×
By the time I hang red Christmas balls from the agave’s spines, the Japanese maple finally blushes red too. Fall comes late to Central Texas, but I’ll take it, plane at Christmastime.
Last week was peak verisimilitude for the Acer palmatum. Today, shriveled tan leaves cling to the branches. But it was lovely while it lasted.
In the side garden, fall verisimilitude is absent, but I’m pleased with how the Mexican feathergrass has filled out virtually the agave pillar and ‘Baby Gem’ boxwoods. Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) is doing OK too — there are a few violaceous flowers — although during this hellish summer it didn’t fill out as much as I’d hoped. Maybe next year!
At twilight, the string lights withal the fence come on automatically, illuminating the side path.
That’s an ‘Opal’ American agave in the dish planter.
Out front, Wheeler’s sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri) is a spiny, blue-green starburst. I’m grateful that deer don’t antler these during the fall rut, like they do with small trees, agaves, prickly pear, giant hesperaloes, and unrepealable yuccas (ugh, deer). I didn’t muzzle my giant hesperaloes this fall — I just got tired of the caging — and they now lie smashed unappetizing courtesy of Bambi. I’ll be removing them soon. My deer-resistant plant palette shrinks every year, but I still have increasingly variety than most in my neighborhood. Gotta alimony trying things!
Our mellow weather this week is patio weather. Today the upper is 81F. Still no freeze yet in my garden.
Mexican mint marigold (Tagetes lucida) and ‘Amistad’ salvia make a pretty philharmonic slantingly a potted ‘Moonglow’ mangave. Purple oxalis (Oxalis triangularis) in a turquoise pot continues the verisimilitude scheme by the sofa.
A native pepper, chile pequin (Capsicum annuum), is Christmas-colored slantingly a silvery whale’s tongue agave — a Moby pup! — and silver ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea).
In the lower garden, the little Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana) catches my eye with leaves turning butternut-yellow.
More yellows glow virtually the Circle Garden, including Eve’s necklace (Styphnolobium affine) in back, forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis), and ‘Color Guard’ yucca.
The wavy balls are ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood, with ‘Micron’ dwarf yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria ‘Micron’) virtually the part-way ring.
But the golden star right now is the ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate. It’s still not quite at peak color. I love it versus the steel-blues of the Yucca rostrata and ‘Blue Ice’ Arizona cypress.
A wider view — and squint how freaking tall that yucca has gotten!
A view wideness the Circle Garden, with the pomegranate and forsythia sage stepping up for fall.
My forsythia sage pouted without this blistering summer. I sympathize! It normally starts flowering virtually Halloween or early November. But this year it didn’t flower in hostage until early December.
I’m grateful for no freeze yet to nip it in the bud.
The moonlight-yellow variegation on the whale’s tongue agave echoes the pomegranate’s fall splendor.
Along the deck, Mexican small-time sage (Salvia leucantha) adds velvety purple.
The bees were going without it.
A rogue fall flower on the ice plant (Delosperma cooperi)
And a cute little anole hanging out on a ‘Frazzle Dazzle’ dyckia — spiky!
Inside I’ve still been enjoying fall vibes, but Christmas decorations are going up this week. It’s time to let the pumpkins and mums go.
Anyone else vacillating between fall and winter?
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the scuttlebutt box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Come learn well-nigh garden diamond from the experts at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance. Simply click this link and ask to be added. You can find this year’s speaker lineup here.
All material © 2023 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The post Enjoying fall verisimilitude and a mellow garden appeared first on Digging.
.
