January 3 , 2023
Nipped but Not Out!
The ball sure dropped early in Central Texas with a swift downslide to 15 ° the last week of December . But it ’s not “ farewell ” to our plants , other than some cold - supply ship succulent and tropicals . aboriginal or dauntless adapted plants will be o.k. . certainly , some brown on top or attend a lilliputian crispy , like argent desert globemallow ( Sphaeralcea ambigua ) , but that ’s common for winter . The rootage are fine , ready to bounce back with newfangled maturation in leap . Microclimates matter . pucker into business district Austin atWaterloo Greenway at Waterloo Park , aromatic asters kept on flower to enthusiastic bee crowd . Evergreens remained truthful to their heritage to anchor layers of companions that alter appearance throughout the year . The golden hue of wintertime cast a ardent lambency over sunlit trails to observe plants that attractively honour the time of year before metempsychosis in spring . Birds and other critters can snack on the muzzy fruits of evergreen sumac ( Rhus virens).Cold - stalwart Sotol ( Dasylirion wheeleri ) punctuates a R-2 of perennial and native sedge . Gulf muhly ( Muhlenbergia capillaris ) activate early fireworks against good afternoon sunshine . Yaupon holly berries glistened against perennials that promptly rocketed into wintertime dormancy after late season blooming in affectionate December solar day . For now , let ’s leave them all alone to nurse the beneficial insect look at refuge under their browned canopy . Here ’s just a fond plant list atWaterloo Greenway . My garden host a lot of browned folio right now , too , after a 17 ° to 80 ° weather condition spread in just a week . Progressively , the aster are embrown up — which is common — while native spiderworts and pink evening primula farm expectant every day to cover this spot in shades of reddish blue to pink in a few months . grey creeping germander edges with silver . Several wildflowers were coming up here , but between unruly atmospheric condition swings and ambitious squirrel , there are gaps for now . Native white avens ( genus Geum canadense ) inhabit many of my shade areas , but seeded itself along this sunny border , oblivious to last summertime ’s drought and heating . In the shadier side of this island bottom , equally weather - kind aboriginal golden groundsel munificently spreads out among mountain pass - a - long bearded irises to pop some of the earliest spring flowers in just a few weeks .
Here ’s a helpful“Maintenance After the Freeze ” guide from The Natural Gardener . flow in there for now , and simply enjoy this rather quirky season . Our plant will instruct us well as we head into 2023 .
Thanks for hold on by ! Linda
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