January 2011
A New Year begins at
Horsetail Haven, a home garden located in Austin, Texas
Rain drops
pattered on Horsetail Haven during the early hours of December 24th. After weeks and weeks of dry
winds and no moisture a better Christmas present could not have been given to
Austin gardeners. Just a little
rain made arugula sprout, crocus plants shoot lavender
colored buds toward the sky and mint reappear.
It also renewed excitement
toward gardening that had dried up
when daily watering became a necessity for seedlings and young plants. Winter in Austin should be a time to enjoy a
lush garden of low maintenance greens, pansies and alyssum. Autumn planting was
delayed two months, but now, with refreshed enthusiasm, Ann Marie has placed
young plants of spinach, kale and chervil in the garden and direct sown Swiss
chard. She is also babying young potted
seedlings of lettuce until they are ready to take their place in the wild,wicked world of snails and
digging squirrels.
Even the dry
fall and winter hadn’t completely eliminated the gardener instinct in Ann
Marie. In October cuttings were taken of many pelargoniums, several salvias and
a variegated plectranthus. These have now rooted and are being potted up
to be distributed as
gifts to garden visitors. When frost threatens central Austin the brugmansias, pelargoniums and other assorted tropical are
brought into the protection of the glassed in porch. In the evening the brugmansia’s
yellow pendulant blooms perfumed the whole house and Christmas cactus in magenta
and white add a cheery touch to holiday fun.
January is a
time of planning for the spring garden. Spring catalogs arrive and the dreaming
begins. It is also a time to consider
attending the Herbal Forum at Festival Hill in Round Top, Texas. It will be held March 18 & 19, 2011. Advance registration is required but the
accompanying plant sale, book shop and gift shop are open to the public. The theme of this year’s forum is “Getting
Down to the Roots” and will be a celebration of herbal roots and rhizomes. Featured speakers are Judy Barrett, Pat Crocker and Jim Long. Visit the Festival
Hill website for a complete schedule and registration information. A
special treat at this year’s plant sale will occur at
10:00 am on Friday morning when Festival Hill horticulturist Henry Flowers will
give a free overview of the plants at the plant sale, focusing on the more
unusual and interesting ones. Ann Marie has been a longtime
volunteer in the gardens at Festival Hill and especially encourages fellow Austinites to make the easy drive east, if not to attend
the forum then at another time to attend a music event or to simply enjoy a
walk in the gardens.
Index
to Monthly Garden Archives
On January 6th the world lost Austin musician Gary Claxton,
he will be missed. May Your Soul Find
Peace.