I grew up in coastal California, where the summers are mild and dry, and the rainy season was in the wintertime. When I was a small child, my grandfather, who loves Hawaii and from whom I inherit my interest in plants, described what a warm, heavy, tropical rain was like to me, and I thought he was exaggerating. Warm rain? Now, really!
Until I moved to Texas, I found it difficult to comprehend that rainstorms that soaked people through in a matter of seconds happened anywhere other than in movies and on tropical islands. I actually stood outside in the backyard one summer afternoon just to experience such a downpour for myself. (I was soaked to the skin in very short order!) The first time I heard the weather man warn of a "blue norther", I had to watch my outdoor thermometer plunge before I could really believe such a phenomenon existed.
The climate here is so substantially different from what I was used to, that I found it necessary to start this blog to keep track of the things I learn as I go along. I haven't made as much physical progress in my garden as I would like, and I have killed innumerable numbers of plants. Between friends, books, the internet, and even the few comments that appear on this blog, I am slowly learning what works, and scoring one little victory at a time.
So please have a look around! I hope you'll find something useful here.
My Local Climate Conditions:
Climate: Subtropical, humid.
Average annual rainfall: 50 inches
Soil type: "Black Gumbo"--alkaline, elastic clay.
Native Vegetation: Temperate Grassland
Texas Vegetational Region: Area 2-Gulf Prairies and Marshes
USDA Hardiness Zone: 8b/9a
AHS Heat Zone: 9
Sunset Climate Zone: 28
Köppen Climate Zone: Cfa: Humid Subtropical
The outdoor adventures of a California native putting down roots along the Texas Gulf Coast.
