Purple Coneflower

If you are like me, you probably spend a lot of time surfing the web looking at other people’s houses, design website, and garden blogs. When I began my garden, I spent way too many hours scouring the web for inspiration. One particular blog that I kept going back to was Digging, by Pam. In particular, I was fascinated with this post, from her first garden. I loved the shot overlooking the purple coneflowers onto the patio.

I decided I wanted a view like that. Except I wanted it from my couch. I wanted to be able to sit on my couch, in the nice air conditioning and look out my window and see a view like that.

Last year I went to the Spring LadyBird Johnson Wildflower center plant sale and got a couple of coneflower starters I knew exactly where they would go. I planted them in March, and waited until the middle of August for them to bloom. Where they are now, the get great afternoon light, from about noon until the sun goes down.

The flowers are the most incredible purple, orange, and green. The bloom starts out small, flat and all green, and after a week or so, the color begins to change, and then eventually the center of the flower gets rounded and extends. It’s a great show. Overall the plants are 2-3 feet high or so. Of course I’m not deadheading, because I want the entire bed to fill out with coneflowers. And I’m sure next year they will.

Coneflower Plant

Purple and Orange Flower

You know it’s spring when the jasmine starts to bloom.  What’s more fragrant, and spring like than walking past a yard with a fragrant Jasmine plant just bursting with blooms.

Jasmine getting ready to bloom

If you look carefully, you will see that the bottom is already full of blooms, and there is new growth just ready to burst. How did I get so lucky? I’ll tell you. I picked up this plant last weekend on Sale for $3.98 at Lowes. I actually got two of them, for each corner of the yard, and those, with the one I picked up last year make for three total.

I’ll be taking a break from writing this weekend (It’s easter), but I’ve got a fun little thing planned to be automatically posted Easter Sunday Morning.

Cheers, and enjoy the photos.

A bee polinating

The beginnings of spring appearing all over (both in my garden, and in the gardening blog world). Trees are sprouting, bushes are coming out of dormancy, and tiny green shoots are appearing from the brown earth.

Here in Austin, where the winters are mild, and the springs arrive early, my garden is tricked into thinking it’s mid spring already. The tulips have come and gone, and the daffodils blooms are now going to seed. But the nights are still too cold for most plants, especially young ones that need all the help they can get.

This year, I’m starting my entire vegetable garden from seed. I know it sounds’ crazy, but it is something I’ve always wanted to do, and since this is the first spring in my first house, I’m gonna go for it. And to take it to the next level, I’m doing it all “green”. I’ve got handmade wooden seed boxes, and while the seed are sprouting, I’ve got time to make some raised beds in a sunny corner of the yard. Let’s hope I can get them built before the seedlings are tall enough to be planted.

Earlier this year I found this great little wooden paper seed pot maker on Etsy, and after a quick and easy transaction, I got mine in the mail a few days after ordering.  It’s really a simple little tool.  There is a handle that you wrap the newspaper around, and a small wooden base, that you press the handle into to make a folded paper bottom to the pot.  It takes about 20 seconds to make each pot, and they hold up just fine in the cedar seed boxes I made to hold them.  Each little pot is about an inch in diameter, and maybe 2 inches high.  I fill them with a handful of potting soil, and then seed each with 3-4 seeds to make sure at least one plant grows per pot.

Here’s how I do it:

First I carefully tear a full size sheet of black and white newspaper into half, and then in half again – so I can get four pots from a single sheet of newspaper.

To make a seed pot, I use 1/4 of a sheet of newspaper (the kind with black and white ink only)

Next I fold the 1/4 size sheet into thirds to make a long strip with three layers.

Fold the sheet of newspaper into thirds, to make a long thin strip with three layers.

The third step is to carefully wrap the paper strip around the handle.  I leave about an inch hanging below the handle and carefully fold the paper in on itself.

Wrap the folded newspaper around the base of the wooden seed pot maker. Your strip should be bigger than the handle. You want a bit to hang over the bottom so you can fold it over and make the base. I like to leave about an inch hanging below.

Finally , I press the top part into the base, and this forms the bottom of the pot.  At first I thought it would be too flimsy, but when I put all the pots in a row, fill them with potting soil, and place them  in the seed boxes, they hold up just fine.

To make the bottom of the seed pot, fold the end that is hanging over into itself (toward the middle), and press the handle into the base. You have now made your first pot.

Each box holds two rows of six paper seed pots. I fill all six pots with the same kind of seed, to get at least 6 new plants. But usually I get lots more because more than one seedling can be started in each pot.

Here are the paper seed pots filled with dirt, and seeded. Ready to grow!

How do you make seed pots? Do you buy them from Home Depot, just sew the seeds right into the ground, or do you use old plastic pots you’ve collected from the nursery? I can’t wait to hear your comments.

