Thinking Outside the Drive-Way

There's nothing like a long, pleasant spring and a bunch of garden tours to motivate and inspire.  These tours always cause me to come home and look at my garden with fresh eyes.  After gardening in the same spot for fifteen years, I can easily become narrow-viewed to the potential for new ideas.

While touring with my friend Pam, I mentioned not having much space left to garden and she simply replied, "oh, there's always more space."   Such a matter-of-fact statement that she probably doesn't even recall saying caused me to scrutinize any available spaces. 

So I came home and started ripping out grass in a skinny little strip at the drive-way's edge.  The soil is beautiful after years of decomposing leaf litter.  It gets morning sun and is shaded by the house during the heat of the day.  In other words, this is prime gardening real estate!

Then I went in and shopped the house.  This old iron piece was perfect for vertical gardening.  It probably comes as no surprise that I happened to have a few plants on hand.  Gulf Coast penstemon, a red passion flower vine, red salvia coccinea and fall aster (not shown) were among my choices.  The name of the plant to the left rear escapes me...anyone know?  **Edit: Many thanks to Steph at Rambling Wren for her id which led me in the right direction; the plant is called Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'**

The passion vine is tender here in zone 8 so I will either grow it as an annual or if it's just too happy and I love it, I'll take a cutting this fall.

So far it's happy and I love it ♥

The best part of this new found little bed is that it sits right outside the laundry room window.  The transformed view is so much more inviting than the plain, worn fence ever was!
 

The Day My Ugly Turned Interesting

You'll notice I didn't title my post The Day My Ugly Turned Pretty.  This isn't about pretty... at this point though, interesting will suffice.

We all have them, I think.  The frustrating spots in our gardens that just don't ever look the way we envision them looking.  I plant with the expectation that this new plant will be the plant that will finally adapt to the treacherous spot I scathingly refer to as the cemetery.  Nothing thrives here for various reasons ... too shady then a long, scorching blast of late day sun, too dry, too near the fence where our dog likes to gossip with the wildlife {read trample whatever is planted} ... yada yada.

But oh, how my recent trip to Warrenton, Texas, changed all that.  Antique Weekend happens not too far from Austin ... half way between here and Houston off Hwy 290.  Twice a year treasure seekers scour hundreds of booths searching for the perfect finds.

At the booth of a favorite vendor who is sadly retiring from the show, I discovered this most fascinating of treasures.  A mask of some sort that makes the most ugly of cemetery corners into the most interesting of corners. 

He sits atop an antique ladder, also found in Warrenton.  Together the two pieces give the height, texture, color and interest I've been searching for.  And the best part was that it wasn't a planned experience ...  completely serendipitous!  The ladder was meant for another purpose and the mask, well, the mask was a total impulse buy.  I knew I'd find a place for him in my garden. 

He now sits gazing across the garden adding tons of personality and character.  He is seen from the kitchen window giving me a whimsical, half grin looking somewhat like he knows my secret.  The secret of how a chance encounter at an antique booth far, far away turned my ugly into awesome.

It's Friday! What Are Your Weekend Gardening Plans? Inspire Me!

I want to hear what you're doing this weekend in the garden!  Inspire me, friends.  

I've Been Keeping a Secret...

The suspense has been killing me...

This project has been in the works since the beginning of June.  It's a project that I've been begging  asking my husband to build for a while as I'm not so handy with razor sharp blades.  Honestly, they scare the bejeebies out of me. 

I've pinned multiple styles for inspiration.  Dreamed about one, visualized one on my porch.  Imagined all the ways our family would love this.  I've obsessed actually. 

One perfect day my husband came home and said he was ready to build it.  I was beside myself GIDDY!

Now, it's not completely finished yet.  Which is my fault.  My husband finished up his part long ago and we've been using and loving  it for well over a month. 

But I wanted it to have a kind of grand introduction, you know?  I wanted it to be all fluffed and dressed pretty before I had the big reveal.

Then in one moment it happened and I just couldn't stand it any longer.  I had to share with you because you, dear readers and fellow gardeners, understand the joy when a garden dream becomes reality.

My youngest {who is now 6'1"} was in NYC for the week on a mission trip and he returned exhausted.

My husband and I were on our way out the back door when I saw this...

I grabbed a quick shot with my phone camera {he would kill me if he knew; fortunately 16 year old boys don't read their mom's gardening blogs}.  In that little moment my heart swelled.  We did it.  We created a sleeping porch!  And everyone in the family loves  it.  All the imagining and daydreaming and obsessing about this bed swing is now a reality.

