February 11 , 2016
Hummingbird Haven, Weeds, Courtyard Design
Do you sense like the “ other shoe is about to drop ? ” That ’s how I find the right way now as stone and roll temps have us stymied about when to prune . Normally , my ‘ Grapes ’ genus Gomphrena ( G. decumbens ) would be recumbent by now . or else , it ’s just flopping over in little ball of brightness level . I’ve already cut off back many of the turk ’s caps , but I ca n’t hold to concern this one . . . yet!As dry as it is , “ weeds ” are growing like locoweed ! comestible clammy chickweed really covers the ground quite nicely . Cleavers ( Galium aparine ) are very clever about ingratiating themselves — here with ego - sow larkspurs in my frogfruit strip . certify Herbalist Ellen Zimmermannjoins Trisha to explicate how so - called “ sens ” can be good for us . Ellen tells us how spring cleavers clean out the blood in the lymph organization . Many of us get confused about sow thistle ( on the remaining ) and dandelion . blowball leaves are good — even great in smoothies!I never rip dandelions , since their deep taproot brings nutrients to the control surface . Most important in my household : indoor bunnies Harvey & Bun do binkies for dandelion leaves ! bee and other pollinator do their adaptation of “ binky ” on the flowers . Over centuries , milk thistle has been valued for its medicinal properties . I prize mine for its variegated leafage and previous bounce ’s puffball flowers that nurture pollinators . Find out more right now!And , be indisputable to mark out Ellen’sAustin School of Herbal Studiesto learn about medicinal and health - intensify plants .
Meet Ellen and other renowned herbalists at the1st Annual Heart of Texas Herb Symposiumon April 23 in Wimberley .
Now , what do you do when your new family come with a chinaberry tree ? That ’s what materialise to Robyn Squyres . Sure , birds love the yellow fruits , but Robyn knows that it ’s an incursive coinage that threatens various habitats . Already , she ’s overstretch up seedling . Also , this tree is very toxic to dogs . So , should she cut it down now and sacrifice shade or plant a replacement tree underneath to get instal first ? Daphne respond : Cut it down now!Here ’s why .
Get thelist of Texas incursive plants .
When felling a tree means lots of new sun , native repeated coralbean ( Erythrina herbacea ) is your ticket to hummingbird haven . Evergreen in warm winter , its fire - like flower torches issue in spring and last for month . If unfold freezes brown it , simply snub to the earth , as you do any torpid perennial . chance out more about Daphne ’s plant life of the Week . This week , create a hummingbird flying itinerary to your gardenwith Mark Klym , coordinator of theTexas Wildscapes program at Texas Parks and Wildlifeand theTexas Hummingbird Roundup . InHummingbirds of Texas , see how to create a habitat , including favored flowers , colors , and nesting tree diagram . get out why your visitor stage hummingbird state of war ! And to identify these fleet - of - wing birds , icon , drawings , and migration patterns make it much well-fixed . Viewer Picture goes to Jackie Baltrunfor her outstanding shot of a bumble bee on coarse-grained blue salvia . Hummingbirds love this plant , too ! But cervid debar it , which reach it a great plant for Jackie in her deerly beloved neighborhood!On tour , whendesigner Amy Voorhesand husband Selwyn Notelovitz trade Boston for Austin , she swapped months of C for drouth . To update the court of their 1950s home , she ban overgrown and rather forlorn invasives for raised beds fulfil with fragrant and flowering plants . Betsy Clemmons from Dig Austinhandled the installation , including concrete underneath to support the weightiness . Decomposed granite blow out of the water packs down for light mobility to savor and tend the water thrifty plants that bristle after just one year . bid farewell to former plant loves , she embrace water thrifty plants for wildlife , most of them evergreen . The court ’s become a favorite living room to entertain . To elegantly promote the vertical sheet , she planted steel trellises with star jasmine and crossvine , impart room between them and the bulwark for easy maintenance and to catch runoff . Even from indoors , she and Selwyn follow the wildlife that call on them . Amy tucked an inexpensive recirculating fountain into a wall niche . “I designed it for , not just how it would look , you know , that ’s what mass think of first with a garden , is bloom , but also for fragrance and for sound . There ’s always something that is pass away to touch your smoke when you ’re walk through this space , ” she told us .
She design a scrim to pick up the edgy , mid - century line of the menage , and get the geometry of the house right out into this central courtyard place . “This is our main entrance , we ’re walking by this garden multiple times a day , and you need it to be beautiful , ” she says . See the whole storey now !
Thanks for stop by ! See you next week .
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