If you want to get a gardener talking trash in Austin, just bring up the topic of ligustrums. The botanical name is Ligustrum japonicum , but you may also know it as Japanese privet or Wax-leaf privet. We just love to hate these highly invasive shrubs! They easily grow from small plants into tall trees, crowd out local plants, and form dense thickets by developing tasty berries to entice birds to "drop" seeds miles away. What we don't want to remember is that bees and butterflies (particularly Red Admirals) love their fragrant white flowers and that their trunks can be truly beautiful when pruned and tended. Our yard was home to a fully mature specimen when we purchased the house about 10 years ago, and I've constantly apologized for my ligustrum ever since. Yes, I tried to be responsible by pruning immediately after it flowered so those little purple berries wouldn't form. But challenged by how I might quickly replace a tall architectural element
If you're particularly interested in rainwater harvesting, see these posts: "900 and Counting" on 4/28/08, "First Crop" on 4/10/08, "Ongoing Saga of the Rain Tank" on 3/2/08, and "The Debate" on 2/7/08. Vermiculture was covered 8/12/08. Pond construction was covered in "The Heart of Our Garden" on January 22, 2008.