Plano Prairie Garden

Shoulder Deep in Prairie

2012-01-24T21:58:00.000-06:00

No, this is not a new prairie flower and I did not plant him there. This man was shoulder deep in my prairie because he was replacing a portion of the sewer line that connects my house to the main sewer line. I think he was admiring the four nerve daisies in this picture.

City contractors have been working around the neighborhood since September to upgrade the main sewer line and install new connections to the houses. I was not too concerned about the upgrades until I saw a backhoe digging a deep ditch 10 feet into a neighbor's yard one street over. I panicked a little because I have several plants in my yard that would not be as easy to replace as my neighbor's St. Augustine lawns.

The contractors kept the neighborhood updated on the progress of the upgrades with door flyers that included contact numbers, so I called the crew foreman, Bobby, to explain the uniqueness of my yard. I asked that if he could tell me where they needed to dig, I could remove the important plants from that area. He told me something to the effect of "I'll take care of you." Over the course of three months, I talked to the foreman at least three times. He said he had a couple of ideas, but he still never told me where they would need to dig. I remained apprehensive.

This morning there were workers on my street and I asked one if he could tell me where they needed to dig in my yard. He said his supervisor decided they would do most of the work under the public sidewalk and they would only need to dig a few feet into my yard. This was good news because there were not many plants growing in this area. So I moved mulch out of the way and dug out a few plants that I did not want damaged.

At the end of the day, I have minimal damage to plants and a sewer access port. The workers even replaced the mulch I moved. Thanks Dig Tec and Bobby. Note: This picture is a little blurry because I was juggling a camera and an umbrella. Yes, it was raining!

So the moral of this story is that if you are polite and ask for consideration of your landscape, you might actually get some.

Prairie Inspiration - The Results

2012-01-19T23:10:00.000-06:00

My last post covered written prairie inspiration. For this post, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from 2011...the results of my prairie inspiration.

Notice there are no photos from mid-June through mid-September. This was the time that summer heat and drought reigned and the prairie went to sleep. But, oh boy, did it wake up in late September after the heat wave broke and a little rain fell from the sky.

01-09-11

02-05-11

04-13-11

06-01-11

06-10-11

06-11-11

09-04-11

09-25-11

10-8-11

10-08-11

11-01-11

11-13-11

11-21-11

11-20-11

11-24-11

12-03-11. Cold temperatures gave the normally pure white Datura wrightii flowers a purple tinge. This is the most purple I have ever seen on these flowers.

I know most other garden bloggers posted their favorite 2011 photos at the first of the year. I am a little slow at this blogging thing. I have also spent many of my free daylight hours in the yard. This dry and warmish winter been great for working on projects (removing grass, digging trenches for drainage pipes, adding pathways) and moving plants so they have time grow some roots before summer.

2012 promises (threatens?) to be a drier year than 2011. Despite occasional rains, lake levels have remained low. So low that we are expecting to go into Stage 4 watering restrictions soon. This will mean no outside watering and a true test of the resiliency of my prairie plantings.

Prairie Inspiration

2012-01-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, I was in a used book store and flipped through The Prairie Garden: 70 Native Plants You Can Grow in Town or Country by J. Robert Smith and Beatrice S. Smith. The book was published in 1980 by the University of Wisconsin Press and covers planning, planting, maintaining a prairie garden on a large or small scale. Although the book is written from a northern prairie perspective, the principles can be adapted to Texas gardens. Additionally, several of the seventy prairie plants profiled in the book are also native to Texas.

The printed text by the Smiths is informative and makes this book worth reading for anyone considering a prairie garden, but it is the handwriting left by the unknown, previous owner of this particular book that make it special and inspiring.

From the title page to the blank pages at the end of the book, the previous owner filled this well read book with quotes and notes about prairies, meadows, and nature. This poem by Emily Dickinson is a fitting addition to the title page of the book. Here is a sampling some of the other embellishments the prior owner added to the book.

Summer Over All

Standing in the meadow with summer over all,

Buttercups and clovers, grasses growing tall.

Each is part of music, vibrant in the air.

Gentle upward motion; growth is constant there.

Standing in the meadow, white clouds overhead,

I am lifted upward in a silver thread;

Covering me in sunshine, checkered by the shade.

I look into heaven, thrilled and unafraid.

- Priscilla Sanders

The previous owner of the book obviously lived in Texas. These pages reference the names of people, such as Bob Burleson and R. C. and Mildred Mauldin, that were active in the promotion of native plants and restoration of prairies in Texas 30 years ago. Geoffrey (rather than Gregory) Stanford was a past president of Native Prairies Association of Texas. Sally Wasowski wrote several books on landscaping with native plants and I own several of them.

Disney's Oscar winning 1954 documentary The Vanishing Prairie can be streamed online. I remember enjoying this movie in elementary school. I watched it again recently. It was dated, but still somewhat entertaining.

There are also names of north Texas prairies on these pages. It appears that the Tridens Prairie in Paris is still around. The Penn Prairie in Cedar Hill appears to be part of the Cedar Hill State Park. The Heard Museum is still active in McKinney. I could not find any online references to the Lawrence and Marshall Prairies. Were they developed and paved over?

The prior owner of this book clearly had a passion for prairies and grasses. I can't help but wonder what this person did with their passion for the prairies. This page lists nine Ornamental Native Grasses for Landscaping. Another page, not shown, lists 39 prairie plants. I wonder if the writer ever planted any of these plants in their garden?

Based on the handwriting, my guess is that the writer was an older person and this book was sold after they died. I can't imagine that the prior owner would voluntarily part with this book after putting so much effort into research and documentation.

I'm a little prairie flower

Growin' wilder ev'ry hour

Nobody cares to cultivate me

'Cause I'm as wild as wild can be.

Most of the original prairies have been lost to farming, overgrazing, and development. Some estimate that less than 1% of the 20 million acres of Texas tallgrass prairies remain and only .004% of the Blackland Prairies remain.

We will never again see the vast open spaces of prairies that once covered this continent's midsection. Fortunately, there are private landowners and groups that are inspired to preserve or restore the remaining prairies. Additionally, more people are recognizing the value and beauty of prairie plants and are inspired to incorporate them into their landscapes as specimen plants or in dedicated prairie beds. Some of us extremists were inspired enough to remove our lawns and replace them with prairie plants.

A couple of side notes: While trying to identify people referenced in the book, I came across the site for The Texas Legacy Project. This site features many raw video interviews of people that made some sort of impact on the Texas environment. Most of the interviews I sampled were in two one hour parts. Included are interviews with Bob and Mickey Burleson (Burleson Prairie), David Bamberger (Selah Bamberger Ranch Preserve), and Bill Neiman (Native American Seed).

I also found out that J. Robert Smith, the author of the book, ran a nursery in his backyard called Prairie Nursery. When J. Robert Smith retired, he sold the operation to Neil Diboll who is known for his promotion of native plants in the landscape.

Finally, I hope I did not violate any copyrights. If I did, please let me know and I will make the appropriate citations or remove copyrighted material.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Possumhaw Holly, Ilex decidua

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012!

Fall Colors - It's a Wrap

2011-12-13T22:37:00.000-06:00

I suppose I should wrap up my posts on fall colors before winter begins on December 22. There is still some lingering color on the prairie, but these photos were taken before hard freezes turned most of the prairie brown.

Redbud, Cercis canadensis

Hercules Club, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis

False Indigo, Amorpha fruticosa

Smooth Sumac, Rhus glabra

(Not Quite) Spineless Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia ellisiana (?)

Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

Square bud Primrose, Calylophus berlandieri

Frostweed, Verbesina virginica

Columbine

Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida

Gregg's Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii

The End

2011-12-07T22:18:00.001-06:00

The growing season for 2011 has officially come to an end. Last week's freezing temperatures nipped the flowers in the bud, so to speak. There was even some light snow early Tuesday morning.

Black Sampson Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia, does not usually bloom this late in the year, but this one shot up a single flower a couple of weeks ago. On Wednesday morning the flower was touched with frost and frozen solid as temperatures dipped into the low 20s.

As frost covered the leaves of the Echinacea and browned the summer flowers, frost flowers began to "bloom" across the prairie.

When freezing moisture exudes from the stems of Scarlet Sage, Salvia coccinea, it forms thin ribbons of ice known as frost flowers.

The Scarlet Sage was still covered in red flowers a few days ago. Now those red flowers are being replaced with white frost flowers on this icy plant.

Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, is named for its ability to produce frost flowers. Frostweed does not produce frost flowers as easily as the Scarlet Sage. I think it is because the Frostweed stems are much thicker. It seems to require a longer period of freezing temperatures before the frost flowers break through the stems. On this cold morning, only this thin Frostweed stem could be found with frost flowers.

After this icy interlude, I will return to posting additional pictures of the fall colors on my prairie.

Fall Colors - Grasses

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

Fall or autumn colors are not always easy to find in Texas. Often, leaves quickly turn from green to brown with no shades of red, yellow, or orange in between.

Over the next couple of posts, I will share some of the colors of the fall season found in my prairie. This post will focus on the grasses. Subsequent posts will cover shrubs and trees and then flowers.

Internet references state that the 'Dallas Blues' variety of Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum, was discovered growing along a railroad track in Dallas, Texas. The leaves are a power blue color (hence, the name) in the spring and summer and wider than most other Switchgrasses. By late summer, the five foot tall grass is topped with reddish purple panicles (flowers). When fall comes around, the leaves are ablaze with shades of yellow and red.

It is hard to believe that I am considering removing this colorful grass from my prairie. I really like it, but Switchgrasses are fairly aggressive growers. They quickly form large dense clumps with deep roots. I removed five clumps this summer and that was no easy task. I am debating whether to remove the grass entirely. Although drought tolerant, 'Dallas Blues' Switchgrass requires a little extra water in the summer to look its best. This year's drought and my lack of watering caused the lower leaves to turn yellow and brown by midsummer.

The Pine Muhly, Muhlenbergia dubia, was a standout in the prairie this year, especially after it sent out many buff colored flower spikes. The thin leaves of the Pine Muhly are beginning to change to the same buff color as the flower spikes.

The drought severely affected the appearance of the Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans, this year. Normally the grass produces numerous flower heads that rise up to seven feet above the leaves, but this year there were just a couple of flower heads and they were only a few inches higher than the grass. Click here to see how this same grass looked last year.

Bushy Bluestem, Andropogon glomeratus, prefers moist soils and grows in the front yard rain garden. Of course, even a rain garden gets dry when it does not rain. The drought stunted the growth of this grass and some of the lower leaves turned brown early because the plants did not get enough moisture during the summer. There is a hint of the fall copper color common to Bluestem grasses that is beginning to show on the leaves.

This Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, is showing its fall color. I planted this grass earlier this year. This is my first time to grow Big Bluestem. Despite the drought, it took hold fairly quickly. I am looking forward to seeing more of this rich, coppery color next season.

Finally, another of my foggy Thanksgiving morning pictures showing Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, among the prairie flowers, yuccas and cactus. The copper color of the Little Bluestem was darker and more intense this morning due to the moisture in the air.

