January 05, 2025
Austin is finally prepping for our first hard freeze this winter, delayed past the average of late November or early December. I’m grateful for the extended lovely fall we’ve enjoyed. Now it’s time for a short rest — but not until after a mad rushing around to bring in tender succulents, cover agaves and aloes (since our expected lows will be in the mid-20s F), drain my small fountain, and wrap outdoor faucets. It’s a pain, especially protecting tender succulents, but I can’t seem to let them go in order to simplify, not when they add so much to the summer garden.
Anyway, I took a few photos yesterday as I was prepping. The pink Turk’s cap and ‘Little Grapes’ gomphrena are looking pretty with their fall-intensified colors.
One of the soap aloes has thrown up a bloom spike, and the bees are all over it. Sorry, bees, but time is up.
I’ll cover the aloes to give them some protection from the cold.
Purple oxalis is blooming too. I won’t do anything to protect it. It’ll be back in the spring.
Giant leopard plant too. Sorry, bees, but these flowers are going away.
Enjoy them today!
The neighborhood bucks are still chasing after does. I always look for signs that the rut is over, but we’re not there yet.
Indoors, my ‘Aphrodite’ amaryllis that started blooming on Christmas day is still going strong, with three buds waiting in the wings. What a beauty!
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Digging Deeper
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