May, 1998
Find out what is growing in Ann Marie's garden, located in Austin, Texas

The Goodnight Garden
A moonlight visit to this portion of Ann Marie's garden is guaranteed to relax and bring sweet dreams.  Located near the pool, these sweet scented flowers reflect the moonlight and have a cooling effect on hot, Texas nights.

Brugmansia versicolor
Brugmansia versicolorThis large plant is sometimes called Coral Datura.  It is a tropical shrub that normally blooms in the fall, but thanks to the mild winter, is now blanketed with pale, pink, pendulous trumpets.  Normal winter care involves covering the base of the plant with a quilt on the coldest nights, but this year's warm temperatures kept the plant growing and full of leaves though the year.  It is easily propagated by rooting sections of the branches.
Daturas
The night garden also features a number of Daturas.  The large white trumpets of Datura inoxia provide evening entertainment as we lounge by the pool and wait for the blossoms to open.  Wait, don't look away, it might open!  (Hint:  there is a whiff of it's intoxicatingly sweet, lemony fragrance immediately before the blossom springs open)  The first white Datura blossom was seen on April 26th.  There are also double purple and yellow datura plants that haven't yet begun to flower.  A warning to parents of young children:  The daturas are highly toxic, you may want to wait a while to grow them.
 Gaura
The Texas native, Gaura lindheimeri, has delicate white flowers that rise above the plant like little moths flitting in the twilight.  Although it has no noticeable scent, it lends an air of enchantment to the goodnight garden.  Gaura is hardy to zone 5 and blooms from spring to fall, pruning spent blooms increases flower production.  A pink form is also available commercially.
Four O'Clocks
white four o'clocks
Four O'Clocks are another mainstay of the goodnight garden.  They reseed themselves in Texas so once upon a time Ann Marie planted a packet and they now live happily ever after.  To have a shimmer of reflected moonlight in the garden Ann Marie has selected for only white flowering four o'clocks, other colors have been ruthlessly pulled out and composted.
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Perennial Border
The front perennial border is growing and even has flowers!  The Paul Neyron Rose and Phalaenopsis Rose are both in bloom.  The yarrow is just beginning to open its pink clusters of blossoms and the Salvia superba 'Rose Queen' has spikes of, well, rosy blooms.  Three compact abelia bushes were added recently with the hope that their fragrant, tubular blossoms will attract swallowtail butterflies.  In April, the Paul Neyron Rose was attacked by the dreaded aphids, but ladybug larva marched to the rescue and in no time at all the aphids were gone and the larva were fat.  Now there is an army of ladybugs patrolling the garden.  Compare photos from March 1, 1998 with those taken on May 1, 1998.

 
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