I Did It Again...

April is this blog's anniversary month.

And, I almost let it slip by, again.

With all that went on last year,

it slipped right by.

But, I'm catching it this year,

just in time.

Seven years.

This all started in April, of 2009.

There has been progress, along the way.

I wanted this to be a garden journal.

It has been more.

I've talked about travel, and family, and friends.

I've met some really great people,

both online, and in person.

I've learned so much from those people.

I've "walked" through their gardens, 

and taken them through mine.

So far, it's been a fun journey.

And, I hope it keeps on going.

So...here's to anniversary number seven.

Thank you for taking the journey with me.

Now....back to more clean-up.

(Yes...it's still going on.)

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

On Day One...

Hope this first day of the year is being good to you.

I've decided to commit myself to a photo a day...

365 days.

I've watched others do this, and their photography skills improved over the year.

That's what I'm hoping for....improvement.

I may or may not post every day.  But, I will post every photo...

here, or my photo blog, or at least my Flickr feed.

We'll see if I can keep it going.

So, here's the first day.

New Year's Day.
Gotta have those black eyed peas.

Again...
Happy New Year!!

Let's make this the best year, ever.

~~Linda~~

The Never Ending Story...

A while back, I told you there was a 

New Project

in the works.

This area, on the side of the house, has been progressing since we got here.

Our first view was this...

The fenced Veggie Bed was there when we got here.

That black thing in the middle?  That's the septic tank.

We're hooked up to the sewer system, so that tank just is a pass through kind of thing.

I couldn't stand that.

So, one of the first projects here, was making a bed around it.

There was some grass over there then. St. Augustine, some Bermuda,

and a lot of weeds....

and ROCKS.

So, as the digging progressed, and the heat started setting in,

the bed became smaller than the plan.

I named it The Rock Bed.

Not for the rocks in it, but for the rocks I took out.

The next year, I expanded it.  I planted lantana, some autumn sage that came with the house,

moved some prickly pear from the Deer Grove, and added things here and there.

I think you've heard this story before.

It looked pretty good, for a while.

But, the deer ate the blooms off the lantana.

They shredded some of the agave.

I borrowed the prickly pear for the Drive Bed, after the evil

Snout-nosed Beetle killed that pretty yucca.

And, it all got neglected.

Weeds took over.

Horseherb and feather grass everywhere.

That wouldn't do...

So, we put up some wire on most of the bed.  If I'm going to have lantana

...or any other blooming plant...

there has to be a barrier against the deer.

But, I have bigger plans.

This new mulched area is for grasses...and other things deer don't eat.

I moved the feathergrass out of the new fenced area.

And, some autumn sage and agaves got moved.

Planted some Gulf Muhly, and moved the 

Spanish Bayonet from the front bed, where it was in the wrong place.

I dug out the weeds and the horseherb and planted a new lantana I was lucky enough 

to get at an Austin Bloggers meeting.

We made a mulch path along the side of the house.

Red mulch...I wanted brown, but ended up with red.

It does add color.

There's a bridge across a low place, where we're trying to protect some tree roots.

Is it done?

Hahaha...

Of course not!

There are plants I need to move around, blooming things need to be planted in 

the new fenced area, more grasses and some cactus in the grass bed....

And then, there's this...

It's a Never Ending Story.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

One More Time....

Here we are at Friday again...already.

We've had another busy week.

You know how little kids love to be swung around?

How they don't want to stop, and yell, "One more time!"?

Well....I'm beginning to feel like the gardens here are little kids,

and we're the adults swinging them around.

And, they keep yelling, "One more time!"

This is the way the front looked, the first time we visited this house.

This is July, 2008.

Don't you just love that power box thing?  Great addition to curb appeal.

But, we're here to look at that front bed.  Lush groundcover (vinca),

 boxwood, an old Viburnum, and some old Nandina.

I knew right away I wanted to change all that.

The previous owner must have poured a LOT of water on this...
and the St. Augustine grass...
to make it all this green in July.

2010

Fast forward to 2010.  

2009 was spent mostly upgrading the inside of this 40 year old house.

The groundcover didn't fair too well, during the drought and heat of the

summer of 2009.  I wasn't too sad about it.  I wanted something different.

