The Saga of the Drive Bed...

You've heard the story of the

Drive Bed,

many times.

I did a long history blog about it 

last year.

Well...it changed again.

I thought maybe I could save this big Prickly Pear.

The Cactus Bugs had done a real job on it.

I began trimming back and cleaning up the ruined pads.

That's when I began to see even more of the awful bugs.

Why do all that work, just to have it continue to fall apart?

So, I started hacking it out.

Not an easy job, with such a big mess.

I finally got it hacked down, and the trunk dug up.

I hauled it out and piled it all in the Grove, where it began years ago.

Maybe some of the pads will root, and grow again.

By the way...these can be vicious plants.

Long spines are not the biggest problem.

Those mean little stickers...glochids....are.

They were even in the soil.

They worked their way into my gloves,

and since I sit on my behind, while I garden...

Well...you get the picture.

NO FUN!!

Anyway...here is the new incarnation...

So far, I like it.

These Golden Barrel Cacti needed to have more sun, anyway.

And, the little Bunny Cactus fit in, nicely.

It looks especially nice, in the morning light.

I'm sorry to lose such a beautiful plant.

But, the bugs won this one.

That's the thing about gardening...

it's never DONE.

Hope you're enjoying your ever-changing gardens.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

The More Things Change....

Doesn't it seem like,

the more things change,

the more they stay the same.

The Drive Bed, for instance.

The above is the second...or was it third...incarnation.

The first had a Yucca in the middle.

And, an agave on the far right.

Beetles destroyed the yucca, 

and the deer took care of the agave.

Oh...and that Powis Castle artemisia died.

So, we moved a Prickly Pear to the center,

and, a Yucca Rostrata to the right.

The Prickly Pear had lived in the Rock Bed, 

where I had moved it from the Deer Grove.

It liked it there, and did very well.

In fact, we cut it in two, and used it in two places.

And, it did well.

And, then the bugs struck.

And now, it's slowly falling apart.

And, doing strange things like this.

A new pad ON the fruit.

So now, we have to figure out what will replace it.

It's a large centerpiece. 

It won't be easy.

I guess that's why they say,

a garden is never 'done'.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

A Prickly Situation..

We have a prickly situation here....

 a Prickly Pear, situation.

This is the Prickly Pear 

(Opuntia engelmanii)

 I transplanted from the Deer Grove.

It has grown a lot, since then. In fact, this is just HALF

of it, when we moved it from the side yard,

to the Drive Bed.

This is how it looked last year,

This is how it looks now.

It's really spread out.

It's full of buds.

But, this is how they end up.

They try to open, but they get the life sucked out of them.

By these...

Hesperolabops gelastops.

In other words, Cactus bugs.

They suck the juices out of the pads.

See the damage to this new pad?

They've been making a mess, out of the whole thing.

The treatment is blasts of water, or soapy water...

or Neem...

There are hundreds of these vile little creatures.

And, they're fast...running to the other side of the pads,

when you walk up.

So far, I've been trying soapy water...

going around and around the cactus, trying to hit them.

More entertainment for the neighbors.

Maybe they think it's some kind of 'Cactus Ritual'...

So far, the bugs are still there.

I'll keep trying the soap.

Then, I may have to go to the big guns.

I'll let you know, how it goes.

The marks on this cactus are from the hail we had a week or so ago.

Can't do anything about that.

But, at least no bugs....

yet.

With gardening...

it's always something.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Late to the Wideshot Party...Again...

 My Daddy used to say, I was always a day late and a dollar short.

I would tease, if he gave me the dollar, we could fix that part.

But, seems I am a bit late with the Wideshot, every month.

Heather, over at Xericstyle,
started posting a wide shot of her garden at the first of every month,
and asked us to play along.

It's a good way to see how the garden is progressing.

So, let's start at the front, and go around.

I had too long a lens for the whole front.
So, we have sections.

Don't you love that power box and poles?

A closer look at the Front Beds.

And, the Drive Bed, on the other side of the circular drive.

The view from the mailbox.

The Fenced Yard.

With our crazy spring weather, things are way behind last year.

Some clean up and edging needs to be done.

Outside the back gate, this bed is beginning to fill in.

The Back Bed, along the back of the house.

Again, things are way behind.

And, finally, the view from the back, toward the mailbox.

You won't see the veggie garden this time.

It's pretty pitiful.

Go see Heather for more Wideshots.

