Fall Plant Swap

Yesterday I went to a plant swap organized by a local nonprofit (thanks Brave Harvest). Everyone brought potted plants or cuttings to trade, and the organizer provided pots, potting soil, and rooting hormone. I wish I had taken more photos of the event in action, but honestly I was having too much fun geeking out with other people who love plants as much as I do.

Here's a pic of my new babies. I decided to keep put them in my bathroom so that I can keep an eye on them. This spot is more protected from my dogs and kids, and it's the most humid environment I have in my home.

I got cuttings of two different cassias -- one with large leaves (Cassia alata) and one with small leaves (Cassia bicapsularis). I cut back the foliage on the larger cassia after this photo was taken, to help prevent it from drying out before it forms good roots. I also snagged Lady Margaret passion flower (Passiflora x Lady Margaret) and Turk's cap (Malvaviscus pendiflorus), all of these from the same generous gardener. My friend Erin also gave me a small, spiky, vase-shaped aloe and some twee  succulents that remind me of little tongues (or even lateral lithops, given the patterning). She said they're some type of Gasteria spp.

Cross your fingers that these babies all make it!

(The little plant on the windowsill is a

I'm back!

I'm back! Yes this blog has been dormant for awhile, but I'm finally tinkering in the yard again so I thought I may as well document what I'm planning and planting.

For  my birthday this year I treated myself to a number of plants destined for the foundation bed in the front yard -- knockout roses, Texas sage, flax lily, and a variegated lemon tree. The lemon tree went in a different bed though.

This picture was taken earlier this summer. And then it rained basically non-stop. Seriously. This was the wettest summer on record here in Gainesville. So now my grass is brown, not green, because all this moisture seems to have created the perfect conditions for some sort of lawn disease to creep in and take hold. I'm guessing it's fungal. But that's another post for another time.