american beautyberry
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A May View Of The Garden
I did a walk-through of the garden on the morning of May 16, 2026. Here are some things that caught my eye. In the areas where there are massed annual wildflowers, such as the meadow in front of the house, the predominant bloom at the moment is Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). Most of… Continue reading
american beautyberry, beebalm, bluebonnet, cenizo, desert willow, firewheel, frogfruit, horsemint, indian blanket, indian paintbrush, kidneywood, lindheimer’s senna, live oak, maximilian sunflower, mealy blue sage, mexican buckeye, mexican plum, prickly pear cactus, rock rose, rue, skeleton-leaf goldeneye, texas sage, turk’s cap, woolly stemodia, zizotes milkweed -
Some Very Welcome April Rain
In the days between April 18-22, 2026 we received 5.39 inches rain, which is more than we have had in the previous four months combined. This was a soaking that the ground sorely needed and fortunately was not as damaging as the 8.6 inches that fell in four hours last July 5. For the most… Continue reading
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More Perennials With Spring Growth
Now in mid-March, several more perennial plants are waking up for the new year. Here are some highlights: The Mexican Plum (Prunus mexicana) tree hasn’t grown much in height in its three seasons here, but its branches are a little thicker and this is now its second year to bloom. This is an early blooming… Continue reading
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Shrub Growth Report, January 2026
It is now an annual tradition that I take note of how my trees and shrubs are doing. This post addresses shrubs, and when I have multiple copies I refer to the one growing most vigorously. Trees are described in a previous post. The measurements were recorded on January 30, 2026. Some of these measurements… Continue reading
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A Mid November Look Around The Garden
It is already mid November, but even for central Texas we still have unusually high temperatures (daytime 80s F). Despite the warmth, the garden is clearly making seasonal changes so I thought it might be interesting to take a look around. I keep the area in front of the house fairly neat. For instance, I… Continue reading
american beautyberry, beach sunflower, blackfoot daisy, bluebonnet, common sunflower, cowpen daisy, fall, flame acanthus, food, frogfruit, frostweed, habitat, indiangrass, leaf litter, meadow, mealy blue sage, mexican mint marigold, mexican plum, native grasses, rock rose, season, shelter, shrubby boneset, texas mountain laurel, white mistflower, yellow yucca -
A Color-Changing Treefrog
I was just walking by the American Beautyberry shrub one day when out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked at first like a large white fungal growth. When I looked closer it turned out to be a striking pale colored small frog! I was thrilled to see it because I had… Continue reading
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A Two-Week July Vacation
Vacations are fun, and what is also fun is seeing what the garden did during my time away (without it being watered!). I was recently gone for two weeks in July 2025 and this is what caught my eye when I got back. Sunflowers had grown A LOT. I will need to cut some of… Continue reading
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New Blooms In The Back Garden
The past 2-3 weeks have seen an explosion of growth, color, and activity in the back garden. Here are some highlights. Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella). For some reason the Firewheels behind the house are much more vigorous and colorful than the ones in front of the house. They are the red and yellow… Continue reading
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More Plants Waking Up For Spring
More new growth in the garden! Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora). This is one of the plants that started to make new growth in February only to have those tender shoots freeze back a couple of weeks later. This time it’s taking off for real, although it looks like there might not be any blooms… 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 