of times a year. Toward the back of the garden there is an additional area for native grasses (the triangle in the… Continue reading
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Spring Evaluation Of The Left Side Of The Garden
There was less to do on the left side of the garden for spring clean up than in other areas, but I recently took care of a few little things to tidy up there. Late last fall (November) I planted three Prairie Verbena (Verbena bipinnatifida) in front of the new pond. This plant is considered… Continue reading
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Starting The Spring Clean Up
A few weeks ago, I trimmed back dead parts of the pollinator garden that is in front of the house. From a nature (habitat) point of view I should have left it longer before tidying up, but I did that particular project to keep the front of the house “neat” for the neighborhood. The larger… Continue reading
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A Resting Sphinx Moth On Mexican Plum
I am outside every morning at 7am to take a rain gauge reading for CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network). When it’s the right season to be light enough, that’s a good time to wander around looking for other interesting things in the garden. One early spring morning, I saw a Sphinx moth… Continue reading
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Somebody Has Made A Home In A Pecan Log
I have three types of dead wood here, all with the intent of being used for wildlife habitat: a pile of mesquite logs (the original wood pile), a group of pecan logs on the other side of the garden, and a mesquite “perch” that stands by the pond. I’ve noted a variety of wildlife use… Continue reading
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Three Phases of Standing Cypress
When I was new to Seguin, whenever I met a native plant gardener or naturalist, I would ask what was their favorite plant or tree and several of those suggestions are now in my garden here. One of those early recommendations was Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra). Not only is this a beautiful drought-tolerant plant that attracts… Continue reading
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Moving A Plant
In a ideal world I would always plant things where they are supposed to be and never regret those decisions. However, occasionally I get it wrong! Last fall I planted a Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye (Viguiera stenoloba) in the front pollinator garden. This is a plant that likes full sun and I soon realized that it was… Continue reading
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How The Garden Changed After A Few Freezing Nights
One of the many advantages of gardening with native plants is that they generally don’t need special protection during our Central Texas winters, where freeze events are occasional and mild. In some cases, the above-ground parts might turn brown and die back but that’s just part of the normal lifecycle of these plants and if… 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 