mexican olive
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When The Garden Is Ignored For A Week During Summer
I’ve recently returned from a vacation, and so the garden was ignored for nine days with no rain and with daytime temperatures hovering around 100 degrees F. Many of the plants thrived and grew while I was away. Native plants have evolved to endure the hot and dry conditions of a Central Texas summer. Here… Continue reading
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Red, White, And Blue For The USA 250th Anniversary
These photos were all taken on July 3, 2026. Continue reading
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Mexican Olive Recovery
Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri) trees handle heat and drought well, but they can be damaged in hard freezes. This spring, my Mexican Olive has made a much stronger recovery than last year, even though both of the previous winters had similar cold events (temperatures down to 18/19 F). Perhaps the better recovery this year is… 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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Pruning: Mexican Olive
The Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri) was significantly affected by hard freezes in its first two winters here. Each time it recovered strongly, but last year it effectively had to grow a completely new tree from the ground up (only a few inches of trunk and parts of the lowest branch survived the freeze). Despite that… Continue reading
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How Did The Garden Handle A (Wet) Freeze?
Since the garden here is primarily made up of native plants, I generally don’t need to worry about winter freezes — the plants have evolved to handle those situations. However, there are a few protective things that I do before, during, and after freezes to take extra care. Here’s a summary. Until January 2026, the… Continue reading
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Tree Growth Report, January 2026
Each January I take note of how my trees and shrubs are doing. Like children, when you see them every day, sometimes you don’t appreciate how much they’re growing. This post addresses trees. There will a separate one to describe the shrubs that I have (here). The measurements and photos were recorded on January 11,… Continue reading
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Trees And Their Schedules
I have a small collection of trees here (I’m limited by space!). There is one evergreen tree (Texas Mountain Laurel), which will retain its leaves through the winter. The two Live Oaks are semi-evergreen, meaning that old leaves drop when they are pushed out by the new ones growing in spring. The transition only takes… Continue reading
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Mexican Olive And Some Of Its Occupants
My Mexican Olive (Cordia boissieri) tree has frozen back severely in its two winters here. This year I thought I had lost it completely, but it has made a remarkable recovery and produced over six feet of growth from the ground in only five months (I finally saw new shoots in April 2025). This tree… Continue reading
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My First Four Trees Are Now Taller Than I Am
In front of the house there are two Live Oak trees that the builder planted. Behind the house there are four trees that I planted early in my time here (2-3 years ago), with the intent that they would become major features in the garden: Desert Willow, Texas Mountain Laurel, Mexican Olive, and Mexican Plum.… 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 