Dandelion Poof

This picture is from a friends Instagram post.  At first it might seem like an art stylized version of a dandelion but it's really just a near perfectly dewed poof.  Not enough dew to collapse the poof entirely but just enough to give it that glistening look like a jewel in a field. (I think this one was in a parking lot somewhere though by the looks of it.)

My wife has always liked dandelions, not sure if it's the simple beauty of the poof or the way the seeds gracefully float through the air after blowing on them.  Either way they really are pretty.

This one reminds me of a sundew.  Of course the "dew" on those plants is actually a sweet sticky substance meant to trap insects so the plant can eat them but they're still interesting.

Of course it also reminds me of the grand agave that survived the frost that covered it.  A very similar look.

Golden Angle

I'd rolled up this plastic binding strip months ago not really thinking about what to do with it later.  I took the rubber band off of it a couple days ago just playing with it and noticed the spiral pattern it was making.  I realized it had set in an elliptical shape rather than a circle and after unrolling it formed this pattern. Although not specifically the same as the golden angle, it sure resembles it to a degree.

For those of you who don't know, the golden angle is the smaller of the two angles whose total is a complete circle if the ratio between the two angles was equal to the ratio between the larger angle and the complete circle.

It is most apparent in tightly growing clusters like pine cones and seed or flower heads but also has a role in the growth pattern of leaves as was shown in the picture of my agave plant that I had years ago as posted in the Gardening Forums, said picture was actually an old one from this blog.

Resilient Agave

Some plants were meant to survive the cold better than others. This agave has kept out of the snow by letting the ice form on the leaf and then pulling away from it. Now it has a canopy to hide under and can get a bit of sunlight. Even without doing this the agave is resilient enough that the frost won't hurt it.

The saffron just under it is just as resilient although it looks much more prone to the frost.  Unlike the agave the saffron is not so tolerant of heat and bides it time until cooler weather arrives. Here it's as happy as it can be and will grow through the winter into the spring.

Another of the winter happy plants in the garden is the green onion but it's more like the agave in that it can take the heat and cold and doesn't die back in either unlike it's relatives the chives or larger onions.  Green onions are a great way to have a fresh taste to your cooking all year long.

Overgrown Agave

Our agave has gotten fairly large since we've put it in the ground and it's baby is about twice the size of it's momma when we put it in the ground. There are lots of agave plants around the city.  Some yards have several plants or even an entire row of them lining a yard.
Although not the famed tequila agave, all agave plants accumulate a sweet syrup in their cores and can be harvested for this "nectar" which has been popularized over the years.  Once our plant grows big enough we will probably uproot it and harvest this sweetness and see about using it in a recipe of some sort.  Since it has already put out runners we will still have more to use.

One of the problems I've had is when cleaning out from under it.  The teeth on these things are hard, sharp and plentiful.  When they're covered with dead leaves they are also really hard to see and aren't in a nice neat pattern.
The pointy tops of the leaves can be broken off and used as disposable needles for sewing and if broken off right will even have a little bit of fibers attached for the thread. The fibers in general can be cooked down and broken up and made into rope or coarse cloth.

Springing Plants

I don't know who told them to but I have several plants, most notably the lamb's ear and echinacea, sprouting and shooting up like there's no winter left but little do they know it's going to freeze again tonight.
One of the plants I don't think will mind too much is the snow pea plant.  I believe I misidentified it as a edamame.  Well I couldn't remember what I planted in that pot I just knew that I gave up on it when all of the pots baked in what felt like a 400 degree oven that is the metroplex...
The agave plants likewise should have no problem with the cold.  There are lots of them in the area and none of them so far have had any really bad effects from the cold.
The fennel likewise is making a comeback and the wild onion is actually a little late it feels like.  There are a few up front but the back seems a little lacking in that field...

Agave Babies

It's so cute when a plant decides to have a family.  Agave seems to want to keep it's kids close.  I'm probably going to have to get these babies new homes though.  Fortunately I don't think it will get any separation anxiety.

Agave Growth

The agave has grown to more than twice its size since last year and has procuced three little ones from the roots. The little guy is about the same size as the big one was when I pulled it out of the ground after it had been mowed down several times by the landscapers at the university.

Windstorm Damage

Amazingly enough there was very little damage to the plants during the last few windstorms. There was damage to the power lines that run down the back of the property but we called the power line company numerous times to let them know it would probably happen. I only hope the sparks coming off of the lines don't catch my compost pile on fire.
The tomato plants could be a little more productive but at least I got some tomatoes this year and there are still more on the vine.

The agave plant has decided to send out runners. I've found three so far, one of which is outside of the bed for it. The parent plant however didn't start as a runner. When I pulled it up it had it's own root system and no attached runner stalk.

In the Last Year

I was looking back at the posts from last year around this time to see what was up then.
This year I'm way too booked to attempt to go to the plant swap again. I haven't even checked to see when or if it is happening, just too much going on.
Some of the plants that I had posted have various updates. The lemon tree is still growing though unfortunately it hasn't produced any lemons yet.
The key lime trees are all dead. This is most definitely due to the fact that none of them ever got transplanted or watered regularly. The only exception to this may be the one I gave my brother. He waters much more consistantly at times than I do.
The kaffir lime on the other hand started in a bigger pot and is doing fine. I have used it several times in cooking and it just grows more leaves for me.
The agave plant shown with the spider in it has nearly doubled in size since last year and I really need to remove the smaller one and put it somewhere it can grow better.

Rain Day at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

We were actually there to take pictures of hats and scarves and such (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=8025178 can't help the shameless promotion of my sweetie) but really, who would miss taking a few pics of the scenery?

The oddest thing was the bumble bee that just sat there. It wasn't dead but more seemed intent on getting every last bit out of his flower.

We took most of the pictures in the rose garden where there were also wedding pictures being taken. They were an early 20's couple and by the huge smiles didn't mind the light sprinkles falling on them. There were rose blooms everywhere and it smelled wonderful.

When I got home I noticed the creeping rosemary blooming. The regular rosemary has never bloomed and has been there for a much longer time, but whatever.

I also checked in on the blue agave and noticed a new resident looking back at me with his beady little eyes.