Blackberry bonanza, by Mary

Two years ago we planted three blackberry bushes behind the raised bed gardens. They sprawled around on the ground and got weeds underneath so we finally put up a cattle panel fence for them.

We added two new blackberries and started training them on the fence. Luckily, they are thornless, so this job wasn't such a chore. This year, they are rewarding our efforts with a bumper crop of berries!

Look at all those berries ready to ripen into sweet, juicy fruits, perfect for adding to our yogurt for breakfast (straight off the vine) or taking home to make into cobbler.

I used to pick the wild blackberries that grew on the dam of my pond, but the weeds are tall there, the berries are close to the ground and I am leery of snakes. Plus, those berries are the size of my index fingernail. These Brazos blackberries we have at the nursery are more like Big Foot's big toenail. Some of them are over an inch long and fat.

Tonight I am serving blackberries with fresh whipped organic cream, sweetened with honey and flavored with vanilla bean. Sharon taught me that organic whipping cream will keep well in the refrigerator and not separate after being beaten then stored.

Dayliles, fleeting beauties

Most of our dayliles are blooming now. Although the flowers last only one day, they usually bloom for several weeks.

Stella D'Oro is touted as the longest blooming daylily on the market, but it is not the best one for East Texas. Above is Black-eyed Stella with a more pleasing color than its parent Stella D'Oro, and just as long a bloom time.
One of my favorite re-bloomers is Happy Returns. Here it is in our bed, with numerous, butter yellow blooms.

It;s not really upside down. I just shot it from a strange angle.
A big problem with daylilies these days is rust. Pustules of orange form on the leaves and affect the health, as well as the appearance of the plants. We managed to avoid rust on our daylilies for years, but in the past couple of years it has shown up on plants we buy in. We remove the bad leaves to try to contain the damage, but now are formerly clean daylilies are showing signs of rust. So we are trying new rust-resistant varieties. The colors on these new daylilies have been gorgeous.

The name of this one is Jamaica Sunrise. It is a stunning orange-red with a yellow throat.

Aurba Red is the name of this beauty. 

If you want to add daylilies to your garden, shop this month while they are in bloom so you know the real color, size of flower and height.

Little Gem Magnolia

Magnolia trees are the symbol of Southern grace and charm.
Our Little Gem Magnolia is in full bloom right now. It has suffered in the last two cold winters so is not as full and dense as it usually is this time of year.

The honeybees are wild for the nectar of its flowers.

The flower stamens fall off and collect in the bottom-most petals. I watched the bees roll around in these pollen-filled tubes like they were at an orgy. Then they drunkenly flew off.

The area around this tree buzzes with the beat of bees' wings. We have scads of bees here at the nursery - honeybees and bumblebees and some we can't identify. We are happy to provide them a lavish buffet.
We have learned if you stay calm while working around them, and don't wear scented products they are attracted to, they won't bother you.

outdoor kitchen

Our new outdoor kitchen is almost complete. Here is a long shot of the total space. Isn't it beautiful?

All it lacks is the grill (with a side burner), a roll-around prep table, and the sink. Then we will be ready to have cooking classes and demos.
Here is a look at the fireplace. We are looking into a hook to hang a kettle, or perhaps a rotisserie.

 This is a design detail on the side of the chimney. After we had decided on a brick chimney and facade, we saw a gorgeous river rock facade. So we just got a touch of that look.

The alcove on top of the photo below is the pizza oven. It still needs a metal door for the front opening and then we can start the curing process. It has a propane burner for quick cooking, or we can build a fire to heat the oven. This is a long process though. I'm sure we will try both methods to discover which we like the best.

Check in here for more details as we get everything working.
If you would like information on getting your own outdoor kitchen, call John Braun at Wilhite Landscaping
903-593-5975. http://www.wilhitelandscape.com/

Piggy round-up

We got these new metal flying pigs last week. They keep moving around the nursery, shifting position like those giant flocks of blackbirds. Lately they have been bunching up in a circle. Now I see why. Iris, our old cat, has been rounding them up.

After she gets them in a tidy circle, she lays in the middle, as if they were protecting her. For the past two afternoons, we have found her lying smack in the center of the piggy round-up. It is too cute!

Fairy Garden Re-Do

We are open on Easter Sunday but not too busy so we decided to change up the fairy gardens. It looked like a tornado had hit the fairy garden as we began to remove the overgrown shrubs. It got us to laughing. We didn't quite finish so we'll share the new look later this week. It is amazing that the things we pulled out had grown all winter in those pots and survived the cold quite well. We just transplanted those plants and added in a few new things. It's fun to have some mature items still left in the gardens. It gives them a mature feeling just like in the landscape.

Clematis Ramona

Clematis vines are funny vines. They pop out strong in the spring and are exquisite when they bloom. Then they usually become insignificant the rest of the season. I like that about them. Other vines in Texas are a little too rowdy sometimes, climbing over everything in their path. I have fought cross vine and passion vine for years in places I have planted them and then changed my mind. They will be with me forever. I never feel that way about Clematis. They are sweet and lovely (except for the fall flowering Clematis paniculata-it is another story to be told). I plan to mix 3 shades of purple and lavender together in the garden this year and see if it becomes as beautiful as I think it will. Sharon

Clematis Henryi