Southern Post Journal – A Sustainable Garden Blog in Houston Texas by Jacqueline D’Elia

Mama Sparrow Tends Her Nest with Gusto

May 29, 2011

Mama sparrow must be exhausted. She’s been feeding her two little ones every 10-15 mintues in this 95 degree heat. She’s good at her job! She finds foods and returns on time. I’ve also observed her chasing away other sparrows who even come near her hotel. It’s an abandoned purple martin birdhouse with plenty of [...]

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Something for Dinner from the Garden

May 26, 2011

Banana peppers were picked this week and turned red on the windowsill. I am sure they’ll be sweeeet. Heirloom tomatoes including a large Bull’s Heart and an adorable mini cinderella pumpkin-like tomato. Beautiful Chelsea Prize cucumbers are outstanding in my raised beds. All in all, this was a good harvest timed so perfectly for a [...]

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Macro Monday: Strolling the Garden

May 23, 2011

Strolling around the garden with my camera. The fence on the west side of the garden is blooming with trumpet vines. I haven’t seen a lot of butterflies this spring and I am not sure why. Could it be the drought? or the large number of wasps patrolling the gardens looking for caterpillars? I’ve seen [...]

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Rosarian Needed: Can You Identify this Rose?

May 17, 2011

I bought this rose about 9 years ago and it has been planted in this clay pot ever since. I occasionally add some compost as a top dressing, and toss in a handful of organic fertilizer a few times a year. I never spray it or treat it. I water it deeply when it needs [...]

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Pasta with Garden Fresh Roma Tomatoes and Eggplant

May 11, 2011

Tonight I prepared a delicious organic meal from the garden. A few days ago, I picked the first two Viva Italia tomatoes, along with some fresh Cameo basil and Millionaire eggplant. Sorry the photos of the dish is not better, but I was so hungry and just snapped these with my iPhone. I sauteed freshly [...]

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Macro Monday: Albert Greenberg Water Lily Blooms

May 9, 2011

Here is the first bloom of my Albert Greenberg water lily in the stock tank pond. Usually the first blooms are very vibrant and rich in color and this one is no exception. I’ve just fertilized the plants and expect some sensational blooms this summer. I lost my Midnight water lily in the deep freeze [...]

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Container Gardens: Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

May 8, 2011

Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers. If you are new to container gardening, you may find this Container Garden Basics post helpful. I wrote it for Buchanan’s Native Plants this week. It was a fun post and I have a really pretty container on a pedestal in my garden now.

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Roadside Plant Pinch Pays Off

May 5, 2011

Roadside plant envy got me one day last fall. As I drove past a nearby subdivision entrance, I saw this lovely coleus mound growing in the island bed. I don’t normally do this (okay sometimes I do..), but I jumped out of the truck and quickly pinched off a stem from the plant. I headed [...]

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Visit to P. Allen Smith Garden Home Retreat

April 30, 2011

Little Rock, Arkansas. Last time I was there was in the 70′s on a road trip to the Northeast. A few months ago, I was invited to attend a 2 day garden blogger’s event hosted by P. Allen Smith and his sponsors in Little Rock. About 24 prominent garden bloggers from around the country were [...]

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