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(Jan 9, 08) Gardening near Friendswood TX since mid-2000. Over the years, we have appreciated the opportunities the GardenWeb has provided for information, insight, inspiration and - from time to time - enjoyable fellowship.

2007 HIGHLIGHTS: Louisiana Iris + Poppies their best year of blooming yetFragrances our best year of wonderful scents ever we had a virtually continual bouquet in our yard with perfect phasing beginning with Mexican Plum, then to Wisteria, then to Confederate Jasmine + Ligustrum + Pittosporum, then to Passion Vine + Honeysuckle - and, we dare not forget, Roses at various timesVernonia baldwinii - in 2006 a single volunteer of this wildflower sprouted in our hell strip to about 30 inches high; we let the plant grow, thinking it was a forgotten perennial planting; after waiting patiently for several months, hundreds of purplish, half-inch blooms that were highly attractive to bees appeared on a handsome, bushy-topped plant; we transplanted the volunteer to a new location and it grew to over 6 feet!; the one plant seeded prolifically as well, so we had plenty of new volunteers all over our property, many of which we transplanted and integrated into our non-wild flower beds; the volunteers gave us plenty more weeding to do too! Bottlebrush (Callistemon) continued to increase quickly in height with even more of the distinctive red blooms than we enjoyed in 2006 Texas Star Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus Alba) even more stalks and large white blooms than 2006 on the one plant; produced many seeds but thus far, we have been unable to germinate anyGerbera Daisy (Gerbera ?jamesonii?) we have one (exactly what kind, we do not know) in a pot; it has bloomed beautifully for at least three years; maybe its just one lucky specimen for us, or maybe we just picked the perfect pot for the plant; however, every Gerbera we have planted in the ground has died Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batata) we started with one 6-inch pot, one plant (the Marguerite variety, with bright yellow-green foliage); we unpotted and planted it in a sunny bed; the vines and foliage filled the bed to overflowing, and produced five new tubers to start a ground cover in more spots in 2008Melampodium healthy volunteers from 2006s Phoenix crop were abundant; we are hopeful to see, and to successfully transplant, more volunteers in 2008Oregano our little 2007 pot of it is our best success with this herb yetLeafy edibles our best fall crop of lettuces ever!LOWLIGHTS: Nutsedge we need to either figure out how to get rid of this weed once and for all, or, make our peace with it as best we canThe Unknown Weed once we get it identified, we hope to discuss it more on the Web; we have not noticed it in anyone elses yard; if its edible, we just might get rich (or at least end world hunger) by exploiting this seemingly unstoppable, relentless and not altogether unattractive sort of ground cover; its easy to uproot the foliage, but seems to regenerate like some kind of mythical monster, so it must have either tiny-but-tough roots, or a re-seeding capability that rivals aphids reproductive abilitiesRuellia (Katie Dwarf Ruellia brittoniana Katie) after one too many too good years, we are tired of itFirespike (Odontonema strictum) actually a highlight in past years, but in 2007 it got a little out of hand, crowding out other desirable plants and, for lack of a better phrase, doing too well; we have to find a way to contain its spreading.

I live in: United States

My zone is: 8/9 Hou-Galv

My favorite forum 1 is Texas Gardening.

My favorite forum 2 is Master Gardeners.

First registered on April 24,2002.