turk’s cap
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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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Signs Of Spring

Spring is my favorite time of year. Almost on a daily basis I can see new life forming, either for the first time or emerging from its winter rest. This year, just when we thought we were finished with freezing nights, we had another round in February. So a few things that had already sprouted 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
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A Planting Day In Cooler Temperatures

We haven’t had rain here since September 5th but this week we did at least start to get some cooler temperatures (75-85F highs instead of 95F). So instead of retreating indoors by 10am, I am enjoying more time in the garden morning and evening. I have many projects on my fall task list! In central Continue reading
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Short-Term Effects Of The Freeze

In the past week we have had five nights of below freezing temperatures, with the lowest recorded here of 16.0 F. I expected to see some wilting, blackness, or loss of leaves and we certainly had that. With native plants, that is almost never a concern, and it’s just a part of nature cleaning up. Continue reading
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I Left The Garden For Five Days. What Did It Do?

I went out of town for five days. Of course I wanted to see what the garden had done while I was away, so a tour was in order as soon as I returned. Most of what I noticed was a consequence of a soaking rain on the first day, and the start of consistently Continue reading
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Moving The Turk’s Cap

It’s not really a good idea to be moving plants once they’re in the ground. However, I had planted a Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii) in a place where it wasn’t happy (too much sun) and in a location that is too close to the lowest point in the garden where water pools in 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.

