Mandeville or Mandevilla Vine

One of the prettiest vines you can select for your garden is the Mandeville vine. It produces beautiful flowers that almost resemble a gardenia, if white; however, the plant does produce other colored flowers, such as deep pink and ruby red.

The vine must be supported by a trellis or fence, and it is important to aid the climbing shoots as the plant grows. It needs full sun and careful, slow watering.

The Mandeville vine requires grooming in the winter months, too, to ensure a good spring showing. This is a vine that will reward you with wonderful flowers if you give it the tender, loving care it requires.

Arrowhead Plants

Arrowhead plants love to grow in moist areas and these particular plants are growing near rain downspouts. They are neglected volunteers and therefore, they tend to come and go as the weather changes. During times of drought, I don't see much of them, but when the rains come, they pop up in many places and latch onto something to climb.

Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair fern is a pretty little fern but it has the nasty habit of strangling everything in its clutches.

It tends to grow on the glass louvers of the patio and has finally won the battle. There is another fern that grows along side of it, but I do not know the name of that fern. Photo below.

Fig Tree

This is a fig tree, growing, spreading, producing fruit in the Houston neighborhood. Figs are mentioned in the Bible all the way back to Genesis, when they "sewed fig leaves together to make an apron" to cover themselves. The interesting role that fig trees played in the Old and New Testament is that the custom was to plant a fig tree by the "front" door. It would grow to great proportions eventually becoming similar to an outdoor room. Often members of the household would go there for a quiet time or to study the Torah. It was just such a revelation that Jesus made to Nathanel, who eventually became an Apostle. Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree." The implication being that Nathanel was studying the Torah there.

Figs make a good jam or jelly. And who doesn't remember eating a Fig Newton, with the tiny, crunchy seeds?

Thunder and Lightning

The rain is coming down in torrents.

Raindrops on concrete.

Today was a day filled with heavy rain showers, loud claps of thunder and the occasional too-close lightning strike.

Sweet Gum Trees in Meyerland

There is an area in SW Houston called Meyerland. Along one street, sweet gum trees with their distinctive fruit are thriving.

The bark of the sweet gum is sometimes called alligator wood, which is easily understood upon inspection.

Zucchini Draped Over Fence

What a wonderful find when I was walking along a street today. At first, I wondered about the yellow star-shaped flowers and then in an instant, I realized, it was zucchini growing on a fence!

Here you see two zucchinis in various stages of growth. See the tendrils to the left of the Italian squash. Zucchini are exceptionally delicious when paired with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions and a sprinkling of Italian herbs.