December 2025

STEAM Garden
12 minutes ago
4 min read

This was a difficult year for my carnivorous plants. The drought, high summer temperatures, and low humidity levels made it impossible to grow them in their usual outside-aquarium display. Since July, I have been caring for them at my house and recently in the new glass greenhouse where we added a humidifier. In spring, we hope to redesign their original open-air aquarium into a climate-controlled display so they can return to the public gardens.

Tonight, on our drive back to Comfort from Austin, my husband and I visited the Lights Spectacular in Johnson City. A magnificent nearly-full moon was visible through the branches of the live oak trees. Tonight’s moon is in the Waning Gibbous phase with about 96% of it visible. This free Christmas light event features over 2 million lights that stretch from the historic county square to the Pedernales Electric Co-op headquarters. I’ve heard that NASA has spotted the glow from space. I bet a Texan was involved in that mission.

My greenhouse workspace is perpetually messy, but always cozy and convenient. On one end, I have a planning and relaxing area with a wood-burning stove from an old passenger train. In the photo you can see the metal boot rests on the sides of the fire chamber. I can picture travelers sitting around it and resting their feet close to the radiating heat. We placed it on a metal table two feet off the ground so the fire can be viewed from any location in the long, narrow greenhouse. It doesn’t provide enough heat to keep plants alive, but it ’scares the chill’ out, as my grandmother used to say.

For years I’ve been saving plastic containers from Temptations Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats. The teacher in me couldn’t throw them away or recycle them; I knew they would come in handy for something! (They are one of the few clear-plastic products that have a glued label that tears off easily without leaving any residue. How can you not love them?) They have found their purpose in our gardens this year as seed collection and storage containers. They provide an opportunity for me to use another of my favorite things – a label machine!

We have seen more young reptiles in the gardens than ever before. This is a photograph of a juvenile fence lizard (Texas Spiny Lizard) sunning on the edge of a clay pot. It sat still for me to get this photo illustrating thermoregulation! This year we created numerous microhabitats for reptiles and other small animals including rock piles, sunning areas, and brush piles. I think these protected areas have increased the survival chances of reptile hatchlings.

We have propagated hundreds of plants this year. In previous entries I mentioned the 400 pipevine plants, but we also have 50 moss verbenas, 200 lance-leaf coreopsis, 100 flame acanthus, 75 rock rose, 50 chili petins, 50 zexminia, 50 goldeneye daisies, 50 four-nerve daisies, 50 scarlet salvias, 27 comfrey plants, 30 Bulbine, and many, many others. Freezes usually force us to cover our Hope Plants (We hope they live and root!) around Thanksgiving. This year, they have only been covered 3 days.

The chicken pen (Coupe´ de Ville) will be finished the first or second week of January. It matches the greenhouse perfectly and it will provide a safe location for the girls – Hazel, Hattie, Harriette, and Henrietta. It is also a beautiful structural addition to the gardens! It is located on 8th Street in Comfort, Texas and you can drive by or park in front of it to watch them.

We haven’t had inches of rain since the horrific July 4th flood.

Unfortunately, we now record rainfall in meniscal amounts. This is a great rain gauge for our current situation because the entire central tube measures one inch of rain in hundredths. The large scale makes it is easy for kids and adults to see the meniscus and read the amount.

December 28, 2025

I enjoy cooking Southeast Asian food, so I raise lemon grass and Kaffir (Makrut) lime plants. My Kaffir lime plant is about 10-years old. It is a 5-foot tree growing in a black feed pot so it can be moved into the greenhouse if we get multiple consecutive days of freezing weather. Makrut leaves are citrusy, aromatically intense, and have an unmistakable flavor that is common in curries and Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup). I currently have a bad cold, and I plan to make this soup for medicinal purposes and a warm dinner!

Never in thirty years have I left my bougainvillea plants out past the end of November. We are expecting a light freeze tomorrow night so we will water them well tomorrow and cover them with towels. When watering before a freeze, do not allow water to get on the leaves. Wet leaves can freeze and damage the plant, but during mild freezes, wet soil helps insulate fragile roots. Also, covering the above-ground parts of the plant with towels or blankets provides some insulation for stems. I think it is finally time to take these plants into the greenhouse. Everyone is on vacation between the holidays so we will do it next week.

December 31, 2025

I was given this beautiful Amaryllis as a Christmas present. This dormant bulb is coated in wax to seal in existing moisture and nutrients and to prevent it from decaying before it flowers. When it is finished blooming, I will remove the wax and attempt to salvage the bulb; however, when I touch the wax, I can tell the bulb is shrinking. The plant is using the stored food. I’m not sure there will be anything left!

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