“Test of Courage”

ESPatch Apr 28, 2013 8 comments

It seems to have been a long spring this year and we have been making the most of it spending as much time outdoors as possible before the tigers

ruin it all, and they will.

Especially with our recent downpours and now greenhouse-like conditions.

Taking advantage of these final relatively bite-free days, we have once again been busy breaking open geodes, as you do, snort.

We got lucky with this one.

This is “Natures Treasures” in Austin, they have a large selection of rocks, crystals and minerals…a color and texture for every plant, planter and container.

It is one of their favorite places to shop, I cannot believe we all have punch cards.

Armed with buckets they run around gathering different colored raw rocks that will be later smacked with a hammer and tumbled.

On our return trip home I spotted this century plant,

these are beginning to bloom all over Austin right now. Someone had recently hacked off this ones lower limbs in preparation for its imminent demise and subsequent nasty stinky rotten messyness.

You’re okay Kumo.

On a smaller scale this Yucca Recurvifolia

is putting out the first flower spike of the year, offering protection for this lacewing:

Moving Along:

I have a couple of these Star Jasmine ‘Star of Toscane’ scrambling up a 10ft high section of my bull-wire fence. It is evergreen, richly fragrant and hardy.

But the best thing about this plant…

…is how it looks against our house and trim color. The dark green leaves punch out the gold tones of the flowers.

I expect this fence to be completely covered next year.

Staying with vines for a moment, this is another great plant when you can find it,

Orchid Vine or

Bauhinia corymbosa

Fatsia Japonica gets very happy with some additional moisture.

This

Pittosporum tobira

pruned up, looks like a miniature big tree.

I think I can say this bed is officially out of control:

As are these oxygenating pond plants,

I always have to thin these out after their initial spring fling.

Reaching into the uncharted murky depths of my pond is not for the feint-hearted, oh no,

paul-has-his-hand-in-the-box-and-believes-his-hand-is-melting1

it is a test of courage.

I am just happy that it was my daughter’s hand that came up with this bloodworm stuck on the side of it.

Brrr.

On that note,

Stay Tuned for:

“Brains”…Case Closed!

All material © 2013 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

“Picking on the Paddles”

ESPatch Apr 20, 2013 4 comments

Looking like Medieval instruments of torture the hooks on these

Opuntia ellisiana

paddles (spineless prickly pear) have been keeping someone very busy this week.

First comes the paddle selection…

…there is no shortage to choose from,

then the picking,

and removal of ‘select’ hooks.

“The beauty of suffering.”

Like little voodoo dolls I keep finding them all around the house, dangling where ever there is a free nail.

https://www.eastsidepatch.com/2009/08/pressing-along/

They are like Cactus Man’s…

Moving Less Disturbingly Along:

Plants are very happy after our rain and sun.

My post oak has finally leafed out and stopped raining its catkins everywhere.

Inland sea oats are quick on the rise, and one of my favorite tropical-looking shrubs,

Nerium oleander,

‘Hardy Red’ is putting on a, well…red show on the edge of my Hell-strip.

‘Hardy Red’ tolerates temperature extremes better than the white and pink cultivars, it blooms sporadically through most of the year.

Prefers sharp soil and good drainage,

as do most things in the Patch, like this

back-lit sotol, and these barrels:

I contemplated picking off last year’s old blooms, then decided better of it. I will wait until I have my pliers, besides there is that stubborn piece of Bermuda grass that I always have to work on, (bottom-right) but I do not want to talk about that.

herbert lom dreyfus

With the discovery of the first tadpoles of the year, the netting began.

Not so little fingers went fast to work,

their catch and release policy even included a few baby goldfish which is a good thing considering recent events.

Finally:

My landscape design portfolio finally outgrew the page that it once inhabited in here, so for the past few weeks I have been busy learning Thesis 2 and building a new home for it in here:

http://www.leveridgelandscapedesign.com/

Stay Tuned for:

“Test of Courage”

All material © 2013 for eastsidepatch. Unauthorized
intergalactic reproduction strictly prohibited, and
punishable by late (and extremely unpleasant)
14th century planet Earth techniques.

Feel better soon Dad!