My prairie saw its first freeze of the season this past Monday morning when temperatures dropped to 31 degrees. We are expecting additional freezes in the upcoming week that will surely turn most of the plants brown. However, all of these grasses will maintain their autumn color and stature through the winter. In February, I will cut them to the ground to make way for a new season's growth.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:08:00.001-06:00

When I started the Plano Prairie Garden blog almost threeyears ago, it was intended to be an anonymous journal of the transformation ofmy front yard from a manicured lawn to a semi-controlled prairie garden filledwith prairie grasses and flowers. My plan was to produce this blog as evidencethat my prairie was an intentional endeavor and not just the result of lazinessin the event I was ever reported to city code enforcement officers forviolating the 12 inch height limit for grass and weeds. Thankfully, I have yetto receive a citation for any kind of violation.

I never thought anyone else would see this blog. I shouldhave known better since it is on the World Wide Web. It did not take longbefore other garden bloggers discovered this blog and linked to it from theirblogs. People began commenting and leaving words of encouragement. Last year,my anonymity was shattered when Curtis Ippolito published a story about myprairie garden in the Dallas Morning News. Last month, acclaimed gardenblogger, Pam Pennick, posted photos and a write up about my prairie on herblog, Digging.

So on this Thanksgiving Day, I want to give thanks to all that support my prairie garden/wildlife habitat adventure.Thanks to the anonymous viewers of this blog. Like you, there are many blogsthat I enjoy reading on a regular basis, but never leave a comment. Thanks to all the people that do leave a comment. Your words of encouragement mean somuch. Thanks to my fellow garden bloggers that link to this blog from theirown. That means as much to me as words of encouragement. I do plan toreciprocate by setting up a page on my blog with links to your blogs. Thanks to all the gardening friends I have made along the way.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

P.S. More photos of seasonal color coming soon...

P.S.S. For anyone that tried to view the original post this morning. The original post was scheduled for publishing at 7AM. When I got up and realized I had a nice foggy morning for taking pictures, I retracted the original post and added new photos. Then I started changing the text, then I had problems with Blogger, then blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. So here it is...finally.

The Stragglers

2011-11-21T22:28:00.001-06:00

I still have a number of straggler monarchs hanging out at my suburban prairie.

Since my prairie has escaped hard frosts, so far, the monarchs are enjoying the abundant nectar sources. Their favorites right now are the Gregg's Mistflower and the Mealycup Sage.

These three were kind enough to pose in front of my Monarch Waystation sign.

It is hard to know if new arrivals are coming in or if the same monarchs just refuse to leave. I imagine the migration was difficult this year due to the drought. There were fewer flowers along the way and it will not get any better between here and their winter grounds in Mexico. Maybe these guys think they are in paradise and have decided to end their journey here with a full belly.

I suppose this could pass as a butterfly's paradise. I must say that I am pretty happy with it myself.

What's Good About Mistletoe?

2011-11-11T22:36:00.001-06:00

What's good about mistletoe? If this parasitic plant infests your tree, like is happening to my neighbor's hackberry, it is probably hard to see any good.

But there is one good thing about mistletoe. It is the host plant (food source) for the caterpillars of the Great Purple Hairstreak butterfly.

These beautiful butterflies appear in my garden when the Frostweed and Fragrant Mistflower are in bloom. They are close to three times the size of a Gray Hairstreak butterfly and have an orange abdomen, red, white, and iridescent blue/purple markings. The insides of their wings are iridescent blue/purple. They keep their wings closed when they feed, but when they fly around my prairie, you can see the iridescent colors flash in the sunlight. Beauty sometimes comes from things you would least expect, like mistletoe and caterpillars.

Thanks to my neighbors for unknowingly providing a wildlife habitat for Great Purple Hairstreak caterpillars, but I hope the dying hackberry tree does not fall on your house.

To Every Thing There is a Season

2011-11-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

When I snapped these photos on Saturday morning, the temperature was in the upper 30s and there was a touch of frost on the roof.

The cooler weather seems to intensify the colors of the prairie flowers that are still blooming. Other flowers, like the Liatris, bloomed over the last month and now their colors are fading.

The cool, morning moisture deepens the now coppery colors of the Little Bluestem grass.

Autumn Sage, Mealycup Sage, and Four Nerve Daisy bloomed throughout most of the summer and they continue to bloom through the autumn months. But there are some plants that waited all season for their time to bloom. These are the last plants to bloom on my prairie before frost changes all the vibrant colors to brown.

The purple flowers of Aromatic Aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, (foreground) and the white flowers of Fragrant Mistflower, Eupatorium havanense, (background) started to appear a couple of weeks ago and now the plants are in full bloom. The flowers of both plants are popular with the bees once the sun warms the air.

Here is a closer look at the Fragrant Mistflower bush. The plant does not get much attention most of the year, but when fall comes around, it catches the eye with its profusion of white flowers and the nose with its strong scent that reminds me of dryer sheets.

Fragrant Mistflower intermingled with Scarlet Sage, Salvia coccinea.

A close up of the Aromatic Aster with Autumn Sage in the background.

Willowleaf Aster, Symphyotrichum praealtum, is covered in pink flowers. It grew from a single sprig to a four foot patch in just a couple of seasons. Its days may be numbered if it continues aggressively expand its footprint.

Here is a close up of the Willowleaf Aster flowers.

The large red flowers of Mountain Sage, Salvia regla, would be popular with hummingbirds if they were still in the area. Mountain Sage probably blooms at just the right time to feed migrating hummingbirds in its native range from the Chisos Mountains of west Texas and into Mexico. This is one salvia that prefers some afternoon shade. Mine gets full afternoon sun which causes the leaves to turn a little yellowish.

Mountain Sage, Beebrush and Mealycup Sage make a patriotic red, white and blue display. A rain and hail shower a week ago triggered another fragrant flush of flowers on the Beebrush.

The spiny Eringo flowers are still interesting as they fade from purple to brown. Since this is an annual, I take the seeds from the dried flowers and scatter them across the prairie for another season of flowers.

The chile pequins, Capsicum annuum, are covered in pea-sized peppers. The peppers are a treat for mockingbirds and are gobbled up whole once they turn red.

Winecup, Callirhoe involucrata, blooms in early summer and then most of the trailing stems die back in the heat of the summer. In the fall, a rosette forms and stays green throughout the winter. This plant produced a rare late season bloom.

The cooler temperatures and shorter daylight hours tricked the Redbud tree into blooming out of season.

As the seasons change, frost and freezing temperatures will eventually change the reds, yellows, blues, purples, and whites in my prairie to various shades of brown. All the while, new life is sprouting in the prairie. The fuzzy leaves of Bluebonnet seedlings bring hope of flowers in the spring. The heart-shaped leaves of Dichondra bring promise of many more seasons on my hands and knees plucking them from my prairies.

My Prairie - From Another Perspective

2011-10-21T18:48:00.000-05:00

Austin garden writer, blogger, photographer, and designer,Pam Penick made a brief visit to my prairie when she was in town this pastweekend to attend the great State Fair of Texas with her family.

Click the link to see Pam’s perspective of my prairie on herblog, DIGGING. Her photos are great! I need to learn how to take photos likethat. The only bad photo in the bunch is the last one of me. She is muchbetter at taking pictures of plants or maybe it is the subject matter in this particular photo. Of course, my bad haircut from the day before did not help matters and she was knocking on my door at 8:00 AM on Sunday!

Pam always has inspiring garden photos and stories onher blog. Until recently, she had a new post almost every day. She is not postingas often now because she is busy working on a book tentatively titled “LawnAlternatives”. Search for her Lawn Alternatives page on facebook for more informationand ideas. I can’t wait to read the book.

I enjoyed the visit, Pam. It was a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for the squid agave pups too. If posting a screen shot of your blog infringes on your copyrights, let me know and I will take it down.

Summer of 2011 Winners and Losers

2011-10-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

It was the best of times. (Front yard prairie 06-11-11 and the best spring flower display yet.)

It was the worst of times. (Front yard prairie 08-21-11. Actually, this is really not that bad considering the circumstances. It is still mostly green and there are some flowers!)

The times were more dismal in the backyard prairie. (09-21-11. Several plants turned brown and crispy or died.)

October 16-22, 2011 is Texas Native Plant Week. In recognition, I compiled a list of the Texas Native Plant Winners, Losers, and Participants in my prairie for the Summer of 2011.

This is a partial listing of some of the prominent plants in my prairie. These plants received supplemental watering no more than once every 7-10 days from mid-July through September. Outside of this period, the only watering came from the sky.

The Winners - These are the plants that took the heat and drought with stride and showed minimal, if any, signs of stress.

Aloysia gratissima – Beebrush -- Covered in blooms after rain or watering. Bee magnet.
Amorpha fruticosa – False Indigo -- A couple of small dead limbs.
Anisacanthus quadrifidus v. Wrightii – Flame Acanthus -- Reliable food for hummingbirds.
Asclepias viridis – Green Milkweed
Capsicum annuum – Chile Pequin
Chilopsis linearis – Desert Willow - One tree split. Cut to the ground. New sprouts are 8 ft tall.
Conoclinium greggii – Blue Mistflower - Delayed fall flowers due to drought.
Dalea greggii – Gregg Dalea
Dyschoriste linearis – Snake Herb -- Transplanted to the "hell strip" in June with ease.
Glandularia bipinnatifida – Prairie Verbena
Hesperaloe parviflora – Red Yucca
Ilex decidua – Possumhaw Holly
Liatris mucronata – Gayfeather -- Looked great all summer, even without flowers.
Muhlenbergia dubia – Pine Muhly
Nolina microcarpa - Bear Grass
Opuntia sp. – Spineless Prickly Pear -- Not sure of the exact variety.
Phyla nodiflora - Frogfruit -- Blooms all summer with a little water.
Polanisia dodecandra – Clammyweed -- Blooms all summer with no attention.
Salvia azurea – Pitcher Sage -- Bloomed in spring and late summer this year.
Salvia farinacea – Mealycup Sage -- Cut to the ground in July for regrowth in fall.
Salvia greggii – Autumn Sage -- A couple of plants in difficult locations died.
Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem -- A couple of plants may be dead. Plants are shorter this year.
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium – Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum praealtum – Willowleaf Aster
Tetraneuris scaposa – Four-nerve Daisy -- Blooms almost non-stop
Verbesina virginica – Frostweed -- A little shorter this year. Covered in flowers and butterflies now.
Yucca pallida - Pale-Leaf Yucca - Has several pups this year.
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis – Hercules’ Club -- Tough tree with glossy leaves and thorns.
Zanthoxylum hirsutum – Toothache Tree -- Same as Hercules' Club but more compact.
Wedelia texana - Zexmenia
Zinnia grandiflora – Yellow Zinnia -- Short ground cover covered with yellow flowers all summer.

The Losers - These are the plants that experienced the most damage from the heat and drought.

Ribes aureum – Buffalo Currant -- Main plant died. A couple of suckers are still green.
Rudbeckia fulgida – Black-eyed Susan -- Plants wilted badly and large patches died.
Sambucus nigra ssp. Canadensis – Common Elderberry -- All top growth died. Resprouting from roots. Likes moister conditions.

The Participants - These are the plants that survived the summer by going dormant. They are unattractive winners.

Agastache sp. – Hummingbird Mint -- Stayed green all summer, but no flowers until now. This variety is probably not a TX native. NM maybe.
Callicarpa americana – American Beautyberry -- Would prefer more shade. Wilts badly when dry.
Cephalanthus occidentalis – Buttonbush -- Normally grows by water. Leaves on lower half of plant turned brown.
Salvia pentstemonoides – Big Red Sage -- Brown leaves on lower half of plant. Needs to be divided.
Sorghastrum nutans – Indian Grass -- Turned yellow green. Only a few short flowers this year.

