Ye Olde Garden

Caladiums denied

Due to extreme weather, Brent and Becky’s Florida supplier of caladiums has determined not to ship any of the Blushing Bride plants that I order. Dismayed as I am to hear this, it just means going back to the online catalog to decide on new plants to grow. I’ve settled on a Snowdrift Astilbe and 3 bulbs of the Picasso calla lily. I only hope this won’t further delay my receipt of these plants. With the warm weather we’ve been having lately, it takes a lot of willpower not to skip work and putter around in the garden all day.

On the other hand, I’m excited to report that my Japanese maple has begun leafing out.

Ye Olde Garden

Yay Lilies

I couldn’t resist. I plan to try my hand at shade planting Asiatic lilies. I shopped online at Brent and Becky’s and picked up 5 each of the following: Navona, Lollypop and Red Alert. I also picked up a 5 pack of the strap-leaf caladium Blushing Bride, which will be added to the front fence bed. I may even reserve one or two bulbs for potting. I could have gone overboard and bought more caladiums, a white strap-leafed variety to be preferred, but I’m not sure where else to put them in the landscape. A new internet source, Classic Caladiums, might persuade me to pick up some White Ruffles.

Ye Olde Garden

Hosta and Kalmia

Daunted by the Musser Farm disappointment, back to Forestfarm I went. As much as I desired that lovely Kalmia latifolia Olympic Fire, I instead opted for the Minuet Mountain Laurel, which I hope will thrive in the full shade garden next to the front door. Here’s to hoping they supply us with a large healthy specimen. I also couldn’t resist picking up a Hosta Eternal Flame (at an irresistible tube price of $7.95), which so reminded me of the Fire & Ice that I purchased from Sooner Plant Farm about 2-3 years ago. I plan on locating it in the front fence bed, once it’s been weeded, amended and framed.

Dining, Reviews

Recap on forgotten dining adventures

Sushi Awaji

7835 N Macarthur Blvd
Irving, TX 75063
(972) 869-0663

Another all-you-can-eat Asian buffet opens in north Irving. Similar to Tokyo One and Osaka in concept, Sushi Awaji is comparable to Japan House in execution. There is a smattering of passable sushi and sashimi options on the cold bar, and on the hot bar, Korean and Japanese selections along with the predictable hot pot dinner. The staff is polite and quick on refills, though at times, some chafing dishes remained empty. When the check arrived, I suffered a little sticker shock–I just didn’t feel I got my money’s worth like I would have at Tokyo One or Osaka. What’s worse: Sushi Awaji resides in an old pharmacy building complete with sliding glass doorfront (extremely breezy during the winter) and easy-listening music blaring from the overhead speakers.

My rating: 2.5 stars
**1/2

Dat’s Good BBQ

1168 W. Main St
Lewisville, TX 75067
(972) 219-2244

I didn’t expect much from this hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint in Lewisville. But the fiance and I made the trek to see how Lewisville’s best ‘Que ranks against our favorite. We weren’t wow’ed but we were satisfied. Dat’s proprietors appreciated that we loved our brisket with a nice rind of fat. Their affection for barbecue extended to the juicy and flavorful ribs, which unfortunately was sold out by the time we got there. We opted for sausage and was pleased that it came from a different source. Chicken turned out dry–but not many can pull off a moist barbecue chicken in these parts. What made our trip to Dat’s memorable was the profusion of southern-style sides: cornbread, collard greens, yams, and okra to name a few. For a fine finish, sweet potato pie and bread pudding, along with the typical cobblers, completed their menu. For these menu options and the excellent customer service (the staff displayed great affection for their food and were very welcoming), I’m willing to endure their average barbecue for some great Southern comforts.

My rating: 3.5 stars
***1/2

Ye Olde Garden

Spring gardening part 1

With the weekend temperatures at a cool 70 degrees, the fiance and I tackled two flower beds, framing them with stone and bricks. We also dug out the weeds and put in compost plus top soil to make the beds receptive to future plantings. Finally, we decided to go with black mulch to better set apart the colorful violas that I finally got around to planting in the front beds. (I had bought another flat of blue violas from Strong’s Nursery that went on sale.) The orange, blues, and whites popped against the dark background. And not to mention, the mulch will be help stifle the weed infestation that overgrew the bare beds. My only regret is that the violas didn’t get more ground time during the last month.

In addition to the new violas, I also planted a bag of lily of the valley, purchased from Home Depot. While the packaging advertised 16 plants, I discovered 2 sprouting bundles in the bag (similar to daylily rhizomes), which I quickly put into the front flower bed. It is supposedly a shade-loving plant, and further research indicated that this plant may actually grow like a weed under optimum conditions.

Speaking of weeds, I went ahead and invested in a spreader, plus a bag of weed killer. Unfortunately the yards are overgrown with weeds, not having enough turf to prevent it. But with the sudden onset of rain this weekend, I haven’t had time to apply it.

I’ve convinced the fiance to try a kalmia latifolia in the corner bed by the door, instead of the originally planned azalea. I had already made an online purchase for the Olympic Fire variety, but soon learned that Musser Forests in Pennsylvania was prohibited in shipping to Texas. Interesting. I’m going to have to find a local source somewhere…

Last thing to report…my japanese maple Asahi Zuru is showing signs of life. Green buds have begun to emerge from their red shells. This is exciting news, given that last year, the maple hadn’t leafed out this early. It seems that sitting by the patio door getting some morning sun has encouraged it to sprout early. I’m contemplating replanting in a bigger pot to help it spread its roots some more.