First, a public service announcement about a free garden 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.
Click here for additional information, as well as photos, videos, and plant lists for the gardens on tour.
Click here for additional information, as well as photos, videos, and plant lists for the gardens on tour.
Maps for the self-driving tour are available at SaveDallasWater.com and at all tour headquarters.
Second, even though my garden is not on the tour, I have been happy to give impromptu personal tours to neighbors, interested strangers that drive by, readers of the blog, and a garden blogger in town from San Antonio.
Shirley Fox, famous for the Rock-Oak-Deer blog, was in town recently and stopped by for a tour of the garden.
This was Shirley's second visit. When she and her husband stopped by last year, the plants in the garden were about a month ahead of their normal growth because of the warm winter. This year, Shirley had the opportunity to see the plants on a normal growth schedule and to also see my latest finished and unfinished projects. Click on the Rock-Oak-Deer link above for a look at my garden through Shirley's camera.
Third, this past weekend while the Big Yellow Caterpillar was parked in front of my house and the portable toilet was in the street in front of my neighbors house, I created a moving, three minute tour of my garden. Moving, as in video. Not moving as in emotional, unless jerky, fast moving video makes you nauseous, then you may be moved.
Shirley Fox, famous for the Rock-Oak-Deer blog, was in town recently and stopped by for a tour of the garden.
This was Shirley's second visit. When she and her husband stopped by last year, the plants in the garden were about a month ahead of their normal growth because of the warm winter. This year, Shirley had the opportunity to see the plants on a normal growth schedule and to also see my latest finished and unfinished projects. Click on the Rock-Oak-Deer link above for a look at my garden through Shirley's camera.
Third, this past weekend while the Big Yellow Caterpillar was parked in front of my house and the portable toilet was in the street in front of my neighbors house, I created a moving, three minute tour of my garden. Moving, as in video. Not moving as in emotional, unless jerky, fast moving video makes you nauseous, then you may be moved.
This was my first time to create and edit a video and it shows. But it was fun and I will probably do this again. Maybe I will add narration next time. And maybe I will even get on YouTube so I can post longer videos. Flickr limits my creativity by only allowing me to post three minute videos.
Finally, this is a photo of Mexican Hat, Ratibida columnaris, that was supposed to be part of my last post's photographic tour of the garden. Oops.
Finally, this is a photo of Mexican Hat, Ratibida columnaris, that was supposed to be part of my last post's photographic tour of the garden. Oops.
Thanks for the link, I enjoyed touring your garden again and am so glad I had the opportunity to see it with more blooms this time. The video is good and not too jerky as those bother me easily and your didn't.
ReplyDeleteI like the yellow Mexican Hat, I found some in the field near me and need to get them to seed here. I have all the other variations.
I am glad you had a chance to come by, Shirley. You even gave to world a sneak peek at the work I am doing in the backyard.
DeleteThe video is easier for me to take when it is viewed in a smaller size. I have trouble watching it in full screen.
I like Mexican Hat, although my plants always get floppy and reseed more than I prefer.
Thanks for going to the trouble, Michael. Ive still got a lot to learn about putting blackland plants into my sandy soil, but I`m getting there.
ReplyDeleteRandy, I did not realize your soil was sandy. Apparently the blackland plants are adapted to sand too since they grow wild around your home. They seem to be doing pretty well, except when the hail gets them.
DeleteThanks so much for the link to the bee guides. I'll be using the during pollinator week, with the Montana Civilian Corp kids and adding them as resources when I get my pollinator packet together.
ReplyDeletePollinator week is June 17 - 23. It would be neat if you could publish pictures of pollinators your garden supports during that time. Native bees are MUCH more efficient pollinators than are honey bees and they are also in decline. And butterflies and moths also do some pollination and definitely add to a gardens beauty.
Marilyn, I am glad the info was helpful and thanks for the reminder about pollinator week. I usually find out at the last minute and scramble to get some photos for a post. I should have enough notice for this year.
DeleteFun to see the video! Were those Standing Cypress near the front at the beginning of the video? When do expect them to start blooming? Are your winecups the annual variety? I haven't seen the perennials that tall here in the Hill Country. And I'm jealous of your coneflowers. Mine are just starting to send up shoots.
ReplyDeleteDo go on YouTube. It's super-easy to create an account and upload. Your garden deserves more views anyway. I'd like to see a seasonal retrospective where you do the same tour in each season and folks can see how your prairie changes.
Kathleen, those are Liatris at the beginning of the video. I had some standing cypress for a few years, but I guess the other plants filled in and prevented reseeding. I want to get some more. The winecups are the perennials. They grow flat until they hit another plant and then the stem starts growing up and over the other plants. That is the reason the flowers are so high off the ground.
DeleteI will consider YouTube, but I don't know if the world really needs to see more of my garden. It is enough of a struggle trying to be semi interesting on this blog.
Dear Michael, I totally love your garden and will share it with Central Texas Gardener's FB page. I hope to meet you in person the next time I'm in Dallas to visit my dad. I'm a graduate of JJ Pearce and it's really rewarding for me to see how you're changing the face of North Dallas/Plano! Best, Linda
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. You are welcome to stop by anytime. Local interest in alternatives to the standard lawn seems to be growing. The extremes I went to are not for everyone, but if my garden can inspire someone to plant a native plant or two that will feed butterflies or bees, then I feel like I made a difference.
ReplyDeleteGreat video tour - maybe I can do that before I move? Everything's about finished here for the summer, but with a breeze and blue sky, it could look appealing.
ReplyDeleteSomehow, you panning through the area shows far more than still photos of the same - like the context a plan view gives us designers? But once the breeze gets going, your place comes to life...amazing!
David, you should give everyone a good video tour of your garden before you move out.
DeleteI seem to go back to the same camera angles when I take photos so the video does give a broader perspective. I walked around the garden twice while recording and spliced the best shots together. The first time around the wind was calm and then it picked up the second time around. It is pretty easy to pick out whether I was on the first or second trip around the garden.