July?....Already?....

I guess Summer is really, truly here.

Heat indexes this weekend, will be triple digits...

if not the actual temperature.

We spend a lot of time here...

on the porch.

That requires mosquito spray...

LOTS of mosquito spray.

Apparently this guy hasn't been doing his job.

Even in the heat, jobs have to be done.

I got the grass out of the Veggie Garden...AGAIN.

And, put down some gravel, in the path.

The Tatume Squash keeps blooming,

but no squash, yet. It better get moving,

or, it's outa there.

The tomatoes are getting ripe.

Probably the last for a while....too hot to set.

Okra is blooming.

(didn't notice ants, until I edited this photo.  

Need to see why they're there.)

No ants on the Burgundy.

We've gotten some pods, but not enough...yet.

The Cosmos come back in the Veggie Garden, year after year.

I love the little water drops, on the Purple Heart leaves.

No rain or watering...just pull it from the air.

Appropriately for the 4th, the Firecracker fern is putting on a show.

The Hummingbirds love them.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite photos.

Taken in 2010 (SIX years ago...wow!),

on our big trip to North Dakota.

Still a way to wish a very

Happy 4th of July!!

~~Linda~~

A Little of This, and A Little of That...

Hot and humid have set in here.

We've had a lot of sunshine, with a few quick showers,

the last few days.

We do need some more rain, though.

We have so many trees, sometimes those quick showers don't

put much water on the plants.

The Great Prickly Pear Wars continue.

I've sprayed so much soapy water,

I keep expecting foam to cover the ground,

when we do have a shower.

They've spread to other prickly pears, though.

So, next up is something stronger.

I hate to lose these larger plants.

 Salvia guaranitica

Things are blooming.

 Impatiens

Yarrow

And, the Oleander, that has seldom bloomed, since we planted it.

Something woke it up.

Not sure I ever showed you the olla our grandson gave us for Christmas.

Too cute to bury. 

I decided on the vine for the AC screen trellis.

A Scarlet Passion Vine.

I went to the garden center where our daughter lives,

to get a purple one...Incense Passion vine...

but, they were out...and, we were there..

and, I needed a vine.

Ergo...Scarlet. 

It might be an annual. It's not as hardy as the purple kind.

Among other things I've potted up...

Kalanchoe thyrsiflora...or luciae.

Not sure which it is.  Label just said Kalanchoe.

Another succulent and strawflower cactus.

Even cleaned up the potting table.

That's so unusual, I decided to document it.

Tomatoes are setting.

I know a lot of you have harvested some already.

I was late getting mine in.

   

My best crop, is the grass coming back up in the Veggie Garden.

Need to get out there and get it out...again.

The compost bed seems to be doing pretty well with plants.

Already took out the cucumbers...now, we have cantaloupe.

Before I go out to work...

or, just pick up the newspaper...

I need to don my arsenal of mosquito repellents.

The Avon one seems to work well, and it doesn't warn not

to get it on automobiles. 

In a couple days, I'm off to Camp...

the annual get together of Buttercups.

I didn't make it last year, because of health reasons.

Linda Lieu was my stand-in.

This year, the Buttercup on the far left won't make it.

She fell and broke her jaw, just a few days ago.

She's doing a bit better, but

she could use your good thoughts, and some prayers.

I missed the concert in the park, last year.

And, we'll be too early for it this year.

But, we always have a good time.

Have a great weekend.

See you when I get back.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~

April 1....

April 1...

Already...

Yesterday, it was in the 80s.

Then, a cold front came through, and today it's in the 50s.

This morning, the sun was hitting the tops of the trees.

But the storm clouds were forming. 

Soon it was raining, and we had tiny hail...no damage.

I've been weeding...and, weeding...and, weeding.

Oh, yes...and some mulching and graveling. (is that a word?)

The front beds are done.

And luckily, I finished the Island Bed yesterday, before the cold and rain.

The Veggie Garden is weeded, and ready for some veggie plants.

The Round Bed (which isn't really round.) is ready for mulch.

The Back Bed isn't completely weeded yet, but it's doing pretty good.

The leaves I put down in the fall have done a good job of keeping weeds down.

The purple iris are done, since this photo.

But, the white ones, and this one have started.

The stems on this one are so short, it's like it's hiding.

The Crossvine isn't hiding. It's finally really blooming...for the first time.

Other things showing up...

 'Hot Lips' salvia

 Purple Heart

 Silver Germander

Looks good against one of our fountains.

 Jerusalem Sage

The other Jerusalem Sage 'Edward Bowles', has bigger leaves and didn't like FULL

Texas, afternoon sun. So moved it to the back. It's looking good,

But, no blooms, yet.

And, look at this!

The Softleaf Yucca, at the front corner of the house,

has a bloom stalk, for the very first time.

It has been properly caged, against the constantly foraging

horde of deer.

****************

So, that's what's been going on here.

Still have lots more weeding to do.

And, cleaning up Live Oak leaves, and soon the catkins (brown squiggleys).

Then, more mulching and graveling.

It just never ends.

Happy Gardening...

(and, Happy April)

~~Linda~~

This is Fall?....

The calendar says Fall.

But here in Central Texas, 

the thermometer still says Summer.

We're still hot...upper 90s...

and SO dry.

Still no rain here....

for almost FOUR months!

 across the Grove to Elli's Meadow

All the rain we had in the spring caused the

grasses to really grow.

The Grove

Now, all that grass is just fuel for fire.

It's a bit scary.

The Texas Sage keeps on blooming.

As the story goes, when the sage is in bloom, rain is close behind.

Well...as a friend says...we should rename it

Liar's Bush!

But, a few other things are blooming, too.

A few of my favorites....

Lion's Tail.

Leonotis leonurus

Mexican Bush Sage

Salvia leucantha

Big Muhly

Muhlenberia lindheimeri

And, I've been doing some more clean-up.

Here's a before, during and after.

Yes...I finally got the Veggie Garden cleaned up.

I'll be fighting those grass seeds for the rest of my life.

But, for now, it's good.

I hope you're having a beautiful Fall.

We're hoping for cool, WET weather here, soon.

Maybe the Liar's Bush will come through, after all.

Now, I have to go sweep up leaves.

Yes....it's that season....again.

Happy Gardening...

~~Linda~~