Thoughtful plant selection and placement is important for any plant, including Texas natives. They also need careful watering in the first season or two to help them get established. For all of these reasons, my Winners and Participants lists are much longer than the Losers list. Even after a hot, dry summer, the resilience of Texas native plants is evident in this October 2011 photo. This may be the best fall flower display yet.

Prairie Invasion

2011-10-08T23:31:00.000-05:00

My front yard prairie is full of flowers. It is amazing how many flowers there are considering the heat and drought we endured this summer.

A wider view of the prairie shows the colorful flowers of Gayfeather, Mealycup Sage, Scarlet Sage, Four Nerve Daisy, Zexmenia and Pink Skullcap. All of these flowers provoked an invasion of winged insects. At the end of this post is a list of plants that you should not plant if you do not want a similar invasion.

The invaders: butterflies. For the last couple of weeks, my prairie has been filled with butterflies, especially Monarchs. I counted about 25 in the front prairie today. I am sure there were several more in the back prairie while I was counting.

They fly from flower to flower drinking nectar from plants like Frostweed.

This Monarch is feasting on the nectar of Gregg's Mistflower.

Several of the Monarchs paired off with plans of laying eggs to create more butterflies. Caterpillars will hatch from those eggs and eat all of the leaves on my milkweed. I have not seen Monarch caterpillars yet, but I did find notice my pipevine was being consumed by Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars.

Monarchs are not the only butterflies to invade the prairie. Closely related Queen butterflies have a taste for Gregg's Mistflower as well.

A Common Buckeye sips nectar from Gayfeather.

Another Common Buckeye with some wing damage is on the Gregg's Mistflower.

This Skipper is drinking from Gayfeather.

This Painted Lady butterfly is feeding among the flowers of Mealycup Sage.

American Lady is closely related to Painted Lady. American Lady has fewer and larger eye spots on the wings than Painted Lady.

This little Eastern Tailed Blue is resting on Pink Skullcap.

I caught this Common Checkered Skipper laying eggs on a Winecup that rabbits had already nibbled.

This Purple Aster just started blooming. The Willowleaf aster and Fragrant Mistflower will begin blooming in another day or two. They will surely be covered in butterflies as well.

Below is a list of plants to avoid if you don't want butterflies flying around your garden, drinking nectar from your flowers, and laying eggs on your plants. If you just stick with grass and spray pesticides, the butterflies will fly right past your yard.

Plants To Avoid If you Don't Want Butterflies
Conoclinium greggii - Gregg's Mistflower
Eupatorium havanense - Fragrant Mistflower
Liatris mucronata - Gayfeather
Salvia farinacea - Mealycup Sage
Salvia coccinea - Scarlet Sage
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium - Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum praealtum - Willowleaf Aster
Tetraneuris scaposa - Four Nerve Daisy
Verbesina encelioides - Cowpen Daisy
Verbesina virginica - Frostweed
Wedelia hispida - Zexmenia

Here is an interesting video about Monarchs that aired in 2010.

Fall Migration Pit Stop

2011-09-25T22:59:00.001-05:00

The native plants on my suburban prairie provide a welcome pit stop for weary travelers as they journey to their winter destinations. This year's journey will probably be particularly difficult due to the extreme drought affecting much of the migration path.

This female ruby-throated hummingbird looks like she is very happy to see this Salvia greggii in bloom.

Her beak is covered in yellow pollen from the Salvia flowers.

Monarch butterflies are enjoying the flowers on the frost weed, Verbesina virginica.

Another monarch favorite is Gregg's Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii (click the link to see a photo from a couple of years ago). Unfortunately, it has fewer blooms this year due to the drought.

Food and lodging available at the Plano Prairie Garden. Enjoy your stay and have a safe journey.

A Record Breaking Summer

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

The weather guessers (aka meteorologists) are saying that the summer of 2011 is the hottest on record for DFW. We had a few days of relief from the heat last week and then it returned again this week. Yesterday's high was 107. This was the hottest recorded day after Labor Day in DFW. Yesterday's high also put us in the record books for the most 100 degree days in a year. The old record was 69 days from 1980. We hit 70 days yesterday and we are expected to get to 71 days today.

Despite the heat (and still no rain), my prairie is starting to come back to life again.

The sky blue flowers of Pitcher sage, Salvia azurea, are making a second appearance this year. Pitcher Sage normally just blooms in late summer, but this year it also bloomed in the spring. I cut the plants back after the spring flowers faded and hoped they would bloom again in September. It worked! There is a Mealycup Sage, Salvia farinacea, right next to the Pitcher Sage. Mealycup Sage has purple flowers. I have to look closely to notice the differences in color when they grow next to each other. Pale-leaf Yucca, Yucca pallida, is in the foreground. It had several pups pop up this year. The growth of the Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, was stunted this year due to the drought.

Little Bluestem is one of my favorite grasses, but this year, I think Pine Muhly, Muhlenbergia dubia, is at the top of the list. It is native to West Texas, so it did not have any issues with the heat and drought. I really like the way the flower spikes shoot out of the center of the plant and catch the sunlight.

Here is the same Pine Muhly from a different angle. Surrounding the Pine Muhly are more Mealycup sage, Pink Skullcap, Scutellaria suffrutescens, a native of Mexico, and yellow flowered Zexmenia, Wedelia hispida.

A gayfeather, Liatris mucronata, started blooming over the weekend. Seeds from this plant an another plant were scattered across the prairie a couple of years ago. The seedlings are finally mature enough to bloom and will fill the prairie with purple spikes within the next couple of weeks.

Here is my stock tank. It is now planted with horsetail reed, Equisetum hyemale, which should fill in well by next summer. The autumn sage around the tank seems to show its appreciation for the moisture seeping from the tank with additional blooms. The hummingbirds have noticed the flowers and stop by regularly for a drink.

Daytime high temperatures are expected to drop into the 80s later this week. The weather guessers say we should not see any more 100 degree days this year after today. I hope they are guessing correctly. If we could just get a good soaking rain...

2011-09-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Prairie Plant Profile #4 - Eryngo

2011-09-04T23:41:00.003-05:00

Eryngo, Eryngium leavenworthii, is one of my favorite late summer wildflowers. At this time of year, the tops of the spiny plants are covered with electric purple flowerheads that are shaped like pineapples. The unusual flowers are an attractive nectar source for bees and butterflies.

Eryngo is an annual wildflower native to the south central United States. It grows in full sun on the dry soils of prairies, fields, open woodlands, and along fencerows and roadsides. In its natural habitat it usually grows from one to three feet tall.

I collected the seeds for my plants a couple of years ago along a railroad track about a mile from my house. I disbursed the seeds in my prairie in the fall and the following spring I had several small seedlings growing. I actually removed several of the seedlings before I realized that they were not weeds. I did not know that the first sets of leaves on the plants are rounded and do not have sharp points like the leaves that appear once the plants start growing a vertical stem.

Eryngo grows much taller in my prairie than the parent plants did along the railroad tracks. The parents were no more than two feet tall and my plants typically grow five feet tall. I assume it is because my prairie soil is deeper, richer and moister than the soil along the railroad tracks.

The lower leaves of eryngo may turn brown. The plants can look pretty scraggly so it is a good idea to plant eryngo with other prairie plants, such as little bluestem, to hide the brown leaves and bare stems. Due to the heat and drought this year, the little bluestem did not grow tall enough to hide the stems of the eryngo.

Once the flowers dry, I collect the seeds to scatter for the next year's plants. Thick leather gloves are a must when handling all parts of this plant. I certainly would not touch the prickly leaves barehanded or barefooted like this brave (or hungry) anole.

Dry

2011-08-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

It is dry on my prairie and so are my thoughts about blog topics. I do have a few topics rattling around in my head. I just have not been compelled to water and fertilize them. We are under watering restrictions, you know.

A week ago, my prairie was fortunate enough to get around one half an inch of rain. It was not much, but still enough rain to trigger a few blooms and this post.

These rain lily flowers, Cooperia pedunculata appeared a week after the rain.

The brief rain also encouraged another round of flowers on the beebrush, Aloysia gratissima. Beebrush is a shrubby member of the verbena family whose multitude of fragrant flowers attract hoards of bees and even a few butterflies like this gray hairstreak, Strymon melinus franki.

It is already late August. Surely this hot, dry summer will end soon.

Summer Mornings

2011-08-09T07:04:00.006-05:00

Most weekends, it is not uncommon to find me outside working on one of my projects from sunup to sundown, but this summer is different. Lately, the temperature starts out in the mornings in the mid to upper 80s. By noon, it is up to 100 and by evening, the temperature peeks between 105 and 110. Sometimes the temperature does not drop below 100 until hours after sundown.

I decided that if I want to live to see my projects to completion, I should spend a little less time in the heat, so I am trying to get as much of my outdoor work done as I can in the mornings. Although these summer mornings are warm, there are a couple of hours each morning that are fairly pleasant.

I am not the only one to take advantage of the "cooler" temperatures. The wildlife seems to be most active at this time of day as well. The birds are out looking for food and bathing in the bird bath or the neighbor's constantly running sprinklers. Hummingbirds (still very few of them) drink fresh morning nectar from the desert willow and flame acanthus flowers. The bees fly around to the few flowers that are blooming on my prairie.

Here is a project I am working on now. I found this 5 foot diameter stock tank on craigslist for $20 and I could not pass up the deal. I had several potential ideas for the stock tank such as a redneck hot tub, a redneck swimming pool, or a redneck fishin' hole. I settled on making it into a planter. It is in the front yard, so some of the neighbors may refer to it as a redneck planter. I will probably plant it with horsetail reed.

The picture looks like it was taken in a relaxing country setting where the morning sunlight shines through the trees. The live oak tree in the background is a borrowed view from the yard of the abandoned house next door. The house has been vacant since last November. Once the foreclosure proceedings are complete and the house is on the market, I will be advertising for a good prairie neighbor. That house will be a huge project for somebody.

As I mentioned, there are a few flowers blooming on my prairie. The summer morning is the best time to photograph them because by afternoon they are mostly dry and shriveled from the heat. Here is a look at some of the flowers that are tough enough to bloom in this heat and drought.

Square-bud Primrose, Calylophus berlandieri

Yellow Zinnia, Zinnia grandiflora

Bee Brush, Aloysia gratissima, normally blooms after a rain. I encourage blooms by giving it a little water from a hose.

Clammy Weed, Polanisia dodecandra. I will regret letting so many of these plants grow this summer because each one produces thousands of seeds that will sprout next spring.

Green Milkweed, Asclepias viridis

Eryngo, Eryngium leavenworthii, flowers are just starting to turn purple.

Summertime

2011-08-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

When I see uncomfortable Summertime forecasts like this:

I like to listen to comforting Summertime tunes like this:

Ah, Summertime.

Twenty-three and Counting

2011-07-24T22:45:00.003-05:00

Twenty-three is the number of consecutive days that the official temperature reading at the DFW International Airport has been 100 degrees or more. The only reason I know the number of days is because the summer heat is the lead story on almost every local newscast.

This photo of my front yard prairie was taken about 43 days ago. I think that was around the last time it rained here, give or take a week. The prairie was so colorful and full of life back then. It was really pretty.

