Texas Road Trip: Exploring the Green Spaces of the Magnolia Silos

AZ Plant Lady, Containers, Garden Travels, Road Trip, Vegetable Gardening

Exploring the Green Spaces of The Magnolia Silos

On a cold February morning, alongside my mother and sisters, I found myself at The Magnolia Silos. These are created and made famous by the much-loved hosts of HGTV’s ‘Fixer Upper’ program.

We were on a girls road trip through Texas. As fans of the show, The Silos in Waco were a must-see destination.

A Blend of Edibles and Ornamentals in Magnolia Silos Garden Containers

The day we arrived was brisk. We went straight to the bakery, which is well-known for its delicious cupcakes and pastries. My travel companions saved me a place in line. And I headed straight for the decorative window boxes along the front and side of the bakery.

fresh vegetable sin window boxes at the Magnolia Silos

Window Box Garden Delights

To be honest, I didn’t expect to see much in the way of greenery or gardens in winter. The lovely plantings underneath the windows pleasantly surprised me.

I mixed edible plants with ornamental ones, creating a blending of soft, complimentary shades that suited the cloudy day.

The rosemary pruned into little topiaries created the perfect backdrop for the white, ornamental kale.

The Joy of Cupcakes

There is almost always a line around the bakery. We were fortunate only to have to wait for 10 minutes before entering. In the meantime, someone handed us a bakery menu, allowing us to select what we wanted ahead of time.

I picked the ‘Shiplap’ cupcake. Because, where else was I ever going to have the opportunity to get one anywhere else? It was delicious!

Magnolia Love Inside and Out

A balanced diet is a cupcake in each hand

This sign within the bakery echoed the sentiments of all who entered. We all came out with a box of much-coveted cupcakes.

Once outside of the bakery, we headed for the main store. Four espaliered magnolia trees grace the left of the entrance.

The relatively empty facade can be deceiving; inside, it bustled with shoppers. Don’t be fooled by the appearance from the outside, as the interior was filled with eager shoppers.

Lavender Welcome

A grouping of lavender greeted us as we climbed the steps into the store.

I clutched my wallet tightly while I tried to figure out how much I had budgeted for shopping, and then I entered the store.

Cotton on stems drying and ready for purchase

decorations at the shop at Magnolia Silos

It was immediately evident that Joanna has a deep love for gardening and plants. Although all those inside the store were artificial greenery and flowers.

Garden Discoveries

Photo of the green waco truck with sisters

Back outdoors, my sister and I posed for a picture before we headed over to the garden area.

Exploring the Green Spaces of the Magnolia Silos

The garden is surrounded with beds filled with roses that had recently been cut back. Tulips are just beginning to emerge.

Beyond the green spaces of The Magnolia Silos, you can find The Magnolia Seed & Supply shop. It is filled with garden decor along with seeds available for purchase.

The Beauty of in the Green Spaces of The Magnolia Silos

Outdoor lettuce and collard greens growing in the garden

Raised beds are filled with leafy greens. I like the wooden branches used to support the frost cloth.

green spaces of The Magnolia Silos

To the side of the store was a little greenhouse with a planter full of gorgeous kale.

I must admit that I’ve never thought of kale as ‘gorgeous’ before, but it was in this case.

On our way out, we took a photo of the silos surrounded by families and kids playing on a large expanse of artificial turf. They were using old-fashioned lawn games provided.

A quick stop for a photo.

I hope you enjoyed exploring the green spaces of The Magnolia Silos with me. I certainly did!

The Green Spaces of Chicago

Vegetable Gardens in Unexpected Places

Vegetable Gardening

Where do you expect to see vegetable gardens planted?

Most of the time, vegetable gardens are found in the backyard.

But, have you ever thought of locating your vegetable garden somewhere else?

This home in the Encanto district, in downtown Phoenix, has a great way of utilizing space in the front yard for growing vegetables.

The homeowners decided to utilize the space beside their driveway for planting a vegetable garden.

I think that this vegetable garden looks great in this area, don’t you think?

By the way, do know why the homeowner has planted flowers at the end of each vegetable row?

The marigolds and lavender not only add beauty to the garden, they serve an important role in keeping bad bugs away from the vegetables.

Pairing flowering plants and herbs with vegetables is a practice known as “companion gardening”.

There are many other plants that can be planted with vegetables to keep damaging insects away. You can read more about companion gardening here.

I also like how the homeowners added vegetables in front of the house. Some people would tend to plant annual flowers in this area instead, but think how much more fun it would be to plant vegetables there instead.

The vegetables look at home among the ornamental plants such as Agave angustifolia, Texas Mountain Laurel and Red Yucca.

A couple of years ago, I was driving home from a landscape consult and saw this home’s front yard filled with raised beds.

I returned a few months later to visit these vegetable gardens filled with zucchini, Swiss chard, tomatillos and carrots.

This is another home in east Phoenix that has homemade trellises, made from rebar and wire, with cucumber plants growing up on them.

