Progress!

Big steps were made in the last two days. All (almost all, seems you can never really get rid of creeping grass) of the Bermuda grass was dug out of the flower beds in both the front and back yesterday. This alone took two landscapers a full day.

Today, barrier edging was installed installed in both sets of beds. Two different kinds of composite edging were laid. These are great, not because they are made out of recycled plastic, but because they have rounded edges, which won't cut little feet or doggy paws. And the best part is the edging fronting the flowers beds in the back yard is 5 inches tall. That means it should be much more effective in stopping the nasty grass that runs UNDER and OVER the edging. Regular metal edging, in brown to match the fence and mulch, was installed at the backside of the fence, to keep the neighbor's grass at bay. I saved money this way, hoping that the dog will not trample on edging directly on/under the fenceline.

Then came the soil amendments. I spread 75 bags of compost (which could easily have been double the amount if I had the budget to do so), 20 bags of cow manure, 10 bags of peat humus, 6 bags of expanded shale (pricey stuff), 10 lbs. of green sand and half a bag of organic slow-release fertilizer granuals. The landscapers tilled the compost, manure and humus into the existing compacted soil. I sprinkled the fertilizer, green sand and shale in by hand during planting.

Finally, planting! Eight trees went in the backyard. Hooray! Three 30 gallon 'Nachez' crepe myrtles were planted along the back fence, bordering the alley. Three 15 gallon 'Teddy Bear' magnolias set the anchors for the pathway along the sideyard. I tucked a 15 gallon 'Possum Haw' (deciduous) holly in between a couple of the magnolias along the shared fence. Saving the best for last, I placed the beautiful 45 gallon 'Mexican' redbud as a specimen tree on the southern fenceline, in direct line of sight of the opening of the back (driveway) gate, which will be relocated at a later date.

Now we have to fix the sprinklers. Only one line was cut for planting, but we have to convert many other sprinkler heads to soaker hoses. Also, we cannot add mulch soon enough, will will be bought in bulk. The dog already had black paws this afternoon. But he told me he loves having trees to run around again. Or he was happy to poop. Either way, he's happy. And the boy loved "helping" plant the garden. There are little muddy shoes and paw prints at the back door.

Pictures to come soon.

Getting ready to git 'er done

I'm getting excited. If everything goes as planned, all the foundation prep and planting may be done this coming Tuesday! Of course this is all on the landscaper, whom I found working down the street a couple of days ago. But let me start over . . . .

Landscape plan drawn? Yes (about 30 different times, but I'm finally sticking to one). HOA application for moving fence and creating and adding to garden beds and planting plan? Approved. City permit for fence? Approved.

To do: Rent trailer. Borrow wheelbarrow and tiller from R.Y. Buy all the raw materials for bed prep: 80 bags of compost, 80 bags of mulch, 8 - 10 bags of green sand, 5 - 10 bags of expanded shale (which is very expensive!), approx. 250 feet of composite edging. Haul it home and unload. Whew. That sounds exhausting. Figure out what to do with sprinkler heads and lines in the way of new trees. Dig? Then cross my fingers on Tuesday. Hoping the trees arrive in good shape and the landscaper shows.

BYW, it is really hard to rely upon and watch other people work when you are a control freak.

Tree sale

Bought more plants, trees actually. Finally the tree sale is on and I took advantage. In addition to the 5 trees already purchased, I got 2 'Teddy Bear' Magnolias and 1 'Possum Haw' holly. The holly has a great vase shape already. Hope it will have lots of winter berries. It's a cultivar (cutting) from a female plant, so it should. There are a few buds on the magnolias too, but I may not get to see them since I don't plan to take possession of all my pretties until later in October.

The boy and I worked up an appetite from all the tree hunting. So we brunched at IHOP. FYI: you can totally order chocolate chip pancakes without raising an eyebrow when you are sitting with a two-year-old.

Planning, shopping and planning

Yeah! I'm so excited to have finally reached a decision on my landscape plan. I had a rough layout in my mind and then went to my favorite nursery to be inspired. Word of caution, I do not recommend buying plants, especially pricey foundation plants, without a firm landscape plan in place. Of course that is exactly what I did. My hubby just shook his head. Happily I'm the one in charge of the landscape design and I don't feel the need to ask permission. This way I only need to argue with myself.

So I've been back to the nursery two more times, reevaluating my purchases. I originally bought the most beautifully-formed, container-grown Mexican Redbud. Once I saw it I knew I would regret not buying it as they aren't easy to find in large size with good form. I instantly decided this would be my specimen tree. Luckily it still is on the final plan. This was definitely a keeper.

The second plant I bought was a very large container-grown Lacebark Elm. Oh, it's so pretty and will have beautiful bark for winter interest. But this one got returned (much easier do to if you have not taken any of the plants home and go back the very next day to change your mind). I decided this moderate growing tree would be too big for space and would shade out other potential plantings and the lawn. So I exchanged it for two white 'Nachez' Crepe Myrtles. Another tree I had always admired, in addition to the redbud. These crepe myrtles can get pretty big too, but will still only be half the canopy width of the elm at maturity. Now where to put them, and then what?

The third plant I bought on my first outing was a lovely dwarf crepe myrtle called 'True Blue.' I had never seen the almost blue flower color before on a crepe, so that's why I chose it- blue is my favorite flower color. I have since returned that too, but it's still on my short list. So I may buy it again!

So after all the hemming and hawing, here are my final purchased selections:

• 3 Crepe Myrtles 'Nachez'
• 1 Mexican Redbud
• 1 Viburnum 'Rusty'

My shopping list for the tree sale next month includes 2 'Teddy Bear' Magnolias and 1 holly (either Needlepoint or Nellie R. Stevens) for hedging. Other possibilities include 2 dwarf wax myrtles as evergreens between the crepe myrtles, 3 'Cassandra' hollies for border edging, and maybe a weeping Yaupon Holly or a 'Possum Haw' holly for winter interest. Of course I should be patient and purchase these secondary plants at a later date. We'll see.

Now I just need to send off my plans to the HOA for approval, get permits from the city, move my fence line up, rip up grass, find a landscaper move and convert sprinklers, and to pick up/deliver and plant these big old container plants. Oh, and figure out how to pay for it. Easy, right?

Ain't this cool?

This pic, which I found on one of my fav blogs desiretoinspire.net, grabbed my attention. I want to crawl into this image and walk around this little garden. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on in there. It give me lots of ideas for my backyard garden pathways, lighting and water features. Love it.

Summer rain

More rain begets more flowers. Below is a snap from my friend's garden. Her wisteria is blooming again and really taking off. She's had it growing up her pergola for a few years now, but this year it's starting to gobble up the structure. Now she finally has some shade!

I was entertained by toddlers smelling (and picking) the very generous neighbors' roses tonight. The little ones are practicing sharing and sniffing. Very sweet. Luckily the thorns were avoided. Guess I'd better add "sharing" flowers to my front beds.

Rain, rain go away; Hello humidity

Today it stopped raining. We got quite a bit the last two days. It rained steady all day yesterday, which is unusual for this part of Texas. Usually summer storms rush in and out quickly. I guessing those cracks under the fence line are filling in now.

I haven't done anything garden-related, except getting my two newest garden books from Amazon a few days ago. Garden Planner by Robin Williams (not the comedian), is my new favorite. Easy planing ideas, with the great tips on design. The other is Big Book of Garden Designs. Haven't cracked this one open yet.

This is what I've been up to recently.