Today, the prairie is much less colorful than it was a few weeks ago and not quite as pretty. The hot summer months are my least favorite months for prairie plants because this is when they do what comes naturally and go dormant to semi-dormant until cooler weather and rain returns. I do irrigate my prairie on occasion to keep the plants on the green side of dormancy. But this is Texas and we are in a drought. Plants are supposed to be dormant under these conditions. Anyone with a lush, green lawn and garden right now is probably using too much of our precious drinking water for irrigation.

The high temperature forecast looks like a UPC code for a big box of hot. The heatwave continues...

Genus Melittia

2011-07-16T07:45:00.002-05:00

I take pride in making my prairie a habitat for wildlife. It is certified as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, a Best of Texas Backyard Habitat by Texas Parks and Wildlife, a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch, and a Bee Friendly Garden by Texas Bee Watchers. See the Links section for additional information about these certifications.

Butterflies and moths are some of my favorite wildlife visitors. I plant nectar flowers to feed the adult butterflies and moths and specific host plants to feed the caterpillars.

I spotted this colorful moth in my garden recently. It is a moth, although it is often mistaken for a bee or wasp. This is either Melittia calabaza or Melittia cucurbitae. I cannot determine the species from the internet photos and it really does not matter. The common name for this moth is Squash Vine Borer and that is enough identification for me. Squash Vine Borers lay their eggs on the stems of squash and related plants. When the caterpillars hatch, they burrow into the stems and can eventually kill the plants.

My wildlife habitat is also a human, Homo sapiens, habitat where I grow organic vegetables for my consumption. When an insect's feeding threatens to interfere with my feeding they better look out because I will be forced to assert my power as the dominant species in this habitat.

So what happens when I see a Squash Vine Borer in my garden? Warning: The following image may not be suitable for sensitive eyes or stomachs.

I squash them! At least when I can catch them. Unfortunately, a couple of others escaped my wrath on this day. If they know what is good for them, they will stay away from my squash plants because I love my grilled squash.

Major Crackage

2011-07-10T22:52:00.001-05:00

The black clay soil my prairie grows in shrinks and cracks when it becomes dry. This is the reason foundation repair companies do so well here and the reason much of my water usage goes toward keeping the perimeter of the foundation of my house from getting too dry.

While my neighbors water their lawns once or twice a week, my prairie has gone without water, except for any rain that fell and an occasional hand watering of new transplants. As a result, the soil of my prairie is opening up. I found this crack in the backyard prairie yesterday.

The cracks are about two inches across and a couple of feet long. I was curious about the depth of the cracks and stuck my ruler in as far as my hand could reach into the crack and did not hit bottom. (This is not a paid advertisement for Elliot's Hardware, although it is a fun place to browse. They have a good selection of organic gardening products too.)

Even with the dry, cracked soil, Clammy Weed, Polanisia doedecandia, Big Red Sage, Salvia penstemonoides, Gregg's Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii, and Rudbeckia varieties, Rudbeckia fulgida and Rudbeckia triloba are all growing and in full bloom.

Amazingly, I am in the only part of the state that is not considered to be under drought conditions. So far, this is normal summer dryness, but the extreme drought conditions, indicated on the map by brown, are growing.

I did break down and water the backyard prairie this weekend. I watered the front yard prairie earlier in the week.

Prairie Patriotism

2011-07-04T07:37:00.000-05:00

Rock Penstemon, Penstemon baccharifolius
Red,

Angel's Trumpet, Datura wrightii
White, and

Pitcher Sage, Salvia azurea

Blue.

Red, White, and Blue - The Flag of the United States of America, Old Glory, The Stars and Stripes, The Star-Spangled Banner, The American Flag.

Happy Independence Day!

Are Prairie Gardens Really Low Maintenance?

2011-06-29T20:44:00.001-05:00

Whoever said prairie gardening was low maintenance must be crazy. (Don't scroll up and read the header for this blog!) Sure, prairie gardens do not require weekly maintenance like lawns need mowing, but they do require some maintenance to keep them in control - particularly in a suburban setting where cut turf grass is the standard.

Most of the time, the maintenance on my prairie is minimal. I walk around the prairie on a regular basis and remove any weeds as soon as I notice them. I do not fertilize the prairie other than a foliar feeding of liquid organic fertilizer once or twice a year, if that. Watering is kept to a minimum. Other than water that fell from the sky and hand watering of new transplants, I have not watered my prairie this year. My goal is to keep the plants on the green side of dormancy through the summer.

The photo above shows how my front yard prairie looked Saturday morning. The flowers that covered the prairie in the spring are faded and seed heads are ripening. Many of the plants have grown rather large - much larger than the same plants grow in natural areas. In short, the prairie looks a little weedy. No maintenance is actually needed, but since the front yard prairie is out there for the world to see, I feel an obligation to keep it looking as neat and maintained as possible, without taking away the natural look.

Selectively tidying up a prairie requires considerable bending, stooping, and squatting for this six and a half foot tall prairie gardener. (Where are the buffalo when you need them?) I use sheep shears to cut the thin flower stems of the four nerve daisies, Tetraneuris scaposa, to keep them neat and blooming throughout the summer.

Hand pruners are useful for cutting back mealycup sage, Salvia farinacea, from a height of around three feet to just a few inches tall. This hard pruning will encourage regrowth and additional blooms, particularly in late summer. The black sampson coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia, blooms in the spring and then begins to die back to a few leaves. I trim off most of the flower heads and toss them around the prairie to start additional plants. I leave a few flower heads on the plants for the birds, although I have never seen any birds feeding on them.

Most of my prairie plants are more than happy to spread by seed. Most of them are easy to pull out by hand when their numbers need to be thinned. Others, like cutleaf daisy, Engelmannia peristenia, and bush sunflower, Simsia calva, have stout tap roots and must be dug out. I am working to remove both of these from the front yard prairie.

So, after a few hours of trimming, pulling, and digging in the blazing sunshine, the prairie looks a little more maintained than it did a little earlier. I did not cut back everything though. The Gaillardia in the foreground is an annual. I need to allow the seed heads to mature in order to produce seeds for next year.

The big red sage, Salvia penstemonoides, just started blooming. Eryngo, Eryngium leavenworthii, and gayfeather, Liatris mucronata, will not start blooming for another month or two. The little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is starting to get some height and will become the dominant plant on the prairie in the coming months.

Prairie gardening is not maintenance free and maybe it is really not low maintenance either. My prairie gets about three days of intense maintenance each year. The first time is in late winter to clear everything to the ground for a new season. The second day is in early summer, as described above, to remove some spring growth, and the third time is in late fall after the first frost to trim back most of the flowering perennials. Most of the rest of the year I can enjoy the prairie. At least I think I will once I stop coming up with new ideas for changes to the prairie. Right now I am thinking of ways to make the prairie even lower maintenance. Any suggestions?

Where are all the Hummingbirds?

2011-06-10T22:59:00.002-05:00

I usually see the first hummingbirds flying around my prairie by mid April. Actually, before I see the hummingbirds, I usually hear the rapid chirping sound one hummingbird makes as it chases another hummingbird away from the feeding area it has staked out for itself. But not this year. April went by without spotting or hearing any hummingbirds and then May. Nothing.

What could be wrong? My red yucca, Gregg salvia, and rock penstemon plants – all hummingbird favorites – are covered in blooms. Could the drought across Texas have forced the birds to take a different migratory path? I don’t know. I found this website that tracks the spring migration of the ruby-throated hummingbird and it looks similar to prior years. In fact, hummers were spotted in this area on March 17. Somehow I have missed them.

Earlier this week, I took this picture of Pale-leaf Yucca, Yucca pallida, surrounded by Rock Penstemon, Penstemon baccharifolius, and four nerve daisy, Tetraneuris scaposa.

A few minutes later, I went inside and looked out the window. There, among those very Rock Penstemon flowers, was a ruby-throated hummingbird hovering around and sipping nectar. Finally.

I have not seen a hummingbird again this week, but I know that at least one of them found my prairie this year.

Click here to see a photo I took last year of a hummingbird feeding on Big Red Sage.

Queen Butterfly

2011-06-05T22:41:00.000-05:00

Queen Butterfly, Danaus gilippus, and Gregg's Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii .

Free Water-Wise Garden Tour 06-04-11

2011-06-02T23:08:00.005-05:00

The following is a public service announcement from the Plano Prairie Garden.

City of Dallas Water Utilities, City of Dallas Stormwater Management, City of Dallas Park & Recreation, Texas AgriLife Extension, Dallas County Master Gardeners and the Town of Addison are teaming up with surrounding cities to demonstrate the beauty of Water-Wise and EarthKind™ gardening with the 17th annual Water-Wise Landscape Tour.

Dallas County Master Gardeners will be conducting free 30 minute talks on Water-Wise gardening every hour on the hour at each of the tour headquarters. Dallas County Master Gardener volunteers will also be assisting homeowners and helping answer questions about the plants and landscapes on the tour. The first 100 visitors at each of the three tour headquarters will receive a free hose nozzle.

For more information, visit SaveDallasWater.com or call the Water Conservation Hotline at
(214) 670-3155 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Maps for the self-driving tour are available at SaveDallasWater.com and at all tour
headquarters.

Tour Headquarters
Central: White Rock Pump Station - 2900 White Rock Rd. , Dallas , TX 75214
North: Les Lacs Linear Park - 3901 Beltway Dr. , Addison , TX 75001
South: Lake Cliff Park - E. Colorado Blvd. at N. Zang Blvd. , Dallas , TX 75203

6001 Revere Place

If you go, here are some of my favorites that I visited on past tours that will not disappoint.

#6 - 7124 Pasadena Ave. Click here for the owner's website and photos.

#7 - 9347 Angora St. This is the Blue Lotus Gardens from the Garden Conservancy Tour. Click here for my photos.

#14 - 6001 Revere Place. Pictured above in 2009.

Be sure to check the Save Dallas Water website to view pictures, videos and plant lists of the gardens so you can decide which ones will be most interesting to you. Scroll down on the photo pages for additional photos.

There are gardens at 3 tour headquarters, 5 demonstration gardens, and 22 private gardens on the tour. Too much to see in 6 hours without proper planning.

This is Echinacea sanguinea blooming in my backyard prairie right now and not on the tour.

Prairie Plant Profile #2 #3 - Prairie Larkspur

2011-05-29T09:09:00.003-05:00

A year ago I started a monthly feature on this blog called Prairie Plant Profile. Each month, I profile a plant in my prairie that has my attention at the moment and describe my experiences with the plant. So a year later, it is time for the second monthly installment of Prairie Plant Profile.

Prairie Larkspur, Delphinium carolinianum, is a perennial wildflower with a range from Texas to Canada and across the southern United States. The flower spikes grow up to 3 feet above the deeply cut leaves that cluster near the ground. It prefers a full to partial sun exposure and well drained soil. Prairie Larkspur blooms over a 3-4 week period between April and June. The leaves usually die to the ground in hot weather. I have not noticed any insect or disease issues with Prairie Larkspur.

My plant has white flowers with just a hint of blue, but there are also plants with solid blue flowers and every shade of blue in between. Botanists once thought the white and blue flowered plants were separate species, but now believe they are the same species.

Here is a look at the leaves at the base of the plant.

The spur at the top of the flower gives the Prairie Larkspur its common name.

Some references indicate that Prairie Larkspur is a short lived perennial. I was concerned that my plant would not see another season because its leaves did not emerge from the soil until late April this spring. Fortunately, it is still alive and blooming, so I should be able to harvest seeds and try to start more plants.

