“The Appendage”

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Aw…come-on!

I noticed it from afar, “wait, is that a ?”

“Why is it protruding out the side like that?”

“Thats not normal.”

I subconsciously tried to shield my kids from this sago’s rather confrontational appendage, bundling them quickly through the front door of Dave & Busters.

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Really?

The reflecting window made the scene even more obscene. Upon leaving the establishment I made sure to comically obscure part of the strobilus with a white napkin.

Forrest-gump-originalThat’s all I have to say about that.

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Cold temperatures and even colder rain have taken care of the usual frost-prone victims,

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I knew purple heart was about to go. I used to cut all the mush back but found the faster way is to just snap it and pull from the base, slopping the frost-bitten blood and guts into Home Depot buckets for composting.

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A messy job, but much faster.

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Canna lily wasn’t far behind, along with

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some now ominous Hoja Santa Ring-wraiths.

In the darkness there was some light,

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a solitary cone flower refuses to give in to winter,

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and if there was sunlight, rest assured he was basking in it.

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Fatsia Japonica catching some sun.

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One of the best firework displays I have ever seen them produce.

Finally:

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Ghost plant,

Graptopetalum paraguayense

 

taking shelter from the cold winds under a ‘Hardy Red’ Oleander. Although they look and feel delicate, these ghosts can handle very cold weather, drought and a significant amount of shade apparently.

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Stay Tuned For:

“Nosy Parker”

 

All material © 2015 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

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Meet the Author

A Central Texas Garden Blog. Zone: 8b. Welcome to the East Side Patch. This site tracks the inhabitants of a house and garden on the east side of Austin. All material © 2021 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant) 14th century planet Earth techniques.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • TexasDeb Jan 25, 2015, 9:02 am

    A grateful public thanks you for taking care of that “strobilus” issue. D&B is supposed to be a family establishment, someone ought to have a word with whoever wrangles their plants. For the children!!!

    The photos of the fatsia japonica are especially stunning, but my favorite this go-round has to be the ghost plant, putting on its tonal show under cover of the oleander. Like one of those children who waits until they are sure they can perform and then begins to speak in whole paragraphs. Quietly spectacular!

  • ESP Feb 3, 2015, 8:14 am

    Someone had to TD, although I think the napkin made it look worse…so funny.

    The fatsia have put on a tremendous (and extremely long) flower show this winter.

    Thanks on the ghost plant pic, this little guy is totally left to fend on its own, it ebbs and flows depending on the time of year and the weather (I never water it).
    Tough plants these ghosts.

  • Desert Dweller / David C. Feb 4, 2015, 9:45 pm

    I have to try that Ghost Plant for my containers…this would work so well. It’s like zone 9b on my patio…