The cucumbers are in the perfect spot where they receive afternoon shade from the large front yard tree.

Both of these gardens are planted and managed by the Farmyard group, who grow organic produce on urban farms in Phoenix and Scottsdale. You can find out more about this group and the services the offer here.

As cool as these vegetable gardens are, most of us cannot grow vegetables in our front yard due to HOA restrictions.

However, if you do not live in a neighborhood with an HOA, maybe you should think about including vegetables in your front yard?

You can start out small – maybe that area that you would normally plant flowers? ** A word of caution: don’t plant vegetables in front if you have problems with deer, rabbits or javelina.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about growing vegetables in the front yard…

Reigning in the Chaos of My Containers…

AZ Plant Lady

A few days ago, you may remember my post about my uncontrolled container plants.

Well, I pulled out some of my excess Trailing Lantana, which can be used in other areas of my garden.

Then I cut back the remaining Lantana and my Sweet Potato vine.

At this point, things were looking much neater, if a little bare.

I only bought a few new plants since I decided to keep much of my existing perennials.

I purchased Alyssum because I love their sweet fragrance.

I also bought Johnny-Jump-Ups, which are little Violas that are native to Spain.

I remember growing them in my little garden as a child and I loved how easily they grew for me.

Lastly, I purchased two Lavender. They make great container plants and I love their flowers.

And so I began….

First, I dug a hole for my Lavender and then as I was removing the container, I discovered that they were extremely root bound.

Root-bound plants aren’t uncommon and are a result of being in the container too long. The roots start growing round and round since they can’t grow outward.

If you find yourself with a root-bound plant, it is easy to fix.

Here’s how…

You simply make cuts to the roots. This forces the roots to stop growing around and around and makes them grow outward into the surrounding soil.

I used my hand pruners to make the cuts, but you can use strong scissors or even a box cutter.

After you make the cuts, you need to ‘work’ the root ball. What I mean by this is give it a ‘massage’. This helps to further loosen the root ball and will help your plant to transplant much more easily….

Now my Lavender is ready to plant.

So, you may be wondering what happens if you don’t cut and loosen the roots of a root-bound plant? Well, the roots will tend not to grow out into the soil, where there is moisture and nutrients and you plant will not do all that well.

After I was finished planting, my containers looked nice a neat – but a bit bare. It will take a couple of weeks for my plants to grow and cover the bare spots.

Reigning in the Chaos of My Containers...

In my purple container, I planted a mixture of Johnny-Jump-Ups and Alyssum.

In my yellow container. I planted one of my Lavender and pruned back my Sweet Potato Vine, which will grow back quickly.

My blue container has a Lavender and White Trailing Lantana growing. I pruned the Lantana back but like the vine, it will grow fast.

**Although both the Sweet Potato Vine and my Trailing Lantana are susceptible to frost damage – they are protected because my containers are located underneath the overhang of my house.

You may be wondering why I don’t fill my pots with colorful cool-season annuals such as Petunias, Pansies, Snapdragons and Stock?

I was thinking about this the other day and I think it is because when I managed landscapes, I was responsible for thousands of colorful annuals being planted twice a year, keeping them alive, fertilizing them often and trying to keep them from being eaten by Javelina and rabbits.

I also know a designer who creates beautiful containers filled with both annuals and perennials every year…

Her name is Maggie and someday, I may even try to recreate one of her beautiful container designs in my own containers.

But for now, I am happy with my humble containers.

I will show you some good ideas for cool-season container plantings with lots of color in the next week. (Just because I didn’t plant that many in my own garden doesn’t mean I don’t know how 😉

*****************************

Baby watch update:

Two days overdue.

I have a feeling it might come today, but then, I have been known to be wrong 😉

I’ll let you know!

Even Vegetables Need Friends…..

Vegetable Gardening

All of us (I hope) have experienced the benefits of having a good friend. A good friend is someone that you can enjoy good times with, but they are also there to lean on in times of trouble and provide support.

Well, don’t you think your vegetables deserve the same benefits that friendship offers?

Vegetables need friends

Now at this point, some of you may be thinking that I have finally turned into a crazy plant lady…..seriously – vegetables need friends? Well, the answer is yes. Vegetables do best when special ‘companion’ plants are planted among them.

Okay, so what does a companion plant do? Well depending on the kind of plant, they can repel damaging insects and/or attract beneficial insects. If you add companion plants interspersed throughout your vegetables, they will be much healthier and you will have fewer headaches due to fewer insect problems.

Here are some of my favorites…..

Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), not only has a beautiful, sweet fragrance, but they also attract butterflies and ladybugs which are important pollinators. Insects that eat mealybugs, scale, thrips and spider mites are also attracted to the alyssum and will help to keep those damaging bugs away.

Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea cyanus), also attracts pollinators that are so important to the formation of your vegetables. They also attract insects that will prey upon damaging insects such as scales and thrips.

