The Last Week....

The last week of August.

In my mind, the last week of Summer.

Yes, I know...even though the official last of summer is

Labor Day Weekend,

in Texas, the heat will continue.

These guys will still be hungry, and chomping my plants.

But, there's hope in the air.

Well...maybe not today.  It's forecast to be 102.

But, soon.

Actually, we've had MUCH worse summers lately.

But, age and other incurable conditions, have made me more and more

heat intolerant.  Just can't hack it as well I used to.

But, a gardener's gotta garden.

So, I hauled (with muscle from Mr P) some rocks from the creek.

I had an artemisia Powis Castle up and die.

So, decided to replace it with an agave Lophantha.

About the only thing you can plant this time of year is cactus, agaves,

and ROCKS.

I put extra ones around this to hold it down.

Things get pulled up here, if not anchored.

Speaking of pests.

Yep...Leaf Footed Bugs on the prickly pear.

Research says the best way to get rid of them is pick them off.

Sorry....not on a cactus.

This is the only cactus they're on.

I haven't seen any on any other one....big or little.

We still have some tomatoes getting ripe.

They set long ago.

No bugs on them, and the squirrels have left them alone this year.

Even though I haven't been too happy with the way the garden looks, 

all in all, it's been a good summer.

We sit on the porch every evening, once the heat lets up.

Fans help.

But, I'm ready for fall to show up.

Just hoping to keep things alive until then.

Stay cool....

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Ode to a Garden Cart....

My Dear Garden Cart....

You've been with me, through many years.

Years of hauling dirt.

Years of hauling compost and mulch.

Years of hauling big rocks and little rocks.

I've loved your design.  Your depth and breadth....

your great handle....and the fact that you can be pushed AND pulled.

Your little well, for tools and gloves and...whatever.

I'm not sure why your great design is nowhere out there to be found again.

But, there comes a day, when we all need to step aside.  A day when we need to rest.

You've given me years of loyal support. 

Now, it's time for you to rest.

And, let the new kid on the block, take over the heavy lifting.

You'll stay around...just in case you're needed again.  But, enjoy your retirement.

Thank you, Dear Garden Cart.  Thank you.

Have a Great Weekend...

~~Linda~~

Progress....

We finally got to work on the Front Driveway Bed.

This is the way it looked last August.  Dead grass...awful railroad ties.  You can see the lovely view of the power boxes...ugh!

When we redid the Island Bed, we had chopped limestone left over.
We weren't going to use that on this side.  But, it worked out well.

So, here's where we are now.

We worked fast, between rains.

We dug out weeds and grass and lined the whole thing with limestone.

We ran out of the new stone.  So, we just borrowed from the other side of the house.
That makes the stones along the driveway sort of match...they're the same age.
Of course, now we have to replace those stones on the side of the house.

I moved this pot in, to 'stretch' the bricks.  But, it adds some interest.

A lot of the plants are from other areas.  In front of the pot are transplanted red Autumn Sage.

I moved an Artimesia Powis Castle.  Looks sad now, but will perk up with some pruning.
That's a new Society Garlic in the corner.

At the other end are three new Mexican Feather Grasses.  I think there needs to be two more.
In the back corner is the Unknown Agave.

It was moved from The Rock Bed.   Elli says it'll get shredded....but, I hope not.
It'll have plenty of room here.  If it does get huge, we can make the bed larger.

In the center is the new Yucca...which may be 'Bright Edge'.

We need to add more rocks...and, maybe more plants.  I don't want it too full.
And, of course, there needs to be mulch.
But, for now, it looks pretty good.

What do you think?

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

THIS JUST MIGHT WORK

A few weeks ago, I told you here, We Got Rocks,about how we had this rock drain/dry stream put in the side yard.  Water comes down our street, into our driveway, and flows beside the house.  There was a shallow 'ditch' when we moved in.  But, that had filled in so much, it wasn't working very well.  So, we had Sara and her crew come out to help 'fix' it.

Today was the first time it's rained enough to see if it's going to work.  And, I think it will.  It needs a little 'tweaking', but it's looking good.

I moved the stepping stones that were in the drain out.  They were blocking the water some.  We'll extend the walkway beside this later.

But, it flowed under the fence pretty well.

And, down through the yard.

Remember, the areas beside this drain/stream are a work in progress.

This is with .39 inches of rain.

We may have to change out this stepping stone, for a thinner one.

Next up, is out there.

We're going to extend the stream out beyond the firepit.

It drains pretty naturally through the yard and down this low area (Yes, that lantana is moving.  It didn't like it there, anyway.).  We'd just like it to be contained a little better.

Creating a garden, is a never ending story, isn't it. 

Have a good weekend.

We Got Rocks

A few weeks ago, The Fence Guy brought his crew out and they put up our fence.  My plan after that, was to dig a drainage ditch through the fenced yard.  It would be filled with stones and be a dry creek when there was no rain.  We get a lot of run-off from that flows along the sides of the house.  There was something there before, but it had filled in, with our neighbors' top soil and leaves. 

Well...it was a lot of digging.  I made it about five feet in a week.  And, I want to dig beds all along the fence line....inside and out.  So, Mr. P. decided we really should get someone else to do this.

So, we called up Sara Geenberg of 'Enjoy Your Landscape'....a local landscaping business.   Sara came out and we worked on the plan.  It's not always easy for me to transfer my vision to someone else. 

A couple of days ago, Sara and her crew and a big truck full of rocks showed up to get the project going.

The truck dumped the smaller rock, and her crew unloaded a big trailer full of stepping stones and small boulders.

They got busy digging and laying the liners. 

Then, the rock started going down.

Lots of rocks.

Then, the stepping stones started coming in.

They got the little bridge placed and started digging out for the walkway.

So, after a great deal of digging and work, this....

  ...is now this.

And, this....

...is now this.

At the front gate, they turned this view.....

...to this.

There's still a lot more work to do.  Those beds need to be dug.  I'll plant some things along the rock to soften it.  It's a bit more ...massive...than I expected.  But, if the water flows right, it'll be fine.

Our son calls this the 'Congo Project'.  Well...it can't be that.  Not that we don't get hot, or humid.  We surely do.  But, we're not a tropical jungle.  So, it really needs to be a Hill Country kind of name.

We tend to name things here.  Helps us keep up with just where we're talking about.

So, we'll keep thinking of a good name.  I'll have plenty of time, while I'm digging up rocks, putting down compost and mulch, and planting plants.

I'll let you know what we come up with.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good weekend.