Red Tip Photinias Two red-tips along the fence before they died. Also, a feathery bamboo muhley, which I moved later, and a very young abelia hanging over the path One of the first things I planted along the fence soon after I bought the house (pre-prayer garden) were several Red-Tip Photinias. I chose them because my sister had them as a tall and beautiful privacy hedge between her and the neighbors; but they are prone to a fungal disease and not recommended, which I didn't

Some illusions had to die After the basic hardscape elements were completed, and water and electric were in, I began planting in earnest, but I had a lot to learn. I have hundreds of plant tags and can't even estimate how many of those plants were unsuccessful. At the beginning, I had an unrealistic picture of what I wanted my garden to look like, and some illusions had to die: that it would happen fast, that plants would stay where I put them, that they would thrive if I pro

In February of 2021, a record-breaking winter storm brought 5 days of below freezing weather to Texas. I had never experienced anything like it before. I did my best to cover or bring in what I could. For everything else, it was a test of hardiness. Just a few months before, I had planted a Little Gem Magnolia, two Loquats, and two Pineapple Guavas. I was hopeful, but the new plantings hadn’t had much time to establish. When the winter siege ended, I uncovered my beloved plan

June 2021 The cool wet weather we had through May has been a gardener’s dream—green lushness and flowers all around are marvelous. But enough is enough. It’s time for some sunshine, because plants, and people, need that too. I won’t plant anything else until next Fall because summer heat is brutal on young plants. Then I’ll see how everything has filled in and decide where I can tuck in something else. And I already have a plant-in-waiting to tuck in somewhere that was an une

A Tale of Earliest Tree Planting in the Garden It was a blank slate: a bare back yard waiting for its destiny. Facing south, the full Texas sun moved across the big sky all day long. One fairly small Cedar Elm that might’ve shaded a squirrel or two and a half-dead Chinkapin Oak were the only trees. Then came the patio. The patio was a big slab of concrete that absorbed heat. The pergola with open slats didn’t help at all. I needed shade, and it couldn’t come fast enough. The