Texas

 "If I owned both hell and Texas I would live in hell and rent out Texas"

                                                                                            Mark Twain

Just a quick photo journal from a jaunt to Texas to visit my sister. I had never been and I love going places I have never been. Could have asked for better weather as it was 104 most days on this trip. But it was great to see family and celebrate my nephews birthday in new territory to me. 

The state capitol adorned with some flower bulbs. 

Hymenocallis were quite prevalent wherever the water was. This was a turtle pond at UT Austin. 

Caught at least one cactus in bloom and thought I would see more, but the Hill country where my sister lives looks kinda like Africa. 

The lady bird Johnson wildflower center was a cool place, after talking to one of the curators about what bulbs I might see in bloom it sounded like we should have been there a few months ago as the heat and drought were putting things to dormancy pretty good. 

I thought the eco systems and garden displays at the wildflower were topnotch. This one caught my eye as it had Arbutus xalapensis growing in it, a plant I have been working hard to propagate. 

The gardens of San Antonio along the riverwalk were really cool. 

The ecotype beds of the Lady Bird Johnson Widlflower center were super cool and still had some blooms despite the 100 plus degree heat. 

spider

lizard

fish

Seeing some massive bald cypress was a pretty cool highlight of the trip, this one was borne in the year 1400. 

Definitely got some inspiration for what plantings might look like in Oregon with the progression of climate change. Would be fun to come back in the spring to see more of it. Getting back to Salem, means getting back to work, so that means the catalog will be getting put together. I did get some good news on the cyber front, I think this blog will be able to integrate into the new website. That should be up and running very shortly and with any luck a mid summer list of some choice flower bulbs, rock garden plants and alpines will be out. 

Cheers from sweltering hot Dripping Springs, Texas. 

Mark