Glinda’s Diary
for Divas 2004
The wonderful
2003 Christmas party at Donna’s house had lulled us into a false sense that
Diva life was settled & things were going smoothly. Surprises were in store
as the new year 2004 began.
JANUARY
Breaking with tradition, we met for breakfast in a different restaurant - Chez Zee on Balcones Drive in northwest Austin. This place is famous for lavish breakfasts featuring seafood, and beloved for serving late night desserts that are the definition of decadence. Buffy’s recommendation of Chez Zee’s turned out to be a very elegant experience, indeed. She had no problem convincing us to meet and share those croissants with strawberry butter. There are few restaurants that escape the personal review of our Buffy!
In another
break with tradition, Sugar was not present to enjoy the breakfast meeting. The
clues were there, but we’d preferred to ignore them. For quite a while, Sugar
had been juggling a demanding new job, complicated house renovations and
increasing family obligations. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said that she
no longer could fit in time for gardening. Attending the Diva meetings was
becoming impossible for her. We were sad and surprised, but could not argue
with the facts.
Sugar said “You have all become great friends &
very important to my life. Now, get out there & find someone really
great to take my place! Thanks for all of your hard work, advice, great times
& camaraderie! Please keep in touch… Love ya all.”
Finding a new
Diva has never been a problem so far – there are usually several friends who’d
love to join our group. When we met at Chez Zee, the Divas had some candidates
and one name was drawn. Sugar & Karla are cousins, but this year we will
have Divas who are sisters – Wilma, Donna’s sister, is the new member. She
lives on the far north edge of the Austin area up in Round Rock, an expansion
of territory for us. Donna was on the phone immediately to give Wilma the good
news.
We pulled our
months and set up the schedule for the next year – would this be a lucky
season, with no projects called on account of rain? February surprised Austin
with some genuine snow! If you were out driving at 2 in the morning like me,
you’d have seen some excited people building snowmen by porch-light! There was
a beautiful, magical snow scene for a few hours, until the next afternoon. This
was a warning that the year 2004 would have some wet weather – approaching the
all time records for rainfall in Austin.
FEBRUARY- BUFFY
An email came
from Buffy, “Garden Club is still on at my house, weather
permitting! I know we really need all of this rain but hopefully
everything will be dry by then. We will be doing some bed maintenance and
some major pruning, so bring all of your pruning equipment.”
February up
North was never suitable for gardening – even in the nicest years, but in
Austin, February can be one of the most pleasant months. We spent a lovely day
working at Buffy’s house, starting out with a breakfast casserole, hash browns,
and fruit. We’re kinda slow to get going on the first garden day of the year,
so the coffee maker had a workout.
Our newest
Diva was at Buffy’s house bright and early. Wilma knew her own sister Donna, of
course, and she also knew Mindy. Now Wilma got to meet the rest of us, and pitch
in with the garden project – mostly spring cleanup, bed renewal and
pruning.
The Divas all
found lots to do, like digging and replanting one of our earlier projects – a
large bed surrounding a clump of trees, mostly live oaks. Over the last couple
of years the soil has been gradually improved, and Buffy keeps tried a variety
of plants, experimenting to see what will be best up there. Some Divas were
reworking another group of shrubs that had overgrown the living room window.
Others were cutting back and delineating a bed of tough, waterwise plants
including the native Salvia leucantha, Copper Canyon daisy, some silvery
artemesia and Perovskia [Russian sage] located where the drive meets the
sidewalk. They are root hardy plants [the artemesia and Perovskia even grew for
me back in Illinois] but the tops die back to some degree, with the extent of
dieback depending on the severity of the winter. These sturdy plants won’t need
a lot of attention during the growing season if they are weeded, pruned and mulched
now.
I brought my
extending pole pruner, just in case. Good idea! As we Divas went to tour
Buffy’s back yard, the large pyracantha waved thorny branches at us in a
threatening manner.
“I just pruned
it in late fall,” lamented Buffy. “I love the way the berries look, but it
grows so darned fast!” Her firethorns had not always been a problem. We think
that the installation of an automatic watering system a few seasons back may
have ensured that nothing dies of drought, but has also ensured that the pyracantha
will be growing way too well!
Buffy’s garden
is amazing and full of delights. It’s a good place to go for inspiration. She
has both structures and structure in her landscape, with a boulder and gravel
path area in shade, vegetables in sun, a covered patio, a nice wooden storage
and work building, a rose arbor with a bench and a vegetable garden with lots
of herbs, too! Buffy grows a broad range of shrubs, perennials and annuals. A
tour of her garden can be a short class in plant identification. Her North
Austin lot is not huge, but it contains antique roses, Feijoa sellowiana
[pineapple guava], a glorious Loquat tree, nice crepe myrtles, ‘Will Fleming’
yaupon, Indian Hawthornes, verbenas, daylilies, Salvias, Rudbeckias,
Echinaceas, dwarf Wax Myrtle, daylilies, Gerber daisies, columbine, Poliomentha
longiflora [Mexican
oregano], the charming Bat-faced Cuphea llavea, ferns, Ruellia brittoniana [the
dwarf blue variety named ‘Katie’, variegated ginger lilies, Melampodium
leucanthum (Blackfoot daisy), Dolichos lablab [Hyacinth bean] and a lot more!
