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briaustex

Few photos from the backyard

8 years ago

I've been lurking and finally decided to get a few photos to share. I've been enjoying everyone else's posts.

Here are some sweet peas that are doing nicely. I've tried these a few times before with mixed results. This year they are doing well. They survived the big freeze without any protection, but they are in a micro-climate area (the wall is concrete and alongside the house) that usually stays 5+ degrees warmer.


Mountain Garland/Clarkia: I've bought seed years ago for this and always forgot about it. This year I remembered to put some out (in December--whoops a little late).


Annual Coreopsis and cornflowers growing amongst a bottlebrush tree. Thankfully the coreopsis beetles haven't been bad this year.


Calibrachoa is blooming nicely. It survived the winter unprotected with minor dieback!


Spent poppies and winecups that have taken over this section of the yard. I should have taken a photo last week when the poppies were still blooming. Will be able to harvest seed soon and then yank them all out to partially clear the area. The winecups self-seeded from last year and have obstructed the path.

I have a bunch of things that I've started from seed in containers that are waiting to be transplanted in the beds that are currently occupied by wildflowers. Below are some calendula that have started to bloom. I've tried these in the past by direct-sowing them in the fall, but they always were eaten to nubs by caterpillars before they could bloom.

Also included below are some Mexican oregano that I rooted along with hibiscus sabdariffa, bell peppers, and tomatoes. I have extra tomato and bell pepper plants to give away. If you're in the Austin area and interested, let me know. The tomatoes are starting to bloom and are about 15 inches tall. They are an heirloom variety that I tried last year (maybe brandywine?) that ended up being my favorite tomato, so I saved seeds for this year.

I have been enjoying all the cooler nights we've had this April, and the plants have been responding well to it. Makes me wonder if this summer is going to make up for it by being extra warm.

Comments (14)

  • 8 years ago

    Beautiful plants!

    Yes, I’m wondering about the weather, too ... after such a cool spring, are we going to be blasted later? I hope not. The older I get, the more the heat gets to me.

    briaustex thanked User
  • 8 years ago

    Nice sweet peas And coreopsis.. I had some SP volunteer on me and my coreiosis lanceolata is doing well after some years at being very ho hum. I have always staid away from clarkia , considering them a PNW plant for cooler places. This long spring has been a god send. We could use some more rain though (huge understatement). I think our dry soils will give us the hot dry and long summer. NONE of my Blanket flowers in my field have made an appearance this year.

    briaustex thanked wantonamara Z8 CenTex
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Brian,I've been wondering what's been going on with your garden. Lots of good looking plants you have there. I recently planted a pot of mixed calibrachoa. I didn't know they would survive the winter.

    I've got tithonia and cone flowers coming along nicely from seed you gave me. I noticed on a visit to SABG that butterflies are especially fond of tithonia. How long is their blooming season? I seem to remember mention of planting in succession or cutting back for rebloom.

    briaustex thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
  • 8 years ago

    Lovely bright blooms!

    briaustex thanked PKponder TX Z7B
  • 8 years ago

    Oh, wow! I bet it was amazing to see all of those poppies in bloom. Your yard looks so magical and lush. It looks like a very happy and peaceful place to be. :)

    I'd take one of those tomatoes if I had a place to put it. My 16 year old son seems to have inherited the gardening bug so I've promised to put in a raised bed this year. He works at a local garden center so I'm making him do the research before we "dig in".

    Thanks for sharing. I'm more of a lurker as well and love coming here to find inspiration and great information.

    briaustex thanked User
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Thanks!

    Yes, the clarkia was an experiment and I've already noticed them wilt slightly in the hot midday sun. The flowers are interesting--some single, some double, and different colors. I prefer larkspur over them so I'm unlikely to grow them again.

    I'm hoping for more rain soon, too. I'm concerned it's going to be another nasty dry summer.

    The tithonias were very popular with the butterflies here. They will bloom for 6-8 weeks if left to their own devices before starting to dieback. They did self seed for me so I didn't have to do any manual successive planting. Apparently you can deadhead them to extend their bloom time.

    For me they grew to 6-8 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. You can cut them back to keep them shorter, though. I planted a bunch close together so they could support each other. With stronger winds, they tend to want to lean once they get some height. Doesn't affect their growth, though.

    Took awhile for the lesser goldfinches to discover them, but once they did, they enjoyed the seed heads.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Ragna, all the calibrachoa I've grown over the years have survived the winter. They've been incredibly tough plants for me here in Austin. They do require well draining soil/potting mix. I've not had much luck growing them in the ground.

    I had a purple one that lasted 4-5 years in a large pot. They do tend to get woody, but respond well to light trimming. Once the spring arrives, they resume their flush of flowering.

    They are also pretty easy to root cuttings.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    The tithonia get six to eight ft tall!!!! I'm looking at my eight foot high ceilings ... OMG ... lol !! This is going to be interesting to say the least!

    Mine are bunched together so we'll see. I'll be prepared to put something around them for support, or maybe tie them to a near by plant stand that's nailed to the deck.

    Thanks for the additional calibrachoa information. The first ones I tried to grow were destroyed by the hail and I hadn't planted them again until this year.

    briaustex thanked roselee z8b S.W. Texas
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Their height will depend on how rich your soil is and how much water they get. Some that were growing in unamended soil were only 5-6' tall. Seeing how well most plants do in your yard, I'd expect them to grow tall for you. :-)

  • 8 years ago

    Joanna (or anyone else), don't be shy about the tomatoes. Happy to give some to you if you want them.

    And yes, the poppies were very nice and made a sea of red blooms. Being one of the first things to bloom in my yard, they draw in honey bees in large numbers. I've seen as many as 7 bees at once on one poppy flower hastily gathering pollen.

  • 8 years ago

    All beautiful. I've tried sweet peas but mine didn't look as good as yours. I've never grown the Mountain Garland/Clarkia, but I really like it.

    briaustex thanked ruthz
  • 8 years ago

    BEAUTIFUL!!!!

    briaustex thanked margeetx
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Did not see this b4. with the vinyl support you use for the sweet peas, how often do you replace? I love that idea.

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