Blog
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Huisache Tree
Vachellia farnesiana Height in July 2023: 1.5 ft tall, 3ft spread Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database entry The Huisache tree was chosen for this garden because of its moderate height (15-25 feet) and extreme drought tolerance. It’s also a very hardy tree, and in fact many ranchers here consider it a weed because it’s… Continue reading
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What Is Wrong With My Texas Mountain Laurel Tree?
Sophora secundiflora Height in July 2023: 2.5 ft Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database entry Texas Mountain Laurel was another easy choice as a tree to plant here. It has low water needs and the blooms are very showy and fragrant. I had not encountered it before, but it was recommended by several local gardeners… Continue reading
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I Welcome Decay
…in the garden, that is. A nature ecosystem needs to include opportunities for organic matter to break down, and to encourage and support the organisms which do that. My approach here is to have a log pile, and behind that, an area to collect bits and pieces of plants that have been chopped up —… Continue reading
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I Don’t Know What I’m Looking At
I try to have my phone within reach when I’m gardening, because I never know when I might see something interesting. If I can get a photograph, then that will often help with identification (usually with the help of the iNaturalist app). One day I needed extra help from my phone. I am near-sighted and… Continue reading
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Desert Willow Tree
Chilopsis linearis Height in July 2023: 6ft Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database entry There are only a handful of plants that I have installed here so far and I shouldn’t have a favorite, but I do have a soft spot for this particular tree. I knew early on that I wanted a Desert Willow… Continue reading
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We Need Caterpillars!
If you want your garden to be visited by birds or butterflies, then you need to be willing to accept caterpillars, and they will voraciously eat holes in the leaves of their host plants. Even before I’d had a chance to plant much of anything here, we were blessed with an abundance of volunteer sunflowers.… Continue reading
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Sunflowers
With such a plain landscape in the early weeks here, I was thrilled to see at least two varieties of volunteer sunflowers arrive. The seeds might have been in the soil already, or perhaps dropped by passing birds. Unless they are in the way, I am letting them grow through their flower and seed cycle.… Continue reading
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The Starting Point
This is how it all started. In February 2023 we took ownership of a newly built house in Seguin, Texas, USA and this is how the lot was landscaped by the builder. The front yard was turfed with Bermudagrass sod, with two small Live Oak trees (variety unknown) and a bed near the house with… Continue reading
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Bug Love
I used to resent gardening. It was a chore that came with owning a house that had a yard and I felt that there were expectations. The lawn was supposed to stay green, even if that required expensive and/or time-consuming watering. The plants were supposed to stay pretty and not chewed by insects. If anything… 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 