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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
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Winter Cut-Back Of The Pollinator Garden
There is a small flower bed in front of the house that mostly has perennial native plants, chosen to attract and feed pollinator insects and birds. The above photo was taken mid-January 2025, when most of the plants were not in their blooming season. As of January 15, 2025, we had already had two nights Continue reading
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Giant Swallowtail Caterpillars Have A “Back Off!” Signal
During one of my regular wanderings of the garden I spotted a Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) caterpillar on a Common Rue (Ruta graveolens), which is one of its host plants. Given the size of this caterpillar (nearing pupation, I think), it must have been there a while and I just hadn’t noticed it before. As Continue reading
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Shrub Growth Report, January 2025
It is now an annual tradition (i.e., this is the second year!) that I take note of how my trees and shrubs are doing. This post addresses shrubs. Trees are described in a previous post. The measurements and photos were recorded on January 2, 2025. For the older plants, I’ve included photos from a year 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 