(Blogger's not letting me do links today.  Go to Xericstyle.wordpress.com.)

Here's hoping I get my act together and do this at the first of next month.

Yeah...right...

**********

'Til later...

Take care...

~~Linda~~

Wide Shots....January 2014...

Heather, over at
Xericstyle,
shows a Wide Shot of her

garden, every month.

It's a good idea.  Let's her document the progress...or not...of her garden.
Hers is doing great, by the way.

So, I'm going to play along.

3-365

When I go out for the paper, each morning, I go across the street and put our
neighbor's paper against his door.  He's had some health issues lately, and it's not
easy to get that paper, from his driveway.

So, this morning, I took my camera with me.
Above, is the view they have from their driveway.

Got most of the front in.

Just not the Drive Bed...
which looks ok, except for the Spanish Bayonet Yucca,
that the precious deer have ruined.

Closer, from the street, the
Island Bed
looks ok, for January.
A bit of color, from Yucca, Palm and Prickly Pear.
The Mexican Feathergrass will perk up in spring.

Another shot.
Looks cold, huh?  It was.

The New Front Bed is hanging in there.
After having to redo it, because of the flood, it's had a challenge.
Some plants washed away.  Others have been pulled up a few times....
precious deer, again.

And, speaking of precious critters....see what the Armadillos have done?
The least they could do, is dig up the rye grass that washed down from
the golf course.  They've turned the mulch, and underlying cardboard,
upside down.
Precious, indeed!

The New Side Area is doing ok.
We replaced the mulch here, too.  Still needs more...
and, the rye grass is really coming up well here, too.

This walkway needs some work.  We replaced most of the gravel mulch that
washed away.  But, it still needs a bit more.  It's covered with leaves right now.
Our son-in-law came down and swept off the roof, and cleaned the gutters.
My job is to do the rest.

After a cup of coffee, and warming up, I went out to the
Fenced Yard.
The sun was bright, and it had warmed up a bit.
Looks all green here.  There is some clean up of things that have frozen.
But, it's not too bad.

That's Trixie, one of our Grand-dogs.
She's Shih tzu and French Bulldog.
An interesting combination.

Did I mention it was cold this morning.
19F here at Patchwork Garden.  We live in a low spot.

But, cold is relative.  It's much colder in other places.

And, speaking of relatives...
our son took his family to New York City yesterday, for an after Christmas trip.
Good timing, huh?
But, they're enjoying it.  Central Texas folks don't see snow that often.

*****
Join us over at Heather's, to see more Wide Shots.

*****
'Til later...

Take care...
~~Linda~~

Foliage Follow-Up...June 2012...

June 16.

The day after Bloomday, we join 

Pam at Digging 

for 

Foliage Follow-Up.

This month, we have the usual suspects, here at

Patchwork Garden.

The front Island Bed is coming along.

The Yucca Rostrata, Mexican Feathergrass and Lantana are doing good.

Artemisia 'Powis Castle' is a reliable foliage plant that adds an airy look, beside the structured plants.

Moving around to the side of the house, Dusty Miller in containers add another silver, airy touch.

The Inland Sea Oats are filling in, in a shady corner beside the garage.

Inside the Fenced Yard, Liriope is a good old stand-by.

Lamb's Ear and Purple heart make a good combination.

The striped leaves on this Canna, give the garden interest, 

even when there are none of those great blooms.

On the deck step, a pot of deer resistant Blue Fescue grass is working.

The old firepit-turned-planter holds an Agave lophantha.  It's growing and putting out pups.

I'll soon need to cut out the pups, and move them somewhere else.

Inside the Veggie Garden, the grapevine we got on the Wine Trail last year, is looking healthy, 

and growing up the fence.

Outside that fence, the Prickly Pear I moved from the shade of the Deer Grove,

is loving the extra sunshine.

And, the Mexican Feathergrass here is taking off.  And...there are lots of little baby

Feathergrasses, too.  I'll be moving them all around the place.

This Agave I rescued from our neighbor Elli's redo last year,

is beginning to grow.  Another one is not doing as well.  

But, the deer have left them alone...for now.

Lastly, I don't know what is happening to this new Yucca.
It hasn't been watered too much...and, I hope not too little.  But, it's not looking so good.

It's supposed to look like this.  

Any ideas?

So....show us your foliage.

Hop over to Pam's, and see some great plants.

Have a Great Weekend...
~~Linda~~