December Surprise

candy lily in December afternoon light 

Moody and Broody

Livin' Easy awaiting the arrival of tropical storm Bill.  

The Truth of the Matter

The Invention of the Handle

Evening closes in gently.

A meandering country road snakes along the river carrying a couple, a long time married.

There are scarlet buckeyes in bloom and ephemeral beauties with slow beating wings nonchalantly gathering nectar...confident of tomorrow's abundance.

We give thanks for the invention of the
handle.  Without it there would be many
things we couldn't hold on to.  As for the
things we can't hold on to anyway, let us
gracefully accept their ungraspable nature
and celebrate all things elusive, fleeting, and
intangible.  They mystify us and make us
receptive to truth and beauty.  We celebrate
and give thanks.
Amen   {The Prayer Tree - Leunig}

Do Something Today that Scares You

The sure, solid ground so long taken for granted rumbles, fractures and the context of my world shifts.  Simple pleasures that once brought tranquility and joy become insurmountable; a wall of false security carefully built around the cracked foundation to hold it in place begins to hold me in place, captive, immobile.

Acres have been cleared in our quiet neighborhood and wildlife is scrambling to find new territory.  Coyote sightings have become common place; spotted mid-afternoon, ambling calmly down the sidewalk in the front, stopping to forage on a neighbor's pyracantha, hunting small mammals in the greenbelt behind the house and often heard celebrating their kill in the early morning hours. 

I don't begrudge them their need to survive but if I'm being honest, the possibility of coming upon a pack of them unnerves me.  No, terrifies me. To the point that I've quit walking the trails.  I love the trails.  I've become afraid of the trails.

An unseasonably cold afternoon found me longing for a solitary walk.  I made my way out the back gate and up the trail.

It doesn't seem like much, this simple act of opening the back gate and putting one foot in front of the other but it was a step in obedience. 

A step toward the certainty that the ground will forever be shifting and it will sometimes crack and throw my balance; a step toward seeing the possibility of discovering goodness and light in shifting ground and another toward the tranquility and joy found again in simple pleasures.  
 

She'll Be Back

Ah!  Look!  A butterfly!

These words drifted through the window and pulled me from the comfort of my chair.   A small girl excited by the sight of a butterfly stood open mouthed; transfixed by the acrobatic, graceful movements.  And I too stood transfixed, marveling at this small child's delight in her simple discovery.

She gets it, I thought to myself.  She really gets it.  A smile opened itself wide on both our faces as we shared the moment.  She reluctantly trailed after her companion and I wanted to yell, wait, wait ... you haven't seen the hummingbirds yet or the many lizards or the swallowtails.  But I think she knows.  She'll be back.

Joy was written all over her face.

Bliss Floating Above the Milkweed

                  

         Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, 

but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. 

 Nathaniel Hawthorne  

When One Gets Quiet

When one gets quiet, then something wakes up inside one, something happy and quiet like the stars.

                                                                                                                    W. B. Yeats

                                                                                                                                          

Saved From Frost and Livin' Easy

The Livin' Easy is just that ... livin' easy.  A bud rescued from frost to quietly grace the window ledge  has opened up into full blossom.   Amazing how a single rose can light up the whole room ... just like a smile.

The Promise of More

butterflyweed seed pod

GBBD ~ The Roses of Autumn

'Marie Daly' sitting on the swing offering delicious fragrance.

Old fashioned Martha Gonzales with stock tank pond as a backdrop.

Livin' Easy with goldeneye in gorgeous autumn sunlight.

One pollinator or two on the Livin' Easy?  Do you see?

Stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what is going on in gardens around the world this fine October Garden Blogger's Bloom Day! 

Let the Party Begin...Fall's Confetti

There is something immensely charming about walking amongst colorful confetti tossed willy-nilly by the breeze along a path...

A walk among aspens in Winter Park, Colorado two weeks ago.

Tropical Sage confetti at the front door.  Austin, Texas.

 Mexican Bush Sage confetti.  Austin, Texas.

Autumn Sage confetti .  Austin, Texas.

Esperanza confetti.  Austin, Texas.

Live Oak acorn confetti.  Unfortunately, my backyard.  Austin, Texas. 

Looks like we'll have plenty of new oak sprouts come spring.

What kind of party is going on in your neck of the woods?  Any colorful fall confetti?

In every walk with nature one receives far

 more than he seeks.

                                                                                                 ~John Muir

Love Is Like a Butterfly

Love is like a butterfly: 

 It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes.

Sometimes You Need a Swift Kick in the Rear

The next time I decide to paint any room larger than 6' x 6' go ahead and give me a swift kick.  And the next time my sweet husband looks at me with complete sincerity and asks if I'm sure I don't want to hire someone to paint and I say no, just kick me.  Hard. 