After working
quite a spell, we needed a break and were delighted with Buffy’s lunch idea,
thinking it made a virtuous contrast to the lavish breakfast. And since this
soup was so full of vegetables, we could have a few cookies for dessert!
A note from Buffy
contained this frequently requested recipe:
“Zucchini Soup
7 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
4 Cups of Water
6 Zucchini - sliced
2 Carrots - peeled and grated
1 Onion - chopped
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Dissolve bouillon cubes in water, add zucchini, carrots and onion and bring to
a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 15 min.
Process vegetable mixture with cream cheese in the blender, add salt and pepper
to taste.
*When pureeing the vegetables you will need to do it in batches. Be
careful because the mixture will be very hot. To cut calories I
use low fat cream cheese.
This soup is good hot or cold!!!”
Back in the
garden after the break, the Divas returned to the front bed we’d made a few
years ago, surrounding and connecting a group of live oaks. Every year the soil
is improved a little more, with different plants added. Next, the unruly bed
under the living room windows was tamed and groomed for the new season:
Good thing
Buffy had a pile of yard bags handy. Between the various clean-up jobs and the
enormous amount of pyracantha prunings, she’d have a lot of debris for the yard
waste pickup. But the entrance gate now was welcoming and berry-spangled rather
than looking like the thorn-encircled front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle.
We could have
kept pruning for another whole day. We had to leave before we ever got to the
enormous ‘Mermaid’ Rose!
MARCH - DONNA
The
invitation came for the second meeting of the year, at Donna’s: “Hi
Divas! I am very excited about garden club next week. Essentially, we are going
to create two large greenery beds in the back corners of our backyard. As for
tools, we will need shovels, pitchforks, Mindy's tiller, and whatever else you
guys can think of to aid in this process. If you can think of things we
might need for the project, let me know so I can have them ready. Looking
forward to digging with everyone!”
We arrived at Donna’s house in Central Austin
and knew we had quite a day planned for us. There were two enormous piles of
soil and mulch blocking the alley, a wagon piled with stone blocks, and a huge
array of flats and containers awaiting our attention. As we buzzed around
looking at all the cool stuff we saw holly ferns, wood ferns, columbine,
liriope, bignonia, oxalis, butterfly iris, and a ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud. It was
the biggest single planting we’ve ever attempted.
We went inside
& tucked into Donna’s delicious frittata and melt-in-your-mouth cherry
cheesecake, served by Wilma who had come early to act as Donna’ assistant.
The project encompassed a kind of cleared area under trees that stretched across the entire back of Donna’s yard, up against a wooden privacy fence. Donna dreamed of a restful, beautiful retreat and had enlisted the help of a garden designer, who had drawn sweeping drifts of layered shade plants covering the area under Donna’s tall old trees. But before the restful part could begin, there would be digging, amending the beds, placing edging stones, and then planting trees, shrubs, ferns, perennials & vines with mulching as the final step. This is the left half of the area before we began, with a glimpse of the mulch & amendment pile through the gate.
We spent
several hours of work to get the plants ready for the actual planting. The
amendments were mixed in and the rock edging put in place along the perimeter.
As the work progressed, it became obvious that while using a pencil to position
a plant on paper is quite simple; actually making that planting hole in a bed
full of tree roots and rocks is not simple. The tree trunks were not
aboveground columns, but had extended structures making unexpected patterns
under the soil. We wanted to make a
shade garden, but we didn’t want to kill off the forest with our excavations!
With everyone consulting and advising, design adjustments were made and the
project progressed once more.
After a break
for tuna salad and some hearty breads, we got back to the project. Luckily,
Donna’s husband Joe not only helped with the rock edgings, but also pitched in
with some of the heaviest digging. The beds were finally planted, and then we
reduced that mulch pile and rejoiced as we completed the transformation from
scrub to tranquil woodland garden.
THE TWO LARGE BEDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
BACK OF THE LOT
“Dearest Divas, Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the hard
work yesterday…our back yard truly looks amazing…My booty is sore and I'm
exhausted-how does everyone else feel? I hope not too tired and sore… Again,
Joe’s and my deepest appreciation for everyone’s super hard work
yesterday. Now we just have to keep it alive! Donna”
Mindy had this to say, “OOOOhhhhh Yeah!!!
Sore booty, sore hamstrings, sore shoulders--but the result was TOTALLY worth
it. Hey, no gym in town has a better work out. I loved it. [BTW] I wish everyone could see our Mountain Laurels. I
was thinking before Saturday they're looking much better than last year, but
yesterday while working the property, even Warren agreed the bushes and
abundant blooms are just spectacular!!”
