Alphabet's End @ Year's End

As the year comes to an end, so the garden alphabet series comes to an end, as well.   Finishing up with the last three letters...

"X" is for... 
jet trails over DFW Airport?

As I was thinking about what word I would use for the letter X, I immediately thought of Xeriscape.  But that is so predictable.   So I went exploring online for gardening terms that begin with X.  With all of the new terms I learned, I think I just might be going into the new year a little bit smarter :-)

You've heard of chlorophyll, no doubt, but have you heard of xanthophyll?  Xanothophyll is a substance causing the yellow color of autumn leaves.   The yellow coloration is masked by the presence of chlorophyll, and xanthophylls are only revealed when chlorophyll is degraded as the plant heads into dormancy.

These yellow pigments are also observed in leaves with certain nutrient deficiencies, such as chlorosis.  Thankfully I did not have a lot of examples of chlorosis in my garden, but I did find these chlorotic 'Nana' Nandina leaves that were certainly showing off their xanthophylls.

The picture below shows how Nandina foliage should look in the winter.  

Ah, yes, that's much better...

Also from the combining word xantho (Greek xanthos, meaning "yellow"), we get Xanthocarpous,  which means "having yellow fruit," and Xanthospermous, which means "having yellow seeds."

Xenogamy means "cross-fertilization."   

Xylem means the "woody portion of a plant."

X is also for Xenolith, "a fragment of extraneous rock embedded in magma or another rock."   I wonder if these might be considered examples of xenoliths in a few of my garden rocks.

Xiphophyllous means "having sword-shaped leaves."  Do you think the leaves of this Red Cordyline and the Hymenocallis 'Tropical Giant' fit the bill?

 

And, yes, from the combining word xero (Greek xeros, meaning "dry"), we get all kinds of garden terms, not the least of which is our old friend Xeriscape.  

Xeriscaping is "a method of landscaping that uses drought-resistant plants that are well adapted to a local area.  Xeriscaping is often used as a water conservation strategy."   Since I do supplemental watering of my garden, I am not sure it would qualify as a true xeriscape garden, but I do use "drought-resistant plants that are well adapted to my local area."  

Xeric means "dry; lacking in moisture."
Xerothermic means "dry and hot."
Xerophilous means "growing in or adapted to especially dry and hot regions."
Xerophytic means "able to withstand drought."
Xerophobous means "unable to survive drought."

Every summer in Texas is xeric and xerothermic, and most of my plants are xerophilous and xerophytic.  But during the extremely xeric summer of 2011, I thought I was becoming a little xerophobous at times!

And then finally Xanthippe, which means "an ill-tempered woman."  If I don't get to dig in the dirt at least a few times a week, I guess I could become a xanthippe!    I think my New Year's resolution should be to never become a xanthippe :-)

Moving on...

"Y"

is for Yew and You

A new plant that I added to my garden this spring is called Spreading Japanese Plum Yew,  Cephalotaxus harringtonia 'prostrata.'   I love its fine-textured, soft green foliage.

I have a sweep of the yew planted below my Shumard Red Oak and in front of Turk's Cap.  Since it was just planted this last spring, right now it is growing very close to the ground and is only 2 to 3 feet wide, but it will eventually grow to about 2 feet tall and 5 feet wide.  The goal is that it will grow just tall enough to grace the top edge of the boulders to soften the hardscape.

Y is also for YOU!   

As my first full year of garden blogging draws to a close, I just want to say thank you to all of YOU for visiting my blog and leaving your encouraging comments.    I have enjoyed getting to "know" so many of you through your blogs and have even had the pleasure of meeting (in person) Karen & Carl from Quarry Garden and Larry & Sarah from Conrad Art Glass & Gardens on a visit to Wisconsin this summer.

I am looking forward to another year of blogging about this little plot of land I have been given the blessing to care for, and I hope you will continue to join me on my garden blogging adventures in the new year.

And finally...

"Z"

is for Zexmenia

Speaking of xeric plants, let me sing the praises of this native Texas plant once again before the year is out.   If there was ever a summer for this plant to show its stuff, it was the summer of 2011 for sure!  Tiny bright yellow blooms cover this extremely drought-tolerant plant all summer long.