And, the next time I take on this project the day after we get home from vacation the week of school starting for my son and my daughter readying herself to leave for college.  Yes, you know.  Just give me a kick.  And, my parents and extended family are coming to town the following week for a birthday celebration...Yes.  Really.  I did this.  Knowingly.  

Three rooms and two hallways painted a gorgeous warm gray.  Thankfully I love the color and the work was worth it!

So this lunacy explains my blogging absence and I've missed you sorely.   There has been so much happening.  We've gotten cooler temperatures, a little rain with more on the way and there are so many signs that fall is coming!

The oxblood lilies gifted to me in March by my neighbor Leroy are blooming!  They are delightfully charming and old fashioned and have lived up to the expectation of JOY I anticipated.  I adore them.

This group of mushrooms appeared in the yard yesterday.  Amazing, really because the lawn in the back is parched.  Wonderful these little miracles out there just waiting for the perfect conditions.

Spider lilies are eagerly pushing up the earth with one in bloom all the sudden.  The others aren't far behind. 

But my favorite fall story is this little fall aster...

This was planted three years ago with the excitement that every gardener has when she plants a flowering perennial.  I could just imagine how it would spill over the slope, loaded down with sweet lilac hued flowers each fall.  But a rabbit ate it down to nearly nothing only for it to come up again the following year to suffer horribly through drought and heat.  This year it was nibbled again but fortunately the bunny found the nearby black-eyed Susan more palatable and the aster finally grew.  It's still tiny but it is a survivor and it is proclaiming the start of fall loud and proud. 

This little aster gives me hope and makes me smile every time I see it.  I want to be like that little aster.

Great Writing: A Few Blogs For You to Check Out

 

 {afternoon reflection of a single zinnia bloom in the kitchen window}

Lee of A Guide To Northeastern Gardening has graciously awarded me the One Lovely Blog award.  Thank you, Lee for the honor of such sweet recognition.  Gardening in Long Island, New York, Lee shares her knowledge and love of design and horticulture with her readers.

The rules for the One Lovely Blog Award are:

Thank the person who nominated you for the award and link back to their blog.
List seven things about yourself.
Nominate up to ten blogs for the award.

• fritos and bean dip are not safe in my presence
• i can type nearly 100 words per minute
• reading the dictionary fascinates me
• it's all about the hunt:  flea markets, estate sales, and consignment shops rock 
• i marvel daily at God's unwavering grace
• my best friend tells me my nose crinkles when I laugh
• there can never be too much football...high school, college, pro - it's all good

Honestly, all who take the time and make the effort to create quality posts are worthy of recognition for this award.  I'm constantly in awe of the quality information and images I find in the blogosphere.

Lately I've been really inspired by a few bloggers whose writing has captured my imagination and I'd like to nominate them for this award.  I hope you'll visit their blogs.

Austin Agrodolce
Deb is a fellow Austinite whose writing is quirky, authentic and intelligent.  She weaves stories that transport and entertain.

Foxglove Lane
Catherine writes from Ireland and has a keen sense of observation.  She captures life's moments both with her eloquent words and her beautiful photography.

Mulish & Co.
Roberta also hails from right here in Central Texas.  She says "This blog is not my first rodeo, as they are wont to say in Texas. It may be, however, my first true blog, the first blog I've kept that resonates with me. I keep it to track my path to a writing life. A life in which, creativity, and writing in particular, come first."

Two Sharp Pencils and a Broken Crayon
My friend Julie writes on creativity with razor sharp wit and deep insight.  She will have you thinking about creativity in a whole new way and will inspire you to pursue your creative dreams.

Happy reading,
Cat

A Bit of Fragrance

A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you flowers...

A small gesture presented in the tiniest of packages.   A cherished bouquet gifted to me by my girl.  Whether two or twenty years old, it doesn't matter.  What mother can resist the delight of a child as she proudly surrenders her carefully selected posies chosen just for you?   Sweet moments. Simple joys.

What You Do Matters...Really.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

This is what I tell myself when I'm feeling run over by the garden.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

When another plant up and dies.  Or when the rabbits continue to chomp through all that lovely new growth brought by the recent rains.  When your sweet, excited, 80 pound dog tromps through the perennials trying to get at said rabbits.  When you walk out the front door and discover two never-seen-before insects and wonder if they are friend or foe.

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

Did you know that you don't really know a plant until you've killed at least three of them?

That's what a gracious gardening friend tells me when I explain to her that I can't grow something she has growing beautifully in her garden.  I tell her, "Oh, I've tried that and it died."  She says, "Oh, you don't really know a plant until you've killed it three times!"

Thank you, Lord, for friends like her.  There is nothing like genuine encouragement to lift you up. 