Karla chimed in, “Yes, that "keeping it
alive" is always the big issue with me. Donna, I didn't feel that you
had tortured us enough on Saturday, so I spent Sunday afternoon working in my
yard. It has a very long way to go before having that wonderful view like
you now have. .. I got a Forest Pansy Redbud at Red Barn yesterday - they
had about 3-4 left. Mine was a little smaller than the one you had…Now, I
need some help as to best position it so I can get it in the ground.”
Annie wrote this note, “I'm so glad that you
are enjoying the view from your backyard. It was hard work (seems to be
the largest project so far) but totally enjoyable. Yup, plenty of sore
muscles, but that only means haven't been using them enough. Got out in my yard
some on Sunday after the rains stopped (got a good drenching) and trimmed and
pulled some weeds. Your yard is so totally peaceful and beautiful. If you
find me hanging over your fence some day just to take a look, please don't send
me away. It's an oasis!!”
APRIL – KARLA
We’d had some
problems with the scheduling but finally Karla set the date: “Hello Divas,
since Donna & Buffy have something the following weekend, we’ll keep this
Saturday. I was planning to do the walkway to my back yard in granite and
work a little on the small terrace bed. Just bring the usual tools, including
pruning tools. Glinda, please bring your [pole pruner] because I do have some
tall photinias that need to go. Mindy, we’ll be okay w/o the tiller… things
will probably still be wet unless we have a lot of sun between now and then.
Looking forward to seeing you!”
Once again we started our
garden day with a huge pile of garden supplies in the driveway – not mulch or
soil this time, but a truckload of a local stone product called decomposed
granite. Karla was ready to get rid of her mud track along the side of her
house to the back, replacing it with a packed granite path.
Before we
started hauling granite, we were served a lavish breakfast. Occasionally one or
the other of the Divas would make two versions of an entrée, leaving out the
mushrooms on the part they’d serve to Sugar. Sugar always turned up her nose at
anything in the fungi arena. [This is in no way the same as the fun guy
arena, where Sugar is known as une connaisseuse.] Well, Sugar had deserted
us, so the previously proscribed mushrooms ran rampant through the menus. Karla
made us scrumptious mushroom quiches, serving them with great biscuits, and
lots of fruit.
The entire area that the path would traverse also needed a lot of work. Local gardeners have been seeing a lot of die-off in their redtip photinias, and this was happening to Karla’s hedge. An informed gardener would probably not choose to use Photinia now, but when you buy a previously owned home, you inherit lots of plants that were bought before their deficiencies became apparent. Who knows which of the current plants favored by the experts will surprise us with unforeseen problems? For now, we’ll just try to do the best with the hands we’ve been dealt in life. Here is the side of the house, dead Photinias in view.
We set to work to remove a couple of the dead photinias, clear the ground of old rotting timbers and general junk that was here when Karla bought this house in Northwest Austin, make a 40 foot long path of decomposed granite, and renew the flower beds in the terraced area. [All in one day, remember!] Creating that terrace had been an enormously satisfying project a couple of years ago. Some blue Plumbago auriculata plants had decided that one side of the patio was their personal domain. Later in the year they’d be a mass of pale blue and fresh green. In April, the Gaura was already sending pink wands waving in the wind. Karla had bought a ‘Forest Pansy’ Redbud. It was growing in a container, ready to be planted in the bed we’d made along the fence a couple of years ago. [Yeah – you’ve heard that name ‘Forest Pansy’ before, and you’ll hear it again!] Some Bulbine passed along by Sugar had grown and bloomed in its long loose bright yellow fashion, the Nandinas were thriving and some cannas were ready to bloom.
We started the
preliminary work on the path and the terrace beds. Buffy and I were restless,
feeling more in the mood for destruction rather than plant placement. We grubbed
out the photinia roots [narrowly missing the barely covered wire for Karla’s
cable TV], then sawed up the pruned off limbs, bagged and smashed and hauled
junk out to the curb, while the other Divas dug, amended, planted and made the
terrace beautiful. We all knew the big gravel-hauling job was coming up so we
didn’t hesitate when Karla produced pimiento cheese, Sun chips, tarragon
chicken salad, and Whole Foods cookies for lunch. Karla is so sweet that she
even remembered the Dr Pepper for Donna and me – Wilma also turned out to be a
Dr Pepper fan. After many, many wheelbarrow loads and lots of raking, the
decomposed granite path was in shape, the previous Photinia area was dug with a
few perennials installed in it and the terrace was once again a beautiful place
for Karla to escape and relax.
Karla wrote us,
“My yard is so beautiful. I just find myself standing at the door,
window, and when it stops raining long enough, on the patio admiring how
wonderful it looks. I am so eager to get some work done on the front bed,
but the weekend was all rainy. I won't complain too much because I
remember last year this time, I had no rain. I got more bedding plants out and got
about 1/2 of the front bed weeded, composted and mulched yesterday afternoon
after work. I still haven't looked for something tall and thin for along
the chain link fence where the red tips were, so let me know if you see
something that I have to have!!”
