Geranium Blog

Micro Farm Update 1

The plants of the Micro Farm are getting larger. There have been a few ripe tomatoes, but somebody - either a mother grackle or a nibbling chihuahua - has been getting to them before me! Nice of my to lay out such a lovely buffet. I better start picking them sooner.

Micro Farm

The micro farm is a 14" square pot with 3 miniature tomato plants called Micro Tom and 2 Medusa pepper plants. I will update you weekly with photos of the farm's progress. These two varieties are considered ornamentals or novelties, but I will be taste-testing Micro Tom. I can already report that Medusa peppers are sweet and crunchy. They look great in stir fry or salads, too.

Treehouses!

Yes, I'd like one of these. Who would have thought there were structural engineers who specialize in building treehouses?

A Visit To Canna Land

Blooming in Canna Land (in order of appearance): Red Dazzler, Omega, Coral Endeavour, Futurity Rose, Aztec, Cardinal Sinn, Richard Wallace, Dawn Pink, Taj Mahal (bud), and Edna Tulip. Be sure to visit Canna Land for more canna pictures.

Geranium Blog Set For Wild Gardening Frenzy

I'm completely manic with new geranium projects this spring:

• Set up fluorescent light for rooting and seed growing
• Super tough scented geraniums - I'm developing a list of scented geraniums that gardeners in desert cities can count on. Stay tuned for these sizzling recommendations.
• My little online store is now operational. Drop by Sunshine Hill Gardens for scented geranium seeds and cuttings. I've got canna rhizomes, too!
• Scented geranium leaf gallery - 'nuff said.
• In the name of better organization, some of the articles on Scented Geraniums will be moving to the Geranium Blog over the next few days.
• And how about an update on Gracie the Grackle?
• Plus more, more, MORE preying mantids, deformed vegetables, desert tortoise antics, new scented geraniums and lovely pictures.

75 Gnomes

Bizarre Mystery Pods Turn Out To Be...

Last week my husband found two strange hollowish green pods in the rose garden. We could not imagine what they were or where they came from. This afternoon we were sitting on the patio, looked up and saw them hanging from the creeping fig on the wall. HA! We've been growing this vine for about ten years. It's never made fruit before, nor did anyone notice it flowering.

Austin Wildlife

An army of armadillos

A ghostly army of stampeding armadillos decorates the outside of Threadgill's on Barton Springs Road in Austin, TX. This restaurant stands very, very near the location of the well-loved and long-gone Armadillo World Headquarters.

We are still on vacation in Texas. We took the kids to Schlitterbahn, a water park, in New Braunfels. Then we went to Austin to visit family and touch base with our redneck hippy roots.

Scary bug

Aren't you glad your garden isn't infested with these? This bug resides outside Threadgill's as well. It used to be a sign for an Austin exterminator company and was frequently "kidnapped".

Have you ever seen so many pink flamingos?

This flock was sighted at Hwy. 360 and Bee Cave Rd. I think if it weren't for the flamingos, nobody would ever notice the nursery on the corner.