And that's it.

I hope you have enjoyed this trip through my garden...
from A to Z.

To view the other posts in this series, click  here

Happy New Year!!!

Toni :-)

December's Alphabet (V-W)

Continuing to work my way through the garden alphabet...

"V"

is for Violet

Last January for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, 

I wrote a poem about this little African violet.  

Back then she was just a wee little thing, 

the offspring of a violet I got from my grandmother many years ago.

But now my little violet is all grown up and blooming :-)

"W"

is for Worms

Did you know these interesting little facts about our friends of the soil...

Worms have five hearts, but they have no lungs.  They breathe through their skin, which is why the soil must remain moist in order for them to survive.  They prefer cool, moist soil in the range of 60 to 80 degrees.

Worms need lots of oxygen, too.  Have you ever seen a bunch of worms on the sidewalk after a hard rain?   They are drowning down in the water-logged soil, so they are coming up for air.  The only problem with that is UV light can be deadly to a worm if exposed for more than a minute or two.

Worms have little bristles on their segments to help them move through the soil or to grip the soil when a predator is trying to yank them out of the soil for a tasty meal.  Worms also have a gizzard, so they need grit in their environment.

Worms are hermaphrodites, which means they are both male and female in each worm.  They lay eggs, but two worms are needed to fertilize the eggs.

You know that pinkish band toward the end of a worm?  

That is called the clitellum.

This band, or clitellum, is found toward the head end of the worm.    Two worms will lie head to head and secrete mucus and exchange sperm through their clitellums.  The worm then backs out of the band, and as it does so, it injects its own eggs and the other worm's sperm into it. When this band slips over the head of the worm, it forms a cocoon from which the new worms emerge.

In the picture below do you see the little yellowish spot toward the end of the worm to the right of center?  This is the clitellum about to slip off the head of the worm!

These little yellowish BB-sized ovals in the picture below show a couple of worm cocoons. 

Each worm will produce about four cocoons per week. 

  

Worms live four to five years!

If a worm is cut in half, 

only the part of the body that has the head will survive.

Worms neutralize the soil and get rid of pathogens in the soil.  Worms are so beneficial to our soil.  And all they ask for in return is a little moisture, a little oxygen, and some food -- a/k/a garbage.   Worms can eat a couple pounds of kitchen scraps per week!

There are different types of worms: 

Night crawlers live in permanent vertical burrows that reach 6 to 12 feet underground!  They are great bait worms.   

Field worms or true earthworms live in the top 18 inches of soil and make complex horizontal burrows working the top layer of soil.  These are the type of worms that we most likely will find in our backyard compost piles.   

Red worms or "red wigglers" live in the top 6 to 8 inches of leaf litter on top of the soil. They break down organic matter and produce wonderful earthworm castings that are great for fertilizing our plants.  Red wigglers are the worms used for vermicomposting.

If you'd like to learn more about vermicomposting, click here.

Stay tuned for the Alphabet's End @ Year's End...

Toni :-)

The Alphabet Returns (S, T, U)

The alphabet decided to abandon August and skip September.   I can't say I blame it; I was pretty much AWOL in August and got sidetracked in September, too.     I was more into numbers than letters this summer anyway, as I watched the mercury and the total number of 100-degree days continue to rise and break records.

But I digress.   So where were we when the alphabet left off?

Oh,yes, "R" is for Rocks 

I just have to show you one more rock to give you an idea of how much...

...I (heart) rocks

I found this rock at the edge of my dry creek bed the other day.
It now has a special place in my... heart :-)

Okay....moving on.

"S"

is for Sedum

I have several varieties of sedum.   I don't know the name of this one, but it is evergreen and gets a tiny pinkish/white star-shaped bloom on it in the spring.   It works great in the garden as well as containers.

This one shall remain nameless, as well.
I got it from a little pinch off a plant at a garden tour I attended (yes, I got permission!)  I have never seen it bloom.  It goes dormant in winter, but returns without fail in the spring.

One place I grow sedum is in the plant pockets
of a large strawberry pot I have.
I grow tomatoes in the top of the pot.

Below is 'Autumn Joy' Sedum during its better days.