MAY- ANNIE
2004 was
shaping up to be one of the rainiest on record, and Annie spent some time wondering whether we could come, “Divas, As I sit here … it is pouring
rain, with the forecast for heavy rain on Friday. The prediction for
Saturday at this point is just 20%, so hopefully it will not be a wash.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, also Mindy's Mom. I will
need the creative, artistic minds of everyone to help me with my garden
design. Plan on bringing tools for making new beds and rearranging some
other stuff. Maybe even bring a rain poncho or boots!! “
Although the
real Martha Stewart is in trouble and sentenced to prison, we have our own
domestic goddess, Annie, safe in North Austin. As always, her house is like a
haven of civilization in an ever more ugly world. What a charming table setting
for the breakfast! She presented us with a casserole composed of bagels, eggs
& bacon, fruit, and an heirloom apple cake. We also had the chance to
welcome Mindy’ mother, Lillian, who was spending some time at her daughter’s
home. One look at these two women sitting next to each other revealed the
secret of Mindy’s beautiful complexion. You have to inherit it, I guess!
Some of
Annie’s wishes were that we redo the front bed, a previous Diva project. At
that time we’d divided and reset a lot of Shasta daisies, which unfortunately
were thriving at the expense of the rest of the plants. The Shastas were
throwing off the proportions of the planting. Annie also wanted to try some
perennials in one section of the parkway, replacing the grass, which was
refusing to grow in that area. There is a crepe myrtle at the center of the
bed, so we decided to leave a few daisies at the back, behind the myrtle, with
the less pushy plants like the penstemon and santolina in the front. The new
parkway bed is small now, but it will be interesting to see what it all looks
like by next spring.
Annie also had
an idea for a new bed next to the front porch, which would make a floral
statement in the entrance area. She had a few miniature crepe myrtles there,
kept as a low hedge, but wanted a more sweeping and graciously shaped
flowerbed. Everyone got to work with clippers, shovels, forks, trowels and
weeders, Some overhanging branches made everyone duck and weave, trying to
traverse with their tools from the cars to the door, so tree pruning was
included in the scope of this renewal project. We were working hard, but did we
really deserve a second cake? Apparently Annie thought we did, because the
lunch featured tuna salad, a cold guacamole soup and the second cake – a
luscious lemon one this time.
The front entrance garden would have peach cannas and assorted interesting perennials. I’ve probably mentioned some of Annie’s plants in other years. Besides the multiplying Shasta daisies she grows Salvia leucantha [Mexican bush sage], Leguminosae scuttelaris suffrutescens [a native pink skullcap], Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), Vitex agnus-castus [chaste tree], Rosemaries, a white-flowering Plumbago, and Rose-of-Sharon.
Annie finds
unusual and exotic plants in unexpected places – then convinces them that it is
okay to live in Texas. One of her newer pets is an Oxypetalum Caeruleum
"Heaven Born", also known as a "Tweedia". It is a
wonderful shade of blue. And she was the first to find another beautiful plant,
long before Skip Richter recommended it as the Plant of the Week on the Central
Texas Gardening Shaw on KLRU. Here is her gorgeous Philippine violet [Barleria
cristata]:
“Divas, Last
night after you all left, I went and got more compost and some root
stimulator. This morning I watered everything and did some more work. I
cannot express enough my gratitude to everyone for the hard work, dedication,
and creative landscaping on my yard. I am so excited about what you all
did. Can't wait to see how it will mature. I love the English county
garden and having LESS of those daisies!! Wilma, we missed you. You missed out
on a wonderful transformation. THANK YOU AGAIN DIVAS!!” was Annie’s
response to her garden day.
JUNE- MINDY
Mindy sent out a note in June, inviting us
to participate in a completely new kind of project.
“…Saturday's
goal is to do only projects in the shade. I would still like to focus on
deckscaping and calling on the wisdom and support of the divas to help me
determine what is salvageable and appropriate for my deck area and how to
arrange it. I also need to have cushions and pillows made for the deck
furniture and would like to ask opinions on that… will see you all on Saturday
at 8 a.m.”
We headed out
toward Dripping Springs, sure that this would be an interesting day! We began
with a lovely breakfast, featuring a specialty of the Beaumont area. There is a
kind of shrub called Mayhaw that grows along the coast and Mindy served us
biscuits with a jelly made of this fruit. It didn’t seem that special at first,
but by the last bite of the first biscuit, I became addicted to Mayhaw jelly.
Here is Mindy’s delectable casserole recipe. She has had constant requests for
the recipe. When we see a dish that is so substantial appearing on the
breakfast table, we feel warned that there will be a lot of work to do!
MINDY’S BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
This recipe makes 12
servings when cut into squares. Allow about 25 minutes for preparation time;
the baking and standing time is about 50 minutes.
