July in the garden
We had lots of rain earlier in the year which helped the plants get off to a good start.
If you hang it, they will come
I thought this birdhouse was just for decoration, so I hung it on my potting bench, which is located inside a screened in porch. I guess I need to make sure I close the door all the way because this is what I found one day…
Now that is the end of the pretty side of having a bunch of baby birds in a screened in area. Oh I was so happy when I discovered them at first. Over the next several weeks, I had to leave the door wide open and the hatch-lings still had trouble finding their way out. Thankfully, they all made it. Needless to say, the garden room was filthy with all kinds of excrement by the time it was all over. Never. Again.
Surprise turtle gift
Love love love it…made by my husband.
Wildlife. It’s a habitat!
Fruit
Lots of rain in May
Bluebonnets have faded. Next wave is full of poppies, lemon mint and salvia…
First fruits and more
New giraffe bed is coming along
Need to add plants but it looks like there is a little lizard who already likes the new area. I’m not sure what kind of lizard this is, but very happy to see a new species! Natural wildlife habitat is working! Woohoo.
Rainy day hummer
Better late than never
Started lettuce seeds late last year and kept the tradition going with our spring seeds. It has been a busy year, but better late than never!
Growing the usual plants: Thai basil, watermelon, cantaloupe, morning glories and long beans. I usually give a lot of these to friends because you plant extras planning for the worst. I am also trying out zinnias and cosmos from seed for fun.
Also included below is a picture of the veggie garden from both sides. On the inside, growing lettuce and cilantro still. I will let these go to seed. Planted bean and cucumber seeds. Have a volunteer dill plant. I’ve also planted tomatoes from transplants: sweet 100, solar fire, and early girl.
On the outside of the garden, I grow asparagus and rue, blackberries, garlic chives and of course more cilantro. In the background you can see a vitex tree. It blooms a beautiful purple flower and provides lots of color in the heat of the summer. Unfortunately, we found out this year that it is an invasive plant, spreading and crowding out natives in our nature preserves…so we will be removing it this winter.
April in the garden – so much going on
There is so much going on in the garden right now. It is a great time to have your morning coffee outside. First the bluebonnets emerge, followed by the poppies. God is everywhere.
Bee in flight
Cilantro is still flowering and attracting pollinators to the garden. A fun fact about Cilantro is that it can come back year after year. If you let it flower, it will produce seeds that you can plant the next fall. We find cilantro everywhere, near our compost pile, near our burn pile…It smells like salsa when we mow some areas.
Arch
Experimenting with growing roses on an arch. This is not so easy. I selected blush rose to grow on the arch and there is a white Lady Banks rose in the background. It is coming along. I think we have rabbits that eat the blush rose so it is having to fight to get up the trellis.
Anacacho Orchid tree
This little guy is planted under a red oak.
Coral Vine
I did not get a good picture of this vine, but this plant is too good not to mention here. It attracts hummingbirds! Its long tubular flowers are the perfect length to let hummers in and keep others out. I’ll get a better picture next year. This year I did not capture March, except this one photo.
February fruit tree blooms
Everything starts to come to life this month. Our peach trees bloomed and now is when we start praying for pollinators. I let the cilantro and some broccoli go to flower to help attract early pollinators.
It is also time to pray that there will not be another really hard freeze this year. But, nature knows best and we have learned to live with whatever happens. Here is a picture of a peach tree in bloom. It smells beautiful.
Unfortunately, it is also time to prune your peach and pear trees. This is a lot of work, but it is a good workout. You can place the blooming branches in a jar or vase and enjoy the blooms inside.
January 2019
Not much happening above ground in January. I love January though. Love to look out in the yard and see the dormant plants, waiting to come back and leaf out in the spring.
Here is a pic of a little iris that decided to bloom for us unexpectedly.
Ready for Winter
Rock Stacking
I’m not sure what inspired me to try this, but it was surprisingly rewarding. Unfortunately, there is more to it than meets the eye as this is no longer standing. Ha.
