Growing Green and Living It! » gardening

Semi Annual Sale on Music of the Spheres Wind Chimes

OB — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:57:17 +0000

Our Music of the Spheres Wind Chime sale starts today and lasts for the next two weeks – ending on September 18, 2011. This happens only twice a year! During these two weeks prices on all of our Texas made wind chimes are sale priced well below our everyday price. Take advantage of this sale and stock up on holiday gifts. Enjoy free Economy Saver shipping to any of the 48 contiguous states.

What are you harvesting this month?

OB — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:25:50 +0000

What are you harvesting this month?

Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers and Basil in Houston

Olive Trees for Sale in Houston

OB — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:11:22 +0000

Buchanan’s Native Plants in the Heights is stocking olive trees. Please call them for availability. 713-861-5702

Buchanan's Native Plants - Houston

Olive Tree Blossoms

Beneficial Insects in the Garden

OB — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:45:24 +0000

I found an casual garden insectary in my neighborhood. Read about it here.

Corn, Beans and Squash: Three Sisters Planting Update

OB — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:14:57 +0000

Here is an update on the Three Sisters Garden that Patti Moreno planted. According to Iroquois legend, the planting of corn, beans and squash together, also known as Three Sisters Planting, is a method of sustainable planting design to create an environment where the plants help to support each other. I found this helpful resource on three sisters planting at Renee’s Garden.

Neglected CATTLEYA in Bloom

OB — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:25:10 +0000

I found a neglected CATTLEYA (cat-LAY-a) in bloom in my garden this week. It was behind a large potted Meyer lemon tree on my driveway. Luckly it got filtered sunlight and splashes of water whenever I watered the lemon tree. To my surprise, I saw a glimpse of magenta out of the corner of my eye and there it was. I was hoping it would have been orange, but I am delighted just the same.

Fresh Cut Water Lilies and the Story of Lindsey Woods

OB — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:46:39 +0000

This is a beautiful waterlily named ‘Lindsey Woods’. There is a story behind this Water Lily. Rolf and Anita Nelson of Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery in Katy, Texas, chose to commemorate the life of one cancer victim by giving a tropical waterlily the 14 year old girl’s name: Lindsey Woods. Lindsey Woods died April 21, 1999 from cancer and the following year, Nelson’s introduced ‘Lindsey Woods,’ contributing $20 from the sale of every plant to the Texas Childrens Hospital.

You can read more about it here. I recommend you purchase the Lindsey Woods lily directly from Nelson Water Gardens to be sure that a portion of the sale goes to Texas Children’s Hospital. I did, and this lily has thrived in my neglected pond for two years. Today I’ll be transplanting it in a new spot.

My new Canon Rebel XSi camera rocks!

OB — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:37:19 +0000

I just purchased a new Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera after some extensive research. It came with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) and today I took some close-up pictures of flowers and plants in my garden. I am an novice at using an SLR camera, but these pictures came out really nice right out of the box using the MACRO setting. I decided to upgrade from my old Sony Cybershot camera (which I have been using for the past 5 years) because it is difficult to capture product photos for our website without a lot of Photoshop touch-ups. That can be very time consuming.

Coleus in my Down Under Pot

Hamelia patens (Firebush) which grew as a volunteer in the corner of my backyard up against the fence. I didn’t have the heart to pull it out when I first noticed it and now I am glad I didn’t. It is about 5 feet tall and the butterflies love it.

Need I say more. I love Orange and this Hibiscus is one of my favorites.

Now, I really want to add the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras which after reading the reviews I can only image how stunning my botanical close-ups will be. It is pricey and with the photos above right out of the box, I may wait a bit…. but the reviews on this lens are alluring if you enjoy close-ups in the garden. Other accessories I just bought are:
Canon LP-E5 Battery Pack
The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion
Canon ACK-E5 AC Adapter Kit

Brenda Beust Smith, the Lazy Gardener column

OB — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:50:19 +0000

We’ve been a fan of Brenda Beust Smith and the Lazy Gardener column for years. If you are looking for the Houston Chronicle’s Lazy Gardener column, you can now find it online at http://blogs.chron.com/lazygardener.

“THE LAZY GARDENER’S GUIDE ON CD” — a gardening book on CD offers gardening tips plus 12 pre-designed gardens for butterflies, hummers, sun, shade and more. Monthly what-to-do reminders for Greater Houston/Gulf Coast gardens. $20 each. Make checks payable to Brenda B. Smith & mail to: Lazy Gardener’s Guide on CD, 14011 Greenranch, Houston, TX 77039-2103.

Crape Murder Season Begins

OB — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:56:09 +0000

Every year we see this horrifying site around Houston. It’s CRAPE MURDER. The crime is sawing off the limbs of crape myrtles. This method of pruning creates weak wooded new growth, and I believe a playground for aphids once that new growth sprouts on the stubs.

Kathy Huber has some helpful tips on HoustonGrows about how to prune crape myrtles. Shown below is a beautiful crape myrtle in my neighborhood. The owner has let this crape grow into a stunning tree. I’ll be sure to post a photo this summer when it is in bloom. I believe it is pink.