The Herb Cottage

Now, I know it's Fall. Not only are the mornings cool, days shorter (I have to put the chickens up earlier in the evening...), the cat is sleeping on the bed instead of outdoors all night, and.... the Schoolhouse Lilies are blooming!! These lilies are found all over Texas, not only in gardens, but in abandoned homesteads, school houses and cemeteries.

In the Fall, they shoot up "naked" stalks and open up their dark red, "ox-blood" color flowers. Another name for these is Ox-blood Lilies. They are so hardy and reliable. In beds that have had no supplemental water in my landscape, they have come up and started blooming in the last couple of days. Of course, we did have 0.8" of rain the other day, which, I suspect, sparked them to bloom.

Here's hoping for more rain this fall. I've been seeding lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for fall/winter crops. Ever the optimist!!

Till next time...