8 frozen, prepared hash
brown patties [get the gently pre-browned, 9 per package kind]
12 ounces shredded
mozzarella or Swiss cheese
12 ounces shredded
Colby/Jack cheese
6 ounces canned, sliced
mushrooms, drained [or get the fresh ones and slice & sauté them yourself]
2 tablespoons margarine or
butter
1/3 cup chopped green onions
[you can add more if you want]
Half of a medium red bell
pepper, chopped [or just throw the whole pepper in]
8 ounces ham, julienned, or
8 ounces sausage, cooked and crumbled [Mindy probably throws the whole pound in
here, too]
1 cup of milk or half &
half [as if lowfat milk would make any difference at this point!]
One teaspoon dry mustard [do
not even think about skipping this ingredient]
2 tablespoons of fresh
parsley, chopped
12 eggs, beaten [or use a
low-cholesterol egg substitute – yeah, right!!!]
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cheese in large bowl and toss to combine.
- Spray a 9 X13 inch glass casserole with
non-stick spray.
- Layer one: arrange 8 hash brown patties in the
bottom of the pan. [Freeze the extra one in a zipper bag.]
- Layer two: evenly spread half of the cheese
blend.
- In a medium skillet, cook together green onions
and peppers until tender. If mushrooms are fresh, cook them, too,
otherwise add them once peppers and onions begin to soften.
- Layer three: arrange sautéed vegetables evenly
over cheese.
- Layer four: arrange ham or sausage evenly over
vegetables.
- Layer five: spread the second half of the cheese
blend over meat.
- In a large bowl, use whisk to blend half &
half, parsley & eggs together.
- Layer six: pour egg mixture over the top of the
cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until set
and beginning to brown.
- Let stand for about 10 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve.
To make ahead of time,
follow the recipe through to layer five, then cover and refrigerate the
casserole overnight. Next morning prepare the egg mixture and finish the
recipe, but allow a little extra baking time since the ingredients will all be
cold.
If you make this recipe 8
times, you'll have 8 hash brown patties in that zipper bag, and then you
can make it for the ninth time. This recipe is not just popular with the
Divas - guys love it! And it's great as a do-ahead recipe for a holiday
morning, served with fruit and croissants.
We’d done some
major planting at Mindy’s house in previous years, so we checked out the
progress in those beds. Some things were doing great, but the deer had nipped
some shrubs here and there. They leave her red-flowering native plants alone –
one nicknamed ‘stinky sage’ is actually Texas Red Betony, a Stachys like Lamb’s
Ear. Another is Malvaviscus arboreus called Turk’s cap, or sometimes Wax
Mallow. Mindy has a shady, protected area by the front door, and the stone
house wall is clothed in Ficus pumila, the creeping fig vine. Her cannas grow
in this area, too. On Mindy’s day, Donna was gone on a much needed vacation
trip, and Buffy was present, but not in full form. She was over the worst of a
bad bout of bronchitis, but was not able to do anything that would set off a
coughing fit.
There was some
weed grubbing to do – the entrance path was overgrown, and a great deal of
bermuda grass had invaded the area next to the barbecue smoker. Annie and Karla
went after the bermuda, which is a major pain in many of our gardens, and I
tackled the weedy path. Mindy and Wilma dragged furniture and plants off the
deck and patio, sorting the plants by size, condition and their needs for sun
or shade, and keeping the thirstiest ones separate. Some plants needed water,
which was dipped from a rainwater barrel. There were small herbs and culinary
plants like garlic chives, flower, some hydrangeas and large pots with cool
stuff like Plumeria [Frangipani in Hawaii] and a Star Jasmine.
Once the space
was cleared and swept, we would have the pleasure of reassembling all the
elements in a new and hopefully better design. The next part was so much fun!
Who could resist a combination of gardening and decorating?
Buffy sat in a
deck chair, surrounded by bags of soil and amendments. Plants in need of
repotting were brought over to her. We tried various arrangements for the deck
furniture, making areas for conversation and solitary sitting, and had some of
the chairs face the pond. Tiny lizards made an appearance on shrubs near the
pond – concerned whether our project would impact their life here in paradise.
Mindy had all kinds of rocks and interesting stuff in the yard, like a stone
bench that was not doing much out back. It was dismantled and the sections
hauled up to the deck, where it became the center of a group of containers,
adding weight to the grouping, and raising some plants to add height.
Mindy wanted
more unity in the look of the containers, so Karla appointed herself in charge
of making white and grey plastic look like terra cotta, with the help of some art
store spray paint. Once the larger pots were in place, the smaller ones needed
to be situated where they would do well. Some very serious thinking was going
on as the Divas wandered around, containered plants in hand, trying to
find the "perfect spot". Mindy liked the results as well
as we liked the process!
“a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone for
all the hard work on the June deckscaping project. Warren and I just love
it!! Of course I've been watering like mad to keep everything alive at
this point in the season. I sent a few pix to Mom after the project was
done and she loved the results. Big Green Hugs to everyone!”
