Blog
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Plant List, November 2023
We moved to Seguin, TX in February 2023, and that’s when I started the process of transforming our bare builder’s lot into a nature garden with priority given to native or adapted plants. This is a multi-year project, but I am pleased with what has been achieved so far. For reference, here is a list… Continue reading
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Time For The Live Oaks To Stand On Their Own
We have two Live Oak trees in front of our house planted by the builder. I pondered for a long time whether to keep or replace them (if they grow to maturity, they — or their roots — will be too big for that space), but for now they are staying. I (or the future… Continue reading
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Plant Hardiness Zones Have Changed
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is helpful to determine how perennial plants will tolerate living in your particular area. The map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature. A good nursery will label their plants or seeds according to which zones will suit them. Note that this map is a indicator… Continue reading
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Southwestern Squash Vine Borer
This colorful visitor has been on my Mexican Olive tree for a few days; it’s a Southwestern Squash Vine Borer (a moth). If I were a vegetable gardener, this might be something of concern, since their caterpillars eat squash and pumpkin vines from the inside. As far as I can tell, I don’t have any… Continue reading
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Gulf Muhly Plants Are Flowering
There are a total of three Gulf Muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris) plants here. One is in the front bed, planted by the builder (a rare good plant choice by the original landscaper), and the other two are in the back in the area that is designated for mid-height prairie grasses. Once the summer drought was over,… Continue reading
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Texas Master Naturalist Program
When I came to Seguin I was already aware of the Native Plant Society of Texas, and I quickly joined the local chapter (Guadalupe) so that I could learn from others more experienced than I about gardening in this area. A few weeks later I learned about the Texas Master Naturalist Program, of which I… Continue reading
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Mexican Plum
To round out my collection of four trees in the back yard I have planted a Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana). It is an early blooming tree, and in fact the flowers appear before the leaves in the spring, so it is an important nectar source early in the year. And being deciduous, it’s a nice… Continue reading
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Science Is Happening Here
My education was in the biological/medical sciences, and even though I have long been out of the profession, that hasn’t taken away my interest and instincts. “Citizen science” or “community science” is important in a number of fields, and one of my earliest experiences of that was using the app iNaturalist. The first step for… Continue reading
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More Frogfruit Plugs In The Front Lawn
When I recently attempted to level the uneven front lawn with extra soil, I didn’t have enough soil to do anything with the front strip between the sidewalk and the street. I may do more leveling next year. This is the area I’m talking about, still growing back after the summer’s drought. The front lawn… Continue reading
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Settling The Garden For The Winter
One of my goals for this fall was to have every area here covered with plants, soil containing seeds, or mulch, so that there is a minimum area of bare soil that could be vulnerable to erosion (obviously I am hoping that my seeds will germinate!). Most of those activities have been achieved by now,… 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 