February 2026
- STEAM Garden
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
We added a sign to our Touch Table so visitors will know they are permitted to touch and observe the objects on display. We will add more specimens in March. We currently have fossilized bivalves and univalves, petrified wood, a snakeskin, an antler, a paper wasp nest, a geode, several peach seeds (produced by a local tree), a snail shell, and quartz and flint rocks.
February 4, 2026
This large specimen of petrified wood was donated to the garden by my cousin who lives in South Texas. I saw a tiny girl hugging it, but I wasn’t fast enough to get a photograph. So, use your imagination; it was adorable! The inserted photograph shows a cross-section of the petrified palm wood specimen on our Touch Table. It is the official Texas state fossil. Ancient palm trees were common across the state during the Oligocene epoch. Note the dots that show the ends of the fibers that ran through the center of the ancient trunks. Fibers make modern palm trunks flexible, too, unlike hardwood trees with rings. Relate this to where palm trees grow and weather conditions they have to withstand.
February 5, 2026
Notice that we removed the decorative fencing placed on the black feed tubs that form Nectar Patches 1 & 2 in our Visitor’s Garden. Some of the fencing was 9 years old and most of it needed repair and a fresh coat of white paint. (See January 15 entry.) Visually, I think the pots look so much better with the fencing. Practically, the white fencing causes the pots to reflect some incoming heat. These photographs show the vast amount of black that is exposed without the fencing. We have 120 pots in this one section of our garden. That amount of black plastic would absorb a lot of heat.
February 6, 2026
There is always work to be done in a garden, but spring is an exceptionally busy time. We are so thankful for our garden helpers. Four people got most of the fencing replaced in two days.
Hint: If you ever use white picket fencing, make sure you buy a product that uses wire to hold the wooden slats in place instead of plastic or vinyl-based strips. The wire is nearly indestructible, while man-made products deteriorate in UV light. We use Greenes Cedar Wood Garden Picket Fence (16”H x 8’L).
As you can see in this photograph, it is a huge job to trim our hundreds of perennials in early spring. We leave stems and/or stalks through the coldest part of winter for the following reasons:
Dead stalks collect and hold leaves and mulch around the base of plants providing insulation for their crown and roots.
Some dead plants provide seeds or dried berries for foraging wildlife.
Dried and/or hollow stems provide overwintering habitats for some insects like solitary bees.
Limbs and stems provide perches for birds and shelter for small wildlife.
February 12, 2026
Many gardeners consider Henbit to be a highly invasive weed, especially when it pops up in formal gardens or lawns. It is an introduced annual (Eurasia) found across the Americas growing on cultivated and uncultivated land. Its purple flowers are adored by bees and butterflies in early spring.
It is part of the mint family, has a typical mint stem (square), and it is aromatic. Look at this short video to see how happy these swallowtail butterflies are as they dine on nectar from some of the Henbit growing in our garden. The problem is that every plant can produce up to 2,000 seeds, so yes, we do remove a lot of Henbit, too. This is one plant I don’t think we could eradicate even if we wanted to.
We try to add new beds to our STEAM garden every year. We repurposed old 2”x 6” patio decking to make 4’x4’ garden frames that we can stack in different heights to make raised beds. This is the first of two beds that we hope to have finished by May. Notice how we added our usual thick paper barrier under the beds to deter weeds (mainly Bermuda grass) from growing through the enriched soil. Sophie is my constant garden companion, and she thinks it is her job to inspect new soil for grubs.
This is a comfrey plant we purchased in early fall of last year. I didn’t realize a newly established plant would have such beautiful blooms and such an abundance of leaves this early in the spring. I’m extremely glad we have 24 pots of comfrey plant tubers that survived the winter and are leafing out. (See November 4, 2925.) Every part of the plant is good for the garden. Its flowers attract pollinators and its roots penetrate deep into the ground aerating soil. Its large leaves are high in nitrogen and nutrients and can be used as a natural fertilizer (comfrey tea) and a surface composting mulch.
Borage is another plant we are excited to have in abundance this year. We have raised 25+ plants from seeds. It is an annual herb that grows quickly and reseeds readily, so we are making a permanent bed for our first crop of seedlings. We look forward to having another long-blooming plant that provides nectar for bees and other pollinators. I love the unusual blue color of its star-shaped flowers, and the tactile aspect of its fuzzy leaves. Even the seedlings have beautifully textured leaves.
February 26, 2026
Giant coneflowers (Rudbeckia maxima) are one of my favorite plants. I seldom see them for sale in nurseries, so I’ve been trying to raise them from seeds. Currently, I have two seedlings that look hardy, but I got a nice surprise when Sara arrived at the garden today with one-gallon pots of well-established plants! I can never have too many giant coneflowers! Their large flower heads provide a landing pad for our typical pollinators and for dragonflies. Dragonflies seem to be attracted to these flowers, and we love having them in the garden since they eat mosquito larvae.
February 28, 2026
The chickens are in their new pen! My husband and I caught them at 6:00 this morning while they were still roosting and transported them using cat carriers. We had morning coffee as they explored their expanded space. Our black and white garden pets (Sophie and Pepper) joined us as we watched our black and white chickens (two Dominiques and two Silver Laced Wyandottes). I’ll include more pictures of the chicken pen in future entries.
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