I wish I could say it was my joy this autumn, but it is not.
These pictures were taken earlier this summer,
but since then it has flopped over and croaked :-(
I will spare you pictures of the carnage.

This is 'Autumn Joy' in another spot in my garden that is holding its own...for now.   I have issues growing this plant.   If I can keep any of it alive, next spring I am going to try a recommendation from a local horticulturist:

"In the spring or early summer, 

cut them back to about half when they are 8 inches tall.  

This cutback will make them fuller for their fall season." 

I am considering putting it in a container
to give it the ideal drainage conditions it requires.

Here's a new addition...'Autumn Fire'  
So far so good on this one (fingers crossed)

The one above is Sedum kamtschaticum (say that fast three times!)
I got this as a division off a plant from a friend.
It gets a small yellow bloom on it in the spring.   

This is Sedum reflexum (a/k/a Sedum rupestre)
This evergreen sedum has a small yellow bloom in the spring, as well.

 

This is a new sedum that I planted by my pond among the moss rock.
It is called Stonecrop 'John Creech.' 
I have yet to see it bloom, but the plant tag shows a tiny pink bloom.

Did you know that Stonecrop is the common name for Sedum?
There are around 400 species in this plant family!
Click here for more information.

T"

is for...

This little guy (or gal) wanders through my garden from time to time.  

"U"
is for Umbrella Grass

Cyperus alternifolius

It has gotten huge this year, so next spring it will be due for a
reduction in size.

Speaking of umbrellas, I actually got the opportunity to use one yesterday!!

I took a stroll through my garden in the -- wait for it -- 

RAIN !

The sweetest four-letter word our parched Texas soil has ever heard :-)

Click here to view previous posts in the Alphabet Garden Series

Until next time...

Toni :-)

P.S.  Do you put your heart into your garden?

Check out Guest Heart Thursday 

 

The Alphabet's July Journey Continues (Q & R)

The alphabet journey continues... 

"Q"

is for Queen

I've got a couple queens in my garden.  One is 'Queen Emma' Crinum Lily given to me by a friend.  It is cold tender in my Zone 7/8 garden, so I will either need to protect it this winter or just enjoy her this season and say good-bye.

Another queen is my favorite Caladium, 'White Queen'

"R"

is for Rain...oh, how I wish!

(this space intentionally left blank)

There is no picture for Rain because we have had no rain!

*  *  *

How about this instead....

"R"

is for Rocks!

Now we're talking.  I love rocks.

  I have moss rock boulders surrounding my pond.

And more edging the flagstone steps in the backyard.

There's river rock forming a dry creek bed in my backyard.

And I also use river rock to edge my flower bed along the sidewalk in the front yard where there is a tendency for washout in heavy rains
(heavy what?? -- I can't remember what that is anymore)

In the picture above are some rocks I brought back from Wisconsin that I got on my folks' farm.  My husband wasn't too keen on the idea of having rocks rolling around in the bed of his pickup truck for 1100 miles as we drove back to Texas, but he obliged me... just this once.

 Here is another Wisconsin rock.  I found this rock "pickin' rocks" out of the field on the farm when I was a kid.  I've been carting this rock around the country for almost 30 years!!
I've always thought it looked like petrified wood.

I keep it in the house in an arrangement on my dining room table with a bunch of other rocks I've collected over the years.

 I've got lots of flagstone paths.



Below is one I built just last month leading to my compost pile.

I even have concrete "rocks" too!

Here's a cute rock frog
that I got as a
Christmas gift last year.

And my neighbor gave me this whimsical rock ant

This same neighbor has given me several granite boulders he gets off his deer lease property.

(Did I mention I have the best neighbors?!)

And here are some "cool" rock formations my grandson and I made in the river near the cabin we stayed at on our family vacation in northern Georgia last week. 

Playing in the river was a nice way to stay cool, too :-)
It was a welcome break from the sweltering temps we are having in Texas!

 

And last, but not least, here's a rock container I have where I grow sedum.



Speaking of which....











 Stay tuned for the next alphabet installment...

And stay cool!   

We are on Day #27 of  consecutive 100 degree temps
in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.  

Toni :-)

To view previous alphabet posts, click on the letters below

A-D

E-H

I-L

M, N, O
P