Big Tooth Maples!!

Well, the Big Tooth Maples are in and they are spectacular!!!! I love all the color!!! The leaves are just brilliant. I love the yellows, the reds, the turning of the colors. I am trying to figure out where to plant one now. Just thought I'd share a few shots of them.

Kalanchoe Watch 2010

Well, I have been obsessively watching the Kalanchoes - waiting as patiently as I can to see them bloom. So far, they have not yet, but they are getting close. The Fantastic's are turning the cooler red colors which is really pretty and the thyrsiflora's have finally started to throw up the blooms spikes. I took a few pictures today. I will post more pictures when the blooms open up.

Pair of Monarchs

There was a pair of Monarchs yesterday that were hanging around the nursery all day yesterday. I tried to get photos of the two of them together but they were not posing at the same time. I got about 60 shots of them individually though that were good I thought. They were all over the Butterfly Weed / Milk Weed. They would go over to the Lavender for a second or the Salvia but obviously were having a better time with the Butterfly Weed. I took some pics and selected my three favorites to post. I am going out today to take pictures of the plants- everything is in full color with the cooler weather- It is absolutely beautiful out there. I love this time of year. We had a guy come in today asking about the Little Ollies- said he could see the shimmering silver from across the street. They look stunning. Hope you enjoyed the photos!!!

Not too Windy for the Bees and the Butterflies!

Well I got some shots I am happy with today. Who knew- as windy as it was today they were still very active. The white butterfly was all over the Lavender Provence. He was so light and the lavender itself so light it was hard to capture a striking photo of the both of them. The bees I think showed up great on the Milk Weed as well as on the Spanish Lavender. I got that one other butterfly on the Mystic Spires Salvia. He was really interesting. It was as if he had "horns" on his wings. It was odd. He was quick too. He was all over the place.

Love That White!

We just got in the prettiest new Salvia leucantha- I love it!!! I took a picture of it to show- photos lately have been really hard with all this wind!!!! Hopefully the wind is gone for a while. This new Salvia is so pretty though- I have never seen it- it is white with little pink blooms at the tips. It is just one of the prettiest things I have seen. I have been putting together my next bed to arrange and now that this is here I am redoing it all. Ha ha. I want this to be in there and I think I want it to be the focal point. It looks really pretty next to the Little Ollie which I love. I think you could put anything next to that and I would love it.

I took a picture of the bloom but it is just one of the prettiest things I have seen lately.

The wind has put a damper in my photo taking, though I have been having fun just experimenting with the new lens. It is amazing the clarity I get on some of the shots. I am trying to learn all the things my camera can do- I have yet to be able to capture the hummingbirds though they are still fighting over the Mexican Honeysuckle at the back. There are two and they really go at it. Maybe today I will capture them. I have it on the "runner/sport" speed so you would think I could get it, but no.

Enjoy my new favorite:

Pumped up for Pumpkins!

Ok- I know it is weird to be excited about pumpkins but we just got some yesterday and they are so cool!!! bue, striped, white, Cinderella, Pokeyman (they named it not me haha) and then the cute little bitty ones. How fun. I posted some pics on my Facebook page for the nursery but thought I'd post some here too- they are too fun!

A Chill in the Air and I Love It!

There is a chill in the air and can I just say I LOVE it!?!?!?! The plants seem to be responding as well. My one little echeveria is turning a pretty coral color and the new Kalanchoe fantastics are turning this really pretty ruby color. It is so neat to watch things change. I wish now I had the before photo for the Kalanchoe! My husband said they would turn, I just didn't think that fast. I have been having a great morning walking around watering everything. It is so pretty outside. The Monarchs seem to have come and gone, I have not seen one for about three days now, though the dragonflies and bees are still full force buzzing around. I will post a photo of the one echeveria and then the Kalanchoe, we have two - the fantastic and the thyrisflora but the fantastic is turning colors. Both are really pretty. I am deciding what to put in the front planter. I keep changing my mind.

Love It, Now to Learn How to Use It....

My sweet husband got me a new lens for my camera for my birthday. Since we opened up this nursery I have been having a blast shooting pictures of the butterflies, bees, dragonflies etc... along with plants, blooms, stalks and leaves. There are several photos that I was always unable to get due to my lack of skills for the most part and due to the lens I have. Well, for my birthday last week I opened up one of the best presents I think I have ever gotten- a new lens. I am having so much fun with it!!!! I will post a few shots but there is a lot I have to learn. Off to shoot!!!

The bee with the Mystic Spires Salvia and the Dragonfly perched on top of a blade of the Dianella.

It's Like Christmas!

I know I have said it before but every time a truck pulls in here to unload I feel like it is Christmas time. I love seeing the new plants. Now, of course this means I have a whole new batch of things to learn about- what likes sun, what likes shade, what needs to be watered daily, what needs to wait, how tall this will grow, etc... I could go on and on, but I love it and am not complaining. Who knew when I stopped the "corporate world" and entered the "garden world" that I would enjoy it so much. I knew I would like it, but never did I imagine how much. Today I got something called a Shrimp Plant. How cool is that???? Who knew there was a plant called a Shrimp Plant, and well, if you have seen it, you understand the name- it looks like big jumbo shrimp hanging off this plant. Hysterical. We do not grow that one here so it was a total new thing for me to learn along with a few others we got in. I love unloading and seeing all the new things, deciding what is going to go where; what blends best next to what; what is a good compliment to line it up next to. Then comes my second favorite part, picking what I want to go plant.

