Ye Olde Garden

July heat

6/29/2006 Late June Hot Lips salviaFourth of July came and went without much incident. Most of my firebug-happy neighbors refrained from setting off fireworks during the dangerous drought conditions. Because of water restrictions ramped up to severe, the myrtles are showing leaf-tip burn this week. Most of their flowers have wilted, leaving them looking rather ghastly. The Peppermint Lace is looking the worst of all, since its flowers have turned the shrub into a brown ball of ugliness.

One Canna lily decided to grace our front yard with its first blazing orange bloom, which I failed to capture in a photo. The two Cannas that we planted in the front yard transformed into a colony of plants. So far only one of the main plants has sprouted a bloom stalk. I eagerly await the second bloom to see what color it might be.

6/29/2006 Late June purple salvia greggiiIn the side yard, the first Reinesse dwarf lily displayed two open blooms this morning. The Hot Lips Salvia planted nearby is brightly adorned with crimson and white flowers. Purple salvias seem to be blooming strongly as well. I’ve also decided to let the poor Natchez in the side yard sucker out. Two of its three trunks have failed to sustain any green, which may mean that they will get hacked off this fall, or the whole tree may need to be moved.

Evidence of yellowing and browning is rampant in the lily beds. The first few plants have already browned completely, waiting to be cut down. I’m wondering if I’ll be moving the bulbs or just wait until they all die back and dig up the bulbs in the fall. Probably fall….

Ye Olde Garden

Front yard fireworks

06/29/06 Peppermint Lace Crape MyrtleYou know it’s summer when the myrtles are blooming. While the rest of Dallas/Fort Worth is enjoying the colorful blooms adorning highways, business fronts and neighborhood parks, our myrtles seem to have gotten a slow start and are just now beginning to flower. Our front yard is home to 7 crape myrtles: 1 Natchez crape tree, 1 Acoma weeping crape myrtle, 4 Petite Snow crape myrtles, and 1 Peppermint Lace crape myrtle, pictured on the left. All of them are loaded down with buds, bursting at the seams and ready to put on a vibrant show.

Technical

Not sending registration email

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I’m investigating an issue with this WP install not sending the registration emails for new users. It’s not an issue I encountered with the other sites since this is the only blog that permits open registration. I toyed with setting up an SMTP server on the local box, but it may be something as simple as turning on a function in the php.ini. I’m still doing the research based on the WP forums. Expect to see multiple reboots during the day, which means the occasional site outage.

Ye Olde Garden

“My lawn is going to kick your yard’s grass…”

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6/21/06 Front YardThat’s the challenge posed by two amateur lawn-keepers hoping to win bragging rights to the best-looking lawn by the end of June. The gauntlet was thrown down between Dear Hubby and his friend a few months ago, and now the end of the contest is in sight. Only a week to go before judging and a winner is named. Will it be fondue night or a lobster dinner to mark the victory feast? (Personally, I’m salivating in anticipation of the crustaceous dinner at Steve Field’s.) Both competitors have already proclaimed themselves the victor ahead of the final judging, but only time and weather will decide whose green reigns supreme.

Did I mention that Wylie is now enforcing stage 3 water restrictions? That means watering only once a week. Somebody I know (DH) was slapped with a warning after he was found violating the ordinance, watering his lawn at 1:23am on a Wednesday morning–after I specifically told him the cutoff at midnight. Oh well, when we win this contest, all will be forgiven. 😀

Ye Olde Garden

Welcome to Summer 2006

6/19/2006 Red Autumn SageThis is the first official day of summer, and surprisingly, it’s 90 degrees cool. Possible rain in the forecast this week, but for now, I am enjoying the nice breeze outside and the clouds scudding across the sky.

6/19/2006 White Autumn SageTexas summers aren’t like other summers. Summer-blooming lilies don’t behave true in the brutal Texas climate. All of my beds have long shed their colorful blooms and have settled into a green state, storing food for the coming winter. However, a few of my late-purchased bulbs, notably the dwarf lilies, are bravely putting out buds.

Yesterday, I took a pruning shear and started lopping the dead twigs off the Hot Lips salvia and pinched off spent blooms on the Red salvia greggii. The Red salvias still look spectacular, aflame in red buds. The two Hot Lips that received extra pruning are trying to make a comeback, despite looking yellowish. I noticed a scattering solid red and white blooms on them earlier today. The purple greggiis have settled into quiescence, while one of the new San Antonio greggiis flowers profusely. Dad’s white salvias still haven’t been planted, but they are merrily blooming in their pots.

On my nightstand reading list…The New Book of Salvias: Sages for Every Garden by Betsy Clebsch.