Fauna and Flora - Spring

Spring is in full swing in Austin. My garden is looking totally fabulous and I'm really enjoying all the fauna coming to visit the flora.

stock tank pond looking diagonally across yard

I've cleaned up the stock tank pond, and now I must wait for the repotted dwarf papyrus and water lilies to regain vigor. The winter was so mild that my tropical lily, not usually hardy here in zone 8b, is already rebounding. The Wanvisa and Colorado hardy water lilies are quickly responding to the fertilizer and warmer weather.

Louisiana iris in the stock tank pond

I should have repotted the Louisiana iris in the fall, but failed to do so, and now I will wait until after its bloom. It has so overgrown its two gallon pot that it is totally unbalanced and required rope to anchor it after repeatedly dousing the gorgeous purple blooms.

leopard frog resting amongst the iris

The central area of the iris provides the perfect resting spot for a leopard frog or two, who have seeded the pond with huge floating egg sacks attached to the water lily leaf stems just below water level. The eggs hatch into a myriad of tiny black tadpoles which slowly disappear, probably as goldfish food.

blue heron fishing at the stock tank pond

So far this spring I've spotted all four comet goldfish at one time, but haven't seen any sign of the poor single slow fantail. I had worried that all the goldies might have fallen prey to my visiting blue heron over the winter, who came again yesterday. Luckily for the goldies, the water is very green from a spring algae bloom. I know I haven't seen them at all since I fed the water lilies (excess fertilizer causes the green).

bluebonnets, Autumn sage, Knockout rose, and yellow bulbine

Meanwhile, the blooms are amazing. The bluebonnets I planted last fall are very happy on their rocky slope, and hopefully will spread next year. They are nestled below autumn sage and a young Knockout rose, next to yellow bulbine, which is seeding like mad up to 10 feet away.

The birdfeeder is a hotbed of activity. Today I spotted a painted bunting, and two days ago my husband saw a Prothonotary warbler there. Titmice, goldfinches, house finches, chickadees and cardinals, as well as lots of sparrows, are all busily emptying the larder. The squirrels, grackles and mourning doves are totally puzzled by the new feeder that has a grid that lowers with their weight. I've also spotted golden-rumped warblers and cedar waxwings in the treetops viewed from my second story studio windows.

The New Garden Addition: Stock Tank Pond

For some time now, I've followed Digging, my favorite Austin garden blog. I've so admired Pam Pennick's stock tank pond, that I vowed to copy it. This year I committed to removing a huge swatch of water-guzzling St. Augustine from my backyard and getting that pond of my own. Twelve yards of dirt were mounded up to give some growing power to beds in my typical builder backyard, rock with two inches of dirt and struggling sod on top. Five yards of decomposed granite laid the foundation for the pond tank, widened the path to the garbage and compost enclosure, and mulched the beds. Multiple loads of limestone boulders and small river rock were manhandled into place to set the contours and accent the beds.

stock pond tank garden
view from near back gate

There is an fenced enclosure to the right here that hides garbage cans and a rotating barrel composter. The neighbors' huge life oak is also that direction, just out of range of dropping all those tassels and leaves into the pond, but right now covering everything within reach.

stock tank pond addition
looking toward patio

This view from near the enclosure entrance shows the corner of the sunroom, where I have my glass studio and jewelry bench. In the distance, you can see the turquoise disappearing fountain at the edge of a dry river bed with a cedar bench. Around the curve is sunroom entrance and the patio, now awaiting new dining furniture.

path from patio past stock tank pond to gate

The view back towards the gate shows the new anacacho orchid tree that I planted at the edge of the live oak canopy so that it gets morning sun but is protected from our killer late afternoon Texas sun (it's also on the South side of the house, protected from winter storms). Behind it you can see the enclosure I mentioned above. There's a slight change of level from the path to the pond circle, and a seating area on the shadier side. The twelve-year old Texas mountain laurel gave an incredible show of fragrant purple flowers this year, but I failed to get any photos. In the foreground, a new whale's tongue agave takes pride of place in the raised stone bed with low Blaze roses and a new bottle tree (waiting impatiently for blue bottles to be emptied of their contents).

new stock tank pond

This closeup of the new stock tank pond showcases my new waterlilies and dwarf papyrus. Early this morning three buds had broken the surface. Hiding beneath the water are pots of anacharis and some free floating cabomba. In the background are a new Mexican buckeye and another Texas mountain laurel, salvia, gold lantana, Knockout 'Redrazz' roses, yellow bulbine (as opposed to orange, which I put everywhere), soft leaf yucca, and in the back corner, a silver mountain laurel that seems unlikely to survive its transplanting (very sad about this!). 

first Colorado waterlily bloom

A few hours later when the sun popped out, the first bloom of my first Colorado waterlily opened.

stock tank pond

It's pretty clear from this angle that the pond is quite green at the moment. Most of the plants have been in place for about a month. Last weekend I added fish - two goldfish and about twenty small mosquito fish.  So far, so good. I was waiting on a tropical waterlily for the second lily, but finally caved and bought a second hardy lily since I'm trying to get the pond to balance itself and wanted to get more plants into the water. 

The artist in me finds it very inspiring to work back and forth between the outside garden and the inside studios. I've made additions to the garden almost every year for the fourteen that we've been here, but never expected to stay long term. Now since the kitchen remodel, I've embraced that we may be here for many years to come and I should try to make the entire place fit my artistic vision. 

Frozen

It was -8F in Oklahoma where my parents live this morning. Great day to fly, right? Especially when the small plane in question has a small draft near a passenger's feet. I survived without frostbite only with extra socks and flying south to warmer climes.


Even home in Austin, it was cold last night, 18 degrees by reports. My disappearing fountain ran all night to produce a lovely contrast to the evergreen artemisias, fountain grass, aloe and yucca out in the garden. My neighbor who checked on it for me and unplugged it this morning was clever enough to snap some photos of the treasure.

Inferno Garden -- First Fall

After a brutally hot summer with "exceptional drought," Austin has been soaked regularly for the past many weeks. The plants all breathed a huge sigh of relief, then took off in a race to grow as much as possible before cold strikes. My new garden, which I crazily installed in the midst of the inferno, has really taken off.

The fall garden, with a hint of where this is all going:



The late summer garden, end of July, right after I bought the new bench, with the roses in first bloom:


The original installation in late June:


I've torn out all the beds around the patio, and I am busily plotting some more work, to extend this look. Fall is a great time for gardening in Austin.

Plants include Mexican feather grass, purple fountain grass, bamboo muhly grass, Mexican bush sage, blackfoot daisy, bulbine, Santa Rita prickly pear, Knockout roses, yellow bells (esperanza), Texas gold lantana, Autumn sage (salvia greggii), softleaf yucca and a specimen agave.