I thought I’d have more cool things to talk about in November. I had some cool talks to attend in October and November but the speakers blew us off. That seems to be going around now. Then the usual Thanksgiving chaos hit with a bit more chaos than usual this year. And it got cold and I’m a wimp so I wasn’t out in the garden near as much as I’d like. I haven’t even covered any more grass lately. ( But it has warmed up again so perhaps some progress can be made this weekend. )
Things go well in the garden. Some plants are not thrilled about the cold, but most of them are quite happy to be out of the summer heat and sun. I think the castor plant bought it, much to my great dismay. But I’ll leave it in the ground till spring. Many a plant I thought dead turned out to only be playing possum so I’m not so quick to remove plants. We’ll see if it puts out some new leaves come spring.
The black bamboo put up a second shoot this week. I’m excited! The shoot is still small, about 6″ tall. I wonder if there will be a time when new bamboo shoots make me cringe rather than glow?
The roses are still blooming, some of the newer ones are a bit warped from the cold but the roses seem to bloom larger in the cooler weather so I don’t mind so much.
The more delicate orchids are in for the winter, most are still roughing it outdoors.
I’m seeing less birds in the yard, but I’m seeing a larger variety. I’ve seen the hawk here looking for dinner a few times. So the birds come, they eat, they leave, instead of hanging out.
6 responses so far ↓
1 smhead // Nov 30, 2007 at 10:19 am
Ahhh, bamboo. I have wanted to plant some black bamboo for a while but haven’t been brave enough yet.
Can you suggest a local supplier of black bamboo or is it one of those finds you made in your excellent adventures among ‘real’ gardeners (as opposed to me, a poser-gardener).
Thanks for your wonderful blog!
Scott
2 admin // Nov 30, 2007 at 11:55 am
Ha! Who are you kidding? I have been watching your peppers and tomatoes posts with the utmost jealousy. I saw those gorgeous peppers on your blog this week. I’ve yet to get a decent batch of either here.
I bought the bamboo from http://tropicalbamboo.com The price was right. And I’m happy with both plants I purchased from them.
Planting bamboo is much easier if you don’t really like your neighbors much.
I am hoping the bamboo will be well behaved. If not I’ll call the local bamboo society that meets at Mercer and offer it to them. Someone will take it away and give it a good home if it doesn’t work out.
( Thanks for your blog entry on Armand Bayou. We went and it was very nice. I saw my first live armadillo there!
We went to Anahuac Wildlife preserve a few weeks back too, that one’s worth a trip too. (notes on personal blog if you are unfamiliar with it.
http://timestocome.com/wordpress2/ ))
3 TinTex // Nov 30, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Hi! I just found your blog. I’m a (lapsed) Montgomery County Master Gardener (all caps, heh heh), and am now living in the south of Houston. I, too, am a bamboo lover, but my current passion is Lako, a large clumping black. Two nice big shoots this fall, and I’m really looking forward to getting it in the ground.
4 admin // Dec 1, 2007 at 9:29 am
Nice to meet you! ( I’m taking the Master Gardener Classes this Jan/Feb. )
I just Googled Lako, it’s beautiful. Lots of the images refer to the bamboo as Lako/Black Timor. Are they the same? Or just similar?
I’m really looking forward to having a large strand of this in my yard.
5 Therese3113 // Dec 3, 2007 at 6:11 pm
I’m official now; I was TinTex before. Anyhow, Lake is the same as East Timor Black. The bamboo world is seemingly always undergoing name changes. By any name, it’s a beautiful bamboo. Also, it’s a clumping bamboo, and personally I find it more attractive than black bamboo, which can look weedy. In addition to nearly black culms (think bittersweet chocolate), this one has understated stripes of blue-green to turquoise. I really like it!
I lived in Magnolia for 25 years, (near the Woodlands), and am getting ready to move to 2 acres of woods on the south side of Houston. Right now the woods are 25 - 30 year old Chinese tallow, but there are tons of nice natives coming up, too. I was surprised to find that the whole two acres are just full of Rudbeckia maxima, the 5 to 6 foot tall black eyed susan.
I’m glad to have found your blog, and will be checking in often.
6 admin // Dec 3, 2007 at 6:58 pm
You’re going to have lots of room to plant exotic things, and being warmer and more humid down there you’ll have more exotics to choose from.
It is a very pretty bamboo. I like that the culms are large and that it doesn’t grow too tight. Some bamboos grow very close and I think they look better with a bit of space between the culms.
I’ve been to Magnolia, pretty quiet out there. There’s a nice old fashioned down town we visited for a bit one day.
There’s a freeze warning tonight so I just spent the afternoon dragging in the rest of the orchids and re-potting them. I’ll keep them in until late Feb. or so now. I just have to find spots to put them in, which looks to be easier said than done. Right now my kitchen and office look like green houses, including the dirt floor part.
I have not been able to get any Rudbeckias to grow here. You’d think they’d be painless but they just don’t like my garden. August comes and they check out.
You must log in to post a comment.