July, 1998
Horsetail Haven is a private gardener's paradise, located in Austin, Texas

Splish, Splash, Plunk Those lazy, hazy days of summer have arrived.  Daytime temperatures consistently hover around the 100 mark and daily forecasts include the elusive 10% chance of afternoon showers.  A sure mark of summer at Horsetail Haven are the nightly visits from rambuncious baby raccoons.  Mama is a well-behaved gourmet, only grabbing a few fish and dining on escargot by the pool, but the babies think that Horsetail Haven is a private amusement park.  They bicycle kick their way through the water, throwing plants helter skelter.  Each morning brings a game of hide and seek to find the plants that have been pulled from pots and tossed through the air.  The pond plants persevere though, the Dauben waterlily is covered with blooms and the night blooming Emily Grant Hutchings scents the twillight.  The many baby fish that hatched a month ago have turned into shimmers of orange dashing through the water and Ann Marie has been heard announcing to neighborhood children "I'm sure your mother would LOVE it if you had a goldfish for a pet."  The tadpoles are becoming toads and the small hoppers are spotted throughout the yard.  Watch where you step! Blowing in the Wind Hanging baskets are always a challenge for Ann Marie.  Inspired by the wonders seen on Bourbon Street Balconies, Ann Marie planted three new baskets to hang by the pool.  Filling the pots are lavender flowered trailing lantana, variegated pineapple mint and Heavenly Blue Morning Glories. The pots were placed in moss filled wire baskets and are coming along, but not spectacular.  The Morning Glories will soon be blooming and perhaps then the sight will then be breath-taking. Jamaican Tea Hibiscus The search for the Jamaican Tea Hibiscus, Hibiscus sabdariffa, has ended!!!  Several years ago Ann Marie purchased a planted labeled as such, only to realize that the Plant Label Police needed to be notified.  It is an unidentified pink flowered hibiscus with  stickers that cover the plant and seed pods.  The blossoms are useful for tea, but don't give the wonderful flavor that Ann Marie was looking for.  Following that mispurchase, Ann Marie was told that a red leaf plant with yellowish flowers was the Jamaican Tea Hibiscus and found that some Austin home gardeners were using both the flowers and leaves for the tea.  A quick search ofreferences didn't discuss red leaves on the Jamaican Tea Hibiscus and the tea made with the leaves tasted "green" so the search continued.  While in Louisiana on an Herb Society of America tour of the LSU gardens the mystery red leaf hibiscus was spotted and quickly identified as Hibiscus acetosella by Jim Adams, curator of the National Herb Garden in Washington, DC.  Louisiana natives quickly added that they call it "Red Shield Hibiscus" and often find it in older gardens.  Rumor has it that the leaves are used to color gravy, but no one could be found who actually did this.   BUT, Ann Marie is now growing Hibiscus sabdariffa.  A packet of seeds were obtained from Park Seed and all that were planted quickly germinated and have become young plants with green three lobed leaves and attractive red leaf petioles. Ann Marie hopes to be drinking a cup or two of her own homegrown Hibiscus tea this fall.
 
 

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