This post isn't quite the big reveal I had hoped for.  The pillows aren't made and it's not quite dressed the way I see it in my mind's eye but the most important part is finished.  It's a porch that draws you in and welcomes you comfortably.  It's a porch where we will find respite.  A place to daydream, read, laugh, sleep, chat.  It's a place where memories will be made.

It's everything I imagined and more.  ♥ Thank you DJ ♥

Add Whimsy ~ Shop Your House

It doesn't take a lot of money or time to make a little something unique in your garden.  Just a couple of friends, an idea and a willingness to fight off a few mosquitoes to pull it all together. 

Over lunch with my friend Susie, I shared an idea I'd seen for a birdbath.  She loved the suggestion so we shopped her garage and backyard and came up with everything we needed.

 This great antique basin was rescued from the garage. 

A pile of concrete pavers were found and stacked to make a pedestal.  Look at that joy!  Susie was so excited to add this birdbath outside her kitchen window. 

Next we added the basin to the pedestal, filled with some pottery shards and stones for the birds to perch on and added water.

So easy...a few found objects turned into a refreshing birdbath that is sure to bring Susie and her family lots of enjoyment as they watch the birds splashing outside their kitchen window.   

Pure birdie bliss.

Sprucing Up With Succulents!

The front porch needed a little sprucing up.  The update needed to be extremely low maintenance, budget friendly and welcoming.

I started by freshening an existing planter with pea gravel and scattered, colored stones that I had on hand from past mosaic projects.  

An assortment of succulents (sedum, ghost plant, and squid agave), many of them pass-alongs or rescued from tired plantings, were arranged in an unused galvanized tub that was hanging around the back porch. 

Did you know that you can propagate succulents simply by sticking a broken piece into the soil.  You can see a new, tiny ghost plant coming up in the lower center of the photograph.  It's growing from a broken piece of the original plant. 

Together these containers make an interesting, easy care combination of texture and color to welcome visitors.

Before & After: Front Bed One Year Later

For several years I had dreamed of replanting the two beds at the front of the house. The shrubs had become overgrown and although they remained green and lush throughout the year, I longed for a more cottage style garden filled with flowering plants that would attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Last April I had the overgrown shrubs pulled out, {I salvaged three by replanting them in new locations}, which opened up a lot of space to the approach of the house.  {This post will focus on the bed to the left of the front door}.

You only see one yaupon holly shrub {to the right} in this shot.  There were six total; three flanking each side of the walkway to the front door.

Here you see the rest of the bed as it curves to the left revealing a Japanese holly fern and a couple Indian hawthorn shrubs.  The swing wasn't as welcoming as I would have liked since the shrubs were so tall and dense.  The limestone wall to the left helps create a nice, private space that feels cozy.  I wanted to design a seating area that was welcoming and reminiscent of a time when neighbors felt compelled to stop and chat.

Oklahoma flagstone was my choice for the patio.  We used decomposed granite to fill in the negative space between the stones.   A weeping Japanese maple adds a little height and drama with soft, beautifully textured leaves.  Oh yes, and I painted the swing black to match the shutters and rocking chairs on the opposite side of the porch.

By this time in April last year, it was already dry and beginning to get hot.  I decided to hold off planting most of the perennials until fall, with the exception of silver pony-foot, purple heart and elephant ear {along the limestone wall}.   Annuals were used for seasonal color and to buy me some time until I could plant when the weather cooled.

Green and purple sweet potato vine spills from a terra cotta pot, zinnia adds as splash of color and Thai basil {mid-right} is grown for culinary purposes as well as for it's late summer/early fall show of purple flowers {below}. Silver pony-foot peaks from behind the green sweet potato vine on the left.

Bee enjoying Thai basil bloom late last summer.

This is the bed today.  Starting at the top left of the photo, elephant ear, purple heart and Mexican honeysuckle (orange bloom).  Behind the maple and out of sight, is mountain sage (orange), lyre leaf sage (purple) and a few violets (purple).  Firespike (red) is found behind the pot on the right.  In front of the pot is daisy (white), I'm not sure of the variety, it was a pass along from a friend.  Purple heart is planted in the pot. Under the tree and left is silver pony-foot and in front of that is pineapple sage (red). 

Cat's whiskers (white) is a new plant I'm trying.  This bed sits in a low, semi-shady spot and stays wetter than any other area in my yard.  Cat's whiskers likes it more wet than dry and is a tender perennial.  If we have a mild winter like last winter, it should be fine.  If not, then it will be an annual.  It's sweet flowers were worth the chance to me.  I love how the delicate leaves of the maple and the delicate flowers of the cat's whiskers play on the breeze together. 

