A Broad View Reveals Micro-Climates

Here in zone 8 Austin, Texas it takes winter a while to arrive.   And it's not long before spring is hard on it's heels.

So in an effort to live more intentionally, I ventured out after our 2.7" of blessed cold rainfall and took a look-see.  It's a lot easier to really look hard at your surroundings when you're not so worried about stepping on a rattlesnake.

The soft, subdued winter hues were relaxing and it was so quiet ... no ac units humming, no noisy lawn equipment; just the trickle of water, bird song and the gentle breeze.

Taking my time I took note of how different everything looks after a winter's soaking rain.

I love the skeletal forms of the flame leaf sumac amongst the heavily textured grasses.  I even like the contrasting dark green background of juniper although its pollen makes me constantly clear my throat (which is mild compared to others who suffer 'cedar fever').   I love the evergreen quality that is Austin with its numerous Live Oak trees and junipers.

Coming back into the garden it was easy to see it.  Really see it.  While we've had several freezes, micro-climates throughout the garden have left pockets of tender plants to stand until the ultimate freeze comes along.

My garden is in this strange, wondrous state of in-between.  

Tender variegated flax lily (foreground),  dwarf palmetto (middle), nearly dormant Turk's cap (rear middle)

With the Turk's cap nearly dormant the flax lily is really stealing the show.  Although the lily is tender, it has escaped damage so far.  When frozen in the past, it has come back from the roots.

The palmetto is new, added last spring, and will eventually grow into the space serving as a nice textural, evergreen shrub visually softening the wood fence.  It isn't a dense shrub so the other plants will be able to grow amongst its foliage.  As it grows larger, the Turk's cap may need to be relocated but as the palmetto is a slow grower, they are fine for now. 

The shady garage bed; rear from left to right : Japanese yew, forsythia sage, cast iron, philodendron, variegated ginger, Japanese aralia, Japanese yew.  Middle from left to right:  pineapple sage (view obstructed), flax lily (struggling), yellow columbine, variegated ginger, Japanese maple, heartleaf skullcap, cast iron, sparkler sedge, oakleaf hydrangea, river fern, mondo grass.  Front left to right: yellow columbine.

Seeing this bed in partial dormancy is really unusual and it struck me the other day how pretty it is like this.  Still lush with lots of nice texture and color.  Typically the pineapple sage, philodendron and ginger would be dormant as are the forsythia sage, oakleaf hydrangea, Japanese maple and river fern.

The pineapple sage continues to draw in winter bees and butterflies on warm, sunny days.  

Tighter view of the heartleaf skullcap (just beginning to revive for it's spring show), Japanese aralia (behind the stump), sparkler sedge (right) and oakleaf hydrangea (lower right).

Cast iron (left), Japanese aralia (rear right) and sparkler sedge (lower right).  I love how the variegated foliage is brightening up this shady spot. 

The face of the coffee root sculpture watches over this part of the garden with a sage expression.  She stands out nicely against the brick wall and is more salient with the leaves of the maple (left) now scattered at her feet. 

Across the garden, the beautiful, silver bark of the native Texas persimmon grows amongst river fern (foreground of fountain), variegated ginger (behind the gate), star jasmine (trellis left) and Martha Gonzales rose.   Salvia mexicana stands tall at the back of the photo.  All the tender plants show a bit of damage but not enough to distract from the lush verdant display of the plantings.

Micro-climates are making a huge difference in my garden this winter.  It's the perfect marriage of a semi-dormant garden and no mosquitoes!  We've been finding a little bit of time here and there to relax out here and enjoy the unique view these micro-climates have offered.

What's growing in the micro-climates around your garden?

That Weird Feeling of Being Watched...

Had that awkward feeling of being watched this morning while watering the pots on the patio...turned around and looked down and there he was!  I believe it's a ribbon snake.  Docile and makes meals of slugs, insects, and small mice.  He can stay ♥

Do You Garden in Your PJs? Please Say You Do.

My mornings go something like this:  roll out of bed, brush my teeth, say hello to my hubby, head outside to water the pots, get eaten alive by mosquitoes.  Repeat. 

I've taken to wearing long pajama bottoms to protect me from the mosquitoes and I wondered how I must appear to neighbors who occasionally catch a glimpse as they walk by on the trail...Camera in hand, clad in pjs and barefoot stalking a photo op.

Then I got to wondering how many of you garden (light gardening, of course) in pjs and barefoot.   The grass feels so good under foot.  Especially this year.  The grass is still green (not that you can tell from the black and white photo; sorry, please indulge me as I play).   Not that fried, crispy, dead grass of last summer. 

Then being the cautious type that I am, I started wondering about the risk of gardening in pjs and barefoot.   If you're a regular reader you might remember these two posts from last year.  The coral snake encounter and rattle snake encounter should and do have me more aware of where I put my hands and feet. 

Today I quickly scanned an article that touched on the practice of  earthing.  It said:  "Also “earthing,” which is when you touch your bare skin to the earth, which balances the electromagnetism in the body because you receive free electrons from the earth. Walking barefoot on the beach is a great way to do this, or yoga in the park without a mat."   Or barefoot through the garden.

Now I'm not so sure about the principle of balanced electromagnetism but I do know that a girl has to put her toes to the earth every now and then to feel the cool, soft comfort of green grass.  Just be mindful of where you step.