@ N29°47.614'  W095°24.076'

1.26.03: This new site is a repository for all my gardening purchases, activities and observances. It is meant to help me remember when things are supposed to bloom, which things are frost-prone, and what I've planted. And where!

The title refers to the location of my yard.

February 23, 2003:. 75°, sunny

Finally, a beautiful weekend. Illness threatened to ruin it, but I was defiant, so by today I was able to finally make my new herb bed (with Ed's help). We started small, but will need to expand when basil season starts. New blooms continue to show in the yard, including blue pincushion flower, freesia, grape hyacinth and paperwhites I planted last year. Another daffodil is close to blooming, and my pink jasmine, which has been teasing for weeks, can't hold out much longer. It has so many flowerbuds that keep getting bigger but refuse to open. When they do, it will be beautiful. I bought this two years ago for Valentine's day at Smith & Hawken, and it skipped blooming last year so I'm really looking forward to it. Also starting it's annual show is the Loropetalum chinense, or Chinese fringe bush. This is a purple-leaved evergreen (ever"purple") foundation shrub that John put in and I want to hate, but it has spectacular blooms this time of year so I can't. It's like a pink forsythia.

February 19, 2003:. 63°, rainy

Not many updates of the garden site, which means not many updates to the garden, unfortunately. We were away for the long weekend, and have also had many rainy weekends. A few new things blooming on the right, but that's it. My plan for the weekend, if the weather cooperates, is to make a new herb garden in the front yard. I've already bought the herbs.

One nice thing that came up is a fairy primrose that I planted the first fall we were here and hadn't seen since. It's blooming beautifully now, and as I recall it continues to bloom a long time.

January 26, 2003 :. 45°, rainy

I would like to get out and repot some things, but it's just miserable out there. Our florist for the home tour used lots of curly willow, much of which sprouted roots and leaves. I stuck some of it in a pot, and it's doing well so far. Eventually I'll plant it in the alley to drink up some of water that sits back there much of the time.

I went to Buchanan's to see if I could find my salvia, but they had most of their plants covered with frost cloth. I bought some herbs. Not sure what I'll do with them - either plant them in a container or make a new herb bed in the front (the one in the backyard is starting to get shaded by the arbor and the senna tree). For now, they stay in their pots until it gets warmer!

January 25, 2003 :. 51°, rainy

It may have hit freezing last night -- I had some things covered, so nothing was damaged. It has gotten into the 20's at least twice this winter, maybe three times. The only thing that was damaged was my sage. It will be fine, though. Although part of it died back, the rest is still blooming. It is one of my favorite plants, but I can't remember which salvia it is. It has large burgundy flowers and looks like a shrub. I'll have to look for it in the local nurseries. I assume I bought it in one of them!

I have noticed bulbs coming up along the fence and in the beds every year since I moved here, but they never bloomed until this winter. It turns out some of them are paperwhites, presumably planted by the tenants of the previous house. Probably not the last tenants, though, so they're probably very old bulbs.

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