FLOWERS, FLOWERS EVERYWHERE
March brings more color to the garden as the iris beds are now in full bloom, blue wind flowers flutter their petals in the breezes and oxalis brighten corners.  The bluebonnets planted last fall are showing flower buds and the front yard should soon be decorated with this beloved symbol of Texas.  The bluebonnet seeds were obtained from Wildseed Farms and broadcast into an area covered with wood chips.  The heavy winter rains assured a high germination rate.

MUCK AND MUD
Those two words describe pond cleaning day.  One day a year Ann Marie's wonderful little pond becomes a nightmare.  In March, Ann Marie and Eric empty the pond, putting fish and plants into tubs of water, and clean out muck and debris.  Because the pond is located under a soapberry tree, and thanks to playful raccoon babies dumping tubs of pond plants on their sides, a layer of "yuck"  needs to be removed from the bottom of the pond.  This is also the day to divide overgrown lizard's tail, horsetail, pickerel rush and water lilies.  After cleaning and refilling, the water is "conditioned" with a commercial product available at pet shops and the fish and plants are returned to their sparkling home.

Construction Update
The new border along the front of the lot is almost complete.  A black metal arch now welcomes visitors.  As they pass under the arch they can admire French hollyhocks at its base and white flowered potato vine climbing up the sides.  The potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) is new to Ann Marie, but comes highly recommended from Austin gardening expert Colleen Belk.  At Barton Springs Nursery  the plant is currently covered with clouds of small white blooms.  Colleen said its strongest bloom will come during cool weather, but that she has had flowers off and on during warm weather too.  Potato vine can be toxic if ingested, so families with small children may want to avoid growing it.  Other plants recently added to the new perennial bed include Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), Blue Balsam Mint, Missouri Primrose (Oenothera missouriensis) and Salvia Superba 'Rose Queen'.  Photos illustrating the structure of the new bed are available, but the baby plants are barely visible.

Costmary
New to the shade bed in the backyard is costmary, Tanacetum balsamita.  Formerly classified as Chrysanthemum balsamita, this member of Family Asteraceae is a tall perennial growing to 30 inches.  The silver-green, elongated leaves may grow to a length of 12 inches at the base of the plant but become progressively smaller toward the top.  If grown in sun, costmary will have clusters of white daisy like flowers in the summer.  It will grow, but not flower, in partial shade.  Costmary is a native of Western Asia and Southern Europe and is hardy to zone 4.  It has a balsam like scent with an overtone of mint and is considered aggressive.  It is propagated by root division.  Costmary is also known as alecost because it has been used to flavor beer.  In colonial times it earned the name "Bible herb".  The long leaves often served as aromatic bookmarks and the fragrance (or even a nibble or two) reportedly perked up individuals weary of lengthy church services.  Because of its height, costmary works well at the backs of borders.  Ann Marie has positioned it between Hoja Santa and patchouli, with wild violets in the very front of the bed.

Seeds to Sow
The nasturtium and sweet pea seeds are growing nicely in the garden, both types of plants are about 8 inches tall.  Lettuce, cilantro, and arugula are abundant.  Cosmos seeds were direct sown in the garden the first week of March.  A few small leaf basil seeds, 'Minette' were planted indoors but most will be direct sown into the garden when temperatures remain above 40 degrees F at night.  Because snails consider basil tasty treat, the seeds will be planted within rings of copper tape that the snails do not cross.  Supposedly, the contact between the snail's (or slug's) slimy body and the copper creates a small electrical charge that stops the critter.  Whatever the explanation, it worked well in 1997.