Keep doing what you're doing.  It matters.

And although we can tell ourselves this, it is often nice to hear it from someone else.

So I'm here today telling you that what you do matters.  And to encourage you to keep on doing what you do.

Don't give up.  Don't be discouraged for long.  Gardening and creativity (yes, really, gardeners are creatives) are skills that need to be practiced.  And practiced.  And practiced.

Take a minute to listen to this sage advice...

Keep doing what you do.  It matters.

Really.  ♥

A Rain Soaked Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!

Well it's just been too long since participating in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  While taking in the posts of my fellow gardeners, I became so inspired to join the fun that I grabbed my camera and ran out into the rain soaked garden to see what I had to share.

There are rain lilies...lots of them in the space beyond the fence.  They've been blooming for a week now in response to all the May showers.  You can see they look a little tattered from the .80" we received last night but they'll spring back.  Last night's shower was a slow, gentle, soaking rain with periodic rumbles of distant thunder...perfect to drift off to sleep to.

The dill sends up fireworks of yellow blooms to entice the swallowtail butterflies and hover flies.  As much as I enjoy cooking with the dill and parsley, I seriously look forward to photographing them more!

The dwarf oakleaf hydrangea, planted last spring, is coming into its own.  The foliage is gorgeous and the blooms are just beginning to fill in, brightening up the shade of the Japanese maple bed.

In the sunny bed along the back fence, verbena bonariensis floats above other perennials attracting near by butterflies.  This pass-a-long plant from Amy at Go Away, I'm Gardening, makes me smile and think of her every time I walk by.  Thanks, Amy!

And one last shot before the skies opened again with another soft, soaking rain!  Hallelujah!  Livin' Easy is on it's second round of blooms this season.  I counted 14 buds the other morning!  This spring has been so fabulous especially in contrast to the horrid drought of last summer.

I hope this GBBD finds you all soaking up the joy that spring has to offer!

Thanks, Carol, for hosting this meme on the 15th of every month.  Stop by the other bloggers' posts to see what they have going on in their gardens this May. 

A quick note about comments:  Unfortunately, I've tried unsuccessfully to leave comments on many Wordpress blogs.  There are a few I'm able to but many redirect me to a page requiring that I sign in to Wordpress.  Any information as to why this is happening would be much appreciated.  Also, I've made The Whimsical Gardener a word verification free blog.  It has been no problem with only one spam comment actually making it through Blogger's filter.  I would encourage y'all to give it a try; it sure makes it a lot easier on those wishing to leave a comment ;)

Serendipity, Impulse and Joy

ser·en·dip·i·ty   [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]    

noun

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

2. good fortune; luck

  

This sweet, little, completely unexpected volunteer sunflower reaches valiantly for the dappled sunlight as it lives amongst the foliage of Turk's cap and a sticker vine.  A beacon of bright yellow in a sea of shady green!

 

im-pulse   [im-puhls]

noun

1.  the influence of a particular feeling

2.  sudden, involuntary inclination prompting to action

3. a psychic drive or instinctual urge

adjective 

4. marked by or acting on impulse

5. bought or acquired on impulse 

 

 

While walking around Zilkerfest, (a local spring festival for all things gardening) I spotted a booth with beautiful glass twinkling in the sunshine.  Then I noticed this specific piece and immediately knew it would have a home in my garden.  The Canyon Lake artist uses found driftwood along with wine and liquor bottles to create the sculptures.  I love how it constantly changes as it catches the shifting light throughout the day.  

I'm seeing a trend here in re-purposed, organic art in the garden!  The new sculpture complements the carved coffee root nicely.

 

 

Another impulse buy at Zilkerfest, this datura seems happy in its new space.  It has plenty of room to spread and afternoon shade.  The flowers are short-lived but gorgeous!  All parts of this plant are poisonous and it is easily grown from seed so I'll be collecting them to keep it in check.  I've seen this in other gardens with white blooms and loved it.  In purple, it stole my heart.  

 

This plant is sometimes confused with Brugmansia.  The blooms of datura are upright and the fruit usually spiny whereas the Brugmansia's flower hangs on the branch and the fruit is spineless. 

Joy    [joi]

noun

1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying

2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight

Although not completely joyous about the photograph, the subject makes me giddy!  Do you see the monarch on the milkweed?  Look closely at the center of the shot...there she is.  I watched her for a few minutes as she flitted about the plant and I'm ever hopeful that she was depositing eggs.  She attached herself to the underside of leaves a couple of times before sipping the nectar.  Please, please, please let there be caterpillars!

I just love a garden - there is always so much to discover!  What are your discoveries of late?  Any impulses, serendipitous moments or joyful sightings?  Ah, that's a silly question; I know you have them all!

 

 

 

 

 

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!