Hydrangeas

The Endless Summer Hydrangeas we planted are really doing great! Three of them at the front of the house have some really pretty flowers. The first and third ones are blue and the second one is pink. The fourth hasn't bloomed, but I think it might need a little more time. Originally I wanted them to all be blue, but the pink one is really pretty. 

I do think it is odd that the plants next to each other aren't putting out the same color blooms. The color should be dependent on the pH of the soil. They are close enough together that I would have assumed they would be the same color...I guess I still have some things to learn about these particular flowers. For now I am just happy they are thriving and blooming. 

Progress

I can't believe how well things are growing. Our tomatoes are HUGE, and are escaping the confines of their cages. We have several tomatoes on the plants, and I think the Coreopsis planted in front of them discourages stink bugs.

We also have two new addtions: a Fuerte and a Mexicola Grande avocado tree. If we can keep them pollinated, we should have avocados all but 2 months out of the year. I think they've got some growing to do before they fruit, but we're hoping for the best. I'm going to keep them in large pots for the time being. I'll put them in the ground if another tree fails.



Our blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are doing very well. We've got several large blackberries, and they've started to change color from green to deep red. They have also started to put out new canes for next years cropt. We have just a few strawberries, but they're still blooming, and the raspberries are just beginning to bloom. The raspberries seem to be doing extremely well in their pots, unlike the blueberries. I've lost two so far. They may need to be planted in the ground with peat moss to really take off.

Look at all the lemons!

Our big bell pepper

Our pole beans are taller than I am.
We've got Monarch Caterpillars on our butterfly weed!
We still have a few pests to deal with though.

Herbs

Peppermint, Fennel, Garlic Chives, Rosemary, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Epazote, Lemon Catnip, Lavender, Basil, and one other I can't remember. These perennials make up our new herb garden. This weekend I went to the Arbor Gate (big selection of healthy looking plants) and picked up 12 herbs. I had hoped to plant parsley, cilantro, and tarragon, but I couldn't find them. Even more disappointing was the cats' reaction to the catnip. They didn't seem affected by it at all. Perhaps it's because I got Lemon Catnip, which is reported to do better in our humid climate. It also wilted after Dr. B planted it, but she didn't water the herbs after tranplanting them. As of this morning, it looked like it was perking up very nicely, and all of the herbs have grown noticeably. In addition to the culinary value and unique scents, most of these are self seeding and attract beneficial insects.

I'm beginning to worry that some of these aren't actually perennial. The signs at the Arbor Gate said 'Perennial', but I noticed some of the little plastic labels on the plants said 'Annual'. We'll see what happens. Even if they are annual, we still get to enjoy fresh herbs all spring and summer long, and they're pretty cheap any way. And if they are truly self seeding, they won't need to be replaced next spring, they'll just come back in the same place.

Lemons and Limes

While at Caldwell's Nursery, I also picked up an Improved Meyer Lemon and a Mexican Thornless Key Lime. They didn't look very good, but the price was right. The leaves on the lime were a few, and mottled green and yellow as if it needed to be fertilized or was suffering from some sort of mineral deficiency. Most likely nitrogen. It did have several little blooms, so hopefully all is not lost. I'll see if I can revive it with a little attention and Osmocote.

The lemon looked just OK, but it did have several small fruits beginning to grow. Hopefully they'll be ripe and ready in August. I haven't seen any more blooms, but more may appear as the tree becomes established. I planted both in large pots so I can bring them inside when it gets cold. They're supposed to be dwarf to semi-dwarf varieties that do well in containers, with fruit that makes excellent pies and margaritas.

Peaches

This weekend Andrew and I drove down to Caldwell's Nursery in Rosenberg, TX to look for Cara Cara Pink Navel oranges. The two they had in stock didn't look very good, and Andrew wound up getting one for free because it looked so bad. Despite the poor state of the citrus, the had a some very nice looking peach trees. I picked up a Tropic Snow and a Red Baron. According to Urban Harvest, the Tropic Snow ripens before the peach's main insect pests can get it, and the Red Baron is just an awesome cultivar. If all goes well, we should have peaches from mid-May to mid July! The Tropic Snow already has one peachlet, which I'm afraid is probably all we'll get this year. With proper pruning and care, hopefully next year will be the year of the cobbler.

Blackberries!

The blackberries were the first thing I planted this year. They are Kiowa blackberries, reported to be the largest, thorniest, best tasting, and most Houston tolerant cultivar available. Dr. B and I bought the last three they had at the Arbor Gate. They didn't look like much, just little thorny sticks. However, it didn't take them long to become established and start flowering. In retrospect, I probably planted them much too close together, but they don't seem to mind. I can always transplant one or two if needed.


Most everything else I've planted will most likely require a year or so to become productive, but not these guys. Earlier this week I noticed small berries beginning to grow. As of last night there were five, and the plants are continuing to blossom and grow. I may only get a handful of berries this year, but that's pretty exciting for someone who has never been able to keep a plant alive before. Dr. B suggested we save as many as we can and make a cobbler. If we don't have enough this year, we'll definitely do it next year.

Apples and Blueberries

Yesterday afternoon I had another package from Ison's waiting for me. The apple trees and the blueberry bushes seemed to be packaged with a little more care than my previous order. The plastic wrapping was filled with moist wood pulp to keep the roots from drying out.

I honestly hadn't thought about trying to grow apples here. I didn't think it would get cold enough, and that is the case for most cultivars. However, Anna and Dorsett are reported to do well here with a minimum of chill hours required. Anna requires Dorsett to be a pollinator, so I bought one of each with the intention of planting them next to each other.

Unfortunately, I had not yet cleared the site or prepared the soil. To keep them alive until this weekend, I potted the trees in 5-gallon buckets. (I drilled holes drilled in the bottom) I was low on potting soil, so I made a mix of 50% topsoil, 50% potting soil. I think this actually gave the trees a little more stability than purely soft potting soil would have. After being potted, watered, and just decompressing after being packaged, they didn't look half bad. I even noticed a few little blooms on the Dorsett. These varieties are ripe in June, so I don't expect any fruit this year, but I hope by next year they will be well established and well positioned to give us a good crop.


The blueberries looked a little dry, but in alright shape. I wasn't sure what variety to get, so I got one of each reported to grow well in Houston: Climax, Premier, Tiftblue, and Brightwell. For whatever reason, Ison's included an extra Tiftblue, but I'm not complaining. I hadn't prepared the site for the bushes yet, so I potted them in potting soil and gave them a little Osmocote fertilizer. Once I finally get all the brush cleared, I'm going to plant them under the tall pine trees by the shed. They require acidic soils and heavy mulch, and the pines should provide both. I'll head over to Walmart this weekend an reload on mulch and get some peat moss to mix in with the potting soil.