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More Leveling Of The Front Lawn
A few weeks ago I experimented with leveling my very unevenly laid Bermudagrass front lawn. For that pilot project in one small area I used soil that I had purchased in bags, and to spread it, the back of a regular rake and then a special leveling rake. That project went well, and now I’ve… Continue reading
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Salvaged Plants
At the Park West Pollinator Garden, where I regularly volunteer, this week we were cutting back some of the more enthusiastic plants. Two of those were Horseherb aka Straggler Daisy (Calyptocarpus vialis) and Lyreleaf Sage (Salvia lyrata), and since I was familiar with both from my Houston garden I thought I’d bring some sprigs home… Continue reading
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The New Fall Aster Is Open And Ready For Business
I only planted a Fall Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) a week ago, and already since then it has burst into bloom and is being visited by pollinators. In the upper left of the photograph above is a bee, genus Megachile. Most, although not all, of these bees cut small pieces of leaf to line their nests,… Continue reading
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Nature Gardening vs. “Neighbor” Gardening
This ant pile is underneath a Texas Barometer Bush (Leucophyllum frutescens) in my front flower bed. It’s not in my way and the plant seems happy, so I’m leaving the ant bed in place. I’d rather support what nature is doing than make the garden “picture perfect.” The ground here is badly compacted from the… Continue reading
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Defining Areas For Two Small Trees
The Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri) and Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) trees were planted earlier this year, and each had vaguely defined mulch circles already. In order to more clearly separate these trees from the seeding activities that will happen near them, I’ve given them each a stone circle and added fresh mulch. Here’s the… Continue reading
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A Defined Circle For The Desert Willow Tree
The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) tree here was planted in the spring in an area that was bare earth. I knew that I wasn’t planning to develop that area until fall, so in the meantime I have just been keeping it largely clear of weeds. However, fall is here and there will soon be soil… Continue reading
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Reseeding The Short Native Grasses
One of the first things I did here in the spring was to clear Bermudagrass from the perimeter of the back yard, seed the area with the Thunder Turf mix of three native grasses, and then disappointingly have the seed washed away or moved by torrential rain. Here are links to posts describing those events: Planning, Preparation, Seeding, Rain… Continue reading
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Two Grasshoppers Just Chilling
And “chilling” is perhaps appropriate, given that the temperature when these photos were taken was 43F — quite a contrast from 100F just a month ago. These are two American Bird Grasshoppers (Schistocerca americana) resting on a Texas Barometer Bush (Leucophyllum frutescens). I didn’t see any evidence that they had been eating the plant. They… Continue reading
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My Little Pollinator Garden
I’m taking different approaches for the front and back gardens in this new lot. The back area is a major work-in-progress that will probably take 2-3 years to take shape. In contrast, the front — and more visible to the public — area is intended to look more managed, even as changes are being made.… Continue reading
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Collecting Salvia Babies
I planted two Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea) in front of the house this spring. Salvias are some of the easiest plants to grow and pollinators love them. Their season is long, and even through this summer’s drought, they thrived and even self-seeded. Here’s one of the plants with a few tiny babies to the right.… 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 