I just found out that my webhost, Dreamhost (whom I’ve been using for years, is a Carbon Neutral company.  As more and more work is done on-line (as you are probably realizing), more and more energy is being used.  Just think about all those laptops, monitors, hard drives, and servers you use.  Then multiply it by all the houses in your neighborhood.  Now think about all the neighborhoods in your city – well you get the picture.

If you are interested in signing up with a green web host, you can simply by clicking the link.  You will get a crazy good deal with tons of storage, bandwith, and even some cool one-click installs like WordPress and stuff.  Hey, I use it for all my websites (my Destination Wedding Photography business, the MyFirst Garage Forums, and a few other places) and have never ever reached my cap.

Six months ago we bought our house in North Austin, and since then we’ve been working hard on the inside. Then the Austin summer hit, and temps stayed above 100° for 2 months.  Just about everything in the unkept backyard died.  Including my lawn.  This was not the time to start a new project for me in the backyard.  I’m not the kind of guy to plant things fast just to have them look nice.  Instead I like to follow the seasonal planting cycle.

But then things changed.

We all know Central Texas has some strange weather, because as soon as Fall arrived  the rains came – 5 inches in a day.  It’s a real yo-yo weather pattern.  But since fall is now here, it’s time to plant those spring bulbs.  I’m not really sure if Tulips will grow in Austin, so I didn’t invest much effort or money just in case.

While at Costco the other day, I saw these bags of 50 tulip bulbs for like 15 bucks.  So I picked up a couple of bags.  I knew just the right spot, against the back fence where there is a lot of morning light.

Each bag had 2 tulip varieties – the first contained Red Riding Hood and Mary Ann.  These are early spring bloomers – that are a great red and pink color.  The other bag contained Syaeda Amor and Hauran varities – purple bulbs that bloom in mid spring.  I planted them  arranged in a big row with the taller ones in the back (I think). I’m sure I could have done more to prepare the beds like add some amendments or fertilizer or something, but I’ll add some top-dressing mulch which should do the job.

But first I started by planting some Blue Lobelia to use as a border between the turf grass and the planting bed.  I’m not a fan of pre-made borders – you know the metal lawn edging, or bender board.  I’ve spent hours looking for a modern lawn edging, with no success.  I thought about pouring a concrete border, but that was too permanent for me (and expensive), so I decided to go natural, and let the plants define their spaces.  Later in the year, we’re planning on putting in some decomposed granite and flagstone, to define the spaces a little more, but until then this flat of low growing blue flowering groundcover will work just fine.

All in all it took a couple of hours – I needed to prep the bed a bit and pull out some weeds, then lay out the Lobelia at regular intervals. Once the small holes were dug, it didn’t take long to finish the border ground cover. Then I carefully laid out the bulbs, and put each in it’s own spot, covering them over with the recommended 6-8 inches of soil.

Now I have to grab a couple of bags of mulch to cover over the beds.

Of course the hardest part, besides the waiting until spring, will be to keep Riley out.

I got a flat of Blue Lobelia to use as a lawn border - I hope its not too late in the season to plant them successfully

While picking up AA batteries the other day from Costco, for my wedding photo biz I saw these bags of bulbs - I decided to pick up a couple an plant them - if they bloom this spring, I'll be amazed.

Tulip bulbs from Costco are arranged for height, color, and blooming cycle. Notice the Rain lilies going to seed in the foreground.

Last night, while watching the local news, I heard that even though we have gotten a bunch of rain in the last 2-weeks, Central Texas lake levels are still at an all time low, and the LCRA (LCRA means Lower Colorado River Authority) is considering tightening restrictions on water use yet again.

So the very first thing I did was head over to my laptop, and Googled Austin Stage 3 water restrictions. Nothing. Nada. Zip, Zero, Zilch. This is probably the same response you got, and the reason you are visiting my page. But don’t fear, I’m on a mission to find out what Stage 3 restrictions means.

So I called 311, the city non-emergency and question hotline, and asked the operator. Who had no idea of course.

Then I surfed over to the website of the local paper, and I was able to find this article: Tougher water rules on way? LCRA reviewing drought plan.

Let me summarize what the new restrictions will be:

Watering your lawn less

Is this for real?  There are so many other ways to conserve water.  Now is the time to enact rules for our future that ensure water conservation, and make sure future generations have enough H2O to drink, cook, and bathe with.  I’m thinking of things like mandating tankless water heaters for all new construction, requiring drip irrigation for all new commercial landscape projects, and adding a tax to all sales of water bottles (did you know it takes approximately 6 times the amount of water inside the bottle to manufacture and transport the bottle? Here’s the source to how much water it takes to produce a bottle of water).

According to the LCRA, 2009 is the most severe draught on record since the 1950′s. Stage 2 water restrictions call for a 35% cut of use, and stage 3 will add an additional 10% – resulting in a 45% reduction in water use over regular levels.

Of course I’ll add more things to this list as I learn more.

Let me start by saying “My poor lawn is dying a slow death”.

