standing cypress
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Tucking The Wildflower Meadow In For The Winter
Sometime during the month of October each year, the wildflower meadow in front of the house is cut down and mown for its winter break. This is to give it a neater look for a few months, since it is in a publicly visible space. By this time of year, the spring annuals have long… Continue reading
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Standing Cypress In The Front Meadow
Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) is well established in the back garden and is very popular with hummingbirds. This year I am pleased to see Standing Cypress plants growing in the wildflower meadow in front of the house. A few of those originate from young plants that I transplanted early this year, and others presumably grew… 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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Standing Cypress Beginning To Bloom
I introduced Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) by seed in 2023 and 2024 and have a solid population now that is propagating on its own. I sowed seed twice because this is a biennial plant with a two-year lifecycle, and I wanted to have blooms every year. The photo below was taken in May 2025, a year ago.… Continue reading
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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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Spring Trim Of The Back Yard
Trimming away dead parts of plants in front of the house was a fairly small job. The meadow area had already been cleaned up last October, and tidying up the pollinator garden plants a week ago didn’t take very long. The back yard is a different story. Because it’s out of view, I let it… Continue reading
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Defining A New Area Under The Desert Willow
The Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is the second tree that I planted here, in spring 2023, and the one that has grown the fastest. It is currently at least 11 ft tall. As it has grown, I have increased the size of its mulch ring to more or less match the reach of the branches.… Continue reading
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Increasing Diversity In The Wildflower Meadow
The wildflower meadow in the front of the house has completed two seasons of growth. Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) and Firewheel aka Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) have done very well, with some spectacular displays in the spring. A few other wildflowers have grown too, but even though this is a small and limited area, I would… Continue reading
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Standing Cypress: Two Expected Forms And A Few Extras
I introduced Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) by seed in 2023 and 2024 and have a solid population now that is propagating on its own. I sowed seed twice because this is a biennial plant with a two-year lifecycle, and I wanted to have blooms every year. So now, in fall 2025, there are primarily two… Continue reading
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When A Photographer Visits The Garden
The only camera I have is the one in my phone. For the convenient little device that it is, the quality of the photographs that I can get is pretty good. However, when my friend Ken Harvey visited the garden with his proper camera, the images he was able to capture were so much better… 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.