SEPTEMBER - WILMA
It was time
for our first meeting at Wilma’s home, “Are you ready for some
refreshing digging (in someone else's yard)?? Next Saturday we'll be at
my house (see attached map) and I really hope the mornings continue to be as
cool as they have been! We'll be totally rebuilding one bed, and also
aerating, composting, and mulching the existing beds. Don't worry, the
property is quite small... Just bring your garden claws, shovels, wheelbarrows,
and appetites! Does any one want the 12" x 21' of dwarf mondo grass
covering the bed we'll rip out? See you next Saturday.”
The directions
were pretty good, and we easily found our way up to Round Rock to Wilma’s area.
But Buffy, Karla & I arrived just a tad late. We couldn’t help it – one of
the families in Wilma’s neighborhood was hosting a garage sale, and from the
street we noticed a few items of furniture displayed among the knickknacks and
clothes. Who among us could pass furniture without a look? We pulled over and
checked out the merchandise spread out over the driveway. One medium-size
vintage table apparently had Buffy’s name written on it in invisible ink. –
That table was soon tucked in the back of her van among the garden tools.
Back in the
van, we were watching for the right house number, but that was totally
unnecessary! There was no question as to which house belonged to our newest
Diva – the driveway contained a huge pile of various soil components and mulch.
In most neighborhoods the delivery of amendments is equivalent to putting a
sign in the driveway: SOMETHING BIG WILL BE HAPPENING HERE! This pile was
already drawing attention from passers-by.
From the size
of the mulch pile it was obvious we’d need sustenance, and we were glad to see
that Wilma had an heirloom family recipe called “Cheesy Breakfast” ready for
us. It is simply lovely breakfast dish with eggs and English muffins, a
traditional family recipe. She also served a local treat in honor of Donna - a
gigantic, chocolate frosted TEXAS donut, the specialty of the local Round Rock
Donut Company.
This was
better than a birthday cake – it was a birthday donut for Donna, and very
appropriate, since Donna was celebrating a nice Round birthday.
Wilma’s house is not new, but there is very little in her yard that she did not plant or transplant. She’s only been there a couple of years, but has softened the wooden fence along the back with fragrant honeysuckle vines, and made beds with lots of annuals and perennials including various salvias, Rudbeckia, Tecoma stans [usually called Esperanza or Yellowbells], some daylilies and iris, and she is having remarkably good success with the charming Rosa mutabilis and another rose, the famed "Souvenier de la Malmaison". Like Mindy, Wilma has a rain barrel, keeping a goldfish inside so that mosquito larvae would not be a problem.
Our biggest
task for this day was a really big one - digging down two feet deep next to the
front walk, completely removing the existing soil, in preparation for Wilma’s
dream project - a row of espaliered camellias. This area looked like an
archeological dig after some hours went past. No old coins or precious pottery
turned up, but the amount of soil that comes out of an excavation always seems
to be twice as much as you could imagine!
Wilma didn’t
actually have the camellias yet, but she would be ready for them after we
refilled the future garden with a special camellia blend. This special soil was
mixed from the huge piles in the driveway, using a discarded kiddy pool as a
big mixing bowl. Wilma’s lunch was delicious – she served ‘Fiesta Chicken’ and
‘Mexicali Salad’, saying the recipe came from an Austin Junior League cookbook
called Necessities and Temptations.
During our day in Round Rock, we also worked on the two corners of the back yard, which is enclosed with a wooden fence. Wilma had made beds along the front sidewalk. The beds were fairly new, but some of the plants were growing too well! They were hanging into the walkway, jostling each other for space, and needed to be divided or transplanted. In one corner of the back, we combined the extra plants with some existing shrubs. In the other corner, there were a lot of wild morning glories that needed to be removed, and some pruning and weeding.
We did run into some trouble along the back fence – Mindy noticed that a vine growing in the area behind the wooden fence bore the dreaded 3 leaves of poison ivy. A spate of garden tool scrubbing and hand washing followed, but it was too late. Annie and Donna soon had itchy spots on their hands, and after 48 hours it was apparent I had been kneeling and digging right in the roots of that hidden vine. I now know too much about Toxicodendron!
We received this email from Wilma:
” This side of my fence…looks fantastic! This misty, cold, morning I
caught quite a few morning glories trying to grow up under the honeysuckle.
They're gone, now! The
"new" bed [In the left back corner] looks fabulous... mealy blue sage
just carrying on as if it had never moved…the [excavation site] has sunk down a
bit, It rained three days in a row… soon after y'all left! So now
everything's blooming and perky, thanks to the DIVAS!! I appreciate all
the hard, sweaty work you put in! Can't wait until winter, when I can
email you a picture of the vines starting up the espalier.”
OCTOBER -GLINDA
During the
summer, Ozz and I had moved from our hilltop house in deer country, to a house
with an enclosed yard, in the same Northwest Austin area where Karla lives.
