Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm Honored

Recently, I was given a Best Blog Award, by LeSan at
Blue Gate Gardens.  This is my first award, and I am very honored.  LeSan does a really good job on her blog....great writing and beautiful photographs.

There are rules.  First, you have to post the name of the person who gave you the award....did that...then you have to pass the award on to other blogs.  Next, you comment on their blog to let them know you passed the award to them.  There are so many good blogs out there.  This won't be easy. This is just a sampling.  I hope they'll accept this award and that you enjoy reading their blogs as much as I do.  So, here goes.

Conscious Gardening-Cheryl is an artist, and you can see it in her garden and her blog.

Great Stems-Meredith likes to learn about nature and pass her knowledge on to the rest of us.

Dung Hoe- Rosey lives in the high country of Colorado.  Beautiful country and she does a beautiful job.

Go Away I'm Gardening-Amy is, like me, learning to garden in Central Texas.  I'm learning from her learning.

Wabi-Sabi Home and Garden-This is a fun blog about the adventures of the Curious Holts, gardening and remodeling in Austin.

Sharing Nature's Garden-Diana has a lovely garden and shares her knowledge of making things grow.

Dig, Grow, Compost, Blog-Jean lives and gardens in Louisiana.  Her photos are beautiful.

Window on a Texas Wildscape-Sheryl is a writer and shares her stories of wild things outside her window.

These are all fun and informative blogs.  I hope you visit and see what I mean. 

Thanks again LeSan for passing this to me.

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.

Wordless Wednesday....Garden Helper

Garden Bloggers Bloomday plus one November 2009

So, here I am a day late with my Bloomday post.  My daddy always said I was a day late and a dollar short.  That would be me.  And....I start off with something that isn't even a bloom.  But, you have to admit, these leaves are quite pretty.  Those trees are along the creek that runs behind and beside our house.  A view from the guest room and our bathroom.

So, I guess I better show you some 'blooms'.  There are the old standbys. 

Begonia

Bouganvillea

Indigo Spires Salvia

Purple Heart with ornamental sweet potato...and the ever present elm leaves.

Plumbago

The pink Turq's Cap is in the ground, and has put on some new blooms.

This basket of Impatients a disappointment all summer.  I could not get it to bloom, and it looked like it was dying.  So, I set it to the side and forgot about it.  Now, it's blooming its heart out and hanging in the Texas Persimmon tree.  Just in time for our expected first freeze.  I'll take it down and protect it.

And, this Kolanchoe that my neighbor gave us last year, has just set around all summer.  Now, it has buds on it.  Another one to protect.

I put some yellow violas in the window box on the shelf outside the kitchen window.

And, some more beside the rock drain/stream, along with some of theses Dianthus.

I OHed and AHed so much over the Thryallis at the Inside Austin Garden Tour last month, that my son and his family gave me one for my birthday.

I love this plant.

Another one that I saw these at one of the houses on the tour.  It's Plectanthus Mona.  I think it might have to be protected, so I haven't planted it, yet.

Some other things haven't made it into the ground, yet.  I have to dig beds for some of them.

Blackfoot daisy

Orange Esparanza...the yellow will be moved inside the fence with it.  I'm tired of it being 'trimmed' by the deer.  The orange one I got back in the spring, is living in my daughter-in-law's garden...away from the deer.

Heuchera....not sure what variety.  The tag just said heuchera.

The sign said 'asters'....but, I think these are Narrow Leaf Zinnias.  I know it's at the end of their season, but maybe I can keep them going until I can get some seed for next year.

There are other things blooming...some periwinkles, and autumn sage and yellow lantana. And, some things are looking good in the veggie garden.  I'll need to protect some of that stuff, too.

And, I got this pretty pink, ruffly Cyclamen to put on the porch.  That's our neighbor's cat, Willow, checking things out.

I've been getting lots of garden help, lately.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Garden for putting Bloomday together.

Hope you had a great Garden Bloggers Bloomday.

On River Road

The Blanco River winds it's way through Wimberley.  During the summer, it was very, very low.  It was mostly a river of limestone, all along the way.  Here, on River Road, there is a one lane, low water bridge.  It acts as a slight dam, as well as a way to cross the river.  Even here, there were rock islands sticking up, during the summer.  I was lucky to get to stop long enough on the bridge to capture some fall color.

Looking the other direction on the bridge, you can see some shallow rapids, where only trickles of water were a few months ago.

There are many cypress trees giving us color here in Wimberley Valley.

This is just one of the many reasons we love this place.

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.