Moving forward from the cat's whiskers, the bed becomes sunnier and heat loving plants were used.  Ruby crystals grass (pinkish purple), milkweed (orange/yellow/red), cosmos (orange), (reseeded from last summer), Thai basil (purple), globe mallow (orange) and black-eyed Susan (yellow), (from a near-by bed) finish the planting.   

The season's first cosmos bloom.

I'm eager for everything to start filling in so my dream of a butterfly/hummingbird attracting garden can become a reality.  My desire to have neighbors feel welcome has been achieved...my neighbor and new friend Leroy has stopped by a couple of times and that makes all the hard work worth it!

An Old Spigot and SIX Water Lily Blooms!

It's a water lily palooza out there in the garden today!  Oh my, so much lily goodness going on a girl can hardly stand it!

Five hardy 'Colorado' water lily blooms and one bloom on the tropical Madame Ganna Walska beckon to us across the patio.  Come. Look. Linger. Bring the camera...

Read about the fascinating Madame Walska here and here to learn more about her gardens, Ganna Walska Lotusland.

The lovely, dainty Madame Ganna Walska

If you've ever given any consideration to adding a stock tank pond to your landscape, I would encourage you to do it.  Don't worry that it won't work out, it will.  With a little effort, the right plant choices, some sun and some fertilizer, you'll have a beautiful, low maintenance water garden.

We bought a 4' x 2' stock tank from a farmer's supply store, used sand to level the surface, then simply added water and a solution to remove chemicals and metals from the water (for the health of the fish).  Visit a reputable nursery for water plants, the solution to detoxify the water, fertilizer pellets and fish, (if you're adding them).  I went to Hill Country Water Gardens in Cedar Park, explained what I was trying to accomplish and they helped me out with plant and fish selections.  I am using mosquito fish and a couple of goldfish to keep the mosquito larvae in check.  Their website has a lot of good information about keeping your pond healthy too.

Oh, yes.  I almost forgot.  The spigot.  My husband and I discovered this old spigot in the garage of his parents a couple of weeks ago.  It belonged to my husband's grandfather and when I saw it, I knew I had just the place for it. 

The sound of gurgling water is appealing to me and it's especially welcome in the summer when Texas white noise (air conditioners)  is so prevalent and drowning out the softer sounds of the garden.

To make the fountain, we used two pieces of galvanized pipe and a galvanized elbow (to make the turn), the spigot and a small pump (you'll also need a fitting to attach the pump to the galvanized pipe) to recirculate the water.  I  absolutely love the whimsical addition to the stock tank and it means even more knowing we re-purposed a found family object into a little garden treasure.

Really.  You won't regret it for a minute!

Where To Begin? Attracting Migrating Birds...

Spring 2012 is beyond spectacular and it's even sweeter after the long, hellish summer of 2011.

The last few days have been a gardening blur!  I'm feverishly trying to finish up my spring tasks before it gets too hot.  Soon the garden will be a place for relaxing but for now it's a frenzy of activity.

Cilantro

Gulf Coast Penstemon

The hummingbird feeders have been thoroughly cleaned and a sugar solution of one part sugar to 4 parts boiling water has been prepared.  There was a visitor to the front feeder this evening!  The first of many I hope.

Speaking of birds, while visiting Wild Birds Unlimited in early February, I learned that putting out fruit beginning April 1st would attract migrating orioles to your yard.

I didn't use anything fancy...just found some wire and poked holes through the center of an orange after slicing, threaded the fruit on to the wire and then twisted the wire closed around a branch.

It's like a little fruit ornament hanging from the persimmon tree.  It's also close to the disappearing fountain which the goldfinches love to use as a drinking and bathing source.

Another tip the salesperson gave me was to put out millet to attract painted buntings.  I saw a couple pass through my garden last fall...If they come by again, I'll be ready for them.

 Abutilon 'Patricks'

It seems not only the gardener has been busy...

 Female green anole...

Male anole in hot pursuit...

The work of spring has to be done.  I hope you're finding the time and energy to get your spring projects finished.  Now, would someone please pass the Advil.

Ahhh, Basking in the Glow...

What would you say is one of the most lovely fragrances in the garden?  Most would probably answer flowers blooming.  And I would nod knowingly.  Especially the jasmine and gardenia...yes, those are heavenly.  But let your mind wander...  Rain maybe.  Yes, rain is nice and it is one of my favorite smells.   When the parched earth opens up to receive a long desired rain?  Yes, heavenly.  Oh, and rosemary.  Even if you just casually glance your hand over the foliage of rosemary, the scent lingers with you and reminds you of your brief encounter with its fine leaves for hours.

