The freeze-damaged aloes (Aloe maculata) may have lost most of their fleshy arms, but check this out: they’re sending up flower spikes for spring anyway. Go, aloes, go!
Here’s another one with just a couple “limbs,” but look at the size of that flower spike. These plants are so freeze-maimed that I ought to replace them with pups I saved in the garage. But I just don’t have the heart. They’re trying so hard.
We had a new fence built along the east-side property line last week. The old fence lasted about 14 years, but it was leaning and rotting. We followed the trend and went with a horizontal-board fence this time.
Update: Everyone is asking about the stacked paver pedestal. The spacers are 12″ square concrete pavers, stacked between 18″ square pavers. Make sure you put in a solid foundation for it, like several inches of tamped paver base or decomposed granite, so it doesn’t tilt over time.
The stock tank is fully planted up with Ursula the variegated whale’s tongue agave (recovering from the December deep freeze and then being wrenched out of its rootbound pot), plus lots of oxblood lily bulbs and a few rain lilies, a soon-to-be unifying field of silver ponyfoot…
…and a dash of color from native four-nerve daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa) and winecup (Callirhoe involucrata).
The stock tank gets significantly more sun since the ice storm took out a bunch of big limbs on the live oaks. It’s easy to be OK with that now, when temps are mild(ish). More sun, more flowers after all. I hope I feel the same way this summer.
I love this time of year in the garden. All the promise of spring is in the air, even as reminders of last season still hang on a little longer. Here’s to new beginnings, which is what the garden is always about.
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Digging Deeper
Make plans to attend the Budding Out Plant Sale & Festival on March 18 at the John Fairey Garden in Hempstead, TX. Rare and distinctive plants will be offered, as well as art, ceramics, jewelry, food, drink, music, and other entertainment for the whole family. Members have early access and get in free. Non-member admission is $5. Children 12 and under are free.
Experience the Surreal Garden at Zilker Botanical Garden, an enchanting neon-art display throughout the gardens, with food and drink, music and dancing, surreal performers, and interactive art sculptures. Surreal costumes encouraged! 25% of event proceeds benefit the Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy. Runs April 6 (VIP Night), April 7-8, and April 13-15, from 6:30 pm to 11 pm.
Come learn about garden design from the experts at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance. Simply click this link and ask to be added. You can find this year’s speaker lineup here.
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