But, most of what you see above didn't make it, either.

2011

So, the Miscanthus that didn't make it, was replaced with a Soft Leaf Yucca.

The Blue Fescue was traded for some dwarf Yaupon Holly.

Not a very good photo.  You have to look closely.

2012

Last year, we redid the Island Bed.  Ripped out the groundcover that always looked ratty,

and planted some really drought tolerant things.

2011

And, we built the Driveway Bed.  That's changed since then, too.

But, I digress....

Late March, 2012

The front bed was looking pretty good.

2011

I was feeling pretty smug.  This all made it through the 

2011 'Summer From Hell'. 

 (Sorry, but that's how it felt.)

What do they say?

Something about pride going before a fall?

Well, Fall here didn't look all that great.

Another dry, hot summer.  NOT as bad as 2011.

But, bad enough.  It all adds up.

And then, there are the sweet little deer.

Remember back in January when I was whining about the deer...again?
Well, I didn't show you the Viburnum and Nandina.
Yes, they...or she....chomped that, too.
I wanted them out anyway, but this pushed us to decide.

So, Mr. P. ripped them all out.
Lovely, huh?
I especially like the downspout thing running across the bed, that we should have had buried...
but, didn't.

Then, we hauled off to that garden center on South Congress.
(Hint: Great Outdoors)

There's still a way to go, before we're finished with this round.
But, it looks better.

There needs to be something behind the Sabal Minor.
I'm thinking Bamboo Muhly, but haven't decided.
What do you think?

The boxwood are staying.  It would look just too naked, without them.

Need more mulch, and redo the soaker hose.
We're taking the stepping stones along the house, to the porch.
There's that much room....

I'm hoping those dwarf hollies finally do something.

But, so far, so good.
No chomping, no shredding...semi-success.

But, it's never DONE.
There could possibly be "One more time!".
This starting over EVERY YEAR, does wear one down.

Then, of course, there's the other bed I want out here
(I'm a glutton for punishment.),
and, the path around the house, and.....

So, we'll probably 'stick' to it.

  I'm pretty sure this yucca won't get to stay here.
Hmmm....center piece for the new bed?

*******

Whew!  I seem to have made a novel out of this post.
Sorry about that.


It's misting here.  And, we have a chance of rain for the weekend.
Hope they're right this time.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Gardening...
~~Linda~~

At Half Time....

So, here we are....half time in the year....half way through.

Remember back in January?   I posted about my choice of  

One Word

to replace those old resolutions we all make.

My word was

FOCUS.

Well....now it's time to see how that's been going.

We did some focusing on fixing this view.  Old railroad ties and dead grass.

Not so pretty.

So...focus, focus and we turned it into this.

And, though two of the yuccas didn't make it, 

I have to say it all looks much better.

We've added a couple of things to the Island Bed, and it's all hanging in there.

We turned this next-to-nothing back bed...

...into something that makes it all look more complete.

All four sides of the house are 'dressed' now.

And, we remodeled this not too functional walkway.

And, turned it into this.

So, we have focused.  We've gotten a lot done.

Of course, it's never all 'done'.

But, it's getting there.

So, maybe THE WORD worked.

Now, we just have to keep things alive until the heat eases off in the fall.

In the mean time...

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

Points of View...

August in Texas.  That means, it's hot and it's dry.  

It's funny.  You plant things and tend them, day after day.  You don't always remember just how far you've come.  Sometimes, you just have to sit down and take time to SEE the garden.

The view from those chairs above, really has changed this year.

Here it is in April.  New bed, new plants....just starting out.

And, here it is now.  Not much blooming, but it has grown.

Looking to the right, in April.

Looking to the right now.

The bed along the fence, April.

And, now.

Front fence bed, April.

Front fence bed, now.

When I look at it from that point of view, I can see that there really has been some progress. 

A constant battle to keep things going, in the heat.  But, worth it, after all.

Then, there are these guys.  Do they look like they're conspiring, to you?  Are they plotting what to chomp next?  Another garden battle, to fight.

But, we keep on trying to co-exist.  Eilean brings her babies here, everyday.  The bucket is for the babies.  Even though they're losing their spots, they still can't reach the water in the birdbath.

Viewing things from this point....things are pretty fine.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~