I have not had success germinating the seeds from this plant yet. One year I let the seeds fall naturally around the plant and the second year I harvested the seeds and planted them in early spring. This year, I will plant seeds in the fall and throw some of them in my decomposed granite pathways since seeds for every plant in my prairie seem to germinate with ease in my pathways. Prairie Larkspur seeds can be purchased online at Native American Seed and Prairie Moon Nursery.

Check back in 2012 for the third monthly installment of Prairie Plant Profile.

07-29-11 Update. Oops! This is actually installment #3. I forgot Prairie Plant Profile #2 was Brown-eyed Susan. Click here for a link to that post.

Garden Conservancy's Open Days - Dallas Part 2

2011-05-24T23:58:00.009-05:00

Earlier this week, I posted pictures from two of the gardens on the Garden Conservancy's Open Days Tour in Dallas. Click here to see that post. Below are highlights from the three remaining gardens. (Odd formatting courtesy of Blogger and my impatience.)

Blue Lotus Gardens in east Dallas is the next stop on the tour.

The front yard of this garden features large specimen agave, yucca, cacti and various other xeric plants.

A large raised berm is the perfect location for these plants.

I like this water feature in the back yard. The red wall around this bed is decorative...

but it also keeps the resident turtle from straying from its home.

Off to the side of the garden, a corrugated metal mural adds color to the garden and helps screen a large rainwater storage tank.

This bamboo roofed cabana looks like a nice place to relax and enjoy the garden.

Behind the cabana is a vegetable garden and a herb bed, complete with a trunk and night stands.

I walked by the night stands twice before I realized that they were bee hives, complete with bees!

These fountains and birdbath were repurposed as succulent planters.

The reason I did not notice the bee hives is because I kept studying the metal fence. I keep bouncing around ideas for privacy fencing around my back yard. I want something that will last longer than wood and metal is under consideration.

A long lotus pool runs along the side of the garage.

This stainless steel bowl is home to goldfish and a tropical waterlily. I bet the water gets warm in the summer sun.

The next stop is the Herndon Garden in north Dallas. Water features and large stepping stones dominate this garden.

The stepping stones leading to the front door are made of concrete with a stamped pattern on top to give a flagstone look.

More of the concrete stepping stones are in the back yard. A pond is in the center of the picture. The steps to the right lead to a sitting area with a fireplace.

This is a stream that leads to the pond.

Large koi and a red eared turtle call the pond home.

This sturdy looking gate opens to a secluded garden on the side of the house.

This garden features another stream. The sound of falling water fills the space.

This looks like a peaceful place to relax.

The Rister-Armstrong Garden in the Knox-Henderson area was the last stop on the tour. This is another garden that is too formal for my tastes, but the overall layout and integration of architecture, hardscaping and landscaping is amazing.

This is the stonework at entrance to the to the garden. This view is from inside the courtyard area looking out.

The homeowners purchased the property next door to their home and built a garden pavilion and what they refer to as a carriage house, aka, garage. The pavilion is to the left in this photo and the carriage house is straight ahead. The main house is to the right.

One of the many water features in the garden. The main house is in the rear.

This is the sunken lawn in the back yard.

Looking toward the garden pavilion. Inside, the pavilion is set for dining. I walked inside suddenly felt like a bull in a china shop. In the back of my head I could hear my mother saying "Don't touch!"

Thanks to all for opening your gardens to the public and allowing us the opportunity to borrow your ideas and incorporate them into our own gardens. For another (and more observant) perspective on these gardens, go to Pam Penick's blog, Digging. She is drove up from Austin to tour the gardens with her daughter and is posting a garden a day this week.

The Water-Wise Landscape Tour is coming up Saturday, June 6. This is a free garden tour that features water conserving private landscapes across Dallas, Plano and Coppell, as well as public demonstration gardens and talks. There are almost 30 gardens on this tour, including the Blue Lotus Garden seen above. Click the link above for additional information and garden photos.

Garden Conservancy's Open Days - Dallas Part 1

2011-05-22T23:31:00.004-05:00

The Garden Conservancy's Open Days tour of Dallas gardens was Saturday. Two of the gardens were in Oak Cliff and three were in Dallas. This post will feature the gardens in Oak Cliff and a follow up post will feature the Dallas gardens.

The Munsterman Garden was the first stop. According to tour materials, the owner is a garden contractor.

The front yard features sun loving plants near the street, including Agave and purple coneflower.

Shade loving plants grow under the large trees near the house.

In the backyard this fence constructed of hog panel and cedar separated the vegetable garden from the rest of the yard. Off to the side of the vegetable garden was a chicken coop. I did not get any other pictures of the backyard because it was so full of people. A flyer on a table indicated that this house would be on the market for sale soon.

Back in the front yard, it appears the owner continued his streetside garden in front of the neighbor's house. I thought the curved copper riser for the sprinkler head was creative.

The Row and Ramirez Garden is in the historic Kessler Park area.

The mid-1920s house is surrounded by expansive terraced gardens. The garden is much too formal and labor intensive for my tastes, but it suits the house.

It seemed that there were miles of hedged boxwoods and dwarf yaupon hollies.

These were trimmed in a chainlink design with loropetalum in the center. Off to the right, the hydrangea on either side of the stairs are shaded by their own umbrellas.

The stairs going up to the front door are lined with potted plants.

This is a water feature near the pool.

This is another water feature at the back of the property. It looks like it could date back to the early days of the house.

After leaving the fenced area surrounding the house, I walked the sidewalk in front of the house and noticed this feature hidden on the far side of the garden. It looks like Poseidon once presided over a terraced water feature, but now each section is planted with flowers.

Rain

2011-05-11T21:07:00.000-05:00

My prairie garden received some refreshing and needed rain today.

By sundown, the clouds were clearing and a rainbow stretched across the eastern sky.

I am fortunate. According to U.S. Drought Monitor, the drought is less intense in this area than any other part of the state.

To the gardeners in the rest of the state and elsewhere in need of rain, I hope you get yours soon.

National Wildflower Week

2011-05-05T23:02:00.003-05:00

This week, May 2-8 is National Wildflower Week. As I was thinking about how I could work that into a blog post, I started wondering if the native flowering plants in my prairie garden are still considered wildflowers. Are wildflowers still wildflowers if I buy them at a garden center or a native plant sale? Are they still considered wildflowers when I purposely planted them in my garden? Have I domesticated or tamed the wildflowers when I plant them where I want them to grow and remove them when they try to grow where they want to grow?

OK, I am over-analyzing. Here is a look at some of the wildflowers blooming in my prairie garden this week.

The yellow flowers of four nerve daisies, Tetraneuris scaposa, are prominent in the front yard prairie. Winecups, Callirhoe involucrata, add a magenta accent. In the background are the coral flowers of red yucca, Hesperaloe parviflora, purple flowers of mealycup sage, Salvia farinacea, and the purple-tinged flowers of the Husker Red variety of Penstemon digitalis.

In the background is mealycup sage. I planted purple mealycup sage, but several white flowered plants are beginning to appear on the prairie. In the foreground are more four nerve daisies, chocolate daisies, Berlandiera lyrata, winecup, and black sampson coneflowers, Echinacea angustifolia.

This is a close up of a black sampson coneflower. This plant is also known as narrow leaf coneflower.

The flowers of Mexican hat, Ratibida columnaris, are highly variable from plant to plant. This is the more common red and yellow combination.

This is a less common solid yellow variation.

The flowers of Missouri evening primrose, Oenothera macrocarpa, open in the evening and close the following day.

Gregg's mistflower, Conoclinium greggii, just started blooming. This is a great butterfly nectar plant, especially for monarch and queen butterflies.

Around in the backyard prairie, more red yucca, mealycup sage, bee brush, Aloysia gratissima, cutleaf daisy, Engelmannia peristenia, prairie verbena, Glandularia bipinnatifida, and zexmenia, Wedelia hispida are blooming.

Celebrate National Wildflower Week by planting some wildflowers that are native to your region. They are colorful, easy to grow, conserve water, and are essential to the survival of several species of native bees and butterflies.

Pipevines on the Prairie

2011-04-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

I caught a fast moving pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor, laying eggs on my woolly pipevine, Aristolochia tomentosa.

Lots of eggs.

Some of the eggs were laid a few days earlier and tiny caterpillars are beginning to eat the pipevine leaves. Some people would be going for the insecticide to kill the caterpillars, but not me. I am not concerned about the caterpillars eating the leaves because I planted the pipevine as host plant (food source) for pipevine swallowtail caterpillars.

Woolly pipevine is also known as woolly Dutchman's pipe because of the hairy appearance of the vine's leaves and stems and the pipe shape of the flowers. Plants of the Aristolochia family are the sole food source for pipevine swallowtail caterpillars.

Hard Times a Comin’ to the Prairie?

2011-04-19T23:10:00.006-05:00

It looks like this is shaping up to be a rough weather year. The entire state is experiencing drought conditions. My prairie is in an area of severe drought according to the US Drought Monitor. Just to the west of Fort Worth, wildfires have burned over ~~150,000 acres~~ (strikethrough because news sources do not agree on this number and it keeps going up). When the wind blows from the west, smoke fills the already polluted DFW skies.

The City of Plano implemented Stage 1 water conservation measures today. Not because of drought, but because invasive zebra mussels from Russia are clogging the pipes from Lake Texoma which supplies raw water to the North Texas Municipal Water District and Plano.

When it does rain, the rain is accompanied by high winds, if not tornadoes, lightning, and hail.

This was the scene in my prairie vegetable garden last Thursday night. This is not nearly as bad as others experienced, but the hail was large enough to cause damage to some of my plants.

A dry line passed through the area tonight kicking off another round of storms. Again, I was lucky and got a little rain and just a little hail. After the rain passed, I went outside and took a few pictures.

Flowers are filling in on the prairie and the pale-leaf yucca is finally blooming. The flower stalk first started poking up through the leaves a month ago.

Here is a close up of the flowers or are they bug umbrellas?

More blooms on the prairie.

This butterfly was taking shelter on a switchgrass leaf. I need to work on identifying this butterfly. It does not look familiar and the wing shape seems a bit unusual. Update: the butterfly is a variegated fritillary.

Last week's rain triggered a flower on this rain lily. After I enlarged the photo, I noticed the flower was covered in thrips and some other insect (maybe a stink bug) was on the underside of a petal. I will let them be. That is nature on the prairie. Looks like the yucca flower has thrips too.

Rain causes bee brush to produce sprays of tiny, fragrant flowers as well. Bluebonnet, mealycup sage, red yucca, cutleaf daisy, and prairie verbena are also blooming in this photo.

This is a non-native hardy amaryllis that provides vibrant red color every spring.

Spring Flowers on the Prairie

2011-04-13T23:13:00.014-05:00

Things are changing daily on my prairie. The weather has been warm and sunny on most days, although the prairie did experience a rare, but welcome, meteorological event on the last two Mondays - rain! The first rain in weeks, if not months.

I make daily walks around the prairie to see what has changed since my last walk. Which plants have started growing? Which plants have started blooming? Are there any new caterpillar eggs on the milkweed, pipe vine, or Hercules club? Have any of the caterpillar eggs hatched? Do any weeds need to be pulled? Did I just hear a hummingbird fly by? People with lawns just don't know how they are missing out.

I have been busy working on several projects and enjoying the garden, but I took time to take photos of some of the plants blooming on my prairie.