I have a living will and a power of attorney, and every legal document one can think of just in case the unforeseeable should happen.  I’m not the kind to dwell on sickness – but if I were to get in a head-on car crash, or stroke out, or develop some debilitating disease, My wife, my parents, the US legal system, and now you know that nobody should take drastic measures on me.  Yep, DNR me baby.  Most of my family is the same way – don’t keep us alive just because you can.  It’s about quality of life, not quantity.

But when it comes to the grass in my backyard, this is another story.  I’m doing everything possible to keep the green from turning brown.  Earlier, when we bought our house, some nice men came over in a Chevy pickup, tore up the back and put down fresh Bermuda Grass Sod.  But that was 9 weeks ago and now the Austin summer is taking it’s toll.

According to the newspaper we have had 59 straight days of 100°+ weather.  The levels in the lake are currently the 3rd lowest on record.  Even with the giant Oak and Ash (they are brother and sister trees) providing afternoon shade in the backyard I struggle to keep the disappearing green patches from vanishing altogether.

I keep the lawn mowed short, as is recommended.  I water deeply as everyone tells me to, and I even syringe the turf every night (syringing your grass is lightly spraying it down by hand to cool it  - this is not considered a watering by anyone who knows anything about lawns).

As if the heat weren’t enough, the City of Austin is imposing level 2 water restrictions because we might be  in some kind of draught.  This means that restaurants can’t serve water unless you ask for it.  You can’t hose down your driveway unless it’s to clean some biohazard off the cement, and homeowners can only water once a week.

C’mon now guys, you are tying my hands here!  How am I supposed to pursue drastic life support measures when you only give me one defibrillator paddle?  I spent hours leveling, adding amendments, and selecting the perfect turf for  my zone.   I dreamed of a putting green outside my deck.  Now what I’ve got is a decaying, brown carpet with mange.   I’d do a rain dance, but am afraid that my footsteps will do irreparable damage.

Yesterday morning, I was pulling a few weeds in my garden, and looked over to see a cicada sitting on my basil. I guess they like pesto, too.

These are medium sized bugs that make a lot of noise at night – a sort of buzzing. They are not crickets, nor are they locust. And they are not harmful at all to humans.

Molting Cicadas leave behind a brown shell (exoskeleton) that is ripped in half right down the back. This is how they bust out of their old shell and grow larger. I’ve found them all over the side of my house, and when I do, I just brush them off – no big deal.

If you look carefully at the side of these noisy bugs, you can see the timbals – they are the silvery, grey, things under the wings. This is what makes all the noise.

Only a few weeks after beginning my garden I’m able to reap the benefits. Last night I was hungry for a fresh, light dinner, and there wasn’t much in the fridge.  Too tired to even call for takeout, I decided to see what was on hand in my pantry – I had the usual stuff – a box of linguine, some olive oil, half a head of garlic – no butter, the veggie drawer was empty, and I wasn’t hungry for a bowl of cereal.

I dug around the cheese drawer in the fridge and came up with a stump of Parmigiano Reggiano, and found some pine nuts in a bag at the back of the freezer.  Once I saw the nuts, I knew I had dinner.

Start to finish it took 17 minutes to make one of the freshest dinnersI’ve ever had in my new house.  17 Minutes is the amount of time it takes to boil the water and cook 1 pound of pasta – by the way.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh basil – washed and loosely measured

1-2 cloves garlic – peeled

1/4 c Olive Oil (EVOO)

1-2 handfuls pinenuts (untoasted)

parmesan to taste

1 box of pasta

salt

Put a big pot of water on to boil – do this first, because it takes the longest to boil the water for the pasta.  Add a big pinch of salt so the water tastes like the sea for extra flavor.

I headed out to my garden and grabbed a bunch of leaves of basil right off the plants.  I planted 6 and all survived this texas heat (in fact they are doing quite well), so I took a bit of of each one.  No scissors, or shears, I just plucked off the leaves with my fingers.  When I got back inside, I used my OXO Salad Spinner to clean all the dirt off the leaves.

In a blender or food processor (or mortise and pestle)  grind up the garlic until it’s small bits – but not liquified.  Then add the pine nuts and pulse chop until they are small bits, too (but not dust).  Add in the Basil (be sure you wash it in lots of cold water), and process until you get a beautiful fresh green color.  don’t over do it.

Then add some olive oil until the pesto mixture becomes just loose enough to slide off a spoon.  If you add Too much EVOO  you can add more pine nuts and basil.

Open the lid of the blender and take a big sniff.  Smell that fresh basil and garlic. Yum!  Take the pesto out of the blender, and put into a bowl.  Mix in some freshly grated parmesan – I like to add a bit more to the pesto instead of sprinkling it on top of the pasta.

Now your pot of water should be boiling, so add in the pasta and cook until it sticks to  the wall when you toss it.  Someday I’ll describe my pasta testing method in more detail – I have a special pasta wall that I throw strands against just to see if they stick, but I digress.  This is a pesto class.

Drain the noodles, and then toss with the pesto mixture you just made.

Don’t eat it so fast that you choke.  Be sure to chew a little.