[Actually, our floor plans are pretty similar, too.] We’d spent 5 years
installing deerproof landscaping at the previous house, had grown a few
tomatoes in a wire cage, and had managed to accumulate nearly 100 pots on the
protected deck. [Darling Diva Annie had helped move an awful lot of those
containers!] Now we were ready to make a real vegetable garden and use the
small trees, flowering shrubs, herbs and perennials in the pots to landscape our
new home grounds. We also had to thin out the existing crepe myrtles. There
were more than 20 crepe myrtles on our small lot, and those getting enough sun
to flower displayed only one color - an intense deep pink. The myrtles had
seeded along the house foundations and were growing in every area where the
soil was exposed. Although we liked crepe myrtles, this quantity was actually
making the air in the garden look pink. We would let some of them stay,
but many would have to go!
I was so glad
to have the Divas’ help to renew the front of the house. Tiny struggling
nandinas surrounded a dying abelia and crepe myrtles and roses tried to grow in
semi-shade. There were no flowers in the beds, but the liriope edging and
boxwood were doing okay under the tall trees. I’d lost my heart years ago to
the ‘Forest Pansy’ variety of redbud when it was featured on the Victory Garden
on PBS -possibly back in the late 1980’s. I couldn’t plant it then - too tender for northern Illinois. I’d
watched these trees appear in Karla’s yard, and Donna’s too – now I would get a
chance to grow one. Mindy could not make the garden date on Saturday, but she
and Buffy came for a pre-planning session during the week, new Texas
landscaping book in hand, and we figured out what could be accomplished on
Saturday.
Saturday came, and the Divas arrived one by one. After breakfast enchiladas, they set to work digging and amending the beds along the front of the house. In the photo they are making a new woodland area – after the unbelievable speedy removal of an 11 foot-tall crepe myrtle, several spindly roses, the nearly leafless Abelia, strange weeds and dwarfed Indian Hawthornes. The Divas dug in wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of cotton burr compost, turkey compost and decomposed granite (Ozz hauled it from the u-dig section of a local place called Garden-Ville.) The dug-up abelia was severely pruned and then potted. Donna adopted the bed under a window – transplanting into it a few of the better nandinas and a nice Sago palm that had been in a deck pot. Buffy, Annie and Karla worked on the woodland bed, planting a Callicarpa Americana [Beautyberry shrub], Rhodophiala bifida [Oxblood lilies], snowflake bulbs, yellow Texas columbines & Thalia daffodils. Garden guru Scott Ogden recommends a hard-to-find Tazetta daffodil called ‘Grand Primo’ for the Austin area. At the Anderson Mill Gardeners open house & plant sale, held at the replica Anderson Mill & Museum, I had found some ‘Grand Primo’ bulbs. They went into the new bed. The Divas left a space for the Forest Pansy redbud, bought the next day at Kimas Tejas Nursery near Bastrop.
For lunch we
had Chicago style beef & pepper sandwiches and an old-fashioned
cream-cheese frosted carrot cake for Karla’s birthday. There was more garden
work, including the removal of more stunted shrubs and the redigging of two
beds near the front steps, which Wilma decided was her territory. She planted
my Amarcrinum there. These bulbs [one from Plant Delights and the other from
the Men’s Garden Club of Austin] had been living in containers for years, not
very happily. Annie dealt with a triangular bed where the house meets the
drive, digging and amending it, then releasing some white and blue
Balloonflowers [Platycodon grandiflora] and a reseeding kind of Coral salvia
from their pots. My specialty turned out to be taking photos and falling off
the porch.
Many of our
Diva garden days wind up with an excursion to the Red Barn Nursery on Pond
Springs Road. This day was no exception – although the parking turned out to be
trickier than usual. This was Pumpkin Fest weekend, with hoards of kids added
to the usual mix of gardeners and browsers. We had some ‘Pumpkin Bucks’ to
spend, and we found lots to entice us – including fabulous Chrysanthemums,
Lavender asters, Michelia figo [also called Banana Shrub], Camellia, and Aucuba
‘Gold dust’, a cool evergreen plant.
The next week,
Ozz & I dug up three more of the crepe myrtles. These were a more
manageable size, about 6 feet tall, and the ground was accessible. This time we
proceeded carefully, keeping the roots as intact as possible. Wilma appeared
with her van, and hauled them away to her own yard, where they would have a
chance to be attractive and useful as a screen along her back fence. We planted
the Forest Pansy, and the miniature Woodland glade was a reality.
“Hi Divas, Thanks again for the fantastic
work you did on Saturday. Your removal of the inappropriately placed
sun-loving plants, pruning, digging, composting and lots
of planting changed everything for the better! It was also incredibly
valuable to have all of you see our new homegrounds, and make comments and
suggestions; you noticed things that we missed, had great ideas, and
were so very inspiring!” Glinda
Christmas 2004
That was the
last of our work projects for the year, but we set the date for another
important meeting while we ate the beef sandwiches- our annual Christmas party.
We try to take
turns being the hostess at Christmas, and Annie, Karla & I were all hoping
to have a turn. Annie was an original member of the Divas of the Dirt, but had
never had a chance to hold the Holiday party at her place. We thought that
Annie should have priority if her schedule allowed; Karla & I had joined
the Divas about the same time in 2001, and would be the backups. After a few
weeks, both Annie & Karla had to drop off the list, leaving me thrilled to
be the hostess. Having the Divas here for the holidays somehow transformed our
‘new’ house into our home.