But right now I'm reveling in the aroma of fresh mulch.  I'm talking about being head-over-heels-giddy-with-delight for the scent of fresh mulch.  A trailer full of luscious, gorgeous, dark mulch pulled up to my house this morning. 

I'm quite sure these gentlemen think I'm absolutely crazy since I was out there taking pictures of mulch, mulch and more mulch.  But you readers of this blog understand, don't you?  Because it is the simple but back breaking chores that bring us to our gardening knees...

To see wheelbarrow load after wheelbarrow load moved across the expanse of a suburban landscape by someone other than myself...ahhh.  Don't get me wrong.  I love working my own garden and I've schlepped my fair share of mulch, compost, fertilizer, soil amendments, and water; which is why I get such satisfaction out of having some help. 

When I mulch on my own its done in stages with a lot of bribing and cajoling along the way trying to enlist the help of the Y chromosomes in my household. 

But not this time...no.  I'm going to enjoy this.  Which is why I risked looking crazy as a loon to take photos.  I want to remember how much joy this gift to myself brought so that the next time I'm thinking that I can just bang this task out over a couple of years days, I can remember, reflect and rejoice!

And hopefully, not blink twice before picking up the phone to call for some help.  Having all the beds weeded and mulched is like having the whole house clean at once.  It doesn't happen often, but man, it feels good when it does.

I've gotta run now.  More photo ops call...

I'm Not Lovin' This...

I hope you'll allow me to rant for a moment.  The honeymoon of spring has worn off a bit and the unfortunate realities of gardening have made their presence known.

Gardeners, in general, are an optimistic bunch so I won't vent too much.  I don't know, maybe it's the drought.  Or consistent temperatures in the 90's that has my knickers in a bunch.  Or the fact that mosquitoes are a permanent fixture around these parts until next winter.  That's at least seven months away.  Or, it could be that on a recent garden walk I found evidence of a bunch of things that I'm just really not very happy about.

The caterpillars that were feasting on the parsley have disappeared.  I'm not sure whose menu they were a part of...birds, lizards, snakes...they all make their home here.  It's common for a few to be eaten but I've never experienced the whole bunch of them being eaten at one time.

So no new butterflies from these little guys.

I scattered some bluebonnet, larkspur and poppy seeds last fall.  None of them have flowered except for this one bluebonnet.  Yes, you read that right...O.N.E. 

This is what the bluebonnets should look like.  Here is a nice bunch of them accenting an agave at The Wildflower Research Center.

The grackles are back.  I shouldn't begrudge them for doing what they do best...being noisy, aggressive, nuisances but I do.  There is no soft soil in my heart for them. 

And then there are the squirrels.  I thought I had a photo of one trying to get into my bird feeder but I can't find it.  Another thing I could rant about - my haphazard photo archival system - but I won't. 

This is one of my Japanese Maples.  So far three branches have been stripped off this tree.  I haven't actually seen them do it, but I'm fairly certain it is the squirrels.  So I moved the tree (it was in a pot) and then the little buggers tore my chives (photo above the maple) apart looking for seed within.  I'm furious and I'm so over them!  The chive photo was taken yesterday...it actually looks worse today.

Oh, and the grackles have figured out how to eat from the feeder too.  The design of the feeder is supposed to keep big birds out.  I'll be taking it down for a while.

These Indian hawthorn shrubs were transplanted the first week of March to make way for a new patio.  One looks to have survived the transplant; the other appears to have died even after copious amounts of water...because, you remember, the temperatures have been in the 90's throughout spring and we've only had 5" of rain since last November.

And lest you think this rant will go on forever, this is my last entry:

This bed is where the Indian hawthorn were moved from to make room for a patio.  The crushed granite and flagstone have been on my front porch for a month.  I keep expecting a letter from the HOA any moment stating that the neighbors have grown tired of the eyesore.  It frustrates me that I'm not strong enough to get this project done myself.  So I'm in the process of trying to hire some muscle to help me out but muscle is tough to come by in April in Austin, Texas.  Demand is high and the supply of good muscle is low.

Sigh...I thought I would feel better after getting all that off my chest.  But what really makes me feel better is the rich, gorgeous color of these daylilies...

I wouldn't think of leaving off on such a negative tone.  So here is a little eye-candy for you...

Women are like angels and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly... on a broomstick...we are flexible like that.
                                                                                            Author Unknown