Gulf Coast penstemon, Penstemon tenuis, blooms in my front yard rain garden. This plant is very versatile. It can grow in sun or shade and wet or dry soil. The bees and butterflies love the flowers. The plant sometimes reblooms if you cut back the flower stalks or you can leave them for the decorative seed pods that turn reddish purple in the summer.

These are the deep red flowers of cedar sage, Salvia roemeriana. It is a low growing salvia that primarily blooms in the spring and spreads slowly by seed.

Looking across the front yard prairie toward the west are the bright yellow flowers of the almost always blooming four nerve daisy, Tetraneuris scaposa. In the background, my snowball viburnum bush is in full bloom. I do not know for sure which viburnum this is, but I am pretty sure it is not a native to Texas. The mother plant was purchased several years ago for $2 at a Winn Dixie. This plant is a sucker from the mother plant that I brought with me when I moved to this house seven years ago.

More four nerve daisies are blooming and spreading across the prairie.

I am anxiously awaiting the first (ever) blooms on my pale-leaf yuccas, Yucca pallida.

Another shot featuring Gulf Coast penstemon and snowball viburnum.

On warm sunny mornings, the chocolatey perfume scent of chocolate daisies, Berlandiera lyrata, fills the air. Behind the chocolate daisies are some winecup, Callirhoe involucrata.

This eastern red columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, grows under an oak tree in the backyard. They are native from Texas to Canada and all the way to the East Coast.

The purple flowers of prairie verbena, Glandularia bipinnatifida, do not always photograph well and neither do the fast moving snowberry clearwing moths, Hemaris diffinis. Apparently, dogbane is a host plant for snowberry clearwings caterpillars. Maybe I will keep my spreading mystery plant around for them.

I believe this is a stemless evening primrose, Oenothera triloba. The flowers of this annual open in the evening and close the next morning. The red flowers in the photo are spent blooms from the previous day.

You would not want to walk barefoot in a field of stemless evening primrose. The seed pods develop along the base of the plant forming a very hard pineapple-like structure by the end of the season. This one is a little mangled because I was trying to release the seeds. I needed pliers to break into the seed pods.

Time for Spring Plant Sales

2011-03-28T06:57:00.002-05:00

It's spring and that means it is time for spring plant sales. My favorites are the native plant sales because you can get plants that you will not find in nurseries and garden centers.

If you have never been to a native plant sale, there is something you should know. The plants are not usually grown in artificial conditions with chemical fertilizers and pesticides so they will not be as lush and covered in huge flowers like the plants you are used to seeing at home centers and chain nurseries.

Native plant sales are frequently a means of raising funds for local chapters of Native Plant Societies. The plants are often dug from the member’s personal gardens and potted a few weeks before the sale so the plants can regrow roots and look presentable before the sale date. Some of the plants may be coming out of dormancy since they were probably not grown in a greenhouse. But, since the plants came out of a nearby garden, you are almost guaranteed that the plant will grow in your garden.

If you have questions about the plants, ask. The volunteers at native plant sales are knowledgeable and are more than willing to share their knowledge with you. Take notes if you need to. At a minimum, make sure you get the names of the plants you buy. When you get home, you can research the plants on the internet before you plant them. A good source of information is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Native plants, just like any other plant, will not do well and may not survive it you plant them in the wrong location. The key to success is to know the needs of the plant.

Now for the sale information. The Native Plant Society of Texas compiled a list of native plant sales occurring across the state this spring. Click here for the NPSOT list.

Below is my own list of some of the DFW plant sales where you may find me buying plants. Click on the links for additional details. Most of the organizations will post a list of available plants as the sale date nears. Admission is free for all of the plant sales listed below.

Saturday April 2, 2011, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Calloway’s Perennial Swap. This is a free plant swap at the Calloway’s stores in Plano and Hurst and the Cornelius store in Houston. I have gone to this event twice. Most participants will share their plants with anyone that wants them and they do not have a “I will give you this if you give me that” attitude. The plant swap is an opportunity to meet fellow gardeners and share your excess plants with others instead of throwing them in the compost pile. I wonder what became of the switchgrass and side oats gramma I shared a couple of years ago. Follow the link for the swap list.

Saturday April 2, 2011, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Spring Plant Sale at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Several groups/individuals will have native and introduced plants available. The North Central Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas will offer native plants for sale. This is probably one of the biggest and best sales in the area. They have a fall sale as well.

Saturday April 9, 2011, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Denton Redbud Festival. Several events will take place at the Redbud Festival, including a native plant sale by the Trinity Forks Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Saturday April 16, 2011 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday April 17, 2011 1:00 – 5:00 PM. Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a big sale in Collin County with mostly native plants. You can walk through the native display gardens for free, but there is an admission if you want to go through the museum or sanctuary grounds. Follow the link for a list of available plants.

Saturday April 16, 2011 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Collin County Master Gardener’s Association. Includes non-native plants as well as some native and A&M hybrids of native plants.

Saturday April 30, 2011 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM Garland Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas Plant Sale. First Christian Church, located at 115 S. Glenbrook Drive in Garland.

Saturday May 21, 2011, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Texas Discovery Gardens Butterfly Plant Sale. This is the place to get plants for your butterfly garden. They frequently have some uncommon butterfly plants, but they go quickly. Sometimes they have wafer ash, but I have never been able to get one. Maybe this year.

No sale date announced. Molly Hollar Wildscape in Arlington may have a sale this spring. They have not posted any information on their website yet so mark their website and follow up later. They usually have some harder to find natives. I bought a Hercules Club tree at their sale a couple of years ago.

See you at the sales!

Monarch Caterpillar Eggs on the Prairie

2011-03-26T22:53:00.004-05:00

While the identity of my mystery plant is still in question, a haggard monarch butterfly, who requested her photo not be published, flew around the prairie depositing eggs on the milkweed plants.

The plant pictured above is another volunteer that I suspected was a milkweed. The monarch must agree with my assessment since she laid a few eggs on the leaves.

I first noticed this plant about four years ago. It was in a location that did not get sun until afternoon. Lack of morning sun is probably the reason it never bloomed. Last week, I decided to move the plant to a sunny location to give it a better chance. Milkweeds have a deep taproot and I got about 10 inches of this plant’s root. I must have got enough of the root because the stems and leaves have grown since the plant was moved. I will just have to wait until it blooms to know what kind of milkweed this is.

The monarch also laid eggs on this green milkweed, Asclepias viridis. I transplanted several of these green milkweed plants from the backyard prairie to the front yard prairie a few weeks ago so all of them would not be concentrated in one area of my property.

The monarch did not lay any eggs on the milkweed or the mystery plants in the backyard prairie. Maybe she or another monarch will lay eggs in the backyard and help to identify the mystery plant.

I am looking forward to watching these guys grow since I do not usually get monarch caterpillars in my garden. I hope the milkweed's growth stays ahead of the caterpillars'.

What is this? Milkweed or Just a Weed?

2011-03-21T22:13:00.005-05:00

Can anyone help me identify this plant in my backyard prairie?

It is a volunteer plant that first appeared in my garden two years ago. Until this year, it was well behaved, but now new plants are sprouting up from the roots 3-4 feet from the original plant. The plant has not produced any flowers.

I did not remove the plant when it was small because I thought it could be a milkweed. It has several features that look like milkweed to this amateur botanist. The leaves look very similar to milkweed leaves. It has a milky sap like milkweed. It has never had aphids like most milkweed, although the nearby butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, and green milkweed, Asclepias virdis, were covered in aphids last year. Some caterpillars fed on the mystery plant last year, but not monarch or queen. The caterpillars eventually turned into plain little brown moths.

Based on pictures I found online, I am wondering if this could be common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, or prairie milkweed, Asclepias sullivantii. If this is a variety of milkweed, it would be nice to have around for the monarchs, but it may turn out to be too aggressive for my garden. If this is not milkweed or another valuable wildlife plant, I need to act fast to remove the plant before it takes over my garden.

Here is a picture of the plant from July 23, 2010. It has some damage from the caterpillars.

Here is a shot of one of the caterpillars.

I will be posting my question on the Dallas Butterflies and Native Plant Society of Texas groups on Yahoo. I will also check with the Texas Butterfly Ranch blog to see if anyone can help. Any suggestions are welcome.

Update: the caterpillar is that of the Dogbane Saucrobotys Moth. This moth does eat milkweed, so maybe, just maybe, it is a milkweed. Fingers crossed and waiting for flowers or monarch caterpillars. Otherwise, I have some plant eradication to do.

Coming Soon: Wildflowers on the Prairie

2011-03-19T12:57:00.001-05:00

It won’t be long before my prairie is full of spring wildflowers. The four-nerve daisies bloomed most of the winter and have started blooming again since I cut them back a couple of weeks ago. There were a couple of winecup flowers blooming this week as well as a yellow evening primrose flower.

The Texas Bluebonnet is the most recognized wildflower in Texas and is the state flower. Unfortunately, I do not have very many plants on my prairie this year, probably because the fall was a little dry and fewer seeds sprouted. This one, however, sprouted in my decomposed granite pathway. I think this is the largest single bluebonnet plant that I have ever seen in my garden. It is over two feet across. The plant is very happy where it is and, fortunately, it is mostly out of the way. The other plants that sprouted in the soil where they were supposed to are much smaller and not as healthy. I assume the granite provides better drainage and stays warmer than the surrounding soil.

This one is just starting to bloom. Within a few days, this plant will be covered in flowers. Hopefully, this plant will produce a lot of seeds for next year.

If you want to see more wildflowers now and learn something in the process, there is a great video called Wildflowers – Seeds of History that you can watch online by clicking the link. The 55 minute program was produced by Austin PBS station KLRU and is full of interesting information about wildflowers. The program includes some beautiful video of wildflowers in the Austin area countryside.

While you are at the KLRU website, check out Central Texas Gardener. I watch CTG every week online. It is a 30 minute gardening program with tips, interviews, and information that can even be used here in north Texas. My favorite part of the program is the first ten minutes or so when they interview a local gardener and give a tour of their garden. I almost always get ideas for things I would like to try in my garden. You can watch current and past episodes at the CTG website or on You Tube.

I wish the Dallas PBS station, KERA, would air programs like these. I guess their programming depends on who the major donors are and what programs they want to sponsor.

Cedar Waxwings on the Prairie and Invasive Plants

2011-03-13T10:30:00.010-05:00

Cedar waxwings are busy feasting on the berries of trees and shrubs all across north Texas.

They ate all the berries from my possumhaw hollies, Ilex decidua, a couple of days ago and then moved across the street for a Japanese buffet courtesy of a large Japanese ligustrum, Ligustrum lucidum, pictured above.

Of course, what goes in must come out. So everywhere the cedar waxwings go, they will more than likely be dropping the seeds of their feasts.

If you look closely, you can see some of the seeds the cedar waxwings dropped on the sidewalk in front of my house while they perched on an overhanging tree limb. Every year numerous Japanese ligustrum seedlings sprout under trees and shrubs and around the bird baths in my garden because the birds did what comes naturally after eating their fill of berries. But I don't blame the birds. They were hungry and they ate the food that was available to them.

Birds are an effective means of seed disbursal. When birds fly from areas landscaped with non-native plant species into native plant habitats for food and shelter, they often carry inside them the seeds of non-native plants. Once the birds release the seeds, they sprout and grow quickly. Often the non-native plants grow and spread more quickly than the native plants. Eventually, the native plants are choked out. This is one of the reasons many natural areas are over run with invasive, non-native plants such as Japanese ligustrum, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), and many others.