Right now we are in the process of building some beds so I am planning my next two gardens but I have it all set in my head. I can't wait. I make my daily rounds and see how everyone is doing, snap a few pictures of the butterflies, dragonflies, bees, praying mantis, beetles, lizards, grass hoppers, lady bugs, you name it, I take their picture. I still have not captured the hummingbird- I have lots of shots of a blur but nothing you can make out what it is. As of late I have seen this one dragonfly that is red. He is so cool looking and he follows me. It is so funny. He literally follows me but when I snap his picture I get nothing. Just a red blur. One person told me it was a hummingbird dragonfly.... hummmm..... I know I am new to all this but I am not sure I am buying that one.... but who knows- maybe they exist.

Ever heard of one?

I am going to post a picture of the Shrimp Plant- it might be common to a lot of people but to me I just thought it was one of the coolest things! I will also post my little ladybug I found today. She just sat there while I snapped. I get those all the time but normally they are on me and pictures of a ladybug on me aren't that exciting so I finally got one on a plant. She was hanging out on an expired Salvia bloom. Hope you enjoy!

Bee-autiful Butterflies!!

Had to share- the butterflies were just too fun this morning. It was if they were posing for me. There was one that I just couldn't get - a bright yellow one- he was really friendly and kept flying up around me but wouldn't pose haha. I hope you enjoy the photos- it seems everything loves these Mystic Spires Salvia- the bees, the dragonflies, lady bugs and the butterflies. Not sure if they are like that with all types of Salvia, but they sure do like this stuff!!!

Who knew?

Who knew there were three types of bees? Not me. I do now but was totally clueless to this. George, our neighbor at the nursery, pointed this out to us the other day that we have not one, not two, but THREE types of bees hanging out with our Salvia. We have this incredible Mystic Spires Salvia that is just breathtaking. I posted a photo of a bee on it so you can see. I love to sit and watch them - they are much better photography subjects than the hummingbirds that I have still been unable to catch and the dragonflies, who I can get one at a time while they sit but the tandem ones, not great shots nor when in flight.

Everything is blooming right now and it is just so pretty. I have had so much fun doing this nursery with my husband. He is very patient in teaching me about all the plants , what does well where and how big this or that gets etc.... as well as about the plants themselves. I was just informed a few minutes ago that after I have learned about everything out there, we are getting about 20 new items tomorrow. Just when I get to where I am feeling comfortable BAM more to learn. Keeps me on my toes. That's for sure. I am not complaining, I am excited. I love putting things together and setting up the little gardens around- they aren't all done - which is what brought up the conversation- I was telling him I was trying to decide what to include to finish this one garden I had started the other day when he said, why don't you wait until the truck gets here tomorrow and decide then. Well who knew. More stuff. It's like Christmas when those trucks come in - I stand back there watching them unload and make all my comments and ooh and ahh over things ha ha. The drivers I am sure think I am nuts. I can't wait to see it all- apparently lots of new fun stuff coming in- Spider Lilies (one of my favorites), Variegated Dianella, Firespike- just the name itself - can't wait to see what that is going to look like and then a bunch of other stuff. I will take some pictures and post them after I finish organizing everything- I am all about the rows. ha ha ha. I told my husband that is one thing I honestly enjoy doing- organizing the rows, arranging by color etc... I take great pride in my rows. It's the little things in life.... ha ha.

Dragonflies or Avatar???

Yesterday as I walked around the nursery watching the dragonflies chasing each other it reminded me of the end of the movie Avatar- it was mesmerizing. They were swooping down, soaring high and fast, siting as if to stall mid-air. Attacking one another, hiding for the right moment to go after each other all the time making this buzzing noise and there I was right in the middle of it all. It was straight out of a scene from the movie I tell you. I found myself just staring. I went and grabbed a camera but they are so fast and to really catch it all you really need a video camera, I got a few shots but did not capture the true essence of what was happening around me. The butterflies were back yesterday as well- the Swallowtail was buzzing around the citrus trees and I got some great photos- or so I thought.... I had taken the disc out to check out my photos of the dragonflies and well, forgot to put it in. So frustrating- I had taken so many great shots and gotten a really good close up of a bright yellow grasshopper. The weather has been so pretty here in Austin the last two days that it is hard to find anything to do inside that just can't wait. (like writing this- hence blogging this morning instead). I spent the day out in the yard, planting my garden, figuring out what else to plant and weeding. It is so relaxing to just be outside. I am posting a few of the pictures of the dragonflies wars though I don't think they do it justice.

Fall Has Arrived!!

Well it is here, fall has come. I can't believe it. We just got electricity and air conditioning in the office and now we need a heater. Isn't that just how it goes??? Kinda like this morning when I am racing out the door, put down my coffee for a SPLIT second and turn around to find my dog is slurping it up. Nice. Hope she enjoyed it. I finally got to the nursery and everything just looks happy. The weather is cooler and the plants are definitely applauding. The succulents are starting to turn colors already. The bees don't seem to notice much, they are buzzing around as always and the dragonflies continue to chase each other. I have been on the lookout for the butterflies but they seem to have shrunk in numbers the last two days. It is just gorgeous out. The windows are open and the citrus are turning- little yellow lemons everywhere and a whole new round of blooms which is making the air around the office intoxicating. I went and did my morning check up and two of the sweet olives are in bloom. How such a little flower can put off such an incredible smell I don't know but I love it and don't want it to stop!!