Our Latest Visitor

Not much doing for flowers and gardens at the Matzke Park these days.  But on my 7:15 AM morning walk around the path this morning... this guy was perched on the fence on the north side where it goes along Grant Rd.  He seemed "frozen" and oblivious to anyone passing by and he was still there in the same position when I left about 8:30 AM. 

And when we drove by about 10:30 AM.. HE WAS STILL THERE and hadn't moved.

I have seen this animal before at the park.  One time "playing dead" right next to the path.  Again, he/she was there the whole time I was walking.  You can see what that looks like HERE if you click on the link and scroll down a bit.

Amazing Flowers

We have had a surprising number of below freezing nights in the past several weeks.   Last night was another... with a low in our back yard of 31.1 degrees.   These two Hibiscus were picked this afternoon.  And their siblings, still on the plants, look just as fine.

Moving Outdoors

Hopefully our last freeze of the season is behind us.  
The cuttings and seedlings in the greenhouse are doing well and some will be shared at the next Norchester Garden Club meeting. The rest will soon be moved outdoors.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   And this new raised bed should hold a couple of tomato plants very nicely. Is it only in this county where one has to BUY DIRT at the store ?

While the poppy plot continues to thicken.

Signs of Spring

Feb 1 and it is 72 degrees outside. Of course we could get another freeze but let's hope not.  

Things are starting to brighten out there.



Here is the bed of our poppies that have come up from a few handfuls of seeds, gathered last summer. There are a few other wildflowers mixed in with the small white blossoms that are showing already.

What goes around, comes around. This is what this bed looked like in on the 10th of March last year

And for those that are more delicate, one can always start from seed indoors.

Here is a link to the latest Norchester Garden Club Horticulture Report which offers some tips on starting from seed.   CLICK HERE  Just give it a bit of time to load. 

Past Horticulture Reports are available as well .. see   "Useful Links We Like" in the column to the right of this garden blog.

Cooper Comes Back

Yes... he is back. Looks to me like the very same bird.   In our Feb 7, 2014 blog post (you can see it HERE) a Cooper's Hawk visited and perched on the same spot while watching the other birds at the feeders scatter to the winds.   He only sat here a couple of minutes this time.  These two pictures are from this afternoon. 









You may also remember that in our July 28, 2014 post HERE we had a visit from a Northern Harrier.
He, however, much prefered the edge of our fish pond for a perch. 

Preparing for Cold Weather

It is January 1st and we are not likely done with cold weather for this season.  As a result, a Norchester Garden Club Special report on Frost and Freezes has been prepared by the Horticulture Chairperson.  This document outlines the difference between Frost and Freeze and the options for preparing your plants to survive our changing Texas winters.



Included in the document are links to other Texas A&M resources including how to build a "cold frame" temporary greenhouse

Potted plants are the easiest to protect. Just by moving them into a corner under a protective overhang will help a lot. Incandescent lights (not LED) add needed heat when the plant is covered with a frost cloth. 

You may view, print or download the report by 
CLICKING HERE

Kinglet Return Visits

Why do we "mature" folks like birds?  Who knows? This fascinating little bird was discussed in the previous post. He is always by himself so has little else to do it seems.  He first showed up on Dec 21 and has returned several times each day since. This is Dec 31.  Today I had my zoom lens on so the pictures through the window are much better.

He is small. For comparison, the red and white portion of the bulbs on the "tree" are one and one eighth inches in length.