When Plants Attack is a short video from Texas Parks and Wildlife that highlights non-native plants in wild areas and the effort it takes to remove these alien invaders.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the cedar waxwings always eat the berries from my possumhaws before they eat the berries from the Japanese ligustrum across the street. Possumhaw berries are like home cooking. It is the food that generations of cedar waxwings ate. Foreign junk foods, like Japanese ligustrum berries, are the bird’s second choice because native berries are in short supply and the only alternatives are the fruits and berries of non-native plants.

As you take inventory of the plants in your landscape, think about the potential ramifications those plants could have on wild areas in your neighborhood or even miles away. You may decide you need to remove some non-native plants and replace them with native plants. The birds will thank you.

Gardening Year 2010: Looking Back on the Prairie

2011-02-27T19:57:00.019-06:00

On my suburban prairie, one gardening season officially ends and the next one officially begins on the day I clear off the last season’s dry, brown stalks to make way for the next season’s fresh growth of grasses and wildflowers. This usually occurs mid-February, weather permitting.

Most prairie plants die to the ground once their season of growth is over or from the winter cold. Cutting back and removing the old, dead growth gives perennial plants room to sprout from the roots or from a rosette of leaves that forms over the cool season. Removing the old growth also allows sunlight to reach the seedlings that sprouted in the fall and helps in the germination of new seeds in the spring.

Historically, fire rejuvenated the great American prairies by removing dead plant material and suppressing tree and brush growth. Fires started from natural sources, such as lightning strikes, but the Native Americans also learned the benefits of fire on the prairie and intentionally set them. Prairies greened up quickly after a fire and attracted grazing animals, such as the American bison, which were hunted by the Native Americans.

Controlled burns are used today to clear managed prairies. Fire, in a residential neighborhood, is probably not a good option for my prairie. Of course, there is always the possibility that a discarded cigarette butt or a vandal that does not appreciate the natural look of prairie plants will start a fire to help with the maintenance of my prairie. Until then, I must clear my prairie the hard way, on my knees with hand shears and electric hedge shears.

Here is a look back at the last gardening season and a look forward to the start of the next one. It is always fun to see how plants have grown, changed, and relocated over time. Even more fun is looking forward to the next season.

02-28-10

03-21-10

05-21-10

07-04-10

08-31-10

09-26-10

11-14-10

02-05-11

02-14-11

02-20-11

It's Cold on the Prairie!

2011-02-02T13:41:00.007-06:00

It started with rain early Tuesday morning and then it turned to freezing rain. The freezing rain gave way to sleet and finally snow. When the precipitation ended, all flat surfaces were covered sheet of ice. And all the while, temperatures dropped from the 70s on Saturday, the 50s on Monday, the 20s Tuesday, teens today, and single digits tonight.

I am fortunate that my office shut down yesterday and today so I do not need to get out on the roadways with the crazies. Instead, I can stay safe at home and take pictures of my prairie as viewed from the warm indoors.

Well, it is warm most of the time. Many parts of Texas are enduring rolling blackouts. I think it is so we will have enough electricity to power the Super Bowl stadium and the hotels hosting the visiting teams. The power outages seem to be on a predictable schedule. Each has come at 25 minutes past the hour, every other hour, since 6:25 this morning and lasted about 20 minutes at a time.

A four nerve daisy blooms through the snow and ice.

A dove is hunkered down near the patio.

The red feathers of this cardinal brighten a cold, dreary day. Looks like I will have to venture out into the cold soon and refill the feeder.

I know there are other parts of the country with more snow, ice, and colder temperatures than we have here on the prairie. Stay safe and warm wherever you are.

I need to shut off the computer before the next power outage.

Snow on the Prairie

2011-01-09T20:27:00.002-06:00

Gotta love Texas weather! Temperatures were in the 70s a few days ago and then the rain this morning turned to snow. At one time, it was coming down so hard that the warm roads were covered and temperatures were not even below freezing.

Backyard Prairie

Indian Grass

Possumhaw Holly

Red Yucca

Front yard prairie

The drive to work in the morning should be an adventure. The temperature will drop into the 20s and freezing drizzle is expected through the morning. I love the snow and ice, but only when I can enjoy it from the comfort of my home.

Frost on the Prairie

2011-01-02T22:53:00.005-06:00

This was a frosty morning here on the prairie. Here is a look at some of the sights.

Black Sampson or Narrow Leaf Coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia.

The white fuzzy leaves and stems of Gregg Dalea, Dalea greggii, always look frosty. The frost on the oak leaf is easier to see. The dalea is still blooming.

Frost crystals on bluebonnet, Lupinus texensis, leaves.

Frost settled in the back prairie rain garden. Here is a mixture of frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora, and Brazos Penstemon, Penstemon tenuis.

I can not resist taking pictures of the “frost flowers”. The frost flowers above formed on the stub of a scarlet sage, Salvia coccinea, that I cut back to a stub a couple of weeks ago.

Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, always has the best display of frost flowers.

Here is a close up of the delicate icy "petals" of the frost flowers.

More frosty mornings are surely ahead, although it has been a fairly warm winter so far.

Bees on the Prairie

2010-12-12T22:44:00.008-06:00

A few weeks ago, I added a post about the butterflies that visit my prairie. Where there are butterflies, there are almost always bees because they both are attracted to the same flowers for nectar. Bees also collect the pollen from the flowers, like this bumble bee (probably a carpenter bee according to Kim at Texas Bee Watchers) on Mexican hat in the photo below.

It is surprising how many people there are that do not realize how important bees are. Many of our food crops require bees and other insects for pollination. Without these insects, the pollen is not distributed and the plant may not produce fruit. In parts of China, people must hand pollinate the flowers on pear trees because there are no bees.

Sadly, misinformed and uninformed people want to kill bees because they are afraid of them. There is no reason to be afraid of bees. Sure they can sting, but they will not bother you unless you bother them. They are too busy flying from flower to flower to collect pollen to think about you.

I recently heard about the Texas Bee Watchers website. The website promotes awareness of native bees and gives suggestions for attracting and maintaining bees. Earlier this year, the website challenged Texans to plant 52 bee gardens in 52 weeks. The year is almost over and they only have nine certified bee gardens listed on their website.

My suburban prairie has been around for a couple of years and continues to grow as I remove more of the turf grass and plant more native prairie grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees. It is always buzzing with a variety of bees and is already certified as a wildlife habitat and a monarch waystation, so I am submitting my prairie for consideration as a certified bee garden too.

Here is a look back to warmer days and some of the bees and other pollinators that visit my prairie. I do not know all of their names, but I am learning. At the end of the post are several plants and features of my prairie that attract bees.

This is a view into the backyard prairie. The snow on the prairie in the center attracts a number of pollinators in late summer.

In the front yard prairie are several flowers that attract bees at different time of the year. Starting at the top left of this photo are red yucca, datura, Gregg's mistflower, zexmenia, cowpen daisy, Mexican buckeye, mealy blue sage, scarlet sage, four nerve daisy, chocolate daisy, and Gregg dalea. In the background is a crepe myrtle in a neighbor's yard. It has lots of flowers, but they are not particularly attractive to bees.

Here is a close up of the mealy blue sage and scarlet sage in the above photo. If you look closely, there is a bumble bee (possibly a carpenter bee as well) on the mealy blue sage.

Here is a European honeybee sipping nectar on gayfeather.

This bee is collecting something on little bluestem. The grass was full of bees doing the same on this day. I had never noticed bees taking an interest in grass before.

I think these are some type of mason bee (possibly longhorn bees - named for their long antenna - according to Kim). They appear in the yard early in the season and spend the day collecting pollen. At night, they cluster together on plants in the backyard and kick the pollen off of their legs. I feel sorry for them. It seems like they are missing something in their lives. Maybe a home? They did not show any interest in the mason bee house I bought for them. Anyone know what they are and what they need? They come back every year and disappear sometime during the summer.

Here is a bee collecting pollen on four nerve daisy.

This wasp is on Gregg's mistflower.

Frostweed attracts many pollinators when it blooms in late summer.

Here is another wasp on frostweed.

I think this is a fly. It looks a lot like a bee. The flower is fragrant mistflower.

This is probably some kind of fly too. It is on a zexmenia flower.

Here is a list of some of the favorite bee plants on my prairie:

Frogfruit, Phyla nodiflora Beebrush, Aloysia gratissima
Mexican Bird of Paradise, Caesalpinia gilliesii
Angel’s Trumpet, Datura wrightii
Greggs Mistflower, Conoclinium greggii
Zexmenia, Wedelia hispida
Salvia species – Gregg, Mexican Bush, Mountain, Mealy Blue, Picher
Prairie verbena, Verbena bipinnatifida
Pink Skullcap, Scutellaria suffrutescens
Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis
Mexican Hat, Ratibida columnaris
Frostweed, Verbesina virginica
Fragrant Mistflower, Eupatorium havanense
Possumhaw Holly, Illex decidua
Yaupon Holly, Illex vomitoria
Gregg Dalea, Dalea greggii
Fall aster, Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
Goldenrod, Solidago rugosa
Horsemint, Monarda citriodora
Snow on the prairie, Euphorbia bicolor

Help Texas Bee Watchers meet their goal of 52 bee gardens and submit your garden before the end of the year. If your garden does not swarm with bees during the warmer months, go to their website for information that will help you provide a habitat for bees.

Grasses on the Prairie

2010-11-21T23:18:00.007-06:00

The most noticeable feature of my prairie at this time of year is the prairie grasses. As the prairie flowers fade, the colors of the prairie grasses change from blue green to various shades of amber, red, and copper. In the morning hours, the moisture in the air settles on the grasses and intensifies their colors.

Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is the prominent grass in the front yard prairie. Here, it grows among pale-leaf yucca, spineless prickly pear, four-nerve daisy, rock penstemon, several salvias and several other prairie flowers.

Bushy bluestem, Andropogon glomeratus, prefers moist soil and grows in the front yard rain garden.

A clump of Indian grass, Sorghastrum nutans, its stems glowing in the morning sunlight, adds height (over six feet) to the front yard prairie.

Another shot of the Indian grass.

Dallas Blues switchgrass, Panicum virgatum, and Indian grass grow in the backyard prairie.

By afternoon, the fuzzy white seeds of the little bluestem glisten in the sun.

Little bluestem is the backdrop for rock penstemon, pale-leaf yucca, and four-nerve daisy.

An afternoon view across the front yard prairie.

Butterflies are still flocking to the prairie, but they are finding fewer flowers every day. This yellow and pink southern dogface butterfly is not the rarity I thought it was. I do not recall ever seeing one with this coloration before. It turns out they are very common and this is a fall color pattern.

It will not be long before the flowers and butterflies are gone. The grasses, however, will continue to add interest to the prairie until I cut them to the ground in February to make way for a new season’s growth.

Butterflies on the Prairie

2010-10-17T22:58:00.004-05:00

The number of butterflies flying around my suburban prairie has increased over the last few weeks. Monarchs are making a pit stop on the prairie as they migrate to Mexico. Other visitors include queen, common buckeye, painted lady, American snout, gulf fritillary, gray hairstreak, and various varieties of skipper butterflies.

The flowers of blue mistflower are the crowd pleaser right now. The plants are covered with butterflies all day long. Other favorites are frostweed, zexmenia, cowpen daisies, four nerve daisies, frogfruit, and the many types of salvia on the prairie. The white mistflower plants are sure to become the favorite flower on the prairie when they begin blooming this week.

Here is a look at some of the butterflies and other flying creatures that posed for a photo op.

Monarch on Blue Mistflower

Great Purple Hairstreak on Frostweed

Painted Lady on Frostweed

American Snout on Blue Mistflower

Common Buckeye on Blue Mistflower

Gulf Fritillary on Blue Mistflower

Yet-to-be-identified Yellow Butterfly on Zexmenia

The tiny Eastern Tailed-Blue. Thanks for help with the ID Kathleen.

Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar on Hercules Club Tree

Dragonfly on Gayfeather

Interesting Green and Black Fly? on Frostweed

Fall on the Prairie

2010-10-07T21:05:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite time of the year to be in my garden, or should I say "on my prairie". After the hot, dry summer, fall rains and cooler temperatures brought the prairie back to life.

The growth on the forbs is fresh and green. The colors of their flowers are more intense than ever. The grasses are tall and blooming. Their leaves and flower stalks sway with the slightest breeze.

Butterflies and bees swarm the Mealycup sage, Salvia farinacea 'Henry Duelberg', zexmenia, Wedelia hispida, scarlet sage, Salvia coccinea and little bluestem grass, Schizachyrium scoparium.

The flower spikes of gayfeather, Liatris mucronata, peek through the little bluestem grass.

The light blue leaves of pale-leaf yucca, Yucca pallida, and four-nerve daisy, Hymenoxys scaposa are a nice contrast to the changing colors of the little bluestem. Earlier in the year, the yucca and little bluestem were about the same shade of blue, but now the little bluestem is gradually changing to a copper color.

Birdbath and zexmenia.

Entering the backyard prairie, there are more flowers and grasses in bloom. Zexmenia, Mexican bush sage, Salvia leucantha, Indian grass, Sorghastrum nutans, switchgrass, Panicum virgatum 'Dallas Blues', autumn sage, Salvia greggii, and blue mistflower, Conoclinium greggii, to name a few.

Turning to right, frostweed, Verbesina virginica, turk’s cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. Drummondii, and scarlet sage, are among the flowers under my only shade tree.

Whether taking advantage of the cooler temperatures to work on an outdoor project or just enjoying the plants and wildlife, it’s a great time to be on the prairie. You just can’t beat Texas in the fall.

September 11, 2010

2010-09-11T10:13:00.004-05:00

Late Summer on the Prairie Part 2

2010-09-09T23:18:00.000-05:00

In my backyard prairie, I have several other plants that become more interesting and attractive to wildlife in late summer and fall.

This snow on the prairie, Euphorbia bicolor, is blooming among Indian grass, Sorghastrum nutans, the red flowers of autumn sage, Salvia greggii, and the sky blue flowers of pitcher sage, Salvia azurea 'grandiflora'.

Eryngo, Eryngium leavenworthii, is blooming in an electric shade of purple. The bracts surrounding the flowers are very spiny, but they do not keep monarch butterflies and other pollinators away from the flowers. Notice the little white spider on one of the bracts?

The flowers on this patch of switch grass, Panicum virgatum 'Dallas Blues', glow in the morning sunlight. The switch grass, as well as my other prairie grasses, will provide height and motion in the garden, as well as food and shelter for the prairie wildlife, until I cut the stalks to the ground in February or March.

On the edge of the backyard prairie, a large American beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, is covered in clusters of bright purple berries.

Mockingbirds love the berries of American beautyberry. The birds eat the berries almost as quickly as they ripen. This mother mockingbird and her young fledgling (hidden by the leaves) spend much of the day in the branches of the beautyberry. She used to have two babies, but a neighborhood cat got one of them. Note to neighbors: Keep your cats indoors or train them to hunt only rabbits, squirrels and grackles.

Before long, the mockingbirds will get an urge for some spicy food and they will fly over to my chile pequin plants, Capsicum annuum, for the little red peppers. Amazingly, they swallow the peppers whole.

If your late summer landscape looks a little boring, add some of these late season plants to your garden. You will not only have colorful flowers and berries in your garden, but you are sure to attract colorful butterflies and birds as well.

Late Summer on the Prairie Part 1

2010-08-31T23:16:00.000-05:00

It’s September. As summer lingers, many of the plants on my prairie have bloomed since spring and they are still going strong. Zexmenia, four-nerve daisy, autumn sage, blue mistflower and standing cypress are some examples of the prolific bloomers.

While the spring and summer bloomers were putting on their show and attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to my prairie, several other plants were quietly enduring the heat and drought - waiting for their time to shine in late summer and fall.

In the front prairie, pitcher sage, Salvia azurea 'grandiflora', is beginning to bloom among the flowers of little bluestem grass, Schizachyrium scoparium. The little bluestem is about two and a half feet tall and sways gracefully in the late summer breezes.

This gayfeather, Liatris mucronata, has just a few flowers, but it is already attracting bees. Before long, its numerous spiky stems will be covered with flowers and the flowers will be covered with bees and butterflies.

In my next post, I will feature the late summer plants in the backyard prairie.

All Natural Landscaping

2010-08-24T18:59:00.000-05:00

I wonder how many people with natural or native landscapes - no matter how well designed or maintained - have neighbors that think they live next door to something like this.

Here is another video about an invasive species that is taking over many gardens.

Guess who learned how to post videos in a blog.

The Rest of the Story

2010-08-23T22:32:00.005-05:00

I want to thank everyone for the complementary and supportive comments regarding my prairie landscape. The response has been amazing and I was not expecting all of the drive-bys after the story ran in the Dallas Morning News.
I am flattered to have received a few requests to do other people’s landscapes. Sorry, but I have a day job (with air conditioning) and you could not pay me enough to dig the grass out of another yard! Besides that, you would lose patience with me. I do all of my work myself and I am still not finished with my own yard after six years!

The photos in this blog are carefully shot to show my prairie at its best, but they don’t tell the whole story. I have several unfinished and yet to be started projects to complete before I can say “I am finished”. Chances are that I will think of more new projects before I finish the ones I know about today.

Here is a behind the scenes tour of the Plano Prairie Garden.

When I started my front yard prairie, I left a 3-4 foot wide strip of St. Augustine and Bermuda grass around the perimeter of my prairie. The intent was to have a manicured area outside the less manicured prairie and to set the prairie off as a big flowerbed. I also wanted a buffer zone between my prairie and possible overspray from the neighbor’s pesticides and insecticides. The photo below shows the west side of the yard. This strip of grass goes past my compost piles and all the way to the alley.

After I removed most of my lawn, I participated in a Plano lawnmower exchange program. I traded in my gas powered mower and purchased an electric (corded) mower at a reduced price. It did not take long to discover that it takes longer to mow a lawn when you are tethered by an electrical cord that you have try to avoid running over. In fact, it took as much time to mow my reduced lawn with an electric mower as it did to mow a full lawn with a gas powered mower. If you go electric, consider a cordless electric mower.

This spring, I removed the grass from the east side of my front prairie and moved the edging to the property line. I still need to move sprinkler heads, excavate soil, and connect my decomposed granite pathway to the sidewalk. I plan to make the same improvements on the west side of the prairie, but I will have additional drainage issues to deal with.

Another ongoing project is the parkway between the sidewalk and the street. This year, I removed some perennials and buffalo grass and added more decomposed granite. I am still trying to decide what to do with this area.

Near the front door, I am adding flagstones to create a small sitting area. I am still working on fitting together the pieces of this rock puzzle.

Finally (for now), the east side of the house needs work. This space is only about 8 feet wide and I plan to add a decomposed granite pathway to connect in the front and back prairies.

One day it will all be finished and I will not post pictures of these areas again until then.

Welcome to the Plano Prairie Garden

2010-08-11T20:40:00.009-05:00

If you are here for the first time because of the story about my prairie in the Dallas Morning News, thanks for the visit. Feel free to look through my posts and photos from the last year and a half. Check back again in the future. I usually have one or two new posts a month.

If you are a return visitor to the Plano Prairie Garden, check out the story with the link above.

Backyard 08-10-10

I started this blog in January of 2009 as a journal of my prairie garden. I never intended for it to be public, but, of course, everything on the internet ends up becoming public. That is how Curtis Ippolito, the writer of the story, found out about my garden.

My yard is not typical for Plano or for most suburban neighborhoods. A couple of years ago, I started removing all the St. Augustine and Bermuda grass from my yard and began planting plants that are native to Texas.

Most of the plants in my garden grew in this area before cattlemen, farmers, and developers changed the landscape. The majority of plants most people grow in their yards now come from Asia, Africa, and other foreign lands. Unfortunately, many of these plants are escaping captivity and invading our native, wild areas.

By planting a variety of native plant species in my garden, I created a mini-ecosystem around my home. My garden attracts more songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies, and lizards than marigolds, begonias, and St. Augustine ever could.

I know my garden is not to everyone’s tastes and that is OK. But before you totally dismiss it, take a look at some of the plants. You do not have to convert your entire yard like I did. You can use native plants in a formal landscape of lawn and flowerbeds. The advantage to the natives is that many do not require as much water and care as most of the common landscape plants that you pick up at the home center.

Eryngium leavenworthii from seeds collected by a railroad track on Waterview Parkway in Richardson.

Keep in mind, Texas is a big state with vastly different climates. Just because a plant is native to Texas does not mean it will grow well in your garden. A plant that is native to Houston or El Paso may not grow well in the DFW area, but then again, it might. You need to know your plants. Go to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for more information about native plant species.

By the way, the DMN story says I do not water my garden. I actually do water when the soil is really dry. In fact, the sprinklers are coming on in the morning. This streak of 100+ degree days makes a prairie a little crispy.

Backyard 08-10-10

July Prairie Update

2010-07-26T23:01:00.003-05:00

My prairie was going into semi-dormant state due to the hot, dry spring until it rained about three weeks ago. A little rain really made a difference. Flowers started blooming again. The little bluestem grass started growing again. Now we are all watching the skies for more rain or waiting for me to flip the switch on the sprinkler system.

I love the shot of the front yard prairie, below. It looks like the real thing! It is hard to believe it is really part of a 9,800 square foot residential lot in the middle of the city. Click this link for a 2009 post and see what the rest of the neighborhood looks like.

Prairie Plant Profile #2 – Brown-eyed Susan

2010-07-25T21:48:00.001-05:00

Brown-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia triloba, is a tall, multi-branched perennial in my prairie. At the end of June or beginning of July the plants are covered in bright orange-yellow flowers with dark brown centers. After the initial flush of flowers, Brown-eyed Susan sporadically produces a few more flowers for the next couple of months. The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

You may be able to extend the blooming by dead heading the spent flowers, but I usually leave them for interest in the winter landscape. Additionally, birds may feed on the seed heads. But be careful about leaving the seed heads on the plants. You may have little Brown-eyed Susan plants all over the place in the spring.

My plants usually grow between 3 and 5 feet tall depending on age and planting location. Brown-eyed Susan grows in full sun, but they can also adapt to a fair amount of shade. Brown-eyed Susan is drought tolerant, but appreciates a little water to prevent wilting in the afternoon heat. A little shade in the afternoon will help with the wilting too.

By comparison, the more common Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, on the left in this photo, is a shorter plant and has larger flowers than Brown-eyed Susan.

Both the Brown-eyed Susan and the Black-eyed Susan are great sources of summer color after the spring flowers have faded.