As usual, we
divided up the menu into categories and each of us brought part of the feast.
The announced
menu was as follows:
The
traditional Poinsettia cocktail, a combination of cranberry juice and
champagne, along with “Mom’s Creamy Green Jello & Pecans” on curly lettuce,
and butterflake rolls came from Mindy;
Appetizer - Pepperoni & pecan spread on
crackers; by Karla;
Salad – Mandarin Orange salad with sweet
sour dressing; by Wilma;
Entrée- Hill Country Beef Rouladen stuffed
with dill pickles; by Glinda;
Vegetable – Special sweet Potatoes with a yummy
crunchy topping; by Donna;
Potatoes Anna, in an iron skillet, by Buffy.
Vegetable We did a surprise switch for the next
entry, saying that Annie would bring a new and different dessert, but in
reality Annie brought a lovely Olive Garden-style
minestrone and roasted asparagus.
The dessert
was actually the traditional Amaretto Bread Pudding with a pint of sauce,
brought in person by special surprise guest Sugar.
It was fun to have her back for the day with all the Divas.
The 11th
of December presented us with gorgeous weather in Central Texas. We decided to
take the drinks and hors d’oeuvres out to the patio. Since this is Austin, the
patio is strung with little Christmas lights that will stay up all year. They
didn’t have to be plugged in that afternoon - we enjoyed the pepperoni spread
and sipped our cocktails in bright sunshine.
We came back
inside for the rest of the meal, and laughed our way through all the courses,
as the stories came from every side. All the Divas can cook, and everything was
delicious!
The grab bag
game followed, with each person in turn deciding whether to ‘steal’ from the
previously opened gifts, or find out what is in one of the unopened packages.
The gifts are supposed to have a garden theme, and these certainly did:
A beautiful
calendar and stationery featuring an Impressionist garden theme, won by the
artistic Donna
A pocket wall
hanger for garden gear, with a handy soil scoop, scooped by Wilma
Two large
wreaths, one of them loaded with festive red berries, acquired by Mindy
A metal
nightlight sculpted in the form of a dragonfly, now glowing at Annie’s house
A metal
hummingbird weathervane & floral file folders, borne home by Buffy
A birdhouse in
the shape of a hat, (it was even in a pretty hatbox) that now hangs on Glinda’s fence
And the most
stolen item of the day – a jeweled-wire tabletop Christmas tree from Smith
& Hawken, which went home with Karla.
2004 was filled with things that don’t
belong on this garden page. Like those of all women, the daily lives of the
Divas bounced around from glee to grief, from tranquility to exhaustion, from
boredom to exhilaration. There were bike rides, books, breastfeeding, bowling
& Bunco. Some Divas relax after work by hunting down antiques, some are
passionate about movies, some need to hear live music and keep up with football
games, some are first in line when new restaurants open their doors, while
others run the Motorola Half-Marathon. [Go Mindy!] There were graduations,
concerts, family gatherings, charity events, high school reunions, church
functions and conferences and some romance.
Some of us traveled to Chicago,
Kentucky, or Las Vegas, California, Minneapolis, Hawaii and all around the
country while others just explored the Austin area;
Some, like homing pigeons, headed east
to Houston & Beaumont, or south to San Antonio.
One Diva won national recognition for
excellence in her field. [Yea Annie!] Several Divas changed jobs, one changed
her address, and one [we’re not telling] Diva had 2 fender-benders in the same
day! Many of us had to deal with illness within our family circles, feel the
day-to-day wonders of raising the next generation,
care for the previous generation, and
hardest of all, some experienced the death of people they loved.
We may have begun as gardening
associates, but as we work together & we share these joys and cares with
our fellow Divas, we are becoming friends for life.
LINKS
TO PLACES CONNECTED TO THE 2004 DIARY
KLRU Plant of the Week: http://www.klru.org/ctg/questions/plant_index.asp
Anderson Mill Gardeners: http://www.volente.org/legends/andersonmillgardeners.html
Chez Zee: http://www.chez-zee.com/
Mayhaw Jelly: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/Communications/news/May2003/NewsUse/NutritionistRelishesJellyfromMayhaw.asp
Junior League Cookbook: http://www.jlaustin.org/?nd=cookbook
Plant Delights: http://www.plantdelights.com/
[Formerly Men’s] Garden Club of Austin:
http://www.main.org/tgcoaustin/
Round Rock Donuts: http://www.roundrockdonuts.com/
Toxicodendron information: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html
Garden-Ville: http://www.garden-ville.com/Locations/Store_7_GV_Austin.htm
Austin Film Society: http://www.austinfilm.org/
Vulcan Video: http://www.vulcanvideo.com/info.html
Motorola/Freescale Marathon: http://www.motorolamarathon.com/home.asp
Dart Bowling Alley: http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2000-03-17/food_roundup10.html