Now who doesn’t love the bright flowers of Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)? Well your vegetables would love to be friends with them. In addition to attracting insects that will feast upon mealybugs, Cosmos also serve a general deterrent to insects.

Pelargoniums commonly called Geraniums not only beautify your vegetable garden, but their distinctive smell deters many insects.

Anytime you encounter Lantana in full bloom, you may also notice butterflies hovering above, which serve as pollinators in the garden. Lantana are also a magnet for the irritating whitefly. By planting some Lantana in close proximity to your vegetables, the whiteflies will be so busy with the Lantana that they are more likely to leave your vegetables alone. Try to think of it as a choice between eating an ice cream sundae or broccoli 😉

I just love Lavender and now I have a reason to include it in my garden. It serves as a great repellent for ants, aphids, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and silverfish. In areas where I used to work, it was one of only 10 plants that the rabbits and javelina would leave alone. Butterflies and bees do not seem to share the same aversion to Lavender…..they love it.

Petunia hybrids are a very popular flower and it is easy to see why with their large, bright flowers. But they also make great companions for vegetables (& roses) as well because aphids do not like them and tend to stay far away.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) isn’t just for cooking. When in flower, bees are attracted to this wonderful herb and will often stick around to pollinate your vegetable flowers (yes, vegetables do flower and need to be pollinated). It is thought that the aromatic fragrance of the Rosemary messes with the ability of damaging insects to detect delicious plants in the vicinity.

Anyone who has grown Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), knows that bees are drawn to them. Well, if you didn’t already know this…..bees are vital for a healthy garden. Sunflowers also offer another benefit to the vegetable garden. When planted on the west side of the vegetable garden, they will provide shade in the summer for your vegetable garden.

These are just a sampling of companion plants (and the only ones that I had pictures of). There are many more wonderful companion plants:

Basil

Calendula

Catmint

Catnip

Chives

Coreopsis

Dill

Fleabane

Marigold

Mint

Nasturtium

Sage

and

Thyme

I currently have both Marigolds and Nasturtium growing inside my vegetable garden. I am also (meaning my husband) in the midst of building a flower garden which will surround my vegetable garden. I will include many of these companion plants as well as some purely ornamental flowers.

And so, if you have a vegetable garden that looks a little lonely, or if you are tired of the battle with damaging insects…..try bringing some ‘friends’ into your garden. Your vegetables will thank you for it.

October Craziness….Cactus, Spiders, Stormy Weather and a Mixed-up Bird

Flowers From a Farm in the City…

AZ Plant Lady

Yesterday, I wrote about a visit to “The Farm at South Mountain”, which is an old farm that is a rural oasis in the shadow of downtown Phoenix.

The farm is made up of organic flower and vegetable gardens, restaurants, a large pecan grove picnic area, artist studio, gift shop, farmer’s market and spa. Weddings are also held here in this beautiful place.

As lovely the pecan grove looks in the winter, I plan to return in the summer to see them fully leafed out, so I can enjoy a picnic lunch in their shade.

Sweet Columbine

Although the vegetable gardens were most prominent gardens to view, flowers could be found planted in mass, such as daisies and calendulas. But, I delighted in finding the flowers that were tucked away in unexpected places.

Vibrant, Red Ranunculus

Although, I do like vegetables, I am a flower girl at heart and so, I had so much fun looking here and there making sure that I did not miss any flowers.

Gerber Daisies grace the front of a collection of flowers.

Some flowers such as the Ranunculus and the Columbine, are not often seen in gardens in our area, and so I was happy to be able to take pictures of them to add to my photo library.

Spanish Lavender (Lavendula stoechas)

Do any of you have a flower or plant that you just love but for some unknown reason, you have not included it in your garden? Well, I love lavender and do not have any in my garden. Note to self…I need to plant some lavender ;^)

Heliotrope, Gerber and Purple Daisies.

Like I said before, you never know where you will find flowers. This laundry basket had a few cans full of flowers just sitting off to the side.

Bright, Sunny Calendula Flower.

Calendulas grew in organized mass plantings alongside the vegetables.

Fruity Girl (resident of “The Refuge”) peruses the flowers, herbs and succulents for sale.

Violas and Alyssum

Lupine

Candytuft

Years ago, I grew Candytuft with Purple Coneflower. I love the brightness of the white color of the Candytuft.

More Violas

Rows of Geraniums.

Geraniums perform very well in the desert, but generally do not survive the summer heat. So, they are best treated as a winter-annual in the desert.

Valentine shrub with Geraniums.

Little Farmer, Pastor Farmer, Fruity Girl, Mr. Compost, Daisy Mom and Monkey Boy.

I enjoyed visiting this special place with my younger sister and her family (residents of “The Refuge”). My mother, Pastor Farmer and nephew Little Farmer, (residents of Double S Farms) also came.

The Farm at South Mountain is a wonderful place to visit. I can hardly wait to visit again in the summer with my husband and kids when they will have summer flowers for us to see :^)

